U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens will be the fourth Supreme Court justice to visit UF Law in three years.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens will engage in a “conversation” with Levin College of Law students, faculty and staff Nov. 17, bringing to four the number of Supreme Court Justices to visit the Gainesville campus in three years.

Stevens will share the stage at the UF Performing Arts Center with his friend and colleague U.S. District Court Judge Jose A. Gonzalez Jr., a UF Law alumnus, in the inaugural Marshall Criser Distinguished Lecture.

“It’s an incredible honor for us and a tribute to the school and the influence of its alumni that we have been able to host speakers of this caliber,” said Robert Jerry, UF Levin College of Law dean and Levin, Mabie and Levin Professor of Law. “These visits provide our students with a unique opportunity to gain insight into the premier legal talents of our time. We think it’s particularly fitting that the first Marshall Criser Distinguished Lecture will feature both an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and a distinguished UF alumnus.”

Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. judged the UF Law Moot Court Final Four Competition in early September 2008, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke and helped dedicate a classroom in honor of her close friend and colleague Chesterfield Smith in September 2006, and Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke during dedication ceremonies for the college’s new facilities in September 2005.

The format for the Criser Lecture, named in honor of UF Law graduate and former UF President Marshall Criser, will be an on-stage conversation with Stevens and Gonzalez, who will take questions suggested by students and posed by faculty and third-year law student and Florida Law Review Editor-in-Chief Larry Doughtery. The event will be held at 10 a.m. at UF’s Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are free and will be available first and primarily to the law school community.

“This is a thrilling opportunity for the entire law school. Obviously, Justice Stevens has written many influential opinions, and it will be exciting to ask him questions and hear him speak up close,” said Dougherty.

Justice Stevens became an associate justice in 1975 after being nominated by President Gerald Ford. Prior to that, he served as a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He also served as second vice president of the Chicago Bar Association and was a member of the attorney general’s National Committee to Study Antitrust Law.

Gonzalez was installed as a judge in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, after being nominated in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. Before that he served as assistant state attorney for the 15th Circuit Court of Florida. He also served as a circuit judge on the 17th Circuit of Florida and was re-elected twice. Gonzalez received both his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Florida.

The Marshall Criser Distinguished Lecture Series was developed through a donation from UF College of Law alumnus Lewis Schott of Palm Beach.

UF law students are reminded to submit questions to jstevensquestions@law.ufl.edu.

Walter Weyrauch, distinguished professor and Steven C. O’Connell Chair, died on Friday, Oct. 17. Weyrauch’s retirement in December 2007 followed 51 continuous years of distinguished teaching and scholarship at UF. On Sept. 29, UF Law celebrated Weyrauch’s intellectual legacy with the Walter Weyrauch Symposium: Reflecting on the Contributions to Legal Thought of Walter Weyrauch. (See symposium program)

“UF Law lost one of its intellectual giants with the passing of Distinguished Professor Walter Weyrauch,” said Robert Jerry, dean and Levin Mabie and Levin professor. “Walter has been an active presence at the law school, as recently as last week. Many of our students and faculty knew him and will mourn his passing.”

Weyrauch’s teaching and scholarship focused on family law, business organizations, comparative law, law and society, legal philosophy, and autonomous informal lawmaking, and he is widely published in these areas.

Dexter Delony, who died Thursday, Oct. 16, was a graduate of the University of Alabama and Harvard University. Deloney taught at UF Law for over 30 years, where, among others, he taught former Governors Lawton Chiles and Rueben Askew. He retired from UF in 1983.

Sixty-one percent of our recent graduates* obtained positions with law firms in general, and of those 59 percent started their career with a small to mid-sized firm (2-50 attorneys). The strong number of graduates who begin in small to medium-sized firms remains constant from year to year, so it is important not to overlook this rich source of employment opportunities.

There are many benefits associated with working in small firms. A student wanting to see the inside of a court room, work directly with cases and clients, or see a case to its completion should explore opportunities within the small firm sector. Small firms prioritize finding the right person as a whole for the position, over high academic performance as big firms do. Small firms are not as impacted by fluctuations in the economic market as big firms, who can “trim the fat” by terminating new associates.

Finally, small firm associates typically handle a variety of different cases. This is great for students who have not had a chance to discover their professional identity—who they want to be as a lawyer.

For more information about the benefits, rewards, and skill set needed to become a small firm practitioner, come hear Adjunct Professor Larry Marraffino a small firm attorney who teaches law practice management, speak at the program, “Focus on Small Firms,” in HOL 345 at 11 a.m. Food will be provided.

Tapping this market is very different than just searching the listings of OCI employers scheduled to visit, and our successful students utilize a variety of other resources to gain employment in this market. Many available jobs with small firms are shared by word of mouth and are unadvertised; therefore students must become resourceful in seeking out their choice position.

More typically these firms hire in the spring for part-time or summer positions, although some with more immediate needs hire on a rolling basis. A great place to start begins in Symplicity. New job postings received by Career Services are posted daily in Symplicity under the “Jobs” tab, as well as disseminated via the Hotline Listserv. Setting up a daily or weekly review of these lists, and reading all Career Services messages ensures an opportunity will not be missed.

Another important way that these positions are gained is through networking or being in the right place at the right time. Any chance to network should taken advantage of, i.e. joining the state or local bar associations, social events, even attending Continuing Legal Education classes. Students underestimate the importance letting employers know they are searching for a position; the best way to do this is to network.

An outstanding networking and learning opportunity will be The General Practitioner, Solo and Small Firm Section of the Florida Bar’s Small Firm Conference and Interview Program in Orlando on March 20-21.

In the meantime, learn more about small firm practice, plan your courses to gain skills-based training, research firms and geographical areas, get organized and have your materials reviewed by the CCS. Career Services can help hone your search, make an appointment today.

*Class of 2007: 415 graduates (Dec 2006, May and July 2007) as of Feb. 1, 2008