William Reece Smith Jr., a powerful force in the legal world and one of five University of Florida Law graduates to serve as president of the American Bar Association, died Jan. 11. He was 87.

Smith (JD 49) – whose legal career covered six decades – also served as president of The Florida Bar and was the first American to be elected president of the International Bar Association. He was attorney for the city of Tampa and president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

“That Reece Smith is a graduate of UF Law is something in which all of us take great pride,” UF Law Dean Robert Jerry said. “His impeccable leadership skills, community service record and enduring quest for social justice set an example for all of us to follow.”

Smith decided to attend law school at UF Law under the G.I. Bill in 1946 after a stint in the Navy. While in law school he served as president of the Student Bar Association and was a member of Florida Blue Key. After earning his JD, Smith was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and would become a member of the UF Law faculty upon his return from studying at Oxford.

“His passion for professionalism was profound, and he certainly modeled that throughout his legal career,” Jerry said. “The lawyers whom he mentored, and there were a great many through the years, know this very well.”

In 1953, Smith went to work for the Carlton Fields law firm in Tampa where he would join the American Bar Association the following year. Smith visited his office daily until just recently.

A socially conscious lawyer, Smith always strived to help those in less fortunate positions. During his term as ABA president, Smith successfully led opposition to a proposal to eliminate the Legal Services Corporation, which provides legal services to the poor across the country. He has also been an influential advocate of pro bono work over the years. While ABA president, Smith established the ABA Pro Bono Center, which helped increase voluntary projects from 50 to 1,000 over a 10-year period. He also played a key role in establishing Florida Legal Services, Inc. – a nonprofit that provides civil legal assistance to those who would not otherwise be able to afford legal representation.

“If not for William Reece Smith, legal services to the poor would probably not exist in this country,” Dick Woltman, president and CEO of Bay Area Legal Services, told The Tampa Tribune. “Reese was one of the great supporters of legal services for the poor both nationally and locally.”

Shortly before his death, he was honored with the Florida Supreme Court’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A biography of his life and career entitled, “A Consummate Lawyer,” by Stetson Law Professor Emeritus Michael Swygert, was published in 2010.

Smith was born Sept. 19, 1925, in Athens, Tenn., and grew up in Plant City, Fla. He is survived by his son, William Reece Smith III; daughter-in-law, Rachel-Anne Winter Smith; his grandson, William Reece Smith IV, (Liam); his cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lee Smith of Marietta, Ga. and their children and grandchildren; a number of cousins, who are descendants of his mother’s oldest brother, Thomas Edwin Moody of Plant City; and his dear friend and former wife, Marlene Medina Smith. The family expresses its gratitude to the caregivers at Senior Solutions, who lovingly cared for Smith in his final days. Besides his family, Smith is also survived by millions of people in this country and across the world who have benefited from the pro bono services they received as a result of his efforts.

View or share his In Memoriam page.

In order to be a volunteer, you must pass two unlimited time, open book tests that demonstrate knowledge of basic tax principles (basic and intermediate). Most volunteers have no prior tax or accounting experience. The returns that will be handled are usually not very complex in nature and there are experienced reviewers who will be available at all times to help answer questions and review the tax returns.

This is also an excellent opportunity to earn pro bono hours toward your Pro Bono Certificate. In addition, it gives the volunteers an understanding of how our tax system works and valuable interaction with VITA clients.

VITA Volunteer Training Details
In addition to preparing tax returns, we will also assist eligible clients get qualified for public benefits. The Benefit Bank training for VITA volunteers is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 18, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Gerson Hall (UF Fisher School of Accounting) Room 122. VITA training for Site Coordinators is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 19, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Gerson Hall (UF Fisher School of Accounting) Room 122.

The kick-off meeting and initial tax preparation training session by the IRS is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Reitz Union, room 282. You will need to bring your laptop, power cord, pen / pencil and paper. If you do not have a laptop or UF internet connection please let us know by return e-mail.

Classroom training will continue Thursday, Jan. 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Jan. 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Much of Saturday is devoted to IRS certification at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels. You must certify at the intermediate level to prepare tax returns. Those certifying at the basic level only can help in other important ways. You will receive a certificate for each level you pass.

The class will be split into two training groups during the kick-off session. Group one will meet in room 284 on Thursday and room 349 on Friday and Saturday in the Reitz Union. Group two will meet in room 285 on Thursday and rooms 361-363 on Friday and Saturday in the Reitz Union.

Tax preparation begins Feb. 2, and ends April 8 (excluding Spring Break). VITA hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Volunteers are only asked to select one day, but are free to volunteer additional days if they so choose. Dinner is provided to volunteers each night. For more information please contact Kimberly Thomas at kim.s.thomas@ufl.edu.

The ceremony recognized the law school students who have excelled in serving their community. The students who were honored dedicated at least 35 hours in their respective programs.

“We are here today celebrating you,” said Kristen Bryant, assistant director for Career Services and pro bono and community service project coordinator, as she opened the ceremony. “You all have achieved amazing things throughout the course of your law school career, along with the number of hours that you have been able to accumulate.”

Bryant gave the floor to Dean Robert Jerry who congratulated the students on their accomplishments and for the service they provided.

“One of the things, which we want to project about our law school, is that you come to the University of Florida not only to prepare yourself to be a confident and skilled first-rate professional lawyer, but also to be a great citizen and a leader,” he said. “What you are doing, I think, is one of the best examples of the values that we hope all Florida graduates take away from here and make an important part of their careers.”

To give the attendees some prospective on what contributing students have accomplished, in terms of volunteer hours, Bryant shared the amount of hours each graduating class has accumulated. The graduating class of 2011 completed 224 community hours and 706 pro bono hours for a total of 930 volunteer hours. The class of 2010, completed over 1,000 community service hours 5,433 pro bono hours for a total of nearly 6,500 volunteer hours. The class of 2009, completed over 1,000 community service over 8,000 pro bono hours total, for a total volunteer hours of 9,087.

Kathanna Culp was named the Student of the Year for completing the most volunteer hours, over 250.

Culp, the former president of the Association for Public Interest Law, earned the majority of her pro bono hours at ACLU in Atlanta, but also worked at the Center for Children & Families, Three Rivers Legal Services.

Other students honored at the brunch include, Renee Allen, William Bagwell, Heather Bernstein, Lisa Boyd, Alyssa Camper, Patricia Carbone, Tariq Chaudhri, Tabitha Chookolingo, Christine Covington, Timothy Corwin, Sara Dahod, Paul Darby, Megan Davis, Dina El-Salhy, Tobi Epstein, Jennifer Frazier, Cristina Fernandez, Mitchell Goldberg, Amanda Harrell, Han Huang, Jonathan Huth, Alexander Karden , Marcela Lozano, Susan Malove, Elizabeth Manno, Joshua Marks, Angela Marino, Keri McGovern, Hector Melendez Jr., Maxwell Minch, Nicole Mouakar, Martina Nethery, Natalie A. Peters, David Plotke, Troy Pratten, Jee Min Rhee, Belinda Rivera, Michael Roark, Clint Roberson, Kristianna Rodriquez, Lindsay Ruiz Bash, Sahily Serradet, Dena Setzer, Jessica Shapiro, Erin Simendinger ,William Spicola, Brandon Stelck, Scott Stengel, Alejandra Taboada, Stephanie Toledo, Matthew Edward Tiffany, Le Tsang, Debra Valsamis, Michael Vater, Christian Vogel, Jana Wasserman, Patrick Wheeler, Jeffrey Wilson, Cynthia Winter, Kimberley Wright and Mary Zewalk.

You’re invited to complete the online UF LAW magazine readership survey. Completing the survey is quick & easy, and your feedback will help us keep your UF LAW alumni magazine fresh and relevant to your personal and professional life. Take the survey now »

Financial aid for Florida Bar prep and exam

Are you making plans to take the Bar and wondering where you will come up with the financing necessary for these out-of-pocket expenses? There are private loan companies who will make Bar exam loans to students who are in their final year of law school. These loans can be used for a student’s living expenses while studying for the Bar, Bar prep classes and other Bar related expenses.

Sallie Mae
1-800-984-0190
www.salliemae.com

Wells Fargo
(To apply, student would need to have some type of account/loan with Wells Fargo)
1-800-378-5526
www.wellsfargo.com/student/

For more information contact Financial Aid Coordinator Carol Huber at 352-273-0620.

Build a stronger community with pro bono work

President Barack Obama has challenged all of us to do what we can to make our communities and our nation a better place. On Sept. 19, 2008, the president and his wife called on all citizens to find a way to serve their communities. In the wake of this historic inauguration and in the spirit of “Yes We Can” and “Change,” the Center for Children and Families and the Center for Career Services encourage you to take advantage of the many pro bono opportunities to help others. Consider becoming a guardian ad litem, volunteering with legal services or participating in any of the available opportunities found.

You’re invited to complete the online UF LAW magazine readership survey. Completing the survey is quick & easy, and your feedback will help us keep your UF LAW alumni magazine fresh and relevant to your personal and professional life. Take the survey now »

Attention 1Ls: Need help with writing assignments?

Lois Randolph will be available for individual consultation for writing assignments beginning Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Legal Research and Writing offices. Beginning the week of Monday, Jan. 26, she will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.—appointments and walk-ins welcome. For any questions or concerns, contact Assistant Dean of Students Kari Mattox at mattoxk@law.ufl.edu. View the spring 2009 academic success schedule »

Build a stronger community with pro bono work

President Barack Obama has challenged all of us to do what we can to make our communities and our nation a better place. On Sept. 19, 2008, the president and his wife called on all citizens to find a way to serve their communities. In the wake of this historic inauguration and in the spirit of “Yes We Can” and “Change,” the Center for Children and Families and the Center for Career Services encourage you to take advantage of the many pro bono opportunities to help others. Consider becoming a guardian ad litem, volunteering with legal services or participating in any of the available opportunities.

Call for Student Recruitment Team applicants

The Office of Admissions is seeking students, regardless of year, to help bring the nation’s top candidates to the Levin College of Law. Members of the team conduct campus tours, participate in panel discussions, discuss their law school experiences with prospective law students and travel to cities around the state and nationwide for recruitment purposes. As a member of the Student Recruitment Team, you will be trained to answer inquiries from prospective law students in regards to the admissions process as well as UF Law. Two hours per week is the minimum time commitment for the program. If you are interested in becoming part of the Student Recruitment Team, request an application from Noemar Castro, castro@law.ufl.edu. The application deadline is Friday, Jan. 23, and you must be available to attend a training session on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 4 p.m. For more information, contact Noemar Castro at castro@law.ufl.edu.

More than 100 UF Law students were honored at this year’s Pro Bono and Community Service Brunch for their dedication in serving others.

More than 100 UF Law students were honored at this year’s Pro Bono and Community Service Brunch for their dedication in serving others.

The event was held to applaud the efforts of students who went above and beyond what is expected of the typical law student. The students honored dedicated at least 35 hours in their respective programs.

“I think it’s not only an outstanding opportunity to provide to under-served populations, it’s a testimony to the responsibility and dedication of our students,” said Assistant Dean for Career Services Linda Calvert Hanson.

The two programs, Pro Bono and Community Service, serve similar purposes of helping others but use different avenues. The Pro Bono Project allows students the opportunity to serve those in need with legal volunteer work, and an attorney usually supervises these students. In contrast, the Community Service Project allows students to be recognized for volunteer work benefiting the community at large.

As an advocate for pro bono causes, Dean Robert Jerry commended the honorees. “The community service you have done illustrates and manifests what we stress here. As someone who gives back to the community this will be important to what you do once you leave the law school,” he said.

Among the students honored, career services also acknowledged two exceptional students as Students of the Year.

Third-year law student Andrew Comiter is one of the two students who received the Student of the Year Award. The “Double-Gator” combined his passions of baseball and helping others in the Gainesville community to earn the honor.

As a young boy growing up playing baseball he was always being coached, but while he was an accounting student at UF he had the chance to see the “flip side of things” on the baseball field by volunteering to coach with the Gainesville Babe Ruth Baseball League camps before graduating in spring 2003.

When he returned to Gainesville in 2006 to attend law school, Comiter continued his involvement with the organization. He spent four to five months and 64 hours as head coach of a baseball team for 13- to 15-year-old students. “It was time consuming but overall a lot of fun,” Comiter said.

Although he said he enjoys law school and his other involvements, including serving as president of Florida Blue Key, the change of pace from a typical day at school was a blessing. In comparison to his classes the baseball field was “fun-natured competitiveness,” he said.

Comiter viewed the prestigious award as a true honor but was more thrilled to see the difference he made in the lives of the young boys he coached. “It’s very exciting and nice. I’m just glad that it did make a difference and other people recognize it.” After graduation this May, Comiter said he plans to join the UF Law graduate tax program and focus on becoming an attorney.

The other Student of the Year award recipient was Jessica Lillesand. The Miami, Fla., native extended her study abroad experience in order to work as a legal intern at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

While studying abroad in Holland and taking classes at Leiden University in spring 2007 through UF Law’s study abroad program, she became very interested in public international law. She then applied to work for the Tribunal during the summer but enjoyed the internship so much that she decided to extend her stay through the fall.

While at the Tribunal, she worked for the defense counsel for two different defendants indicted on several charges of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war, she said. The third-year law student performed tasks from general legal research on procedural issues to preparing the case for trial.

Lillesand said she is honored to receive the award for Student of the Year but is more delighted to see attention devoted to pro bono causes. “I think it is important for all law students to experience doing some kind of pro bono, and I hope that soon a pro bono requirement will be implemented for all students as a prerequisite to being admitted to the Bar,” she said.

Although her father is an attorney, he wasn’t the only catalyst that drove her to pursue law career. “My desire to pursue a career in law came from a hope that I could help others and influence their lives in a positive manner. I think it is important to cultivate this desire early in a law student’s career, so that we can produce a more civic-minded group of practicing attorneys,” she said. “I hope I get the chance to do a lot more pro bono work wherever I end up practicing.”

While interning, Lillesand logged nearly 500 hours of pro bono work from June through November and sometimes worked 14 or 16 hours a day, especially during the trials.

After graduation this May, Lillesand said she plans to work a few years with her father’s firm in Miami and then purse a master’s degree in international relations, political science or international economics. “I’d like to eventually do some kind of policy work, effecting change at the big picture level,” she said.

Other students honored at the brunch include, Kelley Abramowich, Patricia Alten, John Austin, Emily Banks, Meredith Barrios, Matthew Belisle, Marshall Bender, Robert Braxtoon, Geoff Brougher, Timothy Buskirk, Kristin Carpenter, Nakku Chung, Seth Claytor, Kristine Coffin, Adam Cohen, Beverly Collins, Andrew Comiter, Katie Coxe, Natalie Davy, Christopher Deem, Lisa Ellison-Cherney, Sean Estes, Rebeca Feldman, Alexander Fischer, Stewart Gold, Lisa Goldberg, Megone Gordon, Jonathan Grayson, Nicole Griffin, Natalie Guerra, Jason Hall, Blake Harris, Michael Hersh, Melissa Hochmouth, Andrew Hoffman, William Holcombe, Courtney Hollen, Michael Hooi, Serena Hu, Margaret Hunt, Robert Hyte, Erica Jaffe, Christopher Jahr, Jennifer Jones, Witold Jurewicz, Christie Kelley, Scott Kennelly, Genie Key, Tariq Khan, Brent Kimball, Melanie King, Kim Koleos, Kay Lennon, Bradley Lerman, Trami LeTran, Jillian Levy, William Lewis, Brett Lieberman, Jessica Lillesand, Tracy Lizza, Michael Luongo, Sean Malvin, Christine Manning, Nessa Manten, Giannina Marin, Lauren Marks, Andrew Mayo, Bernard McManus, Kristin Mentzer, Andrew Miller, Jazil Mohammad, Jennifer Morando, Theresa Murphy, Christina Paradowski, Crystal Patterson, Christopher Pavilonis, Kristen Rassmusen, Matthew Rector, Jee Min Rhee, Lauren Riggio, Andie Ross, Stacey Schwimmer, Dena Setzer, Johann Smith, Lyndie Smith, Emily Snider, Regina St. Cyr, Jason Stark, Erin Swick, David Torre, Dana Trachtenberg, Tania Varela, Stephen Villeneuve, Steven Walter, Christian Waugh, Ryan Weeks, Jorja Williams, Erin Wolfson, Mindy Yergin, and Cynthia Zurawsky.

The ceremony recognized the law school students who have excelled in serving their community. The students who were honored dedicated at least 35 hours in their respective programs.

“We are here today celebrating you,” said Kristen Bryant, assistant director for Career Services and pro bono and community service project coordinator, as she opened the ceremony. “You all have achieved amazing things throughout the course of your law school career, along with the number of hours that you have been able to accumulate.”

Bryant gave the floor to Dean Robert Jerry who congratulated the students on their accomplishments and for the service they provided.

“One of the things, which we want to project about our law school, is that you come to the University of Florida not only to prepare yourself to be a confident and skilled first-rate professional lawyer, but also to be a great citizen and a leader,” he said. “What you are doing, I think, is one of the best examples of the values that we hope all Florida graduates take away from here and make an important part of their careers.”

To give the attendees some prospective on what contributing students have accomplished, in terms of volunteer hours, Bryant shared the amount of hours each graduating class has accumulated. The graduating class of 2011 completed 224 community hours and 706 pro bono hours for a total of 930 volunteer hours. The class of 2010, completed over 1,000 community service hours 5,433 pro bono hours for a total of nearly 6,500 volunteer hours. The class of 2009, completed over 1,000 community service over 8,000 pro bono hours total, for a total volunteer hours of 9,087.

Kathanna Culp was named the Student of the Year for completing the most volunteer hours, over 250.

Culp, the former president of the Association for Public Interest Law, earned the majority of her pro bono hours at ACLU in Atlanta, but also worked at the Center for Children & Families, Three Rivers Legal Services.

Other students honored at the brunch include, Renee Allen, William Bagwell, Heather Bernstein, Lisa Boyd, Alyssa Camper, Patricia Carbone, Tariq Chaudhri, Tabitha Chookolingo, Christine Covington, Timothy Corwin, Sara Dahod, Paul Darby, Megan Davis, Dina El-Salhy, Tobi Epstein, Jennifer Frazier, Cristina Fernandez, Mitchell Goldberg, Amanda Harrell, Han Huang, Jonathan Huth, Alexander Karden , Marcela Lozano, Susan Malove, Elizabeth Manno, Joshua Marks, Angela Marino, Keri McGovern, Hector Melendez Jr., Maxwell Minch, Nicole Mouakar, Martina Nethery, Natalie A. Peters, David Plotke, Troy Pratten, Jee Min Rhee, Belinda Rivera, Michael Roark, Clint Roberson, Kristianna Rodriquez, Lindsay Ruiz Bash, Sahily Serradet, Dena Setzer, Jessica Shapiro, Erin Simendinger ,William Spicola, Brandon Stelck, Scott Stengel, Alejandra Taboada, Stephanie Toledo, Matthew Edward Tiffany, Le Tsang, Debra Valsamis, Michael Vater, Christian Vogel, Jana Wasserman, Patrick Wheeler, Jeffrey Wilson, Cynthia Winter, Kimberley Wright and Mary Zewalk.