The Communications Office invites you to join its award-winning team and help with projects related to the college’s extensive website and other digital communications projects. Strong writing and web design skills and experience with HTML, CSS, and image editing software required.  Experience with WordPress a plus. Candidates must be highly reliable, organized and able to work well with others. Employment will be for 10 – 20 hours per week with very flexible scheduling.

Send resume and links to samples of websites/digital work (if available) to Online Communications Coordinator James Ayres at jayres@law.ufl.edu. You may also call 352-273-0650, or come by the Levin College of law Communications Office, 244 Bruton-Geer Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

Black Law Students Association President Brandon Campbell (2L) speaks during a presentation at the UF Law Board of Trustees meeting on Saturday. UF Law’s BLSA chapter has been named best in the nation. (Photo by Haley Stracher)

By Felicia Holloman (3L)

The University of Florida Levin College of Law Black Law Students Association represented the college at the annual national convention in Atlanta March 6-10, and took home two prestigious awards.

UF Law BLSA, also known as the W. George Allen chapter, was recognized as the national chapter of the year, beating out over 200 other groups. It is the National Black Law Students Association’s highest award and honor given to any chapter.

“This award shows yet again that UF is among the top law schools in the country, and that UF’s excellence is consistent in many areas,” said BLSA President Brandon Campbell (2L).

The group submitted a three-part application then competed for the title of regional chapter of the year. After being named chapter of the year for the southern region, UF Law BLSA went on to compete nationally.

The last step in the process included an interview in which Campbell answered questions posed by two NBLSA board members.

Campbell highlighted all of the community service outreach that BLSA spearheaded throughout the year, including the state of the Black Law Student town hall meeting, diversity initiatives with pre-law students across the country, the 50-year anniversary celebration of W. George Allen, UF Law’s first black graduate and UF BLSA’s namesake, and a professionalism week program.

“The leadership of our UF Law BLSA chapter has been superb these past years, so the chapter being recognized as the national chapter of the year is a well-deserved and exciting honor,” said UF Law Dean Robert Jerry.

Meanwhile, BLSA’s negotiations team won first place in the international negotiation competition held during the convention. The winning team consisted of Atiya Munroe (2L) and Laselve Harrison (2L).

“Getting one national title is a rare achievement for any law school, so the BLSA Negotiations Team also winning the national championship creates an extraordinary combination of awards, demonstrating that UF Law’s students have succeeded in making our BLSA chapter one of the very best, and I would argue the number one chapter, in the country,” said Jerry.

Campbell believes the awards are also representative of the movement toward diversity in education.

“This award is a major step in the right direction, not only for BLSA, but for the advancement of diversity at UF,” he said.

As for what the future has in store, BLSA has already established a conference in September, which will include every chapter in Florida and chapters in Puerto Rico and other states.

“I am fully confident that those coming after me will be able to continue BLSA’s model of excellence,” Campbell said.

The members of BLSA give special thanks to Donald Pritchett and Eugene Pettis for their annual endowments to UF BLSA. BLSA would also like to thank its graduate advisor, Katheryn Russell-Brown; the Center for Race Relations; the Law College Council; and the Center for Career Development for sponsoring its trip to Atlanta and supporting its activities this year.

Roger Blair
Chairman of Economics Department and UF Law Affiliate Professor

Blair was cited in the March 27 Supreme Court decision in the Comcast Antitrust Case. It is the fifth time Blair has been cited by the Supreme Court.

Deborah Cupples
Legal Skills Professor

Cupples’ and Temple-Smith’s book Legal Drafting: Litigation Documents, Contracts, Legislation, and Wills is now available in print. Their other co-authored manuscript Grammar, Punctuation, and Style: A Quick Guide for Lawyers and Other Writers is scheduled to be available within the next few months.

Lyrissa Lidsky
Professor of Law

Lidsky’s article, “Not a Free Press Court?” was published in the Brigham Young Law Review. The cite is 2012 B.Y.U. L. Rev. 1819 (2012).  “Not a Free Press Court?” (Brigham Young Law Review)

Margaret Temple-Smith
Senior Legal Skills Professor

Temple-Smith’s and Cupples’ book Legal Drafting: Litigation Documents, Contracts, Legislation, and Wills is now available in print. Their other co-authored manuscript Grammar, Punctuation, and Style: A Quick Guide for Lawyers and Other Writers is scheduled to be available within the next few months.

Marathon runner, mother, wife, leader, writer and avid reader.

Alexa Sherr Hartley (JD 02) is also the founder and president of Premier Leadership Coaching, LLC — a business that coaches legal professionals to be the best at what they do.

But, you may ask, why do lawyers and attorneys need coaching? Isn’t that what law school is for?

“You have to have IQ to get into law school,” she said, but EQ — or emotional intelligence — is a necessary skill for lawyers and attorneys to become “outstandingly great.”

This skill was never taught while she was at UF Law, but rather it was demonstrated by many of the faculty and staff whom she engaged with, she said.

Before Hartley became an entrepreneur, she practiced commercial and business litigation for eight years with Greenberg Traurig. During this time, she often found herself engaged in conversations with coworkers about steps they could take to solve professional problems.

“I am authentically interested in people and their stories,” she said. “I really do enjoy interacting with people. I like being a problem solver.”

She eventually realized the best use of her skills was not litigating. In the midst of not-so-favorable economic conditions and a skeptical target audience, Hartley established her coaching business.

At the time, executive coaching was new to legal professionals, she explained, so there was some resistance from her prospective customers. Some even asked her why she didn’t apply her ability to coach professionals in a different field.

But she insisted lawyers needed these soft skills, too.

“Lawyers are my people,” Hartley said. “I’ve been inside that fishbowl, I’ve seen those struggles and I know coaching is the way to overcome.”

Legal professionals often think of emotional intelligence as “nice,” she said.

“Throw ‘nice’ out the window — it’s imperative to build emotional intelligence muscles not for a feel-good thing. It makes you a more effective advocate, it makes you more profitable and it makes you a better asset … It makes good business sense. ”

Hartley teaches her clients positive conflict resolution tactics, how to be inspirational leaders and how to be more self-aware. She will contribute to The Florida Bar Leadership Academy, which begins in June.

“Alexa’s skills and experience as a lawyer have helped me to better manage my practice and clarify my career objectives,” wrote Dori Foster-Morales (JD 89), member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors. “Law school taught me how to be a lawyer, but not really how to manage the complexities of a legal practice. While I’m a work in progress (aren’t we all?), Alexa has really helped me to focus on items in my practice that I simply would not otherwise prioritize.”

Hartley runs marathons, raises her three children and blogs biweekly for Westlaw, a legal solutions blog, as a way to provide coaching for those who cannot afford it. She said her husband is the one who helps her do it all.

Despite all that’s on her plate, Hartley said she is happy to manage it all because she loves what she does.

“I walk the walk, talk the talk and walk the talk,” she said. “I push myself hard to be outstandingly great. I have to practice what I preach.”

More than 40 first-year students created and presented a closing argument for the criminal case, State of Lonestar v. Robert Duffie, in the 2013 Trial Team 1L Closing Argument Competition.

After a full week of qualifying rounds, the three highest scoring advocates - Andreu Szempruch (Prosecution), John Kelly (Defense) and Lauren Humphries (Defense) – advanced to the final round, which took place in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center on March 27.

Szempruch displayed a zealous prosecution style for the State of Lonestar, Kelly showed off his talents of persuasion and Humphries passionately advocated for her client. In the end, Kelly prevailed as the Best Overall Advocate.

The University of Florida Trial Team congratulates its finalists and thanks all who participated. For rising second-year students who wish to be part of the Trial Team, the team encourages attending the annual tryouts, which begin in September 2013.

(From left are Andreu Szemprach, Lauren Humphries and John Kelly)

ICAM team excels in Vienna

The Levin College of Law International Commercial Arbitration Moot (ICAM) team had a good showing in Vienna — despite snow, ice and extremely cold temperatures.

For only the fourth time since the program started nearly 20 years ago, the team qualified for the final rounds. The team lost in the round of 64 — only 64 of the nearly 300 teams make it to the final rounds. After finishing second in the Florida state competition earlier in February, team member Dane Ullian (2L) received Honorable Mention recognition in Vienna.

The other members of the team were Alexis Leventhal (3L), who served as captain; Julie deBruin (2L); and Phil Kegler (3L).

Each spring the team competes against groups from law schools around the world at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot competition in Vienna. The competition is one of the most prestigious of its kind and focuses on a problem that is drawn from the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The team members prepare arguments and briefs for both sides of the issue to present at the competition.

The team is coached by Professors George Dawson and Jeffrey Harrison, who are assisted by alumnus Eddie Palmer (JD 85).

(From left are: Professor George Dawson, Dane Ullian (2L), Eddie Palmer (JD 85), Alexis Leventhal (3L), Julie deBruin (2L), and Phil Kegler (3L), representing UF Law at the Florida Vis Pre-Moot Arbitration Competition in late February before moving on to the international competition in Vienna. The team qualified for the final rounds at the competition in Vienna, which was held in March).

Important registration information from Student Affairs

The course schedules for the upcoming academic year (Summer 2013, Fall 2013, and Spring 2014) have been released and are posted on the Student Affairs website: http://www.law.ufl.edu/student-affairs/current-students/course-schedules. You should be aware of information concerning distance education courses prior to registering for classes. Based upon ABA Standard 306(d), governing distance education in U.S. Law Schools, no student may obtain more than four credit hours of distance education(online/asynchronous) courses in the same term, and no student may receive more than a total of 12 credit hours of academic credit for distance education(online/asynchronous) courses to count toward the J.D. degree. Furthermore, since students are permitted, with prior approval, to complete up to six credit hours of graduate level courses to count toward law school graduation requirements, and since some students complete distance education courses through the Graduate School, the four credit hours and 12 credit hours limitations apply to these courses, as well. Thus, if a student is registered for an online graduate level course, this reduces the number of hours permitted for other distance education(online/asynchronous) courses either through the Graduate School and/or through the law school.

This information is particularly important for the Summer 2013 term, as there are currently 6 asynchronous (distance education) courses on the law school’s summer schedule of courses. Out of these six courses, one is a one credit hour course and the other courses are two credit hours. Therefore, you will only be able to register for up to two of these asynchronous courses during the summer term. Please review the schedule of courses carefully and plan your schedules accordingly. As you register for classes, you will be reminded of this requirement in ISIS when/if you register for any law distance education(asynchronous/online) course. If you attempt to register for a distance education(asynchronous/online) course, the following message will pop up to remind you of this rule:

“Per ABA Standard 306D, a law student may not register for more than four credits of asynchronous online courses in one term.”

If it is determined that you have registered for more than four credits of asynchronous (distance education/online) courses in any term (e.g., this summer), you will be notified to drop a course or courses. If this is not done, you will then be administratively dropped from the course or courses until you are in compliance with the ABA Standard 306(d).

If there should be any questions or concerns about any of this information, please feel free to contact Assistant Dean of Students, Kari Mattox, at mattoxk@law.ufl.edu, or stop by the Office of Student Affairs.

Submit your art to be featured in the upcoming art show

The annual Student Faculty Art Show is Thursday, April 11, from 6-9 p.m. in the Lawton Chiles Library. The art show gives students and faculty the opportunity to utilize a different type of skill set and an outlet for their creative sides. Submissions from past years have included oil on canvas to photography, melted crayon art, sculpture, sketches, blown glass, and even clothing. The show also aims to give students a study break before finals with hors d’oeuvres and wine served in the library alongside the art on display. If you’ve been dying to try out that art project you saw on Pinterest or you have something you created years ago, now is your chance to share. Submissions will be returned and artists can choose to display their art with their name and title or anonymously.

2013 Class Gift Legacy

The University of Florida Levin College of Law would not be what it is today without support from alumni. As you prepare to join the distinguished Gator Nation alumni network, now is your chance to make a difference and leave a legacy for future generations of students. Consider making a gift, at any amount, in support of your college. UF Law appreciates your support, as the 2013 Class Gift campaign aims to achieve 100 percent participation from all graduating 3Ls.

To make a gift today visit http://www.law.ufl.edu/alumni/giving/class-gifts.