In This Issue
News Briefs
Archives
Shay Bilchik, research professor, founder and director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University spoke at the Center on Children and Families Juvenile Justice Conference on Friday. Read more about this event in next week's FlaLaw Online.
UF Law environmental conference brings it all back home
UF students, faculty and staff who want to be part of the solution to Florida’s environmental challenges but don’t know where to begin can start by attending the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s 16th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference Feb. 25-27. New and longtime environmental advocates and legal professionals are invited to attend the two-day conference titled, “Bringing it All Back Home: Leadership, Land Use and Local-nomics.” The event, to be held in UF Law’s Holland Hall, will emphasize the power of local environmental leadership, the potential of innovative local land-use tools and the promise of place-based economics and agriculture.
READ MORE»
Justice Thomas delivers Criser Lecture with grace and good humor
As blistering winter weather threatened to snow-in the nation's capital on Feb. 4, it was sunny but cool in Florida. Despite the sunshine, 700 law students, faculty and others seated the University of Florida Levin College of Law Marcia Whitney Schott courtyard or standing on the second-floor balcony shivered from time to time as they waited for United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to make his appearance as the college's special guest during the second annual Marshall M. Criser Distinguished Lecture.
READ MORE»
Federal courts scholar offers insight on qualified immunity during Dunwody Lecture
Some see it as a legal loophole for errant government officials. Others view it as a necessary doctrine to protect police officers from the liability for bad outcomes in doing their difficult jobs. But most scholars agree it has turned into something like constitutional quicksand because of the way the U.S. Supreme Court has formulated the doctrine. Prominent federal courts scholar, John C. Jeffries Jr., the David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia, provided his legal insight regarding qualified immunity as the speaker for the Florida Law Review’s 29th annual Dunwody Distinguished Lecture.
READ MORE»
Raising the bar: Florida’s legal community service day
On Feb. 27, local lawyers, law students, and law firms, together with their employees, families and friends will volunteer to clean up the Midtown area during the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division (LSD) “Raising the Bar” community service event. Throughout Florida, these individuals will give back to their communities through service. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center parking lot at 1 p.m., and walk to the Midtown area shortly after.
READ MORE»
Jacobs breaks down Florida's "school-to-prison pipeline"
Less than 50 percent of black students graduate from high school in Florida, and a part of that can be attributed to the “school-to-prison pipeline,” Professor Michelle Jacobs said. Jacobs, professor at UF Law, spoke on Wednesday about how big a problem the school-to-prison pipeline is for black students in an event sponsored by the Black Law Students Association and the UF chapter of the ACLU.
READ MORE»
Grad Tax program hosts ethics workshop
It’s tax season, and for most people that means scrounging up their W-2s and filling out 1040 forms. For some, though, complicated sources of income and losses mean more complex filing, and with it comes the temptation to play with the numbers a bit. Ask the IRS about taxpayer ethics, and you can probably expect a lengthy reply, and maybe an audit. Tax lawyers likewise deal with ethical matters, but for them, tax season is January through December. With this in mind, the Graduate Tax program held a workshop on legal ethics for tax lawyers last Friday, hosting three prominent tax attorneys from around the state.
READ MORE»
Faculty Scholarship and Activities
The UF law faculty is comprised of highly accomplished scholar-teachers who bring remarkable experience and knowledge to the classroom. Keep up with what they're writing about and saying each week in FlaLaw by reading about their scholarship and activities, as well as their media appearances.
Faculty scholarship & activities »
Upcoming Events
UF Law intramural basketball game Feb. 22
This Monday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m., the Levin College of Law Intramural Basketball Team, "The Kings," will play against our last game, before heading to the playoffs. Come out and cheer on your law school classmates on Court 6 of Southwest Recreation Center. Join our Facebook group! "The Kings" get their inspiration from Professor Shani King, who may be our special guest player this coming Monday, so come on out and root for your Gator Lawyers.
Legal career opportunities with the US Marines Feb. 24
Want the chance to enjoy immediate responsibility, travel worldwide, and serve your country all while making a difference? Join us on Feb. 24, at noon in HOL 345, to learn about legal career opportunities in the United States Marines. A representative will be on hand to answer questions and share their legal career experiences in the Marines.
How to have a successful summer Feb. 25
Attorneys from Quarles & Brady are returning to campus on Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. in HOL 345, to show students what life as an summer associate is like. The presentation will focus on what to expect in firm life, surprises you may encounter along the way and how to find success as a summer associate. Pizza will graciously be provided by the firm.
Business development success for new attorneys Feb. 26
Learning how to bring in new business is arguably one of the most important aspects of preparing to practice law. Business Development Success for New Attorneys will give graduating students a strong foundation in how to identify, and bring in their ideal clients. Based on Julie Fleming’s 2009 book The Reluctant Rainmaker: A Guide for Lawyers Who Hate Selling, the program is designed to illuminate the connection between practicing law and growing a “book of business.” Attendees will leave the program with a firm understanding of how to build a solid reputation, relationships that will lead to business, and to identify and engage their ideal clients. Join us on Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. in HOL 180 for this event co-Sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar & Lexis Nexis.
HLLSA hosts Salsa social Feb. 26
Whether or not you know how to dance Salsa, come out and celebrate with the Hispanic and Latino Law Student Association. HLLSA is hosting a Salsa Night Feb. 26, at Rum Runners (formally Fat Tuesday). Entrance is free before 10 p.m. and $5 cover after 10 p.m. (mention HLLSA). The latin DJ will be playing salsa, merengue, bachata, and reggaton.
Music Law Conference Feb. 27
Musicians, law students, entertainment attorneys and entrepreneurs will band together Saturday, Feb. 27, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the University of Florida Levin College of Law to discuss legal issues affecting the music industry’s shift to digital media. The one-day event, “Music Law Conference 2.0: Out of Beta,” in UF Law’s Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (room 180) will explore legal issues that surround downloading and sharing music files and licensing music for video games and Internet radio. Panelists also will share their strategies for effectively promoting local bands through social networking and the Internet. Following the conference, which is free to UF students and faculty, there will be a reception from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and a live music showcase featuring local and regional bands from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at the Common Grounds in downtown Gainesville.
News Briefs
GADR seeking volunteers for mediation video project
Gators for Alternative Dispute Resolution (GADR) is proud to announce that it is co-sponsoring a video project with UF's Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution and the Levin College of Law's Institute for Dispute Resolution to 1) provide students at the law school an opportunity to learn more about mediation and 2) advertise, share, and educate the University of Florida community about the mediation process through a video presentation. The "Mediation Video Project" will be used at UF presentations, on Web sites, and at orientation for the UF community. Faculty involved in this project include, Dean Chris Loschiavo, director of UF's Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution and Professor Robin Davis, director of the Institute for Dispute Resolution, Levin College of Law. GADR is currently seeking volunteers for script writing, production, and acting. To express interest or if you have any question, please contact Zarra at zelias@ufl.edu. The deadline for volunteers is Feb. 23.
Florida Moot Court Team excels in Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition
The Florida Moot Court Team competed last semester in the Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Miami. Team members Rob Davis (3L) and C. Andrew Roy (2L) advanced to the semi-final round after achieving the highest overall score in the preliminary rounds, beating out 10 other teams including teams from the University of Oklahoma, University of Miami, and Emory University. In addition, Roy received the Best Oralist award for the regional competition. Encompassing both First Amendment freedom of speech issues as well Fourteenth Amendment equal protection issues, the competition problem involved a public defender whose employment contract was not renewed following several presentations at CLE seminars regarding the lack of funding for certain minority, indigent clients. The Florida Moot Court Team is UF’s premiere competitive moot court team and is governed by the Justice Campbell Thornal Executive Board.
Tax Moot Court Team places second in national competition
Congratulations to Tax Moot Court Team Captain Joshua Landsman (3L) and James Baley (2L) on their second place finish in the recent National Tax Moot Court Competition. Congratulations also to Chris Pavilonis (JD 09, LLM 10) and Professor Steven Willis, who co-coached the team. The competition included teams from Oregon, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, Massachusetts, Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida and other states. The Levin College of Law team placed second for the second consecutive year. The UF Tax Law Society sponsored the team for this competition as well as another team for the upcoming Tax Moot Court competition in Buffalo. In addition, the UF Tax Law Society sponsors a team for the National Securities Dispute Resolution Competition in New York. Last year the UF Law team placed first in securities mediation in that event. On behalf of the UF Tax Law Society, the team would like to thank the Law College Council, The Florida Moot Court Team, and the Student Government Association for financial contributions that partially funded the team's participation this year. In addition, the team would like to thank the Levin College of Law and also Jason Yoepp for his assistance and contributions. (Photo from left to right: James Baley, Joshua Landsman and Chris Pavilonis)
Earn extern credits with UF Law Costa Rica Program
Got Spanish? The UF Law Costa Rica Program enjoys a unique relationship with the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights, the research organ of the Inter-American Court for Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica. As a result, a qualified UF Law student enrolled in the program can extern with the institute for three credits during the summer program. For students with an interest in international human rights, Latin America and in developing their ability to write and speak in professional Spanish this is a unique opportunity. For more information contact Costa Rica Program Director Tom Ankersen or Michelle Ocepek. Those wishing to get a student’s perspective on the experience should feel free to speak with Miredys Gonzalez, last year’s extern at the Institute.
The Journal of Technology Law and Policy introduces new Web site
The Journal of Technology Law and Policy presents their new and improved Web site, with information on how to contribute, subscribe, and find out more information about the journal and its members. Special thanks to Web site Executive Miriam Cortes and Assistant Editor-in-Chief Jared Beckerman for their outstanding contributions to the site. Interested students should check the site later this semester for updated information about our next write-on/grade-on competition. Visit http://jtlp.org for more information.
Ankersen and Hamann attend international wetlands symposium
Tom Ankersen, director of UF Law Conservation Clinic, and Richard Hamann, associate in law at the UF Law Center for Governmental Responsibility, along with UF PhD students and faculty affiliated with the National Science Foundation’s Integrated Graduate Research, Education and Training Program in Water, Wetlands and Watersheds presented their research at the international symposium “Wetlands in a Flood Pulsing Environment: Effects and Responses in Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning and Human Society” in Maun, Botswana, the gateway to Southern Africa’s storied Okavango Delta. Hosted by the Henry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Center at the University of Botswana, the week long symposium was attended by leading researchers representing some of the world’s most significant wetland environments, including the Okavango, the Pantanal and Amazon flooded forests of Brazil, Florida’s Everglades and the Mississippi River Delta, the TonLe Sap Great Lake wetlands of Cambodia, and the famed marshes of the Tigris & Euphrates River Valley of Southern Iraq – among many others.
Trial Team travels to National Trial Competition
Congratulations to 3L’s Kali Feinman and Aaron Kelley and 2L’s Jennifer Leitner and Brian Wolf, who travelled through the snow to Jackson, Mississippi this weekend to compete in the National Trial Competition. The competition capped nearly two months of diligent preparation and resulted in each team trying the case three times over two days. In addition to handling motions and evidentiary issues, this competition requires all advocates to have both sides of the case prepared and to try either side with very little notice. The team’s next competition will be the American Association for Justice competition held in Atlanta, Feb. 25-28.
Upcoming Events
Career Development
| Read the CCD BUZZ each week for a quick synopsis of programming, recruiting, networking and volunteer and "SHIP" opportunities available to you.
|
Send Us News
|
Email to a friend |
Print |
Contact Us | Unsubscribe
This page uses Google Analytics (Google Privacy Policy)