Fredric G. Levin College of Law

October 1, 2007 | Vol. XI, Issue 7

UF Trial Team Concludes Tryout Process With Final Four Competition Friday, Oct. 5

The University of Florida’s award-winning Trial Team will hold its biannual Final Four Competition at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (HOL 180A). The Trial Team would like to congratulate Fall 2007 new Trial Team members Elvis Santiago, Jason Pill, Elizabeth Manno, Connie Jones, Kailey Evans, Nicole Mouakar, Maulik Sharma and Kerri McGovern. This year’s case for the Final Four Competition will be The State of Lone Star v. Tony Grubb, a criminal law case. Elvis Santiago and Jason Pill (first alternate for Connie Jones, who will not be able to make the competition) will represent the State of Lone Star. Kailey Evans and Nicole Mouakar will represent the defendant, Tony Grubb. Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, a litigation firm with offices in Florida and Alabama, will again sponsor the competition. Over 50 competitors began the tryout process, which lasted three rounds, culminating with the selection of these talented eight new members. Please show your support by coming to the Final Four Competition on Friday to watch these competitors in action. If you have any questions regarding the Final Four Competition, contact Karen Derby at ksderby@ufl.edu.

Career Services: Let's Get Real—Exploring All of Your Career Options

This week, UF Law's Center for Career Services tries to dispel some of the popular myths you may have been told about finding your first job in the legal field and tells you what the reality is. For starters, it's important to remember this: The best jobs do not always go to the best candidate. They go to the best job strategist.
READ MORE>>www.law.ufl.edu/flalawonline

Additional Career Services Articles
• Jacksonville Networking and Football Event
• 1Ls—Stay Tuned For Networking Events During Holiday Break
• Programming This Week
• Important Deadlines
• 4th Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic Oct. 27

Career Spotlight: Jeffrey Hinds

Working for a large firm can be the number one goal for many, but Jeffrey Hinds (MA, JD 94) says owning a firm or working for a small one can really show how hard work pays off. Hinds, who practices eminent domain and condemnation law in Tampa, originally wanted to be a criminology professor while he was an undergrad at the University of Florida. He said he decided to go to law school to get a better view of the law. "I had fantastic professors in the criminology department, and a couple had law degrees," he said. "I wanted to get that unique perspective of the law and the ability to practice would make me better at doing that."
READ MORE>>www.law.ufl.edu/flalawonline

Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations Announces First Oral Competition

The University of Florida Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations (CSRRR) is pleased to announce its first oral competition. The Race, Law and Justice Oral Competition provides law students with an opportunity to research, discuss and debate important issues of race and justice. The subject for this year's competition is race-based hate speech. The hypothetical that students will research and debate is based upon an actual incident involving racial conflict between white and black high school students in a South Carolina town. White students wore T-shirts emblazoned with the confederate flag and "100 percent cotton and you picked it." Black students responded by having T-shirts printed with the confederate flag in red, black, and green—the colors of African liberation.
READ MORE>>www.law.ufl.edu/flalawonline

Center for Children and Families Announces Lecture Series for 2007-2008 Academic Year

The University of Florida Center for Children and Families will host a lecture series this academic year that brings four talented scholars to the Levin College of Law with multidisciplinary expertise to address critical issues in family law. Mark your calendar for these lectures, which will be open to faculty, staff and students.
READ MORE>>www.law.ufl.edu/flalawonline

UF Law Faculty Discuss Timely Topics, Including the Jena 6 and Decision-Making in Mediation

Read what UF Law professors are saying in the media and writing about in scholarly publications in FlaLaw Online's weekly updates on Faculty Scholarship & Activities and UF Law Faculty In The News. Among other news, Professor Kenneth Nunn (pictured right) talks about the recent questions of bias in U.S. justice regarding the "Jena 6" case in Louisiana, and Professor Leonard Riskin (pictured left) publishes an article on decision-making in mediation.
• Faculty Scholarship & Activities
• Faculty In The News

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News Briefs

Join Clean-Up Effort at Law School Woods Work Day Saturday, Oct. 6
All faculty, staff and students are invited to join the Environmental & Land Use Law Society in clean-up efforts at the law school woods 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Oct. 6. Volunteers will be cleaning up trash and debris, working with exotic invasives, mulching, and other restorative activities. Water will be available, but students should bring a water bottle and wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. For more information about the day or the restoration project, please contact Ashley Henry at acraft@ufl.edu.

Florida CFO Alex Sink Speaks to Law School Democrats
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink spoke to the Law School Democrats and other guests on Friday, Sept. 21. Sink is the highest-ranking Democrat and highest-ranking woman in Florida state government. After giving the audience an overview of what the CFO position entails and a brief description of her life in the political arena,Sink took questions from the audience. She discussed the possible expiration of PIP, the state government's role in promoting environmental responsibility, the changing rules regarding the restoration of civil rights following felony conviction, and many other topics. "It was an enlightening discussion and a fantastic opportunity for UF Law students to get a better understanding of Florida state government," said Allison Riggs, the group's president. Pictured here from left to right are Erin Condon, vice president, Sink, and Riggs.

Environmental Law Students Garner Writing Honors
Three Levin College of Law students were recognized over the summer for their outstanding writing on topics related to land use and environmental law. Yee Huang’s paper “Fifth Amendment Takings & Transitions in Water Law” won the $5,000 First Prize in the 2007 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest sponsored by the Roscoe Pound Institute. Her paper will be published in the Denver Water Law Review. Also this summer, two UF Law students were recognized for their writing by the Florida Bar Environmental and Land Use Law Section. Gregory Zhelesnik’s paper titled “Critical Habitat Designation: An Analysis of the Effectiveness Debate” won second place in the annual Maloney Essay Contest, a competition sponsored by The Florida Bar ELULS and named in honor of former UF Law Dean and water law scholar Frank Maloney. Jariel Bortnick’s “From Fertile Grounds to Troubled Compounds: Florida’s Failed Shopping Malls and Their Mixed-Use Redevelopment Options” was the third place winner in the same competition.

UF Law Alumni Council Happy Hour at Orlando's UrbanThink! Bookstore Oct. 18
The University of Florida Law Alumni Council would like to invite all Central Florida area alumni, students, and friends of the UF College of Law to a happy hour on Thursday, Oct. 18, 6-8 p.m., at the UrbanThink! Bookstore, 625 East Central Blvd., Orlando. Our special guest will be UF Law Professor Michael Seigel, who will be signing copies of his book, Improbable Events: Murder at Ellenton Hall, an exciting murder mystery that takes place in a law school. We are currently planning to have these events two or three times a year, and limited sponsorships are available. Please contact Sarah Rumpf at srumpf@cfl.rr.com if you or your firm are interested. Current sponsors are UrbanThink! Bookstore; Harris, Harris, Bauerle & Sharma P.A.; and Gatorlando, LLC. Remember to RSVP and support your College of Law. Check out the online invitation.

Florida Law Review Welcomes New Members
Florida Law Review, the student-edited publication containing articles by legal scholars expert in various areas of the law, as well as works by student members, welcomes the following new members: Patty Alten, Katrina Barry, Marshall Bender, Lance Berry, Carly Cohen, Dave Crane, Christropher Deem, Angela Deffenbaugh, Lawrence Dougherty, Crystal Espinosa, Michael Friedman, Jason Giller, Erin Graham, Matthew Grosack, Dennis Gucciardo, Issa Hanna, Ann Hove, Heather Howdeshell, Margaret Hunt, Irina Ivanova, Mary Jackson, Jennifer Jones, David Karp, Robert Kauffman, Sasha Lohn, Adam Losey, Alison Maddux, Giannina Marin, Molly McCrae, Amanda O’Dell, Troy Pratten, Kristen Rasmussen, Brandon Richardson, Jonathan Rodriguez, Marisa Rosen, Lindsay Saxe, Rachel Schiffman, Richard Shane, Charles Short, Jason Stark, Dana Trachtenberg, Dante Trevisani, Johann Van Lierop III, Stephanie Varela, Natasha Waglow, Zachary Warren, Ryan Watstein, Matthew White, and Ben Williamson.

Journal of Law & Public Policy Hosts Annual 'How to Get Published' Seminar

The Journal of Law & Public Policy is hosting its annual 'How To Get Published' seminar with Professor Michael Siebecker at noon Thursday, Oct. 4, Holland Hall Room 359. This will be a great opportunity for all law students, especially those on a journal, who are interested in publishing a note or other article. Professor Siebecker will discuss what makes a great legal article and how you can write one. In 2006, Professor Siebecker published Part I of his work on corporate speech with the William & Mary Law Review and is currently working on Part II. Come learn from the best. Lunch will be provided. The Journal of Law and Public Policy is an interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization devoted to the study, commentary and analysis of domestic legal and social issues. Please visit http://grove.ufl.edu/~jlpp/ for more information.

Second- and Third-Year Student Scholarship Applications Available
Available scholarships for second- and third-year law students are now available and listed along with eligibility requirements on the Financial Aid Bulletin Board on the concourse. We are in the process of making the list of scholarships and eligibility requirements available on our website, but until that time you will need to check the bulletin board. (Current scholarship recipients are not eligible.) Applications can be obtained from the Office of Student Affairs, 164 Holland Hall (rack by front door) and must be returned by 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5. For more information, contact Financial Aid Coordinator Carol Huber at chuber@ufl.edu.

Loans Available for Bar Exam Expenses
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. You may borrow from as little as $500 to as much as $15,000. For more information regarding these private loans you should contact the lenders directly at:

• Access Group, 800 282-1550, www.Accessgroup.org
• Key Education Resources, 800 539-5363, www.Key.com/law

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