UF Levin College of Law - FlaLaw Online

FlaLaw Online is published each week school is in session by the Levin College of Law Communications Office:

Katie Blasewitz
Communications Coordinator
Editor, FlaLaw Online

Debra Amirin, APR
Director

Lindy Brounley
Associate Director, UF Law Magazine Editor

Hedda Prochaska
Online Communications Coordinator

Scott Emerson
Senior Writer

Ian Fisher
Law Student Writer

Joshua Lukman
Photographer

Chen Wang
Photographer

Home | Email | Print

Waterfall
UF Law offers nation’s first master’s degree in environmental and land use law. Read More>>

Chief Justice John Roberts to Judge UF Law Moot Court Competition Sept. 5

Jesus Suarez John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, will have a chance to put four UF law students on the spot this semester. Roberts will become the first representative of the U.S. Supreme Court in history to judge the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Final Four on Sept. 5 at the Curtis M. Phillips Center. "To have the Chief Justice of our nation judge our Final Four Moot Court Competition is a great privilege for our students and the University of Florida," said Robert Jerry, dean of the UF College of Law and Levin, Mabie and Levin Professor of Law. "It is a tremendous understatement to say that it has elevated both the significance of this annual event and the anxiety levels of our student competitors."
READ MORE>>

Dean's Message: Welcome from Dean Jerry

Dean Jerry On behalf of our faculty and staff, I am delighted to welcome our new and returning students to the college. This is shaping up to be one of the most event-filled years in our college’s history, and I hope that when mid-May 2009 appears on your calendar, you will look back on your 2008-09 academic experience as one of your best ever.
READ MORE>>

Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center Breaks Ground

Levin Advocacy Center Thanks to support from Levin College of Law alumni and friends, UF Law faculty, staff and students will soon enjoy a legal advocacy center second to none. The Levin Law Advocacy Center, the core of a $5.2 million construction project will expand legal advocacy education and provide state-of-the-art trial facilities for the college. Named in honor of Martin H. Levin, son and former colleague of Pensacola attorney and college namesake Fredric G. Levin, the center will put UF Law at the forefront of major law colleges providing students with sophisticated facilities and services.
READ MORE>>

Career Spotlight: Derek Bruce

When someone asks Triple-Gator Derek Bruce (JD/MBA 98) to describe himself in one word, they hear one answer – blessed. Thankful for the opportunities he’s been afforded, he now devotes his career to a place that makes dreams come true for others. As director of government relations for Walt Disney World, he describes the position as a role that works with both internal and external stakeholders to protect and promote Walt Disney World through the development of legislation and government policies and procedures.
READ MORE>>

Scribbled Note Leads Human Rights Extern to Discover Costa Rican Legal Hurdles

Jessica Steele Before my trip to Costa Rica, I traveled to 16 countries and lived in six of them. In my travels, I discovered that it is always best to go with an adventurous and easygoing attitude. This way, when things don’t go as planned, as they often don’t, I am still calm and enjoying myself and taking in the experience of another culture in a positive way. I always have to keep in the forefront of my mind that the beauty of other people is that they do not always do things the way I do—and I have to be prepared for that. I had just completed my first year of law school when I went to Costa Rica on a UF study abroad program. The classes focused on environmental law, but I was more interested in human rights (which I learned that the two are more connected in other countries than they are in the U.S.). I had an externship at the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.
READ MORE>>

UF Law Student Wins Diversity Scholarship

With a move from bustling Chicago to a sparsely populated Tennessee town in his early teenage years, a stint as a thirteen-year-old college student, and a Jewish Puerto Rican background, Jesse Butler’s (2L) life has been anything but usual. These experiences contributed to his selection as a 2008 Diversity Scholarship recipient by the Sarasota County Bar Association, a scholarship awarded to minority students at Florida law schools with an interest in practicing law in Sarasota County upon graduation. The two recipients are given a $5,000 scholarship at the end of a 10-week employment period in Sarasota County. After writing an essay and undergoing an interview process with both the Sarasota County Bar Association and his future summer employer, Syprett, Meshad, Resnick, Lieb, Dumbaugh, Jones, Krotec & Westheimer, P.A., Butler was offered the scholarship and an internship with the firm.
READ MORE>>

UF Law Welcomes New and Visiting Faculty

Classroom We are pleased to welcome the following new faculty members to our law school — Charlene Luke (assistant professor), D. Daniel Sokol (assistant professor), E. Lea Johnston (assistant professor), Deborah Cupples (legal skills professor), Robin Davis (legal skills professor), Randall Baldwin Clark (visiting assistant professor) and Kenneth Williams (visiting professor).
See Faculty Biographies>>

Lidsky Quoted in Time on New Attorney Web Site

Lidsky Professor Lyrissa Lidsky was quoted in Time on new Web site WhoCanISue.com. The new site plans to help consumers determine whether they actually have a case and help them find an attorney from a list of lawyers who advertise their expertise on the Web site. Lidksy believes the service "is likely to increase the number of lawsuits." But, adds Lidsky, who specializes in Internet law and the First Amendment, "It's a good thing to the extent people are vindicating their legal rights to the extent they didn't years ago."
• Faculty Scholarship & Activities

Upcoming Events

Environmental and Land Use Law Potluck Sept. 4

There will be a potluck reception for all students and faculty with an interest in environmental and land use law, at the home of Professor Mary Jane Angelo on Thursday, September 4 at 6:00 p.m. Bring your favorite dish and get to know some students and faculty who share your interests. Please RSVP to Lena Hinson at hinson@law.ufl.edu and let Lena know if you need directions of Prof. Angelo's home.

News Briefs

Student Affairs Welcomes New Registrar Sharon Booker
The Office of Student Affairs would like to welcome new registrar Sharon Booker to the UF Law community. Booker joins us from Florida State University College of Law where she was the director of admissions and records for nearly nine years. She has bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a master’s degree from Florida State University. Booker is thrilled to return to her alma mater after being away for nearly twenty years. "This is my home. I grew up in the Gainesville area and attended UF as an undergrad. I am excited to be back, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the process of making the UF law school experience as positive as possible for our students," she said.

Study Abroad Program Raises Awareness to Benefit South African School
For 19 UF law students, the UF/University of Cape Town Study Abroad Program turned into more than just a summer trip. The UF students, along with the High Springs Community School, sponsored a pen pal project that raised $3,400 to benefit Kalksteenfontein Primary School (KPS) in South Africa, which they also volunteered at. KPS is located in Cape Flats, a poor township 15 miles outside of Cape Town. Many of its residents were forced from Cape Town when District Six became a whites only area under apartheid. The money raised is enough for 136 KPS students’ tuition, said Kathie Price, associate dean for library and technology. "If indeed the purpose of these summer programs is to be life-changing experiences, this whole relationship with an outgrowth of District Six, allowed us to be submerged in the life of the town or the life of the city and to see what the aftereffects of apartheid are," Price said.

Inn of Court Seeks Members
Scale The James C. Adkins, Jr. Inn of Court, Gainesville, is seeking well-qualified students interested in participating in the esteemed American Inns of Court, a legal mentoring organization that teams law students (pupils) with new lawyers (associates), seasoned practitioners (barristers), and judges and senior trial lawyers (Masters of the Bench). The Inn meets six to eight times per year. Selected students participate in regular meetings, consisting of a dinner with all members of the Inn present, followed by an educational component, at which the members of the Inn demonstrate and discuss issues, techniques, problems and ethics of trial advocacy. This is an excellent opportunity to work with and to observe outstanding trial lawyers and judges while learning trial techniques and valuable skills. Applications, available in Legal Research & Writing, are due Sept. 15. For more information, please contact Legal Skills Professor Diane Tomlinson at tomlinso@law.ufl.edu.

ELULP Informational Meeting
ELULP 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 12:00 — 12:50 p.m., on Wednesday, September 10 in Room 355D Holland. 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, and the Summer Study Abroad in Costa Rica, and find out about the Environmental and Land Use Law Society, the Environmental Moot Court Team, the Public Interest Environmental Conference, and our new LL.M. in Environmental and Land Use Law. 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. This is an excellent opportunity for currently enrolled certificate students to get answers to questions about certificate requirements, course availability, etc.

All students with an interest are encouraged to attend, but especially first and second year students – this is the ideal opportunity to get the best possible information to plan your academic program for your remaining semesters. Questions? Contact ELULP Program Assistant Lena Hinson at hinson@law.ufl.edu.

CSRRR Research Assistant Needed
CSRRR Research Assistant needed to help carry out the goals and mission of the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations. Responsibilities include researching and writing articles for the yearly newsletter, organizing aspects of the Center’s programs and events, participating in Center-sponsored activities, and providing administrative expertise. Candidate must have excellent organizational and writing skills. Contact Melissa Bamba at Bamba@law.ufl.edu or 273-0614 to apply.

Funds Available to Student Organizations
CSRRR The Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations will make funds available during the 2008-2009 academic year to registered student organizations sponsoring programs or activities that address the Center’s mission. Awards of up to $500 available for programs or activities that substantively address issues of race, race relations and/or racism. To be considered for funding, email a brief summary, including the name of your group, date funds needed, a budget, and the date and description of the proposed event, to Melissa Bamba Bamba@law.ufl.edu or 273-0614. Apply early as funds are limited.