Fredric G. Levin College of Law

March 3, 2008 | Vol. XI, Issue 24

Torture and Interrogation Topic of Great Debate

What is torture? How far should interrogation go? These questions will be the topic of debate in a special presentation sponsored by the University of Florida Federalist Society at noon Monday, March 3, in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (180 Holland Hall) at the UF Levin College of Law. Participating in the discussion will be retired U.S. Army Colonel Michael Pheneger (pictured left), who was deputy director of intelligence for Central Command and director of intelligence for U.S. Special Operations Command, and Ohio Northern University Law Professor Michael Lewis, a graduate of the U.S. Navy's prestigious "Top Gun" pilot school who flew F-14's in Operation Desert Shield and now teaches the Law of War and International Law, among other topics. Moderating the event will be UF Law Professor Diane Mazur, a former officer in the U.S. Air Force and an expert in military law, Constitutional law, and civil-military relations. A reception will follow the event in the Faculty Dining Room and a free lunch will be served. For more information, contact Bobby Long at relong@ufl.edu.

Career Services: Judicial Clerkships and Interviewing From The Firm's Perspective in The CCS Buzz

Learn more about judicial clerkships and interviewing from the firm's perspective in this week's issue of The CCS Buzz, your source for a quick synopsis of programming, recruiting, networking, volunteer, and “SHIP” opportunities available to you. The CCS Buzz can be found in FlaLaw Online, via a link on your Symplicity homepage after you log in, or you can pick up a hard copy in Career Services at 244 Bruton Geer Hall. Click below to download The CCS Buzz, your weekly guide to what is important to your career and professional development:
• The CCS Buzz

Career Spotlight: Kelly Davis

Law students work diligently their first year to make first-class grades in order to be considered for a summer associate position with a good law firm, which they hope will put them in good standing to be offered a job by the firm after law school. But most students don’t realize this summer opportunity is as much an interview for students as it is for the law firm. Kelly Davis (JD 06) insists that during this three-month interview it’s important for students also to “interview” the firm to insure it is the right fit, because the firm could eventually be their employer. It's important to make the most of this opportunity and work the situation to your benefit, Davis said. As a summer associate, students should research the firm to determine if their personality fits well and adds to the cohesiveness of the work environment. While it is sometimes overlooked, proper etiquette is essential for students to maintain as summer associate. “Don’t be crazy; don’t be the person they are talking about by the water cooler on Monday morning,” Davis said.
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Blocker and Cobb Take First Place in CSRRR's Griot Race, Law and Justice Oral Competition

The team of Jonathan Blocker and Lorna Cobb (pictured left), both second-year UF law students, captured first place and a check for $2,500 in the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations' inaugural Griot Race, Law and Justice Oral Competition Feb. 23 in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom. The team of Gloria Bowens and Johann Smith took second place and $1,500, and Megone Gordon and DeMone Lee were awarded third place and a prize of $1,000 in the competition, which is designed to support the development of legal oratory and research skills in defense of racial equality and justice. Teams presented arguments before a panel of judges, including UF Law Professor Juan Perea, Dean Catherine Emihovich of the UF College of Education and Angelique Nixon, a Ph.D. student in English, in response to a hypothetical involving race-based hate speech at an Alachua County high school. Plans are underway for Griot II. For further announcements, check the center's website at http://www.law.ufl.edu/centers/csrrr/.

Summer Program in Costa Rica Offers a Unique Classroom for Studying Environmental Law

It’s not everyday that you have to take a raft to get to your lodge that is secluded in the middle of the rainforest on the bank of the Pacuare River. But, this was the case for a group of outgoing UF Law students who spent the summer studying environmental law while partaking in adventures in Costa Rica. The group of students spent six weeks taking classes with international students, experiencing the wildlife of Costa Rica and helping the local Costa Ricans with current environmental projects, including tagging sea turtles. Traveling abroad usually involves having to go outside one’s comfort zone, but for some it is more of a risk than others. Second-year law student Andrew Beckington made the trip to the Spanish-speaking country without any prior experience with the language. However, he insists trying something this new was well worth it. “Everything was new to me—definitely a different world,” he said. “It was a huge learning experience.”
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UF Law Students Honor Catherine Barclift by Running in LifeSouth Five Points of Life Half-Marathon

About 50 University of Florida law students and friends of the late Catherine Barclift ran in her honor at the LifeSouth’s Five Points of Life Half Marathon on Feb. 24. A first-year UF law student, Barclift was training for this race when she was struck by a vehicle while jogging and died one day later on Nov. 6. First-year law student Alex Perrin and other friends said the important part of the race was about honoring Barclift, not having the endurance to run the entire race. “It is a way to remember her and honor her life in turn—a very special day for many people,” Perrin said.
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Travel to Tallahassee to See The Florida Supreme Court In Action This Thursday

Interested in seeing the Florida Supreme Court in action? Then sign up for the trip this Thursday, March 6, sponsored by the UF College of Journalism and Communications and the Gainesville Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Free transportation to and from Tallahassee will be provided, along with a complimentary lunch. Participants will view oral arguments on the privacy tort of "False Light," tour the Florida Supreme Court, and hear a panel discussion with First Amendment experts, attorneys and journalists. Contact anaklara@aol.com by Monday, March 3, to register.

Professor Christine Klein Discusses Recent Issues Facing St. Johns River and Who Can Use Its Water

UF Law Professor Christine Klein was quoted in an extensive article in the Florida Times-Union discussing the recent issues facing the St. Johns River and who is permitted to use the water. Klein said the issue of moving water from one place to another is new to Florida, but not to people in Western states, where an arid climate makes water shortages a constant threat to survival. There, water is piped hundreds of miles away, nothing like what's being proposed here. But it's never enough. "Although it might be an attractive short-term solution, it never seems to really satisfy long-term needs," Klein said. "It doesn't solve the underlying problem, which is growth and growing water consumption.” Keep up with what UF Law faculty are saying in the media and writing about in scholarly publications in FlaLaw Online's weekly updates on Faculty Scholarship & Activities.
• Faculty Scholarship & Activities

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News Briefs

Professor Katheryn Russell-Brown Discusses Black Protectionism
UF Law Professor Katheryn Russell-Brown (pictured left), director of the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations, spoke to an audience of UF law students Thursday, Feb. 28, on the issue of racial protectionism. At the event, sponsored by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS), Law School Democrats, and Lexis-Nexis, Russell-Brown spoke on her book, Protecting Our Own, and explained why racial protectionism, particularly black protectionism, exists, touching on such high-profile cases as O.J Simpson, Michael Vick, Michael Jackson, and Rodney King. Why the need for protectionism, even when certain high profile African-Americans choose not to identify themselves with the African-American community? Russell-Brown says, “Protectionism is not a black thing, it exists in other racial groups and in exclusive professions.” Afterwards, Marie Triche, the student who organized the event, said, “I was excited to see the support from students who came out to hear Dr. Russell-Brown speak on her book. This event was controversial, yet insightful.”

UF Law Student Jana Wasserman Awarded Yegelwel Fellowship to Work With Anti-Defamation League
Second-year UF law student Jana B. Wasserman (pictured left) has been awarded the 2008 Evan J. Yegelwel Fellowship. The fellowship award provides a UF law student with a stipend and summer work experience at the Anti-Defamation League's Florida Regional Office in Boca Raton. Wasserman is a graduate of the University of Florida, with a bachelor's degree in Criminology and English. She is conversant in American Sign Language, and is interested in extending her advocacy skills to individuals with hearing disabilities and the deaf, to ensure that they have proper legal representation.

Former National Bar Association President Simmons Speaks With UF Law Students
Evett Simmons (pictured right), former president of the National Bar Association and current partner at Ruden McClosky P.A., speaks with UF law students following her presentation Thursday, Feb. 28, in 345 Holland Hall. Simmons, who is also past president of the Port St. Lucie Bar Association and a former member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors, the State of Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission, and the Board of Directors of Enterprise Florida, Inc., discussed her past and current experience with The Florida Bar, challenges that she faced within the legal profession both as a woman and as a woman of color, how she balanced her partnership with Ruden McClosky P.A. and her proprietary endeavors, and diversity in the workplace. The event was sponsored by the UF Law Division of the American Bar Association.

ELULP Informational Meeting March 5
The Environmental and Land Use Law Program offers many opportunities for you to become involved and learn about these important areas of law. There will be an informational meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, in 355D Holland Hall. At the meeting, you’ll learn critical information about the ELUL program, including the requirements for earning a Certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law, and details about the curriculum, including the Conservation Clinic, summer externships, Summer Study Abroad in Costa Rica, the Environmental and Land Use Law Society, the Environmental Moot Court Team, and the Public Interest Environmental Conference. Students who attend will also have the chance to meet and talk with some of the ELULP faculty and to get individual advice on course selection for summer and fall and career development guidance. All students with an interest are encouraged to attend, but especially first-year students—this is the ideal opportunity to get the best possible information to plan your academic program for your second year. This is an excellent opportunity for currently enrolled certificate students to get answers to questions about certificate requirements, course availability, etc.

Beate Sirota Gordon, Leading Human Rights Advocate in Japan, to Speak at UF March 24
Beate Sirota Gordon (pictured center), a leading human rights advocate and one of 24 people who worked under Gen. Douglas MacArthur on the Constitution of Japan in 1946, will speak at UF at 6 p.m. Monday, March 24, in Turlington Hall L07. A reception will follow the event. Gordon's father taught in the Tokyo Academy of Music before World War II, so she grew up in Japan, surrounded by musicians and artists. She became fluent in Japanese and four other languages. She returned to Japan after WWII, became a member of MacArthur's staff and was asked by him to help write a new constitution for Japan. She and her group did just that, using only resources available to them in Japan. The document they created, which gave legal rights to Japanese women for the first time, has remained essentially unchanged since then.

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