This year extended hours until 2 a.m. will begin Sunday, Nov. 27. On Sunday, Dec. 4, the LIC will close at 4 a.m. and maintain that schedule through Sunday, Dec. 11. From Monday, Dec. 12, through Thursday, Dec. 15, the LIC will close at 2 a.m.

This is the second semester of a pilot test of later closing times during exams. The LIC will be keeping detailed statistics of library use during this period to determine whether demand is high enough to maintain the 4 a.m. closing time.

The LIC welcomes your feedback about library hours, so please to take a short survey and provide your comments.

Here are the hours:

• Nov. 23, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Nov. 24 – Nov. 26, CLOSED
• Nov. 27 – Dec. 3, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.
• Dec. 4 – Dec. 11, 7:30 a.m. – 4 a.m.
• Dec. 12 – Dec. 15, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.
• Dec. 16, 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Dec. 17 – Dec. 18, CLOSED.

Many of the law school community know Hodges, who lives in Gainesville. He is a senior judge in the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, a graduate of UF Law, and practiced law in the Tampa area with MacFarlane, Ferguson, Allison, and Kelly before his appointment to the federal bench at 37.

He has served with distinction in the Middle District for 40 years, and has presided over many high profile cases, including the Wesley Snipes tax evasion case.

On Thursday the UF Law Costa Rica Program & Conservation Clinic, the Center for Latin American Studies, and Gators for Alternative Dispute Resolution will host Dr. Mario Mancilla, the legal adviser to the Secretariat of Environmental Matters (SEM) of the Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

Mancilla will present “Environmental Dispute Resolution under the CAFTA-DR: Obstacles and Opportunities.”

He will describe the difficulties inherent in environmental disputes among the CAFTA countries (including the United States), the role of the SEM in resolving these disputes, and the increasing importance of environmental dispute resolution within trade agreements.

The talk will take place at noon in the Faculty Dining Room and a light lunch will be provided.

The distinguished presenters include Paul T. Wheeler, Ph.D., Gary F. Canner, Esq., Lynn H. Cole, Esq., and Michael S. Orfinger, Esq.

View the agenda, registration, program and presenter information.

The Florida Library Association (FLA), in partnership with the Division of Library and Information Services, will collect the results and post them online later.

The LIC had over 1,500 visitors throughout the day, and photos are available here.

Tax Moot Court members, from left in back, Kevin Hublou, Kyle Griffin, Scott Hyman, Joe Malca and from left in front, Sonia Singh, Jason Levy, Sheba Abraham, and Professor Steve Willis returned from a successful national competition. (Photo by Marcela Suter)

The University of Florida Levin College of Law Tax Moot Court Team placed in the top three in two different categories at a recent national moot court competition.

The Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon took place at the St. John’s School of Law’s Manhattan campus last month, where 24 teams from all over the country competed in negotiation, mediation and arbitration.

The UF Law team of Kevin Hublou, Kyle Griffin and Scott Hyman placed second in negotiation, while the team of Joe Malca, Sheba Abraham and Sonia Singh placed third in mediation.

“To have second and third (place) in St. John’s is pretty darn good,” said Tax Moot Court faculty adviser Professor Steven Willis. “It’s a national competition … I was very proud of both teams; I was very pleased that they both placed.”

Malca, the student president of Tax Moot Court said he was also proud of the team’s accomplishments.

“It shows that all the hard work our team put into this competition paid off,” Malca said.

It was the third year St. John’s hosted the triathlon, with UF Law competing in all three competitions. In 2009, UF Law placed first in mediation and second in arbitration.

Willis said a lot of work went into preparation for the competition and although they were in the Big Apple, the Tax Moot Court Team members were not up there for vacation.

“We were sitting in the hotel room all day before, and the night before, going over the stuff they were going to do,” Willis said.

The negotiation and mediation rounds took place on Saturday, after which Willis and the team returned to their hotel and spent the evening preparing for the arbitration round held on Sunday morning.

“We weren’t up there playing. We were up there working,” he said.

The triathlon, which is co-sponsored by the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is “the only dispute resolution competition in which students engage in each of the three primary methods of alternative dispute resolution in a single event,” according the St. John’s School of Law’s website.

Willis was assisted by Mike Burns (JD 11), a current LL.M. student who was on the first-place team in 2009.

President of The Florida Bar and University of Florida Levin College of Law graduate Scott Hawkins spoke Nov. 8 to students in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom. (Photo by Nicole Safker)

President of The Florida Bar Scott Hawkins (JD 83) let UF Law students in on a secret.

“I have a confession,” Hawkins said as he stepped to the lectern in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom. “I didn’t like to go to law school, but I love being a lawyer; I really, really love it.”

Hawkins spoke Nov. 8 on what it means to be a lawyer and offered advice for law students after they graduate. The event was presented by the UF Chapter of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, Law Student Division.

Hawkins explained that as he progressed through law school, he began to appreciate the experience when he realized that being a law student was about more than just acquiring knowledge from textbooks.

“Law school is a lot more than knowledge; (in) law school you’re learning how to solve problems and learning how to work with language and different rules within different disciplines to solve problems that will be entrusted to you when you become a lawyer,” Hawkins told the near-capacity crowd.

He also emphasized the value of the opportunity to attend law school and to become a lawyer.

“To be a lawyer in America is one of the most important privileges that you could ever have,” Hawkins said.

And while the privilege comes with benefits, it also comes with certain obligations, he said. People will expect lawyers to live up to certain expectations regarding their behavior, character and ethics.

Hawkins also stated the importance of remembering to give back so others can have the same opportunities.

“I hope for those of you who do particularly well, that you will invest back into the law school, and I hope you’ll be thinking about that today,” he said, “because the privilege is being given to you now to go off and serve others and serve communities in the coming years in a way that you could not do without the juris doctor.”

Hawkins went on to offer advice for starting out in the legal profession, saying that a lawyer’s reputation starts right now in law school.

“How you’re remembered by your class will be carried on for the rest of your career,” he said, mentioning how he still remembers what his former classmates were like for better and worse in law school.

“I stress three Cs when I’m talking to young lawyers: You want to be a person of character, you want to be competent, you want to be committed,” Hawkins said. “If you put those values at the forefront of your mind as you’re starting out, it will serve you well.”

Hawkins closed by urging law students to begin considering becoming certified by The Florida Bar. He said it takes a lot of focus and discipline to become certified, but it benefits lawyers throughout their career.

“It’s a very tough standard but it’s a very worthwhile goal.”

The event was made possible by The Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division, which is comprised of law students around the state. The division works on creating a smooth transition between law school and practicing law. The group works with The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, local bar associations and practicing lawyers to provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, legal education and community service opportunities for members.

UF representatives of The Florida Bar YLD Law Student Division include Ryan Gilbert (2L), Margaret Good (3L), Allie Menegakis (2L and division secretary) and Laura Thayer (3L).

All students are encouraged to apply for membership. For more information about the division, visit www.flayld.org/students/signup.php or contact Allie Menegakis at allieem@ufl.edu.

Photo by Nicole Safker

Members of the Gainesville Community Playhouse, including UF Law Senior Legal Skills Professor Patricia Thomson, at left, performed “The Exonerated” on the UF Law campus Nov. 6.

The play employed a versatile cast to tell the stories of six people wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death; two of them were convicted and sentenced in Florida.

The people chronicled in the play eventually were exonerated and got out of prison, but only after substantial prison time on death row.

UF Law Senior Legal Skills Professor Henry Winhyk (not pictured) also performed in the production. The performance was free and was performed as a special event for the law school.

Alyson Flournoy
Professor of Law; Director, Environmental & Land Use Law Program
“How much will BP oil spill change offshore drilling in Gulf?” (Nov. 13, 2010, Orlando Sentinel)

In this article, which explores what the future of oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico might hold regarding prevention and safety, Flournoy commented on federal regulation and reform to help prevent future spills.

From the article:
Alyson Flournoy, a University of Florida law professor and principal contributor to a BP disaster report by the Center for Progressive Reform think tank, said federal regulators must be given far greater authority and additional resources to drive reform.

“Within the U.S. legal system, industry has had incentives for safety, but obviously they haven’t been enough,” she said.

Paul R. Gugliuzza
Visiting Legal Skills Professor
Gugliuzza presented his paper, “The New Federal Circuit Mandamus,” at the Florida Legal Scholarship Forum on Saturday, Nov. 13. The conference was hosted by Stetson University Law School.

Lyrissa Lidsky
Stephen C. O’Connell Chair, Professor of Law
“Request for documents in church case denied” (Nov. 10, 2010, Ocala Star-Banner)

A former church teacher at Open Door Community Church has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse against minors. The prosecutor in the case suspected the church leaders were warning its members about the possible financial consequences for the church’s future in a case like this, and tried to subpoena all written correspondence regarding the case. The defense argued such a request was a violation of free speech.

From the article:
“The balancing tends to come down in favor of law enforcement in the interest of prosecuting crimes,” said UF law professor Lyrissa C. Lidsky, who teaches First Amendment law. “That [accusation of child molestation] is such a serious crime and of such great public interest, I don’t think there’s much weight to any First Amendment case.”

Diane Mazur
Professor of Law
“The Other ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’” (Nov. 10, 2010, The Weekly Standard)

This article discusses the issue of the lack of ROTC on college campuses from the point of view that some campuses have banned the organization. Mazur’s opinion that there is no ban is referenced in the story.

Kenneth Nunn
Professor of Law
“Back off barbershop raids” (Nov. 13, 2010, Orlando Sentinel)

In the Orlando area, several barbershops have been raided with relatively little criminal activity uncovered; the most common arrest being for “barbering without a license.” Some feel that the police are being overzealous in their recent tactics; which have been reported to be unnecessarily aggressive and unfair. The police department denies being overly aggressive, but admits that some aspects of the raids could have been done better.

From the article:
Kenneth B. Nunn, a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, calls the sweeps a case of “over-policing.” An expert in criminal law and race relations, Mr. Nunn called the deputies’ “response to allegations of barbering without a license … unnecessarily intrusive and overbroad.”

Michael Seigel
Professor of Law
“Request for documents in church case denied” (Nov. 10, 2010, Ocala Star-Banner)

A former church teacher at Open Door Community Church has been charged with 19 counts of sexual abuse against minors. The prosecutor in the case suspected the church leaders were warning its members about the possible financial consequences for the church’s future in a case like this, and tried to subpoena all written correspondence regarding the case. The defense argued such a request was a violation of free speech.

From the article:
“I suppose at some point you could argue the state is acting to harass a religious organization merely to harass it, or prevent it from congregating. Presumably that could rise to a level of denial of a constitutional right,” said University of Florida law professor Michael L. Seigel, who teaches evidence and criminal law.

“But, frankly,” he added, “that would have to be an extreme situation. You would have to induce some significant proof to carry the day that the government’s activity has amounted to such a burden.”

Jeanne T. Tate
Adjunct Professor of Law
“Jeanne T. Tate: Consider Adoption” (Nov. 17, 2010, The Gainesville Sun)

Tate recently wrote an editorial promoting awareness and encouragement of adoption for the more than 123,000 kids in foster care in need of loving, forever homes.

From the article:
From my vantage point as a Florida-licensed adoption attorney for more than 28 years, what we need is continued momentum that elevates our collective consciousness toward adoption and in the direction of what I affectionately refer to as a “forever family.” Without this heightened awareness, too many of our precious kids currently mired in foster care will see their adoption hopes and dreams vanquished, as they simply “age out” of the foster care system upon reaching their 18th birthday.

Michael Allan Wolf
Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law
Wolf presented the Boehl Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Policy, Phi Beta Kappa Lecture, at the The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law Thursday, Nov. 11. His lecture was entitled “Private Property and Public Protection: The Brandeisian Alternative.”