October 15, 2003

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist was at the Florida State University College of Law on October 15 to recruit 3Ls for the new Florida Attorney General's Honors Program. The program will offer new attorneys an opportunity to obtain practical experience while working in the Attorney General's Office, Crist told students who gathered in the D'Alemberte Rotunda to hear his talk.

Crist plans to hire four attorneys to work in Tallahassee for two-year terms at an annual salary of $50,000. He particularly is interested in applicants whose grades, positions on law journals, and participation in activities, such a moot court, demonstrate their ability to excel in the legal profession.

Crist said he is concentrating recruiting efforts on students from accredited law schools in Florida, the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Ala., his alma mater, and new attorneys at the Florida Supreme Court.

"We want the best and the brightest that Florida has to offer to work with the people of the state," Crist said. "We want to encourage people to come into public service, particularly in the Attorney General's Office."

During their terms, Honors Program Attorneys will work for six months in each of four divisions in the Attorney General's Office: Antitrust, Criminal Appeals, Economic Crimes, and the Office of Solicitor General. They also will attend training seminars designed to enhance trial and appellate skills, as well as events that will introduce the new attorneys to legislative and cabinet issues.

At the end of their two-year commitment, Honors Program Attorneys can apply for vacant positions in the Attorney General's Office or seek employment in the private or public sector.

"I hope a number of our students will take advantage of this great opportunity," said Florida State University President T.K. Wetherall.

Applications and program information are available through the Attorney General's Office at: PL-01, The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399 (Phone: 850-245-0140). The Florida State University College of Law Office of Career Placement also can provide information. Contact Brittany Adams Long, director. Deadline for application is January 15, 2004. The Attorney General expects to announce his selections in late January.

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Homecoming Weekend, November 14-15

You will be receiving our Alumni Homecoming Weekend brochure in the mail this week. It provides a schedule of events, as well as information on hotel accommodations in Tallahassee and on making reservations for weekend activities. The weekend begins on Friday, November 14, with the Homecoming Parade at 2 p.m., a Law Alumni Reunion Party at the home of alumnus Lance Block (open to all alumni and specially honoring the Classes of 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1993) at 7 p.m., and the Homecoming Pow Wow at 8 p.m. at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. On Saturday, November 15, the Florida State University College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors meets at 9:30 a.m., and a Law Alumni Tailgate Party will begin at 12:30 p.m. (or three hours prior to kickoff) in the D'Alemberte Rotunda and the James Harold Thompson Green. The Florid State-North Carolina State football game is tentatively scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. For more information about all of these happenings, click Alumni Homecoming Information.

Phonathon seeing early success

College of Law students have received more than $53,000 in pledges to the Annual Fund since the 2003 Fall Phonathon began October 6. This year, 47 students are making calls to alumni from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday during the calling period, which ends October 24. The goal this year is to have 23 percent of alumni participate. Please help make this happen – ANSWER THE CALL and respond with a pledge!

Alumni participation in the Annual Fund provides the school with vital resources and enhances the law school's reputation. In three short years, the College of Law's alumni participation rate has grown from 9 to 20 percent, and the law school is now in the top 20 of all state law schools in terms of alumni giving.

Professor Dan Tarlock, Chicago-Kent College of Law, is the FSU Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law 17th Annual Distinguished Lecturer. Tarlock will discuss whether environmental law is, in fact, a discrete area of the law and, if so, what core principles define it. The lecture takes place on Thursday, October 16, at 4 p.m. in the D'Alemberte Rotunda.

Tarlock is an internationally recognized expert in environmental law and the law of land and water use. He has published a treatise, Law of Water Rights and Resources, and is a co-author of four casebooks, Water Resource Management, Environmental Law, Land Use Controls, and Environmental Protection: Law and Policy. He is a frequent consultant to local, state, federal and international agencies, private groups and law firms, and is an elected member of the American Law Institute. Tarlock is one of three U.S. special legal advisors to the North American Free Trade Agreement Commission on Environmental Cooperation. He teaches courses in land use, property, energy and natural resource law, environmental policy, and international environmental law.

Tallahassee Women Lawyers will present scholarships to three FSU law students on October 16 during its 21st Annual Judicial Reception at the Mary Brogan Museum. Kimberlee Jo Hegvik and Stephen Webster, both 2Ls, will each receive $1,000 and Kristina Klein, 1L, $500. The three were selected from among 14 applicants based on their "earnestness to achieve TWL's stated goal of promoting women in the law, and their financial need and academic standing."

The reception honors all levels of the judiciary--administrative, county, circuit, First District Court of Appeal, Florida Supreme Court, and federal district court.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for TWL members and law students, and $25 for non-members if purchased before the event. Tickets are $30 if purchased at the door. The price of a ticket includes open bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and admission to exhibits on display at the museum. Tickets are available from Ruth Stone, 644-0888, or Barbara Busharis, 644-7297, at the College of Law, or from any Tallahassee Women Lawyers' board member.

The FSU College of Law Journal of Transnational Law & Policy will host the inaugural Richard B. Lillich Memorial Lecture at 4 p.m. on October 23 in the D'Alemberte Rotunda.

David Caron, the C. William Maxeiner Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, will speak on international courts and tribunals. His talk is titled "The Search for Practical Justice: The Work of the United Nations Compensation Commission for Claims Arising from the 1991 Gulf War."

Professor Caron has served as commissioner of the Precedent Panel of the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, since 1996, and is a member of the Department of State Advisory Committee on Public International Law.

The lecture series honors Professor Richard B. Lillich, a highly regarded international scholar, known worldwide for his work in human rights law and international claims and investment.

A reception will follow Caron's presentation.

The College of Law Alumni Affairs Office invites alumni and students to attend a Fort Myers area reception, Wednesday, October 29, from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Royal Palm Yacht Club, 2360 West First Street in Fort Myers. Dean Don Weidner will make brief remarks during the reception, and an open bar and hors d'oeuvres will be provided. The event is sponsored by J. Michael Coleman, Esq.,'86; Steven G. Koeppel, Esq., '86; Mark B. Yeslow, Esq.,'86; and the law firm of Smoot Adams Edwards Doragh & Brinson, P.A.

Please RSVP by October 22 to Mickey Treadon at 1-800-788-7097,
or send her an e-mail.

Briefs

Broad and Cassel Final Four Moot Court Competition—Outstanding Appellate Advocacy honors will be the top prize at the upcoming Broad and Cassel Final Four Moot Court Competition on Friday, November 7. The College of Law community is invited to attend this event, which begins at 3 p.m. in the Florida Supreme Court chambers. In the spring of 2002, the Tallahassee law firm of Broad and Cassel, under the driving force of managing partner Steve Turner, pledged a $60,000 gift over a five year period to support Moot Court. The gift sponsors annual Moot Court tryouts and provides unrestricted funds to support team expenses.

The Office of Admissions & Records will host its annual Fall Open House on Monday, October 28. The event is designed to acquaint prospective students with the challenges and opportunities of law school and the legal profession. Last year, 72 students attended the open house. Sharon Booker, Director of Admissions & Records, indicated that at least this many students can be counted on again this year. For more information, contact Sharon Booker.

The Career Placement Office and the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar will host a discussion panel in the D'Alemberte Rotunda on Thursday, October 30. All students who are considering practicing probate and trust law are invited. The discussion begins at 5 p.m.

The Black Law Students Association announces its 2003-2004 Executive Board. New board members are: President, Johnny Craig; Vice President, Stacie Harris; Secretary, Bederia Moore; Treasurer, Camille Williams; Member at Large, Alison Robinson.

The Office of Admissions & Records also will host Minority Law Day, Saturday, November 8, from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Sharon Booker.

The Children's Advocacy Center welcomed guest speaker Kathy Haley to the D’Alemberte Rotunda on September 19. A national advocate for victims of domestic violence and persons with disabilities, Ms. Haley spoke to CAC students about her own experiences in a presentation titled “From Domestic Violence Victim to Survivor." Confined to a wheelchair because of injuries sustained when she was shot by her ex-husband, Ms. Haley devotes her time to promoting domestic violence education.