“Jordan Davis killed for loud music: mirror image of the Martin case?” (Nov. 30, 2012, Christian Science Monitor)

An unarmed black teenager was killed outside of a convenience store in Jacksonville when he was shot by a man following an argument in which the man said the teenager’s music was too loud. At the time, the shooter claimed Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law as his defense, drawing comparisons to the Trayvon Martin shooting earlier in the year. The man has since been charged with first degree murder to which he pled not guilty.

From the article:
Two weeks ago, a state task force deemed that the stand your ground law is, on the whole, sound and needs no major legislative reform. Florida has seen a growing number of “stand your ground” claims, even in prosecutions with minor injuries, says University of Florida law professor Bob Dekle. Stand your ground claims are successful about 70 percent of the time, according to a recent St. Petersburg Times analysis.

Omri Y. Marian
Assistant Professor of Law

In early December, Marian returned from Beijing where he actively participated in the seventh Sino-U.S. International Tax Forum. As part of the forum he participated in round-table discussions on trends in international taxation at Peking University Law School, Tsinghua University Law School, Renmin University Law School and at the Central University of Finance and Economics, all in Beijing. He also presented his paper, “Jurisdiction to Tax Corporations,” at the China Youth University of Political Science who hosted the forum.

Jon Mills
Dean Emeritus; Director, Center for Governmental Responsibility

“UF launches human rights collaboration in Colombia” (Nov. 28, 2012, Law.com)

UF Law, along with the Center for Latin American Studies and the College of Education, will receive nearly $757,200 from the U.S. Agency for International Development through Higher Education for Development to create the Colombian Caribbean Human Rights Center. Over the next three years, UF will work with two universities in Colombia to enhance the human rights programs at their law schools. Mills quotes from the press release were used in the article.

From the article:
“Respect for the rights of individuals, especially vulnerable populations, is vital to the development of the democracy and economy of a nation,” said Jon Mills, who heads the law school’s Center for Governmental Responsibility and will help direct the new project. “We are honored to have this opportunity to work with two distinguished Colombian universities on such an important priority for the U.S. government.”

“Gainesville funeral service Saturday for former Chief Justice Ben Overton” (Jan. 2, 2013, Gainesville Sun)

This article remembers UF Law graduate, adjunct professor and former Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben Overton, who passed away on Dec. 29.

From the article:
“He is the profile of what you would expect a judge to be. He was smart, fair. He wrote some terrifically important opinions in education, privacy and a broad number of constitutional areas,” said UF Levin College of Law dean emeritus Jon Mills. “He was an independent thinker. When he was on the bench, he could look pretty fearful.”

Mills, also a former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, said he had several cases before Overton when Overton was on the court but got to know him better once he started teaching at UF.

Overton cared deeply about teaching and would take his students to oral arguments at the Supreme Court, Mills said, adding the justices often would have lunch with Overton and the students.

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

The Public Trust awards “Halos” and “Horns” each month in its e-newsletter and Wolf was awarded December’s “Halo” for his book, The Supreme Court and the Environment  –The Reluctant Protector.  Wolf has joined a list that includes Bob Graham, Nathaniel Reed, and Robert Kennedy, Jr. Click here for a link to this month’s e-newsletter.

Marian recently presented “Jurisdiction to Tax Corporation” at the University of Kentucky College of Law as part of the faculty workshop series.

Joseph Little
Emeritus Professor

“Undercover mother: Lee mom seeks teachers’ ‘true colors’ with secret recording” (Nov. 5, 2012, Naples News)

This article is about a Fort Myers woman who secretly recorded teachers in the classroom to find out why her autistic son was so miserable at school. It brings up the controversy of whether parents have the right to hear what happens in the classroom without the teacher’s consent.

From the article:
In Florida, all parties must consent to audio recordings if there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. It comes down to whether the teachers have that expectation in the classroom, said Joseph Little, a University of Florida law professor. And that could be argued either way.

Elizabeth A. Rowe
Feldman Gale Term Professor in Intellectual Property; UF Research Foundation Professor of Law; Director, Program in Intellectual Property Law

Rowe served as a panelist discussing the theft of intellectual property through cyber attacks at the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Omri Marian joined the UF Law faculty this summer. (Photo by Cela Suter)

Omri Marian joins the University of Florida Levin College of Law faculty as an assistant professor of law after most recently working as a tax associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP in New York.

Originally from Israel, Marian served in the Israeli Navy for six years as a submarine officer before attending Tel-Aviv University.

Marian graduated magna cum laude in 2006, earning a bachelor of art in political science and an LL.B from Tel-Aviv.

In Israel, law degrees are conferred after completion of undergraduate studies. Graduates may sit for the Israeli bar exam after completion of a one-year post-graduate internship with a law firm. He fulfilled his internship at Gornitzky & Co. Advocates and Notaries.

Marian moved to the United States to attend the University of Michigan Law School.  There, he earned his LL.M in International Taxation in 2008 and a S.J.D. in 2009.

Marian worked as a tax associate for Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City for two years before realizing he wanted to teach.

“I’ve had great teachers,” Marian said. “They are the reason I want to teach.”

The tax program is what attracted him to UF Law. Marian called it the “hallmark of all tax programs.”

Marian will teach International Tax I in the fall semester and International Tax Planning in the spring.

He said he looks forward to class and bonding with students. He wants students to understand the material deeply enough to think critically about it and share their own ideas. He hopes his enthusiasm for teaching will foster a successful learning environment.

“In order for teaching to work, you have to enjoy it,” he said.

- Maggie Powers (4JM)