Fall 2010 New and Visiting Faculty and Staff

Tom C.W. Lin
Tom Lin has joined the faculty as an assistant professor of law. His current scholarship and teaching interests are in the areas of business law, securities regulation and behavioral law and economics. He was previously an instructor of law at Brooklyn Law School in New York. Prior to entering academia, Professor Lin practiced law at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Davis Polk & Wardwell and Dewey Ballantine. He is a graduate of New York University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as an advanced legal writing instructor and senior editor of the Journal of Constitutional Law and the Journal of Law and Social Change.

Rachel Rebouché
Rachel Rebouché has joined the UF Law faculty as an assistant professor teaching family law and comparative family law. For the 2010-11 academic year, she will be an affiliated faculty member with the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Prior to joining UF, she was the associate director of adolescent health programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families and an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law. Rebouché received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, LL. M. in international law from Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland and B.A. in politics and sociology from Trinity University. Following graduation from law school, she clerked for Justice Kate O’Regan on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and completed a fellowship at the National Women’s Law Center. Before law school, she was a researcher for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a research associate at the Human Rights Centre of Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Paul Gugliuzza
Paul has joined the faculty as a visiting legal skills professor, teaching appellate advocacy and legal research and writing. Gugliuzza completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, and graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University School of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Tulane Law Review. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Ronald M. Gould on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Gugliuzza joins the faculty directly from the Washington, D.C. office of Jones Day, where he was a member of the firm’s Issues and Appeals practice group.

Mark Snider
Mark D. Snider has joined the faculty as the interim visiting assistant professor in tax. Snider received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois in 1986 and obtained his LL.M. degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2009. He was a partner at two leading Chicago based law firms, where he practiced for more than 12 years working on complex business and financing transactions. He also worked for several years as the general counsel of a national service company, headquartered in Florida and with business locations throughout the United States, and as a partner in a law firm based in South Florida. He is admitted to practice in both Illinois and Florida.

Debra Hyatt
Debra Hyatt has joined the staff as the new registrar. She joins UF Law from Florida Atlantic University where she worked in student affairs for more than five years. A native of Tampa, Hyatt has a bachelor’s degree from UF and a master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University. She is excited about her return to Gainesville and her alma mater after living in South Florida for eight years. “Gainesville has always been like a second home to me, so it’s a thrill to be able to come back and work at the law school,” she said.

Shira Megerman
Shira Megerman joins the staff as the newest student services librarian. She comes to Gainesville from Kansas City, Mo. Megerman is available for research assistance and all student-related matters. Her office is located at HOL 175B and can be contacted at megermans@law.ufl.edu.

Grace Northern
Grace Northern joins the staff as the associate director of Development and Alumni Affairs. Northern comes to Gainesville from Washington, D.C., where she worked at the White House as Assistant to the Director of Presidential Personnel. In this capacity, Northern worked with senior members of the White House staff to identify and fill presidential appointments across the administration. Prior to her time at the White House, Northern worked on the Presidential Transition Team. As one of the first employees of the Obama for America campaign, she worked in a variety of capacities in six states during the primary and through the general election, including Florida. Before entering politics, Northern worked in the Washington, D.C. office of the Glover Park Group, a large public affairs firm. A native of Louisville, Ky., Grace received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Whitney Smith
Whitney Smith joins the staff as the new communications coordinator and editor of FlaLaw Online and UF Law eNews. Smith previously worked at The Gainesville Sun. She has experience in graphic and page design, online content management, editing and news and feature writing. Smith has worked on various publications before, during and after her years as a journalism student at UF and is thrilled to learn about the internal relations of the Levin College of Law and its students, faculty and staff. Feel free to contact her at smithw@law.ufl.edu or 273-0652. Smith replaces Katie Blasewitz, now working in Washington, D.C., as the electronic marketing and communications specialist at The Optical Society.

Matt Walker
Matt Walker has joined the staff as the new media relations manager in the Office of Communications at the law school. Walker brings years of journalism experience to the position, and has worked as a writer, reporter, columnist and magazine editor in Florida, Georgia and California. He will be responsible for running a vigorous reactive and proactive media relations program, including planning and implementing publicity programs, writing and disseminating press releases, and writing for UF LAW magazine and other publications. He can be reached at mlwalker@law.ufl.edu or 273-0653. Walker replaces Scott Emerson, who left the law school for a full-time position with the USDA.

Jennifer Wondracek
Jennifer Wondracek has joined the Legal Information Center as the new instructional services reference librarian. She will be working with faculty on distance learning course creation and other instructional issues. Wondracek also will be teaching legal research, both online and in the classroom, and joining the reference staff to help meet the needs of the LIC patrons. Wondracek came from Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, N.C., where she held the position of reference and government documents librarian. She obtained her MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s online program in 2006 and has been a law librarian ever since. Prior to becoming a librarian, Wondracek obtained her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law and practiced law in North Carolina. Wondracek recently co-authored an Issue Brief on the new exemptions for the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s restriction on circumventing technological access controls for the American Association of Law Libraries. She plans to continue her research on copyright law and the interaction of technology and the law.

Michelle Adorno

Michelle Adorno loves a challenge. When she began working at the Office of Admissions at New York University School of Law, she was charged with overseeing the selection and recruitment for a new scholarship program designed to help economically disadvantaged students. She was handed a budget that allowed only one scholarship per year and told to grow the program. Seven years later Adorno had developed a comprehensive selection and recruitment plan that helped bring in more students resulting in an increase in funding to accommodate 10 scholarships.

“It was a pleasure to have played a role in the development and expansion of a program that gives deserving first-generation graduate students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to receive a legal education in a supportive environment,” said Adorno, UF Law’s new assistant dean of Admissions. “It was with the help of the faculty, alumni and the legal community that we were able to bring the AnBryce Scholarship Program to life.”

Adorno said she wants to use her experience as director of admissions and recruitment at NYU Law to continue UF Law’s tradition of attracting high-caliber students and hopes to gain the interest of applicants and admitted students who may not have considered UF Law as an option.

“I want to explore unconventional ways to reach these students,” Adorno said. “I believe we can accomplish this by tapping into the talent of our law school community and exploring new ways of looking at recruitment and enrollment management.”

Adorno, who earned both her B.A. in Spanish Linguistics and law degree at Cornell, said she has been impressed by the genuine feeling of community and cohesiveness at UF College of Law.

“Students, faculty and staff seem to really care about each other and are very committed to working together to contribute to a thriving and happy environment,” Adorno said. “I am excited about the future of UF Law and look forward to making my contribution toward its continued success.”

Craig Anthony “Tony” Arnold
Huber Hurst Visiting Eminent Scholar, Fall 2009

C. Anthony “Tony” Arnold has joined the UF Law faculty as the Huber Hurst Visiting Eminent Scholar. During the fall 2009 semester, Arnold will teach water law and natural resources law. Arnold comes to UF from the University of Louisville School of Law where he is a professor of law and the Boehl Chair in Property and Land Use. He is also an affiliate professor for the Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design at the University of Colorado.

After graduating with the highest distinction in political science and history at the University of Kansas, Arnold went on to earn his law degree from Stanford Law School. He then clerked for the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, was an associate in private practice and has served as a an adjunct, visiting professor, teaching fellow, and professor at Trinity University, University of Puerto Rico School of Law, Stanford Law School, University of Wyoming College of Law, Chapman University School of Law and the University of Cincinnati.

Judd F. Sneirson
Visiting Professor, Fall 2009-Spring 2010

Judd F. Sneirson has joined the UF Law faculty as a visiting professor teaching corporations and business organizations during the fall 2009 semester and corporations, sustainability and corporate governance in spring 2010. Sneirson comes to UF from the University of Oregon School of Law where he is an assistant professor teaching courses on business associations, corporate governance, contracts, and employment law.

After graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, Sneirson went on to earn his Juris Doctor and graduated cum laude at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He then taught English in Japan, clerked for a U.S. District judge, was an associate in private practice, and a visiting professor at Willamette University College of Law.

Debra K. Staats
Assistant Dean for Administrative Affairs

Deb Staats, a certified public accountant, comes to UF by way of the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) where she was vice president for administration and finance. In that position she served as chief financial officer of the institution and provided leadership and oversight for functional areas of accounting and purchasing, budget and business services, campus operations, human resources and information technology. Before her departure from NEOUCOM, Staats led a comprehensive strategic planning effort for the institution where everything from the fiscal to the physical was evaluated.

“We worked with the students, faculty and staff to develop a 10-year facilities master plan,” Staats said. “The year-long effort allowed us to look at every aspect of the institution. It was challenging, and very rewarding.”

Staats said her first priority in her new role at UF law is to get a handle on how the college does business. “It will take some time, but I want to make sure that we are making efficient decisions and are not bound to a process,” Staats said. “We have to be vigilant and ask, ‘is there a better way?’”

Staats said she is looking forward to becoming a part of the Gator Nation.

“There is so much activity on campus, you can really feel the energy,” Staats said. “It’s exciting. We don’t have tickets, yet, but I’m looking forward to my first Gator game.”

John F. Stinneford
Assistant Professor

John F. Stinneford has joined the UF Law faculty as an assistant professor of law teaching criminal procedure and federal criminal law. Prior to joining UF, he was a an associate and assistant professor at the Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Fla., a visiting professor of law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, Minn., an assistant professor of lawyering skills at the University of Dayton School of Law, Dayton, Ohio and an assistant director of the I.J. Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School.

After graduating with highest distinction in English literature from the University of Virginia, Stinneford went on to earn a Master of Arts in English and American literature and language from Harvard University. After earning his law degree from Harvard Law School, Stinneford clerked with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois then practiced criminal law for several years, first in private practice, and then as assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

“I am excited to join the University of Florida Levin College of Law. This is not simply an excellent law school at a world-class university; it is also a real community of scholars, where I will constantly be challenged and encouraged. I couldn’t be happier.”

While at UF, Stinneford’s scholarship will focus on the historical underpinnings of the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause. He will also examine the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourth Amendments.