“Experts: Hazing case could be tough” (March 17, 2012, St. Augustine Record)

This article looks at challenges prosecutors are facing in the hazing death of Florida A&M student Robert Champion last November. Dekle discussed how some witnesses might be uncooperative and difficult to work with in a case like this.

From the article:
There could be potentially dozens of versions of what happened on the bus. Some witnesses will likely be reluctant to cooperate because they don’t want to be implicated or because they feel sympathy for, or an alliance with, the individuals who are considered most culpable, said professor Bob Dekle, who teaches legal skills at the University of Florida’s law school in Gainesville.

“Reluctant witnesses can sometimes be difficult to handle and difficult to get to court and difficult to answer questions on the witness stand,” said Dekle, a retired assistant state attorney. “Just because a crime has occurred, that doesn’t mean you can prove it — and being able to prove it depends in large measure on witnesses.”

Berta Hernandez-Truyol 
Levin Mabie & Levin Professor of Law

“Gainesville city officials take stand against Arizona illegal immigration law” (March 20, 2012, The Alligator)

This article reports hat Gainesville has joined a legal brief to oppose an Arizona immigration law that gives police officers the right to stop or arrest anyone who they suspect might be an illegal immigrant.

From the article:
The federal government, not individual states, has the right to pass immigration laws, said Berta Hernandez-Truyol, a UF law professor and expert in human rights law. However, states can pass laws that deal indirectly with immigration.

Briefs like this one are filed by parties that are not involved in the case but would like to express their support for one side, she said.

“This clearly signals that Gainesville believes we should treat people fairly and not single out a certain population,” Hernandez-Truyol said.

Lyrissa Lidsky
Stephen C. O’Connell Chair & Professor of Law

“Professor discusses potential impact of media coverage before Trayvon Martin trial” (March 20, 2012, WUFT, 89.1)

This radio segment points out that as news unfolds in the Trayvon Martin case, many news outlets have been issuing corrections to stories that included incorrect information. Lidsky discusses how prior knowledge of a case may or may not impact a jury’s decision in a case, and said the call for further investigation is warranted.

From the interview:
“There definitely are procedures in place to try to make sure that errors in pretrial publicity don’t prejudice the outcome of criminal trials.”

Joseph Little
Professor Emeritus

“Tuition rate setting debate goes to higher court” (March 16, 2012, WUFT, 89.1)

This radio segment looks at questions and background surrounding the ongoing debate about who should set tuition rates at state universities, a case which the Florida Supreme Court recently decided to hear. Little explained that the basis of the debate is whether the Board of Governors or Legislature should set tuition rates. After the Board was granted control, an appellate court then ruled that the Legislature should have that power. Little said this next decision should settle it once and for all.

Kenneth Nunn 
Professor of Law

“Trayvon Martin: Sanford officials, Rep. Corrine Brown, meet with Justice officials in Washington” (March 20, 2012, Orlando Sentinel),

In this article, which recounts the latest news in the Trayvon Martin case, Nunn addressed the likelihood of the Justice Department charging shooter George Zimmerman with any civil rights violations.

From the article:
Kenneth Nunn, a civil rights expert on the faculty at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, said Tuesday that the Department of Justice seldom charges people with civil rights violations and that those charges are unlikely in this case, unless investigators come up with compelling new evidence.

They will look for signs that Zimmerman intentionally set out to deprive Trayvon of his right to life, Nunn said.

“You have to show that it’s willful,” said Nunn. “You can’t show that it was negligence or stupidity. You have to show it was intentional.

Also appeared in: http://www.wsbt.com/news/os-trayvon-martin-doj-investigation-20120320,0,4710790,full.story

Michael Seigel
University of Florida Research Foundation Professor of Law; Director, Criminal Justice Center

On March 2, Seigel gave a lecture entitled “Criminal Evidence Update, State and Federal Courts” at the Topics in Evidence Seminar sponsored by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee, Code & Rules of Evidence Committee, Criminal Law Section, and Trial Lawyers Section. The lecture took place in Tampa.

“Stand your ground” laws and the Trayvon Martin case” (March 20, 2012, 89.3 KPCC, NPR affiliate in Los Angeles)

Seigel was a guest panelist on this radio program that looked at the Trayvon Martin case and Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows a person to use deadly force if he or she feels physically threatened in a public space. Seigel offered some background on the law and how it replaced the previous “Duty to Retreat” law.

From the interview:
“If the judge believes you were defending yourself lawfully, he or she can dismiss the case and not even allow it to go to a jury.”

Michael Allan Wolf
Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law

On March 14, Wolf made a presentation on “How to Make Sea-Level-Rise Adaptation Strategies Takings-Proof” at the Environmental Law Distinguished Lecture 25th Anniversary Symposium at the FSU College of Law.

The lecture will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. in HOL 382.

An overflow room will be available if necessary. Barzilay’s lecture will be “X-men and Charming Betsy at the U.S. Court of International Trade: Otherworldly creatures and international law as part of U.S. law.”

Barzilay will also speak to Professor Stephen Powell’s Trade and Environment class on “Environmental Protection at the U.S. Court of International Trade: Walking the Tightrope Between Protecting our environment and complying with our international agreements,” on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

This lecture will also be in HOL 382 and the law school community is welcome to attend. President Bill Clinton appointed Barzilay to the U.S. Court of International Trade in 1998 and she has handled cases in a variety of areas including customs law, antidumping and countervailing deputies, and trade adjustment assistance. She received senior status on the court in June.

Atilla Andrade

ProfessorAndrade will be speaking to the members of the Home Builders Association of Florida on the new opportunities for Florida builders in his home country of Brazil.

Nancy Dowd

Professor; David H. Levin Chair in Family Law; Director, Center on Children & FamiliesDowd presented “Barriers to Redefining Fatherhood: Masculinities and Nurture,” as part of a panel on “Redefining Parenthood” at the National People of Color Conference at the Seton Hall University School of Law. The talk focused on how dominant social and cultural concepts of masculinities, as well as public policy founded on an economic definition of fatherhood, operate as barriers to redefining fatherhood around men nurturing their children.

Paul Gugliuzza

Legal Skills ProfessorGugliuzza co-authored and published “Ten Federal Circuit Cases From 2009 That Veterans Benefits Attorneys Should Know,” in American University Law Review, with Miguel F. Eaton and Sumon Dantiki.

Berta Esperanza Hernández-Truyol

Levin Mabie & Levin Professor of LawHernández-Truyol presented “On Post-Racial and Post-Other Isms: A Human Rights Approach to Justice” at the National People of Color Conference at the Seton Hall University School of Law.

Shani King

Associate Professor; Co-Director, Center on Children and FamiliesKing presented “The Family Law Canon in a (Post?) Racial Era” at the National People of Color Conference at the Seton Hall University School of Law. He argued that the canon of family law inaccurately describes a race-neutral or post-racial state for family law and that the canon should correct its colorblindness so that legal authorities can address the problems that structural racism creates for African-American families. The article was the first to engage the canon’s relationship to race, or more specifically, to African-Americans in an in-depth and sustained way.

JoAnn Klein

Development Director, Center for Governmental ResponsibilityTim McLendon and JoAnn Klein, both of CGR, have just completed and published a two-year study on “Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation in Florida, Update 2010.” This was a joint CGR project with the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University in New Jersey and also involved UF Emeritus Professor of Law Jim Nicholas. The study was funded by a grant from the Florida Dept. of State Division of Historical Resources.

Joseph Little

Professor Emeritus“Health reform amendment thrown off Florida ballot” (Sept. 13, 2010, American Medical News)

Little commented on the Florida Supreme Court’s decision not to include a challenge to the national health care reform bill on November’s ballot on the grounds that it was not worded to accurately represent the amendment’s impact.

From the article:
“The Florida Supreme Court has denied several proposed amendments because they were inaccurately worded, said Joseph W. Little, professor of law emeritus at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville. Often the authors try to insert confusing wording to make the proposal sound like something more attractive than it is.” “‘My guess is the Legislature was attempting to create votes for this [amendment],’ Little said.”

Pedro Malavet

ProfessorTV interview (Sept. 15, 2010, WCJB TV-20)
Malavet commented about UF Law being ranked no. 5 for Hispanic students by Hispanic Business magazine.

Tim McLendon

Staff Attorney, Center for Governmental ResponsibilityTim McLendon and JoAnn Klein, both of CGR, have just completed and published a two-year study on “Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation in Florida, Update 2010.” This was a joint CGR project with the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University in New Jersey and also involved UF Emeritus Professor of Law Jim Nicholas. The study was funded by a grant from the Florida Dept. of State Division of Historical Resources.

Don Peters

Professor; Trustee Research FellowDon Peters, along with his co-author Catherine Ross Dunham, professor and associate dean at Elon Law School has published “Civil Procedure: Skills and Values” in the new LexisNexis Skills and Values series.

Sharon Rush

Irving Cypen Professor of LawRush presented a paper at a conference in Athens, Greece in July that was sponsored by the Athens Institute on Education and Research. Her paper focused on what the U.S. and South Africa can learn from each other about fixing a problem we share: the existence and persistence of racially identifiable and unequal schools.

Michael Seigel

UF Research Foundation Professor“Granting of transfer requests ‘rare’” (Sept. 13, 2010, Ocala Star-Banner)

A federal judge recently denied Lee Farkas’ motion to have his case moved from Virginia to Florida. The former chairman of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp. was indicted on fraud charges earlier this year.

From the article:
“‘To move a case because it presents an inconvenience to the defendant is…an extremely rare event,’ said Mike L. Seigel, a law professor specializing in criminal law and white collar crime at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. To actually succeed in moving a trial, moreover, a case must be ‘really, really high profile and very emotional, typically,’ Seigel added.”

Danny Sokol

Assistant ProfessorSokol presented his research at the Latin American Competition Forum in San Jose, Costa Rica. The event was organized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Inter-American Development Bank, the Comisión para Promover la Competencia (COPROCOM) and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica.

Sokol’s article “Antitrust, Institutions and Merger Control” was published in the George Mason Law Review.

The University of Florida Levin College of Law has been ranked as the fifth best law school in the nation for Hispanic students by Hispanic Business magazine. UF Law has been ranked in the top 10 eight times in the past decade.

“It is exciting, but not surprising, that UF is recognized for its firm commitment to diversity, and its success with the Latina/o community,” said UF Law Professor Berta Hernández-Truyol.

Hernández-Truyol, along with Pedro Malavet, Juan Perea and Daniel Sokol are the full-time Hispanic professors at UF Law, making the college a national leader in the number of tenured and tenure-track Hispanic faculty members. “Many law schools do not have a single Hispanic law professor, and few have more than one,” Malavet said. “We have earned our place in the top 10 by developing a strongly diverse community with a strong critical mass of Hispanics at every level of our school.”

In 2009, UF Law had 107 Hispanic students enrolled with a 99 percent retention rate for the 2008-2009 academic year, and 42 J.D. degrees were awarded to Hispanic students last year.

UF Law’s commitment to leadership and diversity is also evident in its alumni.

Last month, Hispanic-American UF Law graduate Stephen N. Zack became the first Hispanic-American president of the American Bar Association. Zack is the fifth UF Law alumnus to hold the prestigious position. He is also a founding member of the Cuban-American Bar Association, and was the first Hispanic-American president of The Florida Bar.

Zack will deliver the Marshall M. Criser Distinguished Lecture at UF Law next month and will present this fall’s Book Awards.

Hispanic Business magazine also looks at Hispanic student organizations, mentorship programs and incentives that might make the school more appealing to Hispanic students.

Hispanic student organizations at UF Law include Latin Law Students Association, Caribbean Law Students Association and International Law Society. The college also offers mentoring opportunities through the Puerto Rican Bar Association and the UF Law Minority Mentoring Program.

“Florida has a strong focus on Latin America, having both summer programs and a joint degree – J.D. and M.A. – with Latin American Studies, allowing students who want to pursue that course of study an excellent opportunity,” Hernández-Truyol said.

“The programs and resources create a very welcoming environment for all students, including Latina/o students,” she said.

In addition to a strong presence on the faculty, UF Law also employs Latinas/os in administration, including Assistant Dean of Admissions Michelle Adorno and Director of Admissions Noemar Castro, Hernández-Truyol said.

Presented “Promoting Agricultural Production, Healthy Communities and Biodiversity through Ecoagriculture” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Fletcher Baldwin

Presented a paper titled, “The rule of law: an essential component of the financial war against organized crime and terrorism in the Americas, Uruguay round,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Commented on the panel, “Financial Crime & Street Crime,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Elizabeth Dale

Commented on the panel, “The Intersection of Law & Society with Public Labor and Employment Law,” and she presented a paper at a panel (which she organized), “Deploying History: Uses of the Past in Constitutional Discourse, Comparative Studies,” at the Law and Society Association conference in Chicago in May.

Nancy Dowd

Dowd made presentations on masculinities and feminist theory at two conferences in March at Harvard Law School and the Center for Applied Feminism at the University of Baltimore Law School.

Joan Flocks

Co-authored a paper titled, “The Role of Employers and Supervisors in Promoting Pesticide Safety Behavior among Florida Farmworkers,” which was published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 53(8):814-824, 2010. Flocks was also one of six invited reviewers nationwide for a report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, “Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health” which came out of a June 2010 meeting and is currently available for free in prepublication at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12949.

Commented on the panel, “Comparative Perspectives on the Environmental/Human Rights Link in the Americas,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Berta Hernandez-Truyol

Commented on the panel, “Comparative Perspectives on the Environmental/Human Rights Link in the Americas,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Lea Johnston

Johnston presented “Wrestling with the Problem: Exploring the Promise of Social Problem-Solving Theory for Representational Competence,” at the American Psychology-Law Society Annual Conference in March, and presented her current work-in-progress, “Mental Health Courts: Theoretical and Empirical Deficiencies,” at the SEALS new scholars workshop in early August.

Pedro Malavet

Presented a paper titled, “Comparative Law as Looking Glass: What Foreign Legal Systems Can Teach us About Ours,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Martin McMahon

Published “Living with the Codified Economic Substance Doctrine” in 128 Tax Notes 731 (Aug. 16, 2010).

Timothy McLendon

Presented “Eco-Constitutionalism: Authority or mandate? Florida’s awkward experience” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Commented on the panel, “Agro-Ranching and the Environment,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Jon Mills

Commented on the panel, “Emerging Legal Issues in Uruguay and the Americas,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Stephen Powell

Presented a paper titled, “Managing the rule of law in the Americas: an empirical portrait of the effects of 15 years of WTO dispute resolution on civil society in Latin America,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Commented on the panel, “Trade, Business, and Dispute Settlement,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Michael T. Olexa

Presented a paper titled, “Chemicals, Cosmetics, and Consumers,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Don Peters

Presented a paper titled, “It Takes Two to Tango, and to Mediate: Legal Cultural and other Factors influencing United States and Latin American Lawyers’ Reluctance to Mediate Commercial Disputes,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Leonard Riskin

Presented “Finding the Appropriate Problem Definition in Mediation” at the Annual Symposium on Dispute Resolution in the Courts in April.

Danny Sokol

Sokol was announced as the series co-editor of the new series “Global Competition Law and Economics,” to be published by Stanford University Press. He has also been appointed as one of the members of the editorial advisory board for the “Antitrust Chronicle,” a publication of Competition Policy International.

Jeff Wade

Commented on the panel, “Agro-Ranching and the Environment,” at the CGR’s 11th annual Conference on Legal and Policy Issues in the Americas in May in Montevideo, Uruguay.