In This Issue
News Briefs
Send Us News
|
FlaLaw Online is published each week school is in session by the Levin College of Law Communications Office:
Fredric G. Levin College of Law |
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens (right) and UF Law alumnus and friend U.S. District Court Judge Jose A. Gonzalez Jr. (left), were guests at the inaugural Marshall Criser Distinguished Lecture on Nov. 17. (UF Law/ Chen Wang)
The law school is closed this Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27-28, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Classes will resume a normal schedule on Monday, Dec. 1.
Justice Stevens and Judge Gonzalez speak at inaugural Marshall Criser Lecture
Justice John Paul Stevens and Judge Jose A. Gonzalez Jr. devoted part of their joint presentation on the UF Campus on Nov. 17 to offering free advice to law students. Stevens, the most senior United States Supreme Court Justice, said lawyers often overlook oral arguments in their cases.
READ MORE»
Shaw fights for Florida insurance consumers
Just five years after graduating from law school, Sean M. Shaw (JD 03) is taking a big step into public office as Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate. Tapped for the position by Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Shaw began his new full-time post on Nov. 17 leaving the Tallahassee firm Messer, Caparello & Self, P.A. where he specialized in employment discrimination defense.
READ MORE»
Examination preparation: During the exam
You’ve made it to the end of the semester and to the final examination period. You’ve read numerous case law, you’ve briefed these case law and you’ve outlined your courses. Now it comes down to one examination that will test your knowledge of the subject matter and determine your grade for an entire semester’s worth of work.
READ MORE»
CCS offers holiday community service and pro bono opportunities
In the Center for Career Services' work with community service and pro bono providers in the area, we are hearing serious concern about the increase in the number of people in need and the decrease in many peoples' ability to give during this challenging economic time. As a result Career Services will be helping in two ways: the Annual Homeless Coalition's Blanket Drive and the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association's Holiday Project.
READ MORE»
Speakers address the plight of seasonal farmworkers in Florida
As the U.S. economy worsens, seasonal farmworkers are among the hardest hit in Florida. Without the ability to choose their salaries or improve their working conditions, farmworkers face day-to-day challenges. A Nov. 19 discussion titled, “Modern day slavery: The plight of farmworkers in Florida,” brought together activists and UF law students to address farmworkers’ struggle for justice.
READ MORE»
Cohn presents market regulation workshop
Professor Stuart Cohn presented a full-day workshop on "Capital Market Regulation in Times of Economic Crisis" at the International Law Institute in Washington, D.C. Participants included 25 securities regulators from all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique. Read more faculty scholarship and activities.
• Faculty Scholarship and Activities
News Briefs
Moot Court makes final four in Chicago competition
The Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board traveled to Chicago last week for the annual Chicago Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition. The team of Scott Holtz, Stacey Schwimmer and Tim Haughee made it to the final four (Semi-Finals) surpassing 26 other teams. This event allows teams from top-tier law schools around the country to compete against one another in oral advocacy. Eric Nowak and Danielle Pollock also competed. The teams argued the constitutionality of a gender conscious admissions policy that sought to maintain a gender balance of men and women in its undergraduate admissions. We are proud of Tim, Scott, and Stacey’s success. Both teams received assistance from Professors Rambo, Pflaum and Wihnyk. The Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board represents UF Law in numerous state and national appellate advocacy competitions throughout the year. The board was founded in 1961, and was named after the prominent Florida Supreme Court chief justice. The board’s mission is to promote excellence in appellate advocacy. Comprised of students from UF Law, the board has received numerous state and national awards. New members are selected each year from all third semester students who try out for the team.
Law students donate football tickets to children
Many local children celebrated the holiday season a little early on Saturday partly because of the generosity of 114 UF Law students. The students donated their law block football tickets for the game against The Citadel to the Gator Ticket Bank, which gives the tickets to local underprivileged children who otherwise would not be able to attend a Gator football game. “I knew from past experience that law students, hectic with finals, wouldn’t likely be attending the game,” law block Chairman Natalie Peters said. “Instead of the students’ tickets going unused, we wanted to kick off the holiday season early and put these tickets to a much better cause.” The project was part of the John Marshall Bar Association’s Community Service initiative under President Chas Short, the executive board, and the general board. “It's great to see our law school come together to support the community,” Short said. “We're very pleased with the enthusiastic response to this program.”
ACLU attorney, law grad: What's next for LGBT rights?
Shelbi Day, staff attorney with ACLU of Florida's LGBT Advocacy Project, spoke Thursday night about what is next for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LBGT) community after Amendment 2, which limits marriage to being between a man and a woman, passed in Florida. Day (JD 02) said the 2008 election evoked mixed emotions from many of the LGBT community, since anti-gay ballot initiatives were passed in four states. “We watched the broader, bigger society take what I would consider this giant step forward toward equality,” Day said, referring to the election of Barack Obama. “But that was sort of undercut, at least for me, by the feeling that the LGBT community got left behind.” Amendment 2 should not limit domestic partnerships based on what the Florida Supreme Court has said, but that is not true equality, Day said. The ACLU and other organizations will continue to fight for equality for all despite the measures passed in four states, Day said.
“Every social movement has its setbacks,” Day said. “There are always bumps in the road. We know, in looking back at history, that change that really matters is never easy. The path to equality is never smooth are easy.”
London study abroad extends application deadline
The London Law Consortium at Florida State University London Study Centre (Jan. 12 - May 1, 2009) is still accepting applications due to lower than expected enrollment this year. They are holding the program and continuing to accept students who have passports for the next several weeks. They will not be able to accept students into the British Legal Methods Clinical Course because of the requirement of a visa for participation in that program (which takes several weeks to process with the Consulate), but all other courses are available, and students in those courses can enter on their regular passport. If you are interested in this opportunity, program booklets, which include the application and requirements, are available at the Student Affairs receptionist desk. Applications are due to Director of Student Programs Michelle Ocepek no later than 5 p.m. on Dec. 3. http://www.law.ufl.edu/students/abroad/index.shtml
Grad tax speaker talks about criminal tax fraud
Houston-based white-collar crime and tax attorney Larry A. Campagna, well-known for winning the largest-ever settlement for wrongful disclosure of tax return information in Johnson v. Sawyer, presented "When Special Agents Come Calling," to UF law students on Nov. 21. In his presentation, Campagna guided his audience through a Powerpoint tour of the stages of a suspected criminal tax fraud case, from the first signs of a government investigation to the ongoing role of an attorney as advisor, counselor, and advocate of the client. He explained the complexity of defending such cases, as attorneys must also act as investigators to retrace the chain of professional dealings, personal associations, and the endless paper trail of their client. Citing examples from his own experiences as a tax fraud defense attorney, Campagna emphasized the importance of meticulous lawyering in defending such cases, as well as maintaining the highest of professional and ethical standards.
Wax discusses unconscious bias of race and gender
University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Amy Wax visited the Levin College of Law to present “The Discriminating Mind: A Discussion of Unconscious Bias Based on Race and Gender” on Nov. 19. Wax discussed what she referred to as the “unpleasant facts” about American life, including the persistent disparity between blacks and whites in regard to academic achievement, home life stability, and job success. Wax focused on sources and outcomes of unconscious racial bias against blacks and cited a study performed by Harvard University called the “Implicit Association Test” that asked Harvard undergrads to match black faces and white faces with either positive or negative traits. Surprisingly, participants — even black participants —associated more negative traits with black faces than with white faces. Wax cautioned that while such a study has yielded provocative findings, Harvard undergrads are not a sufficiently socioeconomically diverse group to be considered representative of society at large, and that additional societal factors must also be considered when identifying unconscious racial bias. For more information about Harvard University’s Implicit Association Test, or to take a demo test, visit https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/.
Time is running out to donate to the 2008 Class Gift
As graduation approaches, and students look to the future, they are also leaving a legacy. Thirty percent of the spring graduating class participated in the class gift effort and have pledged $59,000 to date. A list of the fall student donors will be displayed at graduation, but it’s not too late to make your gift. If you would like to donate to the class gift effort, contact Sara Cocolin at 352-273-0640 or cocolin@law.ufl.edu. Thank you for participating in this wonderful legacy and best of luck in your future endeavors in the law profession.
CSRRR Summer 2009 Yegelwel Fellowship
The UF Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations (CSRRR) is sponsoring the 2009 Yegelwel Fellowship. For students who are interested in issues of anti-Semitism and bigotry, the fellowship provides a wonderful opportunity to work at the Anti-Defamation League in Florida. The 8-10 week fellowship is for Summer 2009 and comes with a $4,000 stipend. Students who have completed their first year and constitutional law courses (by the time of the fellowship) and are in good academic standing, are eligible to apply. For further information on the application process, please contact Melissa Bamba, CSRRR Asst. Director at bamba@law.ufl.edu or 273-0614. The deadline for applications is Monday, Dec. 1.
Exam and holiday library hours
Holidays and exams are fast approaching. Here is a reminder of the library's hours for the rest of the semester.
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Closed Saturday, Nov. 22 (last UF home football game)
Thanksgiving week (Nov. 24-30):
Monday & Tuesday, Regular hours
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Thursday-Friday, Nov. 27-28, Closed
Saturday, Nov. 29, 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Extended hours for exams will be from Friday, Dec. 5 to Thursday, Dec. 18:
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2 a.m.
Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 2 a.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. - 2 a.m.
Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 20-21, Closed
Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 22-24, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday-Sunday, Dec. 25 - Jan. 4, Closed
Upcoming Events
| Su | M | T | W | Th | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 |
Career Services
| At the beginning of every week, check out The CCS BUZZ for a quick synopsis of programming, recruiting, networking and volunteer and "SHIP" opportunities available to you. The CCS Buzz can be found in FlaLaw Online, via link on your Symplicity homepage after you log in, or you can pick up a hard copy in Career Services 244 Bruton-Geer Hall. |
You Need to Know:
| Loan Repayment Assistance for Public Interest Lawyers |
Archives
Email to a friend | Print | Contact Us | Unsubscribe
This page uses Google Analytics (Google Privacy Policy)