From left, Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga, Justice Peggy A. Quince, Justice Barbara J. Pariente, Chief Justice Charles T. Canady, Justice R. Fred Lewis, Justice Ricky Polston and Justice James E.C. Perry stand with UF Law students from left, Monica Haddad, Mary Katherine Tinsley, Leah Edelman, Wilbert Vancol, David Hughes and David Evans. (Photo by Nicole Safker)

In the fictional appeal case of Zydeco, Inc. v. Mary Macdonald, Leah Edelman (3L) and Wilbert Vancol (3L) were the petitioners on behalf of pharmaceutical company Zydeco, Inc., challenging the constitutionality of “The Drug Free Texifornia Act of 2010.” David Evans (3L) and Monica Haddad (2L) were on the responding team representing Texifornia Attorney General Mary Macdonald. Alternates were Mary Katherine Tinsley (3L) and David Hughes (3L).

As the petitioners and respondents stated their cases, members of the Florida Supreme Court asked questions and challenged the competitor’s arguments, allowing the team members to demonstrate their appellate advocacy skills. The Maguire Competition provides the Florida Moot Court Team with valuable practice for the upcoming American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition.

At the end of the competition, Chief Justice Charles T. Canady announced that Vancol won the award for best oralist in the competition and the best team award went to the petitioning side.

“I just want to say that we’ve heard some outstanding advocacy today,” said Canady. “It is obvious that the people arguing here before this court today were well prepared and are skillful advocates who have a very promising future as advocates in the law, so we want to congratulate all of you.”

The competition is named after Raymer F. Maguire Jr. (JD 15), son of the founder of Maguire, Voorhis & Wells, P.A., managing partner of the firm, and UF Law alumnus. In the summer of 1998, Maguire, Voorhis & Wells, P.A. merged with the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP, who continued the tradition of sponsoring the competition.

For more photos, view the gallery on our Facebook page.

Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom opening celebration with ABC News past president on Feb. 24
Please join the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law as we celebrate the grand opening of the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom Thursday, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m. David Westin, a lawyer and the immediate past president of ABC News, will give keynote remarks on a topic involving courts and the media. A limited number of tickets will be available for the event in the Office of Student Affairs. Details will be available via the Allaw listerv. Following the courtroom opening celebration and lecture, the UF Law Trial Team will present its exhibition at 2 p.m. in the center. This event is free and open to the public.

Refine your conflict resolution skills today
Brush up on your conflict resolution knowledge and skills this Valentine’s Day at the practical presentation, “Why can’t we all just get along? Everything you wanted to know about dispute resolution but were afraid to ask,” by Levin College of Law Professor Robin Davis, Esq., director of the Institute for Dispute Resolution. Her presentation will focus on common dispute resolution processes and help faculty and administrators make more informed decisions, personally and professionally, in choosing an appropriate process for their disputes. She will highlight the application of these processes to academia, with special emphasis on mediation. The presentation will be held 3:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, in the Faculty Dining Room at the Levin College of Law, and is free and open to all. For more information on the program, contact Debra Amirin, amirin@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0651.

Need a Valentine’s Day gift to charm your sweetheart or friends?
The Journal of Law and Public Policy is selling carnations of assorted colors in the courtyard today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each carnation costs $2, and if you would like them to deliver the carnation to your recipient with a note, the carnation will cost $3. For more information, stop by the table in the courtyard today or contact JLPP Fundraising Chair Justin Berlin at justinberlin@gmail.com.

Spend an evening with pioneers in U.S. Civil Rights Movement
The University of Florida Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations (CSRRR) and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP)* present “An Evening with the Dues: Pioneers in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement” Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. with a reception and book signing followed by lecture in the Buddy and Anne McKay Auditorium of Pugh Hall. The event honors the work and legacy of Patricia Stephens Due and John Due. The Dues will discuss their lives, work, and the future work that needs to be done for social justice. In 1960 Patricia Stephens Due and four other students from Florida A&M University made history when they served 49 days in jail after being arrested for sitting-in at a lunch counter. Ms. Due and her fellow protestors refused to pay a fine and instead chose to go to jail in order to highlight the injustice of legal segregation. This was the first jail-in of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of Mrs. Due’s work fighting for human and civil rights in America. Mrs. Due and her husband, civil rights attorney John Due, have fought for human rights since their days on the campus of Florida A&M University. Mrs. Due is the recipient of many awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Outstanding Leadership, the Ghandi Award for Outstanding Work in Human Relations and the NAACP Florida Freedom Award. John Due is a 1963 graduate of the FAMU College of Law. *UF event co-sponsors: African American Studies Program; Bob Graham Center; Center for African Studies; Center for Women’s Studies & Gender Research; Department of Anthropology; George A. Smathers Libraries; History Department; and the Office of the Provost.

UF Law Trial Team to compete in Texas and Alabama
The UF Law Trial Team sends two teams this week to compete in competitions in Texas and Alabama. On Wednesday, Feb. 16, advocates Rhett Parker, Anita McNulty, Michael Quintero and Dan Hogan, supported by their coaches Nick Zissimopulos and Tania Alavi, travel to San Antonio, Texas, to compete in the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Trial Advocacy Competition. This competition is a criminal trial where the advocates represent both the prosecution and defense. The NACDL competition selects only 12 schools to compete in this three-day competition. The NACDL team is supported by its Round-Robin Team of Georgia Buckhalter, Daniella Chacoa, Tiana Beaudouin, and Gillian Sykes and their Researcher/Team Mascot, James Baley. On Friday, Feb. 18, advocates Jennifer White, Dillon Roberts, Erik Gruber and Jared Thoma, supported by coaches Whitney Untiedt and Darby Hertz, travel to Birmingham, Ala., to compete in the National Trial Competition (NTC). Our advocates are prepared to represent both the prosecution and defense in this criminal trial where the defendant is charged with both first-degree murder and robbery. This regional competition features 26 teams from law schools across Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The top two teams advance to the national competition held in Houston, Texas, from April 6-10. The NTC team is supported by researcher, Andrew Bauta.

JMBA hosts student-faculty-alumni softball game and picnic Saturday, Feb. 19
Join local alumni, students and faculty Saturday, Feb. 19, at 3:30 p.m. at Westside Park, as the John Marshall Bar Association hosts a picnic and friendly game of softball between students, alumni and faculty. Many local alumni are expected to attend, which will provide a valuable networking opportunity for students, and include local alumni in the UF Law community. Please check back for more details as they become available.

Save the date for the Public Interest Environmental Conference Feb. 24-26
The theme of this year’s conference is “It’s Not Easy Being Green: Our Energy Future.” The discussion will focus on contemporary issues associated with our need for energy. Different forms of energy generation and their legal and social ramifications will be examined in a series of nine panels and two hands-on workshops. For details and registration information, visit http://www.law.ufl.edu/piec/.

All seven Florida Supreme Court justices to judge Maguire Appellate Advocacy Competition Feb. 25
The law school community is invited to watch as members of the Florida Moot Court Team showcase their oral advocacy skills to all seven members of the Florida Supreme Court Feb. 25. The 27th annual Maguire Appellate Advocacy Competition, formerly known as the Raymer F. Maguire Moot Court Final Four Competition, will be held at 10 a.m. in UF Law’s Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center. The event is free and open to the public — the law school community is encouraged to attend. The exhibition allows moot court team members to receive useful critiques regarding their oral arguments as they prepare for the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition. This year’s team consists of Wilbert Vancol (3L), Leah Edelman (3L), Katie Tinsley (3L), David Hughes (3L), David Evans (3L) and Monica Haddad (2L). During the exhibition, Vancol and Edelman will present arguments for Petitioner, and Haddad and Evans will argue for Respondent. The Maguire exhibition provides UF Law students a unique opportunity to observe these outstanding law students exhibit their distinguished oral advocacy skills. Providing critiques for the oral arguments will be members of the current Florida Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Charles T. Canady, Justice Barbara J. Pariente, Justice R. Fred Lewis, Justice Peggy A. Quince, Justice Ricky Polston, Justice Jorge Labarga and Justice James E.C. Perry.

Submit art for the Sixth Annual UF Law Student/Faculty Art Show by March 14
Mark your calendars for the upcoming UF Law Student/Faculty Art Show, which will take place Wednesday, March 16, in the Legal Information Center at 7 p.m. The Art Law Society will be having a silent auction for selected works and all proceeds will benefit Shands Arts in Medicine program. There also will be wine, food and live music. If you are interested in submitting your artwork, send the following information to f.c.tripp@gmail.com by March 14 at 5 p.m.: title, artist’s name, date created, dimensions of the work/length of video, medium (i.e., oil on canvas, photography, etc) and whether you would like to donate the work for the silent auction.

Princeton Review seeks input from law students
The Princeton Review has once again named the University of Florida Levin College of Law one of the best law schools in the nation. Distinguished schools will be profiled in the 2012 edition of Best Law Schools. In order to help them represent UF Law accurately, please fill out the following survey to author a new “Students Say” profile and update our ratings.

The distinguished panel of retired chief justices, all of whom are UF Law alumni, included the Hon. Harry Lee Anstead (JD 63), Hon. Stephen H. Grimes (JD 78), Hon. Parker Lee McDonald (JD 50), Hon. Ben F. Overton (JD 67), and Hon. Charles T. Wells (JD 64).

“Today, we recognize not only the great legal minds that comprise this distinguished panel of judges, but also their strong ethic and unwavering professionalism,” said Rob Davis, president of the Florida Moot Court Team, after welcoming the guests to the competition. “As we embark on our legal careers, these are traits that all of us, I am confident, will emulate with pride.”

Hughes argued the first issue for the petitioner and was immediately met with questions from the justices.

“Justice Wells started questioning me in the middle of my roadmap and I had to get back to the third part of it later in the competition,” said Hughes. Despite the tough start, Hughes remarked, “I genuinely thought that was the most fun I have ever had in 15 minutes of oral argument. The judges had this way of asking really hard questions without sounding confrontational, which allowed me to enjoy the experience.”

The purpose of the Maguire competition was to provide the competitors with useful critiques regarding their oral arguments before going on to compete against other moot court teams from across the nation in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition.

“Preparing for the Maguire competition helped immensely for the preparation for the ABA. We were given a set date by which we had to be competition ready and because that date was a week earlier than the ABA competition, it served as an invaluable benchmark in our preparation,” said Moring.

“We spent our winter break writing the brief for this competition and we’ve all prepared for oral arguments ever since. It was an exceptional opportunity to make an oral argument before these justices,” added Aronovitz. Together, Moring and Aronovitz won the competition for the respondent.

Justice Overton announced the winners and also gave Moring the award for Best Oralist. Justice Anstead followed by congratulating the competitors.

“In terms of the preparation of the presentations today, I was more impressed by the four of you than any other moot court team that I have ever seen. The four of you were so incredibly impressive,” he said.

Justice Grimes, also impressed, added, “We asked you so many questions and we compliment you for answering them so well.”

It was undoubtedly a great honor for the competitors to receive such glowing remarks from the justices.

“It feels really good to be rewarded for our efforts and to hear the positive feedback from such an esteemed panel of judges,” said Aronovitz.

For Aronovitz and Morning, both 3Ls, the ABA competition will be their last as members of the Florida Moot Court Team. Moring reflected on the experience, “Amidst the long hours of preparation it seems like a relief that it’s almost over, but I know that after the competition and especially after graduation, the realization that I won’t get to represent UF in moot court competitions anymore will set in.”

For more information on the Florida Moot Court Team, visit www.law.ufl.edu/students/organizations/mootcourt.

The goal of the competition is to provide moot court team members with useful critiques regarding their oral arguments as they prepare for the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition. This year’s team consists of David Hughes (2L), C. Andrew Roy (2L), Cary Aronovitz (3L), and Philip Moring (3L). Kevin Combest (3L) and Shelly Garg (3L) will serve as alternates.

“This competition provides our students an excellent opportunity to observe the ‘cream of the crop’ exhibit their superb advocacy skills,” said Henry Wihnyk, senior legal skills professor, director of UF Law’s Legal Research, Writing and Appellate Advocacy Department, and moot court team faculty advisor.

Providing critiques for the Maguire competition will be five retired chief justices of the Florida Supreme Court, including the Hon. Harry Lee Anstead (JD 63), Hon. Stephen H. Grimes (JD 78), Hon. Parker Lee McDonald (JD 50), Hon. Ben F. Overton (JD 67), and Hon. Charles T. Wells (JD 64).

“On this, the 100-year anniversary of the Levin College of Law, we are honored that these distinguished judges have returned to the college and given so generously of their time to help our members prepare to compete in the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition,” said Rob Davis (3L), president, Florida Moot Court Team. “We are looking forward to a very memorable event.”

Students interested in joining the Florida Moot Court Team must be entering their third semester of law school, successfully completed appellate advocacy and be in good academic standing. Once the basic criteria have been met, students must participate in an intramural competition where they write and submit an appellate brief and present two oral arguments before a panel of student and faculty judges. Those who do well in this process are selected to join the team.

The Florida Moot Court Team, founded in 1961, is governed by the Justice Campbell Thornal Executive Board, named after Justice Campbell Thornal (JD 30), the prominent Florida Supreme Court chief justice. The competition is sponsored by the Orlando office of Holland & Knight. The competition would not be possible without the support of Charles W. Abbott (JD 53), retired partner at Holland & Knight.

For more information on the Florida Moot Court Team, visit www.law.ufl.edu/students/organizations/mootcourt.