UF Law Magazine -- Spring 2017

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FREDRIC G. LEVIN COLLEGE OF LAW • SPRING 2017

Summer tour ON THE MOVE FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

UN IVERSIT Y OF F LOR I DA F R EDRIC G . L EVI N COL L EGE OF L AW • SP RI NG 2 0 17

NATIONAL RANKING SURGE | $4.5 MILLION SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE | TAX PROGRAM HIRES STAR PROFS

UF LEVIN COLLEGE OF LAW IS HOSTING a multi-state Summer Tour to raise funds for student scholarships. Dean Laura A. Rosenbury and members of UF Law’s team head to Jacksonville, Tampa, New York City, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami to support the Culverhouse Challenge, an ambitious, fastpaced initiative to raise $1.5 million in student scholarship support. If we meet this challenge by the first day of classes on Aug. 14, Hugh Culverhouse (JD 74) will provide a $1.5 million match. UF Provost Joe Glover has also agreed to provide a $1.5 million contribution, yielding $4.5 million in student scholarship support.

“I hope that these events will engage and inspire each and every alum to support our

UF LAW HITS THE ROAD FOR SUMMER TOUR 2017

students,” Dean Rosenbury said as she embarked on the tour. “Scholarships are vital to helping UF Law produce the next great generation of lawyers, innovators and public servants.”

To capitalize on the momentum of UF Law’s historic climb from 48 to 41 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking, UF Law is committed to recruiting students around the nation with excellent credentials, diverse backgrounds and varied life experiences.

Scholarships are critical to achieving this goal.

Last year, UF Law ranked a disheartening 182 out of 204 law schools in the median grant awarded to students. Increased financial support from alumni and friends will move UF Law forward while increasing access to our world-class program of legal education.

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The tour rolls on ...

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RSVP: www.law.ufl.edu/SummerTour2017

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Jacksonville | Tuesday, June 13 Tampa | Wednesday, June 14 New York City | Monday, June 19 Atlanta | Wednesday, June 21 Orlando | Tuesday, June 27 Washington, D.C. | Wednesday, June 28 West Palm Beach | Monday, July 17 Fort Lauderdale | Tuesday, July 18 Miami | Wednesday, July 19 Gainesville | Monday, Aug. 14

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

NEWS BRIEFS

NEW TAX PROFESSORS

RANKINGS & EMPLOYMENT

LEGACY & LEADERSHIP

HERITAGE OF LEADERSHIP

CULVERHOUSE CHALLENGE

SEMESTER IN PRACTICE

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ADMITTED STUDENTS

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CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI IN MEMORIAM

FACULTY NEWS

IN THE COMMUNITY

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VOL . 53, ISSUE #2 SPRING 2017

Dean Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law Laura A. Rosenbury

Creative Content Producer for Digital Programs Donielle Nardi Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Rick Miller

Editor, Director of Messaging Richard Goldstein

Assistant Director of Development Callie Wilkes

Assistant Dean for Messaging and Outreach Whitney Smith

Assistant Director of Alumni and Volunteer Engagement Ali Pennisi

Director of Web Services and Digital Programs JC Kirwan

Development Coordinator Carlie Chatman

Writer, Media Relations Manager April Martin

Contributing Photographers Julian Pinilla Maggie Powers (3L)

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UF LAW Contributing Writer Tim Groves (3L) Design JS Design Studio Correspondence / Address Changes flalaw@law.ufl.edu University of Florida Levin College of Law P. O. Box 117633 Gainesville, FL 32611-7633 For More Information UF LAW magazine is published twice a year by the University of Florida Levin College of Law Office of Messaging and Outreach. www.law.ufl.edu/why-uf-law

CONNECT www.law.ufl.edu

University of Florida Levin College of Law

MARCHES TOWARD PREEMINENCE

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FROM THE DEAN

T H E E N D O F T H E 2 0 16 - 2 0 17 academic year is an opportunity to reflect on the past and plan for the future. This year has been defined by continued progress toward our shared vision for UF Law — a vision in which we rightfully take our place beside the nation’s most elite public law schools.

In March, US News & World Report ranked UF Law the 41st best school in the country, a seven-spot increase from last year. This remarkable improvement is recognition by our peers that UF Law is moving forward.

Although these rankings are an important external indicator of our progress, our greatness as a law school is best measured by our people. I will have served as dean for two years come July, and I still vividly remember my first impressions of UF Law. The strength of our faculty and staff, our alumni legacy of leadership, and the passion of our students were all readily apparent. But I was most struck by the community’s shared values: an insatiable desire to make the world a better place and a belief that the legal profession must be the vanguard for equality, liberty, and justice for all people. Although we have numerous accomplishments and successes to celebrate — many of which are featured in this magazine — I continue to be most proud of our people.

Our faculty and staff go above and beyond for the UF Law community.

They work tirelessly to create an extraordinary experience for every student. Our scholars continue to garner national and international acclaim for groundbreaking research that starts important conversations across the legal community. Likewise, our alumni accentuate the prestige of UF Law through their dedication to public service, their remarkable career achievements, and their zealous advocacy for our entire community.

And each day, our student body finds new ways to inspire us, from 3Ls

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landing their dream jobs to 2Ls finding incredible summer employment and 1Ls successfully completing their first year classes.

All of this is possible because of your generosity and support. Recently, our own Hugh Culverhouse (JD 74) initiated a call to action to continue our momentum. The Culverhouse Challenge is a fast-paced initiative to raise $1.5 million for student scholarships by the start of classes on Aug. 14. If we meet this challenge, Hugh will match your contributions, giving his own $1.5 million for student scholarships. The provost has also agreed to match this amount, meaning every gift will be tripled if we meet our $1.5 million goal.

Student scholarships are critical to recruiting extraordinary students, to providing access to legal education, and to reducing student debt upon graduation. With your support, we will continue to recruit the most promising applicants to bolster our incredible student body. We will continue to help all our students find rewarding careers upon graduation.

We will continue to recruit and retain outstanding professors.

In these ways, we will raise the national profile of UF Law, enhancing the value of every single UF Law degree. The great marker of our success as a law school will not be a ranking; our measure of success must be how each Gator lawyer changes the world in his or her own way.

I thank you for your dedication and commitment to UF Law. This year’s success is proof that there is no limit to what we can accomplish when we work together in pursuit of a common purpose. Go Gators!

“WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL RECRUIT THE NEXT GENERATION OF GREAT GATOR LAWYERS AND HELP THEM THRIVE.”

LAURA A. ROSENBURY Dean and Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law

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UF LAW RATED NO. 5 GREENEST LAW SCHOOL IN THE NATION

NEWS BRIEFS UF LAW HAPPENINGS, EVENTS & ACHIEVEMENTS

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NEWS BRIEFS

“IN JUST TWO YEARS, WE GOT OURSELVES TO NUMBER FIVE. IMAGINE WHAT WE CAN DO IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS." —UF Law Professor Amy Stein

U F L AW R A N K E D N O. 5 G R E E N E ST L AW S C H O O L

Through a host of measures aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of the law school, UF Law has been recognized as the fifth greenest law school in the country by National Jurist. The magazine considered how schools are maximizing sustainability while minimizing their impact on the environment, including transportation options, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications, food options, greenhouse gases, waste streams and sustainability committees.

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“In just two years, we got ourselves to number five. Imagine what we can do in the next two years,” said UF Law Professor Amy Stein, who chairs the law school’s Sustainability Committee.

Stein noted that over the last two years the school has tackled some of the easier problems to address, including recycling bins, bike space, showers for cyclists, water fountains, paper towel composting and water bottle refillers. Looking forward, UF Law will add solar panels on Bruton-Geer Hall as part of the cafeteria renovation, explore the feasibility of eliminating plastic water bottles, procure recycled paper products and implement more two-sided printing.

UF Law’s 23rd Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference took place Feb. 9-11, 2017.

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U F L AW 3 L M A R I S O L S I LVA S E L EC T E D F O R N AT I O N A L F E L LO WS H I P Marisol Silva (3L) was chosen as one of 25 law graduates from around the country to receive a 2017 Immigrant Justice Corps fellowship.

She is the first UF Law student to be awarded the fellowship.

As part of the fellowship, Silva will spend the next two years working in Brooklyn with Safe Horizon, an organization that assists survivors of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. She will work alongside other members of the nonprofit’s legal team to assist domestic violence survivors with immigration needs.

“I’ve wanted to practice immigration law since I was 13,” said Silva, who at that age helped her mother study for her naturalization exam.

“It’s more important now than ever — we need strong advocates in the immigration community, especially for the undocumented community who are most vulnerable.”

U F L AW P R O F E S S O R DA N AYA W R I G H T W I N S P R E ST I G I O US D U K E M I N I E R AWA R D UF Law Professor Danaya Wright has won a prestigious Dukeminier Award for her article exploring the many ways antiquated probate laws disadvantage children in nontraditional families.

Wright, the Clarence J. Teselle Endowed Professor and an affiliate faculty member of the UF History Department and the Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research, is the first member of the UF Law faculty to win the award.

Hundreds of scholarly articles focusing on aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity law are published in the U.S. every year.

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, a think tank that researches sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, selects three of those articles annually to receive this honor and be reprinted in the Dukeminier Awards Journal.

Wright’s article, Inheritance Equity: Reforming the Inheritance Penalties Facing Children in Non-Traditional Families, 25 Cornell J.L. & Pub. Pol’y (2015), also received the Stu Walter Prize, an endowed Williams Institute prize for sexual orientation scholarship.

“The paper is a comprehensive study of multiple ways in which our probate system ultimately disadvantages children in nontraditional families,” Wright said.

“It’s not just an LGBT issue by any means. It’s all blended families; it’s all nontraditional families.”

O N E W E E K E N D, T W O V I C TO R I E S F O R F LO R I DA M O OT CO U RT T E A M The University of Florida Moot Court Team took home two separate victories over the course of one busy weekend this spring.

Sara Altes (2L), Seth Donahoe (3L), Aaron Holman (2L) and coach Mallorie Head (3L) came away victorious during the regional round of the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition. This win in Boston March 2-4 qualified them to advance to the Chicago National rounds, held April 6-8. They finished in the Top 16 nationwide in Chicago and were awarded with the second best brief.

Meanwhile, in New York City, 3Ls Joyce Delgado, Mercy Guillot and coach Lissett Martinez won the 25th Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition. The team squared off against 47 other teams and defeated the University of Miami School of Law in the final round argued inside the Conrad B. Duberstein U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

UF TRIAL TEAM WINS N AT I O N A L C R I M I N A L J UST I C E A DVO C ACY CO M P ET I T I O N The University of Florida Trial Team won the 27th American Bar Association National Criminal Justice Advocacy Competition in Chicago this March. UF Law 3L students Neal Cordero, Danielle Kaboudi, Tristan Montaque and Will Sepulveda competed against 20 law schools from across the country to take home the top spot. Coaches Tom Farkash (JD 76) and John Kelly (JD 15) assisted the team. The team secured its entry into the March competition by also winning the national trial advocacy competition in Puerto Rico last fall.

This is the first time in the law school’s history that the UF Law Trial Team has won two consecutive national championships within the course of the academic year.

I C A M CO M P ET I TO R S N A M E D B E ST O R A L I STS I N V I E N N A UF Law’s International Commercial Arbitration Moot team advanced to the round of 64 in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Competition in Vienna.

Third-year student Ashlyn Robinson won in a three-way tie for best oralist and 3Ls Paul Punzone

“The paper is a comprehensive study of multiple ways in which our probate system ultimately disadvantages children in nontraditional families."

—DANAYA WRIGHT, CLARENCE J. TESELLE ENDOWED PROFESSOR

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and David Mittel won honorable mention in the best oralist category.

This is the second consecutive year that UF Law students have placed in the best oralist and honorable mention categories, while also advancing to the single elimination round. The 24th annual Vis competition took place April 7-13 at the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna.

The team advanced to the international competition after winning The Florida Bar Pre-Moot in Miami in February.

PROFESSOR RHEE GRANTED FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP, H E A D S TO KO R E A UF Law Professor Robert J. Rhee has been awarded a grant from the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board that will fund his 2017-18 academic Distinguished Lectureship at Yonsei University in Seoul.

Yonsei University is ranked as one of the best global universities by U.S. News and World Report. During his time at the school, Rhee will teach a package of core business law courses — corporation law, corporate finance, securities regulation and unincorporated business entities — to students studying business law and the economy.

“For 70 years, the Fulbright program has stood for the idea that cultural and knowledge exchange and global engagement are vitally important,” Rhee said.

Rhee will also conduct research on Korean corporate and business organization laws. He will explore whether the Korean economy requires a standard of contractual arrangements or whether it permits

greater leeway for private ordering of business affairs, as is seen in the U.S. economy and business organization laws. He will also consider whether aspects of Korean business organization laws could serve as a model for helping the United States achieve a better balance between state regulation, shareholder rights and non-shareholder constituents, including labor.

P R O F E S S O R M I L L S A DVO C AT E S F O R STAT E CO N ST I T U T I O N A L AMENDMENT UF Law Professor and Dean Emeritus Jon Mills (JD 72) argued before the Florida Supreme Court on behalf of a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore the rights of most felons to vote in Florida.

Mills, who represented the political committee Floridians for a Fair Democracy, argued on March 6 that the proposed “Voting Restoration Amendment” ballot language was a clear summary of the amendment text.

“Florida is in a small minority where basically all felons must go through the clemency process,” Mills told the court. Under the proposed constitutional amendment, voting rights would be restored for many felons but would not be restored for people convicted of murder or felony sexual offenses.

Mills, who serves as director of UF Law’s Center for Governmental Responsibility, has argued numerous times before the Florida Supreme Court. He is also a former speaker of the Florida House and served as a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission from 1997 to 1998.

NEWS BRIEFS

“FLORIDA IS IN A SMALL MINORITY ...

BASICALLY ALL FELONS MUST GO THROUGH THE CLEMENCY PROCESS.” —UF Law Professor and Dean Emeritus Jon Mills (JD 72)

“For 70 years, the Fulbright program has stood for the idea that cultural and knowledge exchange and global engagement are vitally important.”

—ROBERT J. RHEE, JOHN H. AND MARY LOU DASBURG PROFESSOR OF LAW

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STAR POWER 3 N E W P R O F E S S O R S J O I N T O P - R A N K E D U F TA X P R O G R A M

UF Law’s tax program is consistently ranked the No. 1 public law school tax program in the nation and among the top three overall by U.S. News & World Report. The success of the program is attributable to its outstanding faculty and students. Adding to the program’s star power are three nationally and internationally renowned tax experts: Professors David Hasen, Mindy Herzfeld and Fred Murray.

DAVID HASEN Professor of Law David Hasen joins the faculty as a tenured professor of law from the University of Colorado. His research interests include taxation of commercial products and entities, tax policy and tax history, and jurisprudence and political theory. Hasen’s scholarship has appeared in the Tax Law Review and the tax reviews at University of Virginia and Columbia University. His most recent publications include Accretion-Based Progressive Wealth Taxation, 20 Fla. Tax Rev. 277 (2017), and A Partnership Mark-to-Market Tax Election forthcoming in The Tax Lawyer.

Following his graduation from Yale Law School, where he served on the Yale Law Journal, Hasen clerked for

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U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney in the Northern District of California and practiced tax law in the San Francisco offices of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. Hasen has been a visiting professor at several law schools and spent a year as professor in residence at the Office of Chief Counsel at the Internal Revenue Service.

“We are excited to have Professor Hasen join our esteemed faculty,” Dean Laura A. Rosenbury said. “Professor Hasen is one of the nation’s leading tax scholars, and I am confident that he will continue to produce influential work that enhances the scholarly reputation of our program and the national stature of the University of Florida.”

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MINDY HERZFELD Professor of Tax Practice Director of the International Tax Program Mindy Herzfeld has been named a professor of tax practice and the Director of the International Tax Program. She has published over 100 articles in Tax Notes International and Tax Notes, many of which have been cited in law review articles by leading international tax scholars, in Congressional Research Service Reports and in Treasury Department Studies. Herzfeld also served as a contributing editor for Tax Analysts, authoring weekly columns on international tax policy.

Prior to joining the faculty, Herzfeld worked as an international tax advisor for

FRED F. MURRAY Professor of Tax Practice Director of the Graduate Tax Program Fred F. Murray has been named a new professor of tax practice and the Director of the Graduate Tax Program. Murray is author of more than 200 publications, including 6845-1 T.M., U.S. GAAP and Related Administrative Requirements for the International Tax Practitioner, BNA Tax Management Portfolios, Foreign Income Series. He also authored most recently “Getting Ready for the New Partnership Examination Rules Enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015,” part of the annual multi-volume Tax Planning for Domestic & Foreign Partnerships, LLCs, Joint Ventures & Other Strategic Alliances, published by the Practising Law Institute.

Before joining the faculty at UF Law, Murray was managing director, international tax services, at Grant Thornton LLP. Murray previously served as deputy assistant attorney general in the Tax Division at the Department of Justice and as a special counsel to the chief

Deloitte Tax LLP in its Washington, D.C., and New York offices. She currently is of counsel at the tax law firm of Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C. Herzfeld is a graduate of Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal, and received her LL.M. in Taxation (with distinction) from Georgetown University Law Center.

“Professor Herzfeld will help the faculty recruit the very best students to the program, provide all of our tax students with a rigorous classroom experience and assist them in finding rewarding jobs upon graduation, and work to develop partnerships with programs and faculties here at UF and around the globe,” Dean Rosenbury said.

counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, where he drafted legislation and testimony, responded to legislative investigations, and provided counsel about regulations, revenue rulings and other agency guidance. Murray also served as vice president for tax policy at the National Foreign Trade Council and general counsel and director of Tax Affairs at the Tax Executives Institute.

Murray previously taught as an adjunct member of the faculty at Georgetown University Law Center, lectured at the New York University School of Law, and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law, Rice University Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, and the University of Houston Law Center. He earned his J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

“Professor Murray will bring a breadth of tax experience to our classrooms,” Dean Rosenbury said, “He will help bolster our worldwide reputation for producing tax lawyers with the technical expertise needed to solve 21st century problems.”

P R O F E S S O R S H AS E N , H E R Z F E L D A N D M U R R AY join the outstanding UF Law Tax faculty: Yariv Brauner, the Hugh Culverhouse Eminent Scholar in Taxation; Karen Burke, the Richard B. Stephens Eminent Scholar in Taxation; Dennis Calfee, Alumni Research Scholar; Charlene Luke, University of Florida Research Foundation Professor; and Steve Willis, Professor of Law.

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“UF LAW’S RISE IN THE RANKINGS IS A REFLECTION OF THE TALENT OF OUR STUDENT BODY, THE INTELLECT OF OUR FACULTY, THE DEDICATION OF OUR STAFF AND THE COMMITMENT OF OUR ALUMNI.” —Dean Laura A. Rosenbury

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UF LAW JUMPS 7 SPOTS IN THE RANKINGS

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UF L AW RISING

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U F L AW C L I M B E D S EV E N S P OTS in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s best law schools, placing at No. 41 overall. This rise is the largest year-to-year increase in over 20 years and is the second largest improvement of any law school ranked in the top 50. The Graduate Tax Program held its spot as the No. 1 program among public law schools and No. 3 overall.

“Our new ranking is more than a number,” said Dean Laura A. Rosenbury. “It’s a reflection of the talent of our student body, the intellect of our faculty, the dedication of our staff and the commitment of our alumni.”

Several metrics are used to develop the overall ranking, including entering student credentials, employment outcomes, faculty reputation and assessments from lawyers and judges.

Since her tenure began in July 2015, Dean Rosenbury has been acutely focused on increasing the national and international profile of UF Law. Because of these efforts, UF Law is on track to join the ranks of the nation’s elite public law schools, better positioning the University of Florida to achieve its goal of becoming a top five public research institution.

To support the law school, the university has made a substantial investment in UF Law’s Student Scholarship Initiative, designed to attract the most promising students to the law school for years to come. Last year’s pilot program helped bring in an entering class with a median LSAT of 160, up from a 157, and a median GPA of 3.6, up from 3.5. The class is also the most diverse in the law school’s history, with 36 percent identifying as racially or ethnically diverse.

“As reflected in the latest U.S. News rankings, the trajectory of the Levin College of Law continues to rise,” said UF President Kent Fuchs.

“The scholarship of UF Law’s faculty, the credentials of its students and the outcomes of its graduates are inspiring and contribute to UF’s growing national stature.”

Delphine Byrd, assistant dean for admissions, is encouraged that a wider range of prospective law students nationwide will see UF Law’s progress. “It’s the result of the leadership of Dean Rosenbury and the commitment and efforts of the entire UF Law community. It’s a very exciting time to be at the university and at UF Law,” Byrd said.

“I am so proud of each and every member of the UF Law community — our students, faculty, staff and alumni. We are moving UF Law forward, together,” Dean Rosenbury said.

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RISE EMPLOYMENT ON THE

U F L AW ’ S R EC E N T R A N KI N G S I N C R E AS E would not have been possible without the outstanding employment success of our 2015 graduating class. Job placement for the previous year’s class is one of the most influential factors for the overall rankings score.

UF Law has seen dramatic gains in this area over the past several years. Over 81.5 percent of our 2015 graduates were employed in full-time, long-term legal or J.D. advantage jobs — up from 63.1 percent only three years before.

Assistant Dean for Career Services Rob Birrenkott credits UF Law’s strong alumni network and

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a dynamic career strategy for the impressive turnaround in our employment picture.

“UF Law’s faculty, staff and alumni work together to produce positive employment outcomes for our students,” Birrenkott said.

“We are thrilled to see each individual student obtain success, and it is also great to see how their collective success enhances the reputation of the law school as a whole.”

Interested in hiring a Gator lawyer? Post a job online, schedule on-campus and video interviews at www.law.ufl.edu/employers or call Rob Birrenkott at 352-273-0860.

UF Law ranks No. 12 nationally in placing graduates in full-time legal or graduate degree programs

“IT IS GREAT TO SEE HOW THEIR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS ENHANCES THE REPUTATION OF THE LAW SCHOOL AS A WHOLE.” —Assistant Dean for Career Services Rob Birrenkott

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SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS

U F L AW ’ S F I R ST EV E R “Celebration of Legacy and Leadership” took place in April to recognize and honor the past while envisioning an even brighter future for the law school.

“Your leadership continues to be critical in achieving our shared vision for UF Law,” Dean Laura A. Rosenbury said to a crowd of 100 alumni and friends.

Three students recognized the importance of alumni leadership, speaking about the ways alumni-funded scholarships influenced their decision to enroll at UF Law. “It is inspirational to see what is possible with the strong foundation of support at UF Law,” said third-year student Benny Menaged. “Thank you for believing in a law school that embraces students from a variety of diverse backgrounds, who all share a common goal of maintaining the tradition of excellence synonymous with Gator lawyers.”

The remarks built on the school’s recent successes — a rapid seven-spot surge in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of the nation’s best law schools — and a desire to continue the upward trajectory.

“As we embark on our ambitious campaign to raise the national and international profile of UF Law, we must recognize and celebrate our rich history, and those who have made

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ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STUDENTS CELEBRATE UPWARD MOMENTUM

our ascent possible,” Dean Rosenbury said.

The evening also kicked off a call to action: to raise money for student scholarships over the next year. Rachel DeLoach, a third-year student who chose UF Law over Ivy League law schools because of the scholarship she received, thanked those who made her education possible. “We want you to know that you made the right investment, an investment in us,” she said.

“Because of your generosity and leadership, we are able to call

UF Law our home,” said Chantelle McHugh, a first-year law student who also received a scholarship to attend UF Law. Alumni traveled from across the country to attend the event, which culminated in the unveiling of the newest inductees into the Heritage of Leadership — Doyle Rogers (JD 52) (1928-2016) and U.S. District Judge George C. Young (JD 40) (1916-2015). Both Rogers and Young made incredible contributions to UF, the law school and to the legal community around the state and nation.

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“WE WOULD NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY IF NOT FOR OUR LEGACY — THE LEADERS OF YEARS PAST.” —Dean Laura A. Rosenbury

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Rogers, an Army veteran and son of a congressman, spent his entire 59-year legal career at the Palm Beach law firm now known as Alley, Maass, Rogers & Lindsay, specializing in wills, estates and trusts, banking law, general commercial law and corporate law. He was known as “a leading business producer” in the firm. His civic engagement included holding positions as president of the UF Law Center Association board of trustees, president of the UF Foundation and president of the UF National Alumni Association.

Judge Young, a Navy veteran, became in 1962 the first federal judge to serve in the Orlando

Courthouse in the Middle District of Florida. He oversaw groundbreaking cases during his tenure on the bench, including a case that ultimately ended segregation in the Orlando school district. He also presided over cases involving the development of the John F. Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.

The federal courthouse in Orlando was renamed the George C. Young United States Courthouse and Federal Building in 1993.

“We would not be where we are today if not for our legacy — the leaders of years past who broke barriers while solidifying UF Law’s tradition of excellence,” Dean Rosenbury said.

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H E R I TAG E O F

LEADERSHIP The Heritage of Leadership Recognition Society celebrates esteemed alumni who have contributed to the university, the state and the nation.

This year, the late Doyle Rogers (JD 52) and George C. Young (JD 40) were inducted during the ceremony in Gainesville.

DOYLE ROGERS (JD 52) 1928-2016

GEORGE C. YOUNG (JD 40) 1916-2015

Doyle Rogers was a dedicated servant to his law firm, city, university, state and nation. He served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War and then as partner with the Palm Beach law firm now known as Alley, Maass, Rogers & Lindsay, P.A. before retiring in 2014. Rogers loved the University of Florida, serving as president of the UF National Alumni Association, as president of the UF Law Center Association and as president of the UF Foundation.

George C. Young was one of the most respected jurists UF Law has ever produced.

He served as a U.S. Naval officer during World War II and as the U.S. District Court Judge for the Middle District of Florida from 1961 until 2004. He became the first federal judge in Orlando. Judge Young presided over cases that paved the way for the Kennedy Space Center, and his orders moved integration forward in Central Florida.

SPONSORED

BY THE LAW CENTER ASSOCIATION, INC.

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The Heritage of Leadership Recognition Society honors preeminent graduates who have assumed leadership positions on national and international levels, distinguishing themselves in their fields. Each inductee labored to improve the administration of justice and received the highest commendations for contributions to the profession and service to education, civic, charitable and cultural causes.

For more about Rogers, Young and other inductees into the Heritage of Leadership, visit www.law.ufl.edu/alumni/leadership/heritage-of-leadership. For a video about Young and Rogers, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PBF9e39rLU.

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CULVERHOUSE CHALLENGE Culverhouse Challenge launches $4.5 million student scholarship initiative

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T H E C U LV E R H O US E C H A L L E N G E is a student scholarship initiative designed to attract the nation’s most talented students to Gainesville. Hugh Culverhouse (JD 74) initiated this challenge by providing $1.5 million for incoming student scholarships — if, and only if, the UF Law community raises an additional $1.5 million in cash by the first day of classes on Aug. 14, 2017. UF Provost Joe Glover has also agreed to match the generous $1.5 million gift, thereby tripling all contributions to the challenge.

“This is a truly exciting opportunity,” Dean Laura A. Rosenbury said. “Hugh rightly recognizes that UF Law is at a turning point. To achieve national preeminence, we must recruit extraordinary students with excellent credentials, diverse backgrounds, and varied life experiences. By providing the scholarships vital to recruiting these students from across the country, the Culverhouse Challenge will shape the future of UF Law.” The Culverhouse Challenge was inspired by UF Law’s historic climb from 48 to 41 in the most recent U.S. News & World Report national rankings of law schools. Culverhouse initiated a similar challenge in honor of the new ranking, pledging $41,000 for student scholarships if another donor matched his gift. UF Law alumni exceeded the $82,000 goal, raising over $200,000 in just 48 hours. The Culverhouse Challenge continues this momentum.

“This challenge is a call to action for every graduate of UF Law. Now is the time to compete for the best students and to support their ambitions to serve the state, the nation and the world,” Culverhouse said. “All alumni, and anyone who cares about UF, can give something, whether it’s $25 or more. Just give.”

Culverhouse hopes his challenge will help UF Law recruit more students like Rachel DeLoach, a 3L who chose UF Law over Columbia, NYU and Georgetown.

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“I chose UF Law in large part because they offered me a significant scholarship,” DeLoach said. “If I didn’t have that scholarship, the debt would have been insurmountable.”

Dean Rosenbury emphasizes that student scholarships further the school’s mission of providing access to top-notch legal education. “High cost and crushing debt have made legal education out of reach for far too many,” Rosenbury said. “As Florida’s flagship law school, UF Law is committed to providing access for promising students, regardless of their financial circumstances.”

Student scholarships also enable more students to seek their jobs of choice upon graduation.

“Student debt forces students to accept the highest paying job versus a job they want,” Culverhouse said. “I was able to be a federal prosecutor soon after graduation and get into court. I want more students to have opportunities like that.”

Scholarships for incoming students have already helped UF Law compete with other law schools for the best students.

“By offering more scholarship money last year, we were able to recruit a highly credentialed and diverse class starting in August 2016,” Dean Rosenbury said.

“We recorded the largest increase in both median GPA and median LSAT of any top 50 law school, which played a big role in our jump in the rankings. We also enrolled the most diverse class in UF Law history. We hope to do better this August, attracting even more extraordinary students from across the country.”

In response to the Culverhouse Challenge, UF Law is engaging in a broad appeal to encourage participation and gifts of all sizes from students, faculty, alumni and friends. UF Law began a Summer Tour on June 13, appealing to alumni and friends in 10 cities, including Washington, D.C., New York City and Miami. All gifts raised through the Culverhouse Challenge will directly support scholarships for incoming students.

“THIS CHALLENGE IS A CALL TO ACTION FOR EVERY GRADUATE OF UF LAW. NOW IS THE TIME TO COMPETE FOR THE BEST STUDENTS AND TO SUPPORT THEIR AMBITIONS TO SERVE THE STATE, THE NATION AND THE WORLD.” —Hugh Culverhouse (JD 74), pictured with his wife, Eliza, right, and Dean Laura A. Rosenbury.

TO GIVE Visit www.law.ufl.edu/ alumni/culverhouse or contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at 352-273-0640 or development@law.ufl.edu.

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SEMESTER IN WASHINGTON, D.C. Michael Broschart U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission “Working alongside attorneys who are at the forefront of securities regulation and investor protection has been an exciting and rewarding experience. Being able to work at the SEC for a full semester has allowed me to work on cases as they progress from the initial investigation all the way to the litigation stage.”

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSESE Robert DiMarco Allegiant Athletic Agency “I entered the UF Levin College of Law with one goal in mind: becoming a sports agent. I say this with complete confidence, the SIP program may very well be the main ingredient to achieve this goal. During my SIP placement, I was able to use the skills I developed during my coursework on negotiations, public speaking, contracts and drafting.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. JoAnna Dogo Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition “This externship gave me a unique opportunity to engage with detainees during jail visits, learn about their individual cases, research conditions in their countries to substantiate asylum cases, assist with in-house cases, and pro se cases, prepare relief of eligibility memos for pro bono placements and attend court proceedings as a ‘friend of the court.’”

Students take externships nationwide T H I S S P R I N G , D OZ E N S O F T H I R D -YE A R U F L AW ST U D E N TS engaged in sophisticated legal practice around the country through semester-long externships as part of the Semester in Practice program. The program, which tripled participation during its second pilot year, allows students to engage in experiential learning in the market of their choice while completing their final semester of courses online.

Additional externship locations not featured in quotes above

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EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

PRACTICE MIAMI, FLORIDA LaShaunda “Elle” Hayes U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

PRINCESS ANNE, MARYLAND Colby Kirkland DIVERSITEE Golf Initiative, University of Maryland

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA Mackenzie “Mac” Ross Fidelity National Financial Law Group

“I have had the opportunity to draft subpoenas for enforcement actions, attend federal court hearings and research market activity for civil investigations.

The Semester in Practice program has allowed me to seize real world experiences and tools that I will need to be a successful lawyer.”

“I am very fortunate to interact with many accomplished people and to assist in the beginning stages of introducing and launching a brand.

Experience in licensing, trademarks, compliance, sports law matters and the inner workings of an in-house department will be highly beneficial to me as I progress further into my legal career.”

“As an extern, I have gained a wide-ranging knowledge on the legal issues that are prevalent in today’s real estate industry. Much of my time has been utilized by assisting the attorneys to develop legal avenues and determine case-specific solutions to complex legal issues involving our insured owners and lenders.”

WANT TO HOST A STUDENT FOR A SEMESTER IN PRACTICE? Contact our Career Center at careers@law.ufl.edu or call 352-273-0860

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LAW ALUMNI PLAY CRITICAL ROLE IN RECRUITING

NEW GATORS E AC H YE A R , D E D I C AT E D U F L AW A LU M N I come to Gainesville to help us recruit an outstanding entering class. This year was no exception.

The law school hosted three on-campus programs for admitted students this spring: the Double Gator Day in late February, and Admitted Students Days in both March and April.

“Our alumni were critical to the success of all three events. They generated excitement about attending UF Law and becoming a Gator lawyer,” said Delphine

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Byrd, the assistant dean for admissions at UF Law. During these events, prospective students meet UF Law faculty, alumni and future classmates while learning about UF Law’s world-class education, experiential learning opportunities, exceptional faculty and the greatest law alumni network in the nation.

The Double Gator event, which took place for the first time last year, is part of an overall strategy to keep the best and brightest UF undergraduates in Gainesville for law school.

Eric Bolves (JD 81), a solo practitioner

from Orlando, was one of the Double Gator lawyers who came to campus to encourage UF students to enroll in UF Law. Bolves stressed the value in a UF Law degree: “You can get a world-class legal education for in-state rates. That’s really important.”

Double Gator Sean Hipworth (JD 15), of Warner, Sechrest and Butts, P.A. in Gainesville, echoed Bolves.

“If you’re serious about making a difference in the practice of law, there is no better foundation than the Gator Nation.”

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ADMITTED STUDENTS

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS MEET UF LAW FACULTY, ALUMNI AND FUTURE CLASSMATES. WA N T TO G ET I N VO LV E D? We need your help to enroll an outstanding entering class! The Office of Admissions hosts a match program that connects prospective law students with faculty, students and alumni. Alumni meet with applicants to discuss a practice area or geographic legal market, host them at their firms or provide general counsel and advice to these aspiring lawyers.

Alumni may also contribute to student scholarships. UF Law has some of the bestcredentialed and most diverse students in its history thanks to the increase in scholarship support from alumni and friends.

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Help maintain the momentum by: • Supporting scholarships at UF Law. For more information, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at 352-273-0640 or email development@law.ufl.edu.

• Participating in our alumni match program or a UF Law Admitted Students Day. Please contact the Admissions Office at 352-273-0890 or email admissions@law.ufl.edu.

• Mentoring students. Please visit www.law.ufl. edu/alumni/resources-for-alumni/alumni-mentor or contact Rob Birrenkott, assistant dean for career development, at rbirrenkott@law.ufl.edu or at 352-273-0860.

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CLASS NOTES SEND YOUR CLASS NOTES to classnotes@law.ufl.edu or to: UF LAW magazine, Levin College of Law, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117633, Gainesville, FL 32611. Please limit submissions to 75 words or fewer by focusing on new endeavors and recognition.

RAYMOND W. ROYCE, a partner with the West Palm Beach office of Shutts & Bowen, has been selected as the 2017 “Lawyer of the Year” in the field of real estate law in West Palm Beach by Best Lawyers in America. Royce is a former president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and member of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar.

’61

ROLAND GOMEZ presented high schoolers Emily Torres and Chris Perdomo with the 31st annual Miami Lakes Optimist Club’s Roland Gomez Scholarship award. The award recognizes student-athletes for their stellar performances in the classroom and playing fields. Both Torres and Perdomo were awarded a $1,000 scholarship and gold medal.

’63

A. LAMAR MATTHEWS JR. and his firm, Matthews Eastmoore in Sarasota, are celebrating the firm’s 25th anniversary in 2017 with 25 acts of kindness intended to benefit the Sarasota community. The firm will be continually giving back throughout the year, beginning with a company-wide food drive for All Faiths Food Bank and a donation of tools and camping equipment to the mentor group Brotherhood of Men.

’64

BENJAMIN H. HILL III, founding shareholder of Hill Ward Henderson, has been awarded the Distinguished Citizens Award. The award is presented annually by the Greater Tampa Bay Area

’65

Hill ’65

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Slesnick ’68

Council Boy Scouts of America to one local or statewide community leader in recognition of their substantial impact on the local community while upholding the Scouting tradition of service to others.

JUSTUS W. REID, of Reid Burman Lebedeker, has been selected as a 2017 Florida “Super Lawyer” and as a “Top Lawyer” in the 2017 edition of the South Florida Legal Guide for business litigation. Reid is the primary partner in the West Palm Beach firm.

’68

DON SLESNICK has been selected as the 79th president and chair of the Orange Bowl Committee. He has served as a member of the committee since 1997. During his time as president and chair he will oversee a number of events, culminating in the 84th Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30, 2017.

ANDER CRENSHAW has joined King & Spalding as senior counsel in the government advocacy and public policy practice in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. His work will focus on counseling clients on the impact of regulatory and legislative changes in the financial, defense and health care industries. He previously served as an eight-term member of Congress.

’69

ROBERT F. WILLIAMS, a Rutgers distinguished professor of law, has been recognized as third in the nation for citations by state supreme courts in a study by the University of Saint Thomas School of Law in Minnesota. The study quantified citations to scholarly works made by the Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals and all state high courts.

Crenshaw ’69

Zack ’71

Clark ’74

MERCER K. “BUD” CLARKE, president, senior partner and founding member of the Miami law firm Clarke Silverglate P.A., has been recognized in the 2017 Best Lawyers in America in the categories of commercial litigation, personal injury, litigation-defendants, product liability litigation-defendants and litigationconstruction. Clarke has also been recognized as one of the “Top Lawyers” in South Florida in 2017 by South Florida Legal Guide. Clarke was selected in the areas of products liability defense, personal injury and wrongful death defense.

’70

STEPHEN N. ZACK has been selected by the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession as one of four recipients to receive its 2017 Spirit of Excellence Award.

The award honors Zack’s commitment to ethnic and racial diversity in the legal profession. Zack is an attorney at Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP in Miami and a past president of the American Bar Association.

’71

CESAR ALVAREZ accepted the Advancement of Justice Award from the National Judicial College on behalf of his firm Greenberg Traurig. Alvarez was one of six lawyers from the firm who were honored on the firm’s behalf. The award honors “exceptional individuals and entities who exemplify dedication to the advancement of judicial excellence.” Alvarez is currently the senior chairman of Greenberg Traurig, after previously serving as the executive chairman and chief executive officer.

’72

Wall ’77

Campbell ’78

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GEORGE R. DEKLE SR. coauthored The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case: A Critical Analysis of the Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann with James M. Dedman III (Talbot Publishing, 2016). This is Dekle’s seventh book. The book analyzes aspects of the trial including evidence and lawyer performance.

’73

SUSAN LESLIE FORBES CLARK, shareholder with the Radey Law Firm in Tallahassee, has been named executive director of the Women’s Energy & Innovation Network (WeIN). WeIN brings together an elite group of successful women executives, consumer advocates, regulators and legislators to focus on delivery of electric services. Clark has 36 years of experience specializing in energy law and utility regulation.

’74

CHARLES “CHUCK” MODELL, of Larkin Hoffman, has been selected as a 2017 Minnesota “Super Lawyer.” In addition, Modell has been recognized in the 2017 editions of Best Lawyers in America, International Who’s Who Legal and Chambers USA for his work in franchise law.

Modell has also published articles on franchise issues in Franchise Times, the International Franchise Association’s Insider, and the American Bar Association’s Franchise Lawyer, all in the last year.

’77

ELLEN OSTMAN, senior attorney with Givens Givens Sparks, celebrates 30 years as a boardcertified attorney in marital and family law.

Out of more than 100,000 attorneys in Florida, only about 300 have been recognized as board certified in marital and family law.

DENNIS WALL, of Dennis J. Wall, Attorney at Law in Winter Springs, has published his fourth book with Thomson Reuters West Publishing.

Insurance Claims and Issues explores the insurance aspects of many topics in the news.

This includes terrorism risk insurance for government shutdowns, the effects of Russian oil drilling in the Arctic on insurance coverage, as well as many other more traditional insurance coverage issues.

’78

ROBERT MERLIN has been elected to the board of directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, which provides training and education to collaborative professionals around the world.

Merlin is a Florida Bar board-certified marital and family lawyer. Merlin is president of the firm Robert J. Merlin, P.A. in Coral Gables, which limits its practice to non-litigation family law, especially collaborative family law, mediation and the preparation of prenuptial agreements.

RICHARD B. COMITER (LLMT, JD 80), a senior partner at the law firm Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun, has been named in the 2016 edition of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite.” Comiter has also been selected as one of “America’s Top 100 Attorneys for Southern Florida.” Less than one-half percent of active attorneys in the United States will ever receive this award. Comiter also presented in February at the 2017 Heckerling Institute Update to the Palm Beach County Estate Planning Council.

’81

DANIEL L. DECUBELLIS has been appointed co-managing shareholder of Carlton Fields’ Orlando office. He will serve in that capacity with fellow UF Law graduate Johanna W. Clark (JD 99).

SCOTT G. HAWKINS, vice-chair of the West Palm Beach law firm Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A., has been named a finalist in the Intellectual Property section of the Daily Business Review’s 2016 “Most Effective Lawyers” list. Hawkins practices commercial and corporate litigation with an emphasis on intellectual property, trade secret disputes, covenants not to compete, securities and real estate litigation.

’83

DENNIS CAMPBELL, founding member of Campbell Law Firm, has been included in the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in commercial

PHILIP A. DIAMOND was recently sworn in as the Orange County Comptroller after winning the countywide election in 2016. As comptroller, he serves as county auditor and clerk to the Orange County Commission. He will be responsible for recording official records, collecting tourist

Comiter ’81

Hawkins ’83

Merlin ’78

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litigation, banking, bankruptcy, construction and real estate issues. He has also been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” by Florida Legal Elite and named a Florida “Super Lawyer” for the past 15 years.

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DeCubellis ’81

development and public service taxes, and investing Orange County reserve funds.

ELIZABETH GREEN, a partner in the law firm Baker Hostetler, has received Law360’s Bankruptcy MVP recognition. Green was one of five attorneys, out of over 1,000 submissions, to receive the honor. Law360 cited Green’s work in several large Chapter 11 cases in the energy and health care industries in 2016, securing three plan confirmations and freeing Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC from more than $700 million in offshore oil platform decommissioning obligations. Green also presented at the 24th Annual Marketing Partner Forum; the 41st Annual Alexander L. Paskay Memorial Bankruptcy Seminar; the 43rd Annual Seminar on Bankruptcy Law and Rules at the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute; and a webinar with Strafford Publishing.

RUSSELL HINTZE (LLMT), a board-certified tax lawyer, joined the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen as a partner in the Tax and International Law Practice Group. Hintze was previously a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig where he focused on general business tax planning, corporate tax, limited liability companies, partnerships, tax planning for real estate, and mergers and acquisitions.

’88

JORGE J. PEREZ has joined the firm Bryan Cave LLP as a partner in the Miami office.

Perez is a former circuit court judge who specializes in mediation, arbitration, receiverships, fiduciary appointments and complex commercial litigation matters.

SPENCER H. SILVERGLATE, managing shareholder of Clarke Silverglate, P.A., has been named a “2017 Best Lawyer in America” in the areas of commercial litigation, litigationlabor and employment, and employment law-management. Additionally, he has been recognized as one of the “Top Lawyers” in South Florida for 2017 by South Florida Legal Guide. Silverglate received the distinction in the areas of corporate and business litigation.

MICHAEL S. SINGER (LLMT, JD 87), a partner at the law firm Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun, has been named in the 2016 edition of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite.” Singer has also been selected as one of America’s “Top 100 Attorneys for Southern Florida.” The honor is given due to a lifetime of hard work and legal

Diamond ’86

Green ’86

Singer ’88

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CLASS NOTES

accomplishments that are inspiring among the legal profession. Less than one-half percent of active attorneys in the United States will ever receive this award.

SEAN DOMNICK, a shareholder with Domnick Cunningham & Whalen, made a presentation on nursing home litigation at the Florida Justice Association Workhouse Seminar in Orlando on March 3.

The lecture, “Winning the Shell Game — Finding Coverage in Nursing Home Neglect Cases,” discussed the complexities of litigating and resolving cases of nursing home abuse. Domnick has routinely represented clients across Florida whose family members have been a victim of abuse or neglect in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

’89

PAUL DONNELLY has been named to the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America for labor and employment law. He also received an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell. He was also selected as a 2016 Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” and a 2016 Florida “Super Lawyer.” Donnelly is firm leader at Donnelly + Gross, with law offices in Gainesville and Fort Myers.

DAVID P. MILIAN, a partner in the law firm Carey Rodriguez Milian Gonya, has been named in the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America in the area of business litigation.

The selection marks the tenth consecutive inclusion for Milian. Milian has also been

T H A N K YO U to our Team Leaders who made the 2017 Challenge a success!

See final results at https://www.law.ufl.edu/alumni/ways-togive/law-firm-giving/participating-firms

Domnick ’89

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Donnelly ’89

Stein ’89

Gross ’90

named to the annual list of top-ranked lawyers in the 2017 edition of Florida Super Lawyers and has been recognized

by Martindale Hubbell for achieving an AVPreeminent rating for 15 consecutive years.

MARK E. STEIN, of Mark Stein Law in Aventura, Florida, presented at the 2016 International Trademark Association Leadership Meeting. Stein moderated a panel with international legal practitioners titled “In the Trenches with Social Media.”

The panel focused on a number of real-life based hypothetical challenges companies and brand owners face in the social media context and the best ways to respond.

DANIEL FLEMING has joined the Tampa office of GrayRobinson, P.A. Board certified in civil trial law, Fleming has immense trial experience having previously worked with Melkus, Fleming & Gutierrez, PL.

’90

LAURA GROSS has been named to the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America for labor and employment law. She also received an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell. She was also selected as a 2016 Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” and a 2016 Florida “Super Lawyer.” Gross is managing partner at Donnelly + Gross, with law offices in Gainesville and Fort Myers.

BRADLEY P. BLYSTONE has been named managing partner of Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin’s Orlando office. Blystone’s practice focuses on the areas of medical negligence, amusement, sports and entertainment liability, premises liability, automobile liability, and professional negligence.

’91

SHERRI L. COLLINS, assistant state attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, has been appointed to the county court bench in Palm Beach County by Gov. Rick Scott.

JOHN DIERKING, partner in the Orlando office of Holland & Knight, has received the 2017 Judge J.C. “Jake” Stone Distinguished

Collins ’91

Dierking ’91

Service Award from the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association. The award has been presented yearly since 1987 as the highest recognition that the Legal Aid Society bestows for pro bono work.

Dierking has spent countless hours serving as a guardian ad litem, closing more than 60 cases involving over 90 children. His regular practice focuses on antitrust, financing and general corporate matters in areas such as competition law with respect to mergers and acquisitions.

JOHN V. TUCKER presented at the National Association of Veterans Advocates national conference in Providence, Rhode Island, on the subject of using vocational experts in VA disability claims. Tucker is managing partner at Tucker Disability, a law firm headquartered in St. Petersburg. Tucker represents veterans all over the United States in VA service connected compensation claims and appeals.

MICHAEL G. SCHWARTZ (LLMT), a partner in the Cincinnati office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, has been recognized as a 2017 Ohio “Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers magazine. The distinction is awarded to the top 5 percent of attorneys in Ohio in more than 70 practice areas. Schwartz was selected as a “Super Lawyer” in estate planning and probate law.

’92

ALAN SHEPPARD, a commercial real estate attorney and shareholder in Greenberg Traurig P.A.’s Orlando office, has been appointed to the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Research Foundation’s Board of Governors. He was previously president of the Florida chapter of NAIOP. THOMAS P. WERT has joined the Orlando office of Dean Mead. He has over 23 years of experience and is boardcertified in construction law

by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Wert was previously the managing partner of Roetzel & Andress’ Orlando office.

Tucker ’91

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Wert ’93

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JEFFREY S. BARTEL has joined the Miami office of Berger Singerman as a partner where he will work with clients on land use and zoning, real estate development and finance, governmental and regulatory affairs, corporate governance and compliance, energy and utility, and private equity and venture capital matters.

’94

PETER MATTHEW BRIGHAM has been chosen

by Gov. Rick Scott to serve on the state trial bench. Brigham replaces Richard Tombring Jr. in the 5th Judicial Circuit in Central Florida.

LANCE REICH has joined the Seattle-based law firm of Helsell Fetterman LLP. Reich practices in the area of intellectual property with a strong focus on patent prosecution and litigation.

MICHAEL J. FURBUSH has joined the Orlando office of Dean Mead.

A board-certified litigation attorney with The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization, Furbush focuses on resolving complex, commercial matters in state and federal courts throughout the country. He was previously with Roetzel & Andress.

’95

JULIA C. MANDELL has joined the Tampa office of Carlton Fields as of counsel. After working for 13 years in the Tampa City Attorney’s Office, Mandell will join the firm as a member of the government law and consulting practice group.

ROBIN L. MCGRATH has joined the Atlanta office of Duane Morris LLP as a partner. While previously with Paul Hastings LLP, McGrath focused her practice on litigating all aspects of patent, trademark and copyright disputes, as well as intellectual property counseling.

She has represented plaintiffs and defendants in the technology and financial technology industries, focusing on payment systems, business methods, software, telephone, Internet and networking systems.

JENNIFER POWERS has joined the North Palm Beach law firm of Haile Shaw & Pfaffenberger, P.A. She previously worked as a sole practitioner with offices in Tampa and Fort Pierce. While working on her own, Powers focused on financing and real estate transactions.

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Hauser ’95

LISA Z. HAUSER (LLMT, JD 95), an attorney at the law firm Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun, has been named in the 2016 edition of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite.”

’96

KETAN VAKIL has been promoted to the head of the Orange County, California, office of Snell & Wilmer LLP. Vakil is a co-chair with the firm’s intellectual property group. His practice focuses on intellectual property protection, litigation, counseling and licensing. Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm with nine offices in the Western United States and Mexico.

F. SCOTT WESTHEIMER has been named managing partner for the Sarasota law firm of Syprett, Meshad, Resnick, Lieb, Dumbaugh, Jones, Krotec & Westheimer. The plaintiff’s personal injury attorney holds an AV-Preeminent rating, the highest possible distinction from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings.

ELISE BATSEL has been promoted to partner at Phelps Dunbar’s Tampa office. Batsel’s practice focuses on land use, zoning and commercial real estate.

She regularly represents developers and lenders in all areas including real estate acquisitions, dispositions, financing and leasing transactions.

’97

SCOTT COOKSON, a partner at the law firm ShuffieldLowman, has been named to the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Cookson’s practice areas include land use, government law, real estate law and association law.

JASON FENWICK has accepted an appointment to teach at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. His focus will be on business start-ups and entrepreneurship.

Fenwick is also a partner and director of the business advisory group at the consulting firm of Windsor, Wyeth & Ward in Miami and Washington, D.C. JENNIFER MANNING has been elected corporate secretary and associate general counsel for the Coca-Cola Company by its board of directors. Manning will oversee

Cookson ’97

Berger ’98

Fahnestock ’98

planning for the board of directors and its committees. Her role will safeguard compliance with applicable laws and she will advise on corporate governance and regulatory developments impacting the company.

’98

JASON BERGER, of Jason D. Berger, P.A., was appointed a commissioner of the Florida Commission on Ethics.

FABIENNE FAHNESTOCK has been chosen by Gov. Rick Scott to serve on the family division of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court, serving Broward County. Fahnestock was previously a shareholder with Gunster. She replaces Thomas M. Lynch IV. JOHANNA W. CLARK has been appointed co-managing shareholder of Carlton Fields’ Orlando Office. She will serve in this capacity alongside fellow UF Law graduate Daniel L. DeCubellis (JD 81).

’99

RYAN E. DAVIS, shareholder with Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A., has been elected as president of the Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association. His term as president started in the beginning of 2017 and runs for one year. Davis had previously served as vice president of the association.

ALLISON NELSON has joined the Denver office of Akerman LLP in order to expand its leading real estate practice group. With her previous work in national health care systems, Nelson looks to enhance the firm’s core strength in real estate transactions. She will join Akerman as a partner after previously working with Fennemore Craig.

KEATHAN B. FRINK has been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the 17th Judicial Circuit Court.

Prior to the appointment, Frink was a partner with Kelley Kronenberg. He fills a vacancy left by the resignation of Judge Dale Ross.

’00

JOHN JUNOD, a Double Gator, has been named firm partner with ShuffieldLowman.

Junod’s practice includes all manners of real estate law, with a focus on issues facing developers and home builders.

Clark ’99

Davis ’99

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CLASS NOTES

CRAIG BERMINGHAM has joined the Orlando office of Broad and Cassel as an associate in the Real Estate Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, Bermingham was an independent practitioner representing and advising clients in the areas of commercial and residential real estate transactions and litigation.

’01

DANA SANTINO (LLMT) was elected to serve as a Palm Beach County circuit court judge. Santino previously worked as a Palm Beach Gardens probate and guardianship attorney. She replaces County Court Judge Laura Johnson.

EFFIE D. SILVA has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s Miami office. Silva will focus her practice on complex business disputes, international arbitration, health care, corporate fraud and compliance.

NANCY E. CASON has been named managing shareholder of the Sarasota law firm of Syprett, Meshad, Resnick, Lieb, Dumbaugh, Jones, Krotec & Westheimer. She currently holds an AV-Preeminent rating from the MartindaleHubble Peer Review Ratings.

’02

THEODORE S. KYPREOS was elected to the board of directors of Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A at the firm’s annual shareholder’s meeting in January. The former president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association focuses his practice on probate and trust litigation, trust and estate administration, guardianship law, and fiduciary litigation.

STACEY PRINCE-TROUTMAN (LLMT, JD 01) has been promoted to partner in Broad and Cassel’s Orlando office. PrinceTroutman is a member of the firm’s estate planning and trusts practice group. Her practice focuses on probate, trusts and estates, and transfer tax controversy matters for a variety of clients.

Bermingham ’01

Kypreos ’02

Prince-Troutman ’02

Yoon ’02

JUNG YOON has been elevated to partner with Donnelly + Gross. Yoon focuses her practice on labor and employment law, business litigation, and administrative law.

Donnelly + Gross is a leading Florida labor and employment law firm founded in 1992.

BRADLEY HARPER was elected to serve on the Palm Beach County Court bench. Harper became the first AfricanAmerican to be elected to the county judiciary without first having been appointed by the governor.

’03

GISELA T. LAURENT was commissioned to serve as an Orange County Court judge.

Laurent will serve as Orange County’s first female Hispanic county court judge.

KEVIN REGAN has joined the Seattle-based law firm of Helsell Fetterman LLP. Regan’s practice focuses on patent litigation, trademark registration and disputes, and other legal and regulatory issues.

KELLY SAMEK has joined the National Sea Grant Office located at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Her duties include working with the National Sea Grant Law Center and the Sea Grant Legal Network.

HALE E. SHEPPARD (LLMT), of Chamberlain Hrdlicka, has been named to the annual list of top-ranked lawyers in the 2017 edition of Georgia Super Lawyers for tax law. Only 5 percent of lawyers in the state are awarded that distinction.

M. TRAVIS HAYES, a founding partner at Lile & Hayes in Naples, has been appointed vice chair of the Legislation Committee for the real property, probate and trust law section of The Florida Bar. Hayes is vice chair of the Bar’s probate law and procedure committee. He is the co-chair of The Florida Bar probate rules committee. Hayes also recently presented at the 2016 Legislative and Case Law Update

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seminar for the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar. He provided an update on the Florida Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which was enacted by the Florida Legislature during the 2016 session and addresses a fiduciary’s legal authority to access digital assets. Hayes specializes in wills, trusts and estates.

ROBERT J. LUCK has been appointed to the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Miami by Gov. Rick Scott. Luck had been serving as a circuit judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit since 2013.

ASHLEY C. WINSHIP (LLMT) was recently elected secretary to the board of directors of the Acquisition Trust for the Orlando Museum of Art. The Acquisition Trust, founded in 1984, has amassed a significant collection of contemporary art, which currently resides at the Orlando Museum of Art. Winship is president of Winship Law where she has focused on estates, business and tax since 2004.

ALLISON B. LANE has been recognized by the March of Dimes as a 2016 Woman of Distinction. The honor looks to her work championing change for her professionalism and philanthropic endeavors in both Broward and Palm Beach counties. She has also been designated a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. She is also a past president of the Palm Beach County Florida Association of Women Lawyers.

’05

JOSEPH MCCRAY has been named director of closing at Vida Capital, Inc., an institutional asset manager in Austin, Texas.

STEVEN B. BURRES has been promoted to general counsel of Rotech Healthcare Inc., a national durable medical equipment company with headquarters in Orlando.

He previously served as the company’s associate general counsel.

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NICOLE LATHAM CAROLAN was recently re-appointed to serve on the 2017 Commercial Real Estate Women Orlando board of directors as the director of member services. The purpose of CREW is to advance women in commercial real estate. Carolan is a shareholder in the law firm Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A. practicing in the areas of real estate, land use and development, government and commercial real estate litigation.

complex business, banking, contract, and real property litigation. He regularly represents national and state banks, title insurance companies, developers, commercial landlords, business owners, franchisors and franchisees.

JESSICA GAVRICH ESPIRITU has joined the law firm of Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A. Espiritu will focus on the areas of business litigation, corporate law, commercial transactions and creditors’ rights.

CHRISTIAN GEORGE was elected presidentelect of The Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. He was also recently named one of Jacksonville’s “Ultimate Attorneys” by Jacksonville Business Journal. George is a partner in Akerman LLP’s litigation group and is currently litigation chair of the Jacksonville office.

JOHN R. DODD, a member of the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has been elevated to shareholder. He serves in the restructuring and bankruptcy practice group. His work focuses on handling transactions and litigations that arise in business reorganizations, liquidations, distressed asset acquisitions and sales, financial restructurings and loan workouts.

YELIZAVETA “LIZ” BATRES HERMAN, of Rosenbaum Mollengarden PLLC in West Palm Beach, has been named chair of the Palm Beach County Bar Association Judicial Relations Committee for 2016-17. She has also been appointed to the 2017 Southern District of Florida Bench & Bar Conference Planning Committee. Herman is also treasurer of the Palm Beach chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers and is serving on The Florida Bar Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee from 2015-2018.

MEAGHAN GRAGG has been promoted to partner in the New York office of Hughes Hubbard & Reed. Gragg is a member of the litigation department, focusing on complex disputes, both in court and before arbitral tribunals.

JENNY KIM SULLIVAN has received the AV-Preeminent rating, the highest rating available for attorneys from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. It signifies the greatest accolade an attorney can receive for legal ability and adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence.

MATTHEW A. KLEIN, a management employment attorney with Jackson Lewis, P.C., was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the 9th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission for a term concluding in 2020.

DAVID C. DOTSON has been promoted to partner with Duane Morris LLP. Dotson practices in the area of intellectual property litigation, with a focus on patent litigation and licensing. He is a member of the firm’s U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board practice group.

’07

RONALD D. EDWARDS JR. has been promoted to shareholder with the Orlando law firm of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed.

The Double Gator focuses his practice on

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ANDREW KORGE has been named vice president of strategic development at The Lynx Companies, a Coral Gables portfolio of companies with expertise in real estate, construction, financial services, technology and education. Korge will focus on creating public and private business opportunities both locally and globally. He hopes to continue to elevate the firm’s visibility, especially in the areas of technology, coding and cybersecurity education, construction, and real estate development.

Edwards Jr. ’07

Espiritu ’07

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ERIN MADDOCKS has been named partner at the West Palm Beach office of Akerman LLP. The Double Gator focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, fiduciary dispute resolution and contested wills, and trusts and estates matters.

NICHOLAS PURVIS has been elevated to partner at the West Palm Beach office of Akerman LLP. The Double Gator represents insurers in complex health care and insurance fraud investigations and litigation.

LAUREN R. WHETSTONE, a member of the West Palm Beach office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has been elevated to shareholder.

Whetstone is a member of the litigation practice group. Her practice is concentrated on the areas of complex commercial litigation and securities litigation.

ROY ZACHARIAH has been promoted to partner at the West Palm Beach office of Akerman LLP. A member of the intellectual property practice group, Zachariah represents Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and individuals in all manners of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law.

LUIS DELGADO was elected to serve on the Palm Beach County Circuit Court bench. Delgado had previously practiced in West Palm Beach with a focus on criminal defense work. Born in Peru, Delgado later moved to the United States and served in the U.S. Marines in Iraq.

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ROBERT JIMENEZ has joined the full-service intellectual property law firm of Espinosa Trueba Martinez, P.L., as an associate. The firm focuses on patent, trademark, copyright and other intellectual property litigation and prosecution.

Jimenez specializes in intellectual property litigation and e-discovery.

JOSHUA R. LEVENSON has been promoted to partner at Holland & Knight, LLP’s Fort Lauderdale office. Levenson concentrates in the areas of commercial litigation, trusts and estates litigation, medical malpractice defense, premises liability, title insurance litigation, and commercial landlord-tenant litigation.

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CLASS NOTES

LISA MCGLYNN joined the labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips as an associate. She advises employers on a wide range of workplace issues, including employment discrimination, wage and hour disputes, family and medical leave issues, data security and workplace privacy, sexual harassment, and retaliation and wrongful termination. She joins the firm’s Tampa office after initially working with the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office.

KIMBERLY LOPEZ NARBONA has been elevated to partner at the Orlando office of Akerman LLP. The Double Gator represents banks, lenders, secured creditors and other financial institutions in commercial litigation.

LAWRENCE SCHEINERT has been named the director of the Office of Special Measures in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN. In this role, he manages an office that executes FinCEN’s unique enforcement and financial intelligence collection authorities to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes.

THOMAS F. VILLANTI was recently named partner at the Chicago-based Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP. Villanti concentrates his practice on complex family law cases, including the distribution of multi-million dollar estates and complicated child custody cases. He also serves on the board of directors for Chicago’s University of Florida alumni association.

NICO APFELBAUM, founder and managing attorney of Apfelbaum Law, has been selected by Super Lawyers as a 2017 “Florida Rising Star.” This is his second straight year receiving the distinction, which is limited to less than 3 percent of attorneys in Florida.

He is top rated in the areas of business and corporate law.

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ANDREW COMITER (LLMT, JD 08) has been promoted to partner of the law firm Comiter, Singer, Baseman & Braun. Comiter has also been named in the 2016 edition of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite “Up and Comer” list. Additionally, he presented at the 2017

Villanti ’08

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Comiter ’09

Ketcham ’09

Moum ’09

Heckerling Institute Update to the Palm Beach County Estate Planning Council.

M. LEE JOHNSEY JR. was recently named a partner at Balch & Bingham LLP’s Birmingham office. He was also recently elected vice president of the Alabama State Bar Young Lawyers Division and to his second term in the American Bar Association House of Delegates.

ANNA E. KETCHAM has joined the Orlando office of Dean Mead. Ketcham focuses her practice on business and commercial litigation. She was previously with Roetzel & Andress.

ELIZABETH E. MOUM, of the West Palm Beach office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has been elevated to shareholder. She is a member of the securities litigation practice group and regularly represents major brokerdealers and registered representatives in securities litigation, arbitrations and regulatory proceedings.

REGGIE ZACHARIAH, a member of the Fort Lauderdale office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has been elevated to shareholder.

Zachariah currently serves on the corporate and securities practice group as well as the insurance regulatory and transactions practice group. His practice focuses on private equity transactions and mergers and acquisitions.

CHRISTIE BHAGELOE, the Veterans Project Manager at Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, recently presented “Charting a Course Through the VA Claims Process,” a CLE at the inaugural Florida’s Veterans Advocates Conference in February.

’10

ANDREW CARRABIS has joined the Office of the State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit and was recently promoted to the specialty Organized Crime Unit. Carrabis had been completing a post graduate fellowship with the Florida Attorney General’s Office.

JAMIE C. GAVIGAN, of the West Palm Beach law firm Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A., has been named a finalist in

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Bhageloe ’10

Gavigan ’10

the intellectual property section of the Daily Business Review’s 2016 “Most Effective Lawyers” list. Gavigan focuses his practice in the areas of complex business litigation, real estate litigation, employment litigation and intellectual property litigation.

BRETT DREW LIEBERMAN has been elevated to partner at Messana P.A., a South Florida litigation and bankruptcy boutique. A Triple Gator, Lieberman currently serves as the secretary of the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida and is the CLE chair of the Bankruptcy/UCC Substantive Committee of the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar. JOSEPH “JOEY” NABERHAUS has joined Dean Mead’s Viera office as counsel in the firm’s litigation department. His work includes a focus on guardianships, real property disputes, commercial and business litigation, and trust and estate litigation. Naberhaus previously worked at a statewide law firm for six years.

BELKIS C. PLATA has been named one of the ten best criminal law attorneys for client satisfaction in Florida by The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys (AIOCLA).

AIOCLA is a third-party attorney rating organization that publishes an annual list of the top ten criminal law attorneys in each state. The selection process is based on client or peer nominations, thorough research, and AIOCLA’s independent evaluation.

CHRISTINA E. BLOOD has joined the Tampa office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP as an associate in the firm’s litigation group. She specializes in defending manufacturers and companies in products liability actions and complex litigation in state and federal courts.

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NEDA LAJEVARDI has been named partner with Lott & Fischer. Additionally, Lajevardi has been selected to present at the International Trademark Association Conference in Barcelona in May 2017. Lott & Fischer focuses exclusively in the intellectual property area, including patent prosecution, litigation and transactional work on trademarks,

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copyrights, computer and Internet law, and domain names.

WILLIAM G. SMITH (LLMT, JD 10) has been promoted to shareholder with the firm of Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A. Smith focuses his practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, taxation, and transactional corporate law.

S. KYLA THOMSON has been promoted to partner with the law firm of Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross. Thomson works with the firm’s community associations, drafting opinion letters, handling covenant violations and consulting on board governance.

MELISSA FINLEY WILLIAMS has formed the Finley Williams Law Firm in St. Petersburg. The firm focuses on estate planning, elder law, guardianship, Medicaid planning, probate, real estate transactions and business law. Williams remains active in the St. Petersburg bar, Clearwater bar, Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the Suncoast Boys & Girls Clubs.

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ELIZABETH A. BOWERS (LLMT, JD 11) has joined Gunster as an associate in the West Palm Beach Office. Bowers is a probate litigator and estate planner in the private wealth services practice. Prior to joining Gunster, Bowers served as a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Donald M. Middlebrooks of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

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MEGAN K. MOON, associate with Gunster in the Jacksonville office, has been appointed an ex officio member of the board of governors of the Jacksonville Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section for the 2016-17 term. The appointment comes after years of dedicated service to the legal community in Jacksonville. She has served on many Jacksonville Bar Association committees and has been actively involved with the Young Lawyers Section since the beginning of her legal practice.

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KELLY A. SCHULZ has joined the Fort Lauderdale office of Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin as an associate.

Schulz focuses her practices on the defense of insurance companies in coverage disputes, bad faith litigation and first-party, propertydefense litigation.

BRETT OWENS has joined the Tampa office of Fisher Phillips as an associate. Owens will advise employers on a variety of workplace issues, including employment discrimination and wrongful termination.

’14

KEVIN MILLER has been invited to present a paper at the We Robot 2017 Conference held at Yale Law School. His paper explores technological solutions to the legal challenges surrounding privacy management in human-robot interaction. Additionally, Miller authored “What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Reasonable Cybersecurity’” which was published last year in The Florida Bar Journal. He founded Labyrinth Law PLLC in 2016 and is a registered patent and intellectual property attorney.

NEDA KHOSROWZADEH recently joined the law firm Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A. where she will practice commercial lending, real estate transactions, and land use and development.

’15

BRYAN MILLS (LLMT, JD 14) has joined Maynard Copper & Gale in the firm’s banking and finance practice as an associate. Mills will focus on commercial lending in the firm’s Birmingham office.

associate in the affordable housing and tax credit practice group. Cooksey, a former U.S. Army First Lieutenant, previously worked as a law clerk for Pastore & Dailey LLC and worked at Infinite Energy in Gainesville.

JENNIFER A. HOSTETLER (LLMT) has joined Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A., practicing in trust and estate planning, probate, trust administration, and corporate law.

JOHN J. OGILBY III has joined Gunster as an associate in the Miami office. Ogilby will focus his practice on corporate law, specifically mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

MELISSA A. RODRIGUEZ (LLMT, JD 15) has joined the ShuffieldLowman law firm working in the DeLand, Daytona Beach and Orlando offices. She specializes in estate planning, probate and tax. While at UF Law, Rodriguez served as president of the Latino Law Student Association and was instrumental in the founding of the Cuban American Bar Association Student Chapter, where she served as vice president. She is a member of the Central Florida Estate Planning Council.

MELISSA E. ROQUE has joined the Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Deal law firm in Miami. Roque will focus on catastrophic injury, construction injury, construction litigation, premises liability and product liability.

JON L. MILLS (LLMT) has joined Maynard Cooper & Gale in the firm’s corporate, securities and tax practice group as an associate. Mills, who is both a certified public accountant and attorney, has vast experience in assisting businesses and individuals with federal and state income tax matters.

’16

JENNINGS COOKSEY has joined the Orlando office of Broad and Cassell as an

Khosrowzadeh ’15

Mills ’14

Cooksey ’16

M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N UF Law Center for Career Development at www.law.ufl.edu/employers or call Rob Birrenkott at 352-273-0860.

Hostetler ’16

Ogilby III ’16

Roque ’16

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ALUMNI IN MEMORIAM

Lewis M. Schott: A Philanthropist committed to UF

L E W I S M . S C H OT T ( J D 4 6 ) passed away on Jan. 12, 2017, at the age of 94. Friends and family remember Schott not only as an inspiring lawyer and businessman, but as a dedicated graduate of both the University of Florida and UF Law. “If I were to draw a list of a half-dozen people who were of considerable help and assistance to the university attainting its stature as one of the outstanding public universities in the country, Lewis Schott would have to be at the top of the list,” said Marshall Criser (JD 51), former University of Florida president, UF Law alumnus and longtime friend of Schott.

Criser said Schott viewed his UF degrees as instrumental to his rise from humble circumstances to become a wealthy entrepreneur.

His impulse to give came from that gratitude and the urge to help others follow in his footsteps.

“He was a poor Florida boy who made a fine business career and probably wouldn’t have made it if he hadn’t attended a university like the University of Florida,” Criser said. “He had seen what help it had been to him and to others.”

Schott became a major donor to the University of Florida in the 1980s, including funding the Marcia Whitney Schott Courtyard at the law school, named in honor of his late wife who was also a 1946 UF Law graduate. Later,

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Schott joined other alumni to endow the law school’s Clarence J. TeSelle professorships. In 2004, he again honored his late wife by contributing $100,000 for student programs and services.

In 2007, Schott endowed the Marshall M. Criser Distinguished Lecture Series, enabling UF Law to host major events with renowned legal scholars and United States Supreme Court Justices on the law school’s campus.

“We are honored to count Lewis Schott among our alumni, and are deeply grateful for his substantial support of UF Law’s programs,” said Dean Laura A. Rosenbury.

“His legacy lives on through our robust scholarly activities and our inviting campus. Hundreds of students and faculty walk through the Marcia Whitney Schott Courtyard each day — a constant reminder of his philanthropic spirit.”

Schott’s impact extends well beyond the law school. At the UF College of Medicine, Schott endowed the Marcia Whitney Schott Super Chair in Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and generously contributed to the Department of Neurosurgery.

At the undergraduate level, Schott established a scholarship program in honor of former UF President John V. Lombardi that continues to assist outstanding undergraduates.

Schott also loved Gator sports.

When the UF basketball team won back-to-back national titles in 2007, Schott purchased the floor on which the game had been played and then sold pieces of it to fund athletic scholarships. Shortly before his death, Schott made a generous donation toward the renovation of the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

In honor of his continued contributions to the school and his remarkable career success, Schott was recognized as a UF Distinguished Alumnus in 1997.

Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and raised in Daytona Beach, Schott graduated with a degree in the arts and sciences in 1943 and with honors from UF Law in 1946.

Schott returned to Daytona Beach to form a partnership with James T. Nelson after law school.

He practiced law in Daytona, while also serving as municipal county judge.

At 27, Schott was appointed director of the Florida State Beverage Department and as a member of Gov. Fuller Warren’s Cabinet. Schott was the youngest member of the governor’s Cabinet and the youngest head of the state’s Beverage Department.

After three years in Tallahassee, Schott moved to New York to work with MerrittChapman Scott, where he would eventually become executive vice president and a member of the board of directors. He bought the Shoup Voting Machine Corporation at the age of 31.

It was one of only two voting machine companies in the country.

In 1955, Schott formed LMS Securities Corp, which he headed until he passed away in January.

His success in these ventures permitted him to give back to the university.

In addition to his dedication to his work and the school, Schott and his wife remained active in horse racing for 25 years.

Schott is survived by his three children, Nash Whitney Schott, Victoria de Rothschild and Steven Schott; daughter-in-law Aniko Gaal Schott; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

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ALUMNI IN MEMORIAM

Judge Maurice Paul lived a dream that began at UF Law U. S . D I ST R I C T J U D G E M AU R I C E PAU L ( J D 6 0 ) used to say that he figured out what he wanted to do with his life the day he started at UF Law. “After reading his first case, he knew which role he wanted to play,” wrote Michael Dupée (JD 92), who served Paul as a law clerk for 21 years in the U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

Judge Paul, 84, passed away on Dec. 29, 2016. He served as a judge in the 9th Judicial Circuit for the Circuit Court of Florida from 1973 to 1982. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan nominated Judge Paul to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Throughout his 34 years on the federal bench and nine in state court, the “judge’s judge” was clear about his judicial philosophy.

“Judge Paul often told his clerks that a judge should ‘go where the law leads you, without any agenda or particular ax to grind,’” Dupée wrote in a tribute published by the 11th Circuit Historical Society.

Judge Paul presided over a number of notable cases throughout his career and remained engaged with UF Law. Dupée noted that Judge Paul spoke often at the university, including for a series on the Florida Constitution. He volunteered to judge moot court and trial team competitions, and he regularly supervised students engaging in judicial externships.

Born in 1932, Judge Paul grew up in Jacksonville before attending the University of Florida and earning his bachelor’s degree in 1954. He served as an Air Force pilot in the Strategic Air

Command’s atomic bomb fleet in California. In 1960, Judge Paul graduated from UF Law with honors.

Upon graduation, Judge Paul moved to Orlando where he practiced law until 1973. Dupée said that during his years in private practice, Judge Paul helped create the governing jurisdiction for the land of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

Judge Paul is survived by his only son, James Jeffrey Paul.

In Remembrance: UF Law Alumni Between May 1, 2016, and March 22, 2017, UF Law received news reporting the deaths of the following alumni: Charles W. Abbott (JD 53) Harry J. Averell Jr. (JD 88) Oliver J. Bailey (JD 60) Charles E. H. Beck (JD 65) Lester M. Blain (JD 64) Charles W. Bostwick (JD 51) Carter A. Bradford (JD 62) Brian H. Breuel (JD 68) George R. Brezina Jr. (JD 89) Robert T. Burger (JD 74) Victor J. Buttner (JD 80) William H. Byrd (JD 51) Edward Carhart (JD 64) Steven W. Carta (JD 70) Joseph F. Chapman III (JD 63) Joseph B. Cofer (JD 55) William K. Coleman (JD 75) Harold Cooperman (JD 53) J. Edward Currren (JD 62) Robert M. Curtis (JD 46) C. Welborn Daniel (JD 50)

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Ralph C. Datillio (JD 65) Gregory R. Deal (JD 71) George H. DeCarion (JD 49) Ralph P. Douglas (JD 62) James O. Driscoll (JD 57) George A. Dufour (JD 73) Lester E. Durst (JD 76) Robert W. Elrod (JD 65) Gregory J. Ersek (JD 84) Patrick J. Faucheu (JD 78) Raquel I. Figueroa (JD 99) Louis A. Gaitanis (JD 40) William H. Garland (JD 60) Robert J. Head Jr. (JD 67) Robert G. Hewitt (JD 58) Joerg F. Jaeger (JD 74) Rufus O. Jefferson (JD 52) Eli S. Jenkins III (JD 56) Frederick H. Kent Jr. (JD 60) Fred J. Krim (JD 51) William J. Lambert Jr. (JD 74)

Mark R. Lipinski (JD 76) Robert Livingston IV (JD 93) Frank G. Macedonia (JD 86) William K. Maney (JD 68) Lloyd J. Mankes (JD 98) Clifton R. McDonald Jr. (JD 59) Michael M. McFall (JD 62) Homer J. Miller (JD 60) Michael W. Morell (JD 85) Bernard R. Moseley (JD 63) Caroline C. Mueller (LLMT 75) M. Wayne Myers (JD 72) N. Sherrill Newton (JD 75) John E. Norris (JD 49) William A. Norris Jr. (JD 63) William C. Owen Jr. (JD 48) Maurice M. Paul (JD 60) Leonard Pepper (JD 39) Scott L. Piper (JD 85) Waldo H. Plympton (JD 40) Scott D. Polodna (JD 90)

James R. Rich (JD 77) Travis B. Robertson (LLMT 09) Simon A. Rodell (JD 08) Jean Roush-Burnett (JD 86) Thomas D. Sale Jr. (JD 59) Lawrence O. Sands (JD 57) Lewis M. Schott (JD 46) L. David Shear (JD 60) Benedict A. Silverman (JD 52) Lindner Smith Jr. (JD 51) Gerald Sohn (JD 55) Thomas M. Sowa (LLMT 85) John M. Steadham (JD 72) Jack A. Sturgis (JD 69) Arthur D. Vandroff (JD 65) Robert A. Van Natta (JD 77) McNeill Watkins II (JD 75) Michael A. Weeks (JD 96) Karen H. Williams (JD 91) Malcolm B. Wiseheart Jr. (JD 70) Joseph G. Young (JD 73)

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FACULTY NEWS U F L AW FA C U LT Y S C H O L A R S H I P A N D A C T I V I T Y

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UF LAW SCHOLARTEACHERS INFLUENCE THE STATE, NATION AND WORLD

Lyrissa Lidsky named University of Missouri School of Law dean U F L AW P R O F E S S O R LYR I S SA B A R N ET T L I D S K Y, the Stephen C. O’Connell Professor of Law, has been named the 17th dean of the University of Missouri School of Law. Lidsky has spent 23 years as a member of the UF Law faculty and worked in a variety of capacities during her time in Gainesville.

The internationally renowned media law and First Amendment scholar has taught Mass Media Law, First Amendment Law, Torts, Professional Responsibility, Introduction to Lawyering, Constitutional Law and several

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other courses. She has also served in several administrative positions, including her final role as Associate Dean for Graduate and Non-J.D. Programs.

“Lyrissa is an influential scholar, a dedicated professor and a creative administrator,” UF Law Dean Laura A. Rosenbury said. “We will miss Lyrissa’s contributions to UF Law, but we are excited that she has the opportunity to take on this important new leadership role.”

Lidsky began her appointment on July 1.

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Faculty celebrates and expresses gratitude to retiring colleagues AT T H I S S P R I N G ’ S retirement luncheon, UF Law faculty celebrated the contributions and accomplishments of retiring colleagues. Together, the honorees gave 175 years of outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the law school and legal communities.

Retiring faculty, like graduating seniors who become alumni, continue to be valued members of the UF Law community and are invited and encouraged to remain active in law school activities. The leadership of emeriti faculty and alumni is instrumental in the law school’s mission to enhance its national and international profile.

ST UA RT R . CO H N Stuart R. Cohn joined the faculty in 1977 and quickly established his reputation as a national and international scholar in corporate, securities and franchise law. He is the author of a principal treatise in securities law, Securities Counseling for Small and Emerging Companies, and the leading treatise on Florida’s business law statutes and case law.

He also wrote numerous articles and book chapters and continues to be a prolific scholar. His latest article, The Dragon and the Eagle: Reforming China’s Securities IPO Laws in the U.S. Model, Pros and Cons (with Professor Miao Yinzhi) is forthcoming in the Washington University Global Studies Law Review.

Cohn, a Samuel T. Dell Research Scholar Emeritus, also was an outstanding and highly respected teacher and mentor. Dean Laura A. Rosenbury noted that alumni are quick to single out Cohn as an influence on their careers.

“I’ve heard from so many alumni who praise Stu for introducing them to the subject of their current practice — corporate and securities law — and for his ongoing work with The Florida Bar Business Law Section to bring coherence to state legislation,” Rosenbury said.

Nina Lacevic (JD 08) is one of those alumni. She said Cohn was among the influences that led to her work as general counsel for a national retail financial firm.

“I remember our very first day in his class. He said something I have never forgotten. He said that companies and businesses do not really exist. What really matters is the people and the relationships they create,” Lacevic said. “The people are the business. Those relationships are what business is all about. I think of that statement so often because it goes to the heart of the matter — people ultimately do business with and select their lawyers based on relationships and trust.”

Cohn went above and beyond the call for service, working on numerous state-level bar committees crafting business legislation. Within the law school, he willingly served on faculty committees and also served as associate dean for international programs from 2002-2014.

“He was a colleague we all knew we could count on,” said Sharon Rush, the associate dean for faculty development.

“I have been privileged to work with an outstanding and dedicated group of teachers, scholars and support staff during my 39 years here,” Cohn said. “We have a great law school and the future is bright.”

As an emeritus professor, Cohn shows no signs of slowing down. Not only is he continuing to research and write, he was also recently appointed a distinguished visiting professor at Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, where he is collaborating with Chinese academics on recommendations regarding the reform of China’s securities market.

Cohn holds law degrees from Oxford University and Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at ChampaignUrbana.

G EO R G E R . “ B O B ” D E K L E S R .

George R. “Bob” Dekle Sr. (JD 73) joined the faculty in 2006 following a long career as a Florida prosecutor.

At UF Law, he taught the Criminal Prosecution Clinic, Florida Criminal Procedure and Prosecutorial Ethics.

During his career, Dekle published seven books, including Prosecution Principles: A Clinical Handbook and The Case against Christ: A Critique of the Prosecution of Jesus, and in 2016 coauthored The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case: A Critical Analysis of the Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann with James M. Dedman

“[Cohn] said that companies and businesses do not really exist. What really matters is the people and the relationships they create.”

—NINA LACEVIC (JD 08)

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III. He has continued writing since his retirement, most recently publishing Prairie Defender: The Murder Trials of Abraham Lincoln.

“Bob was extraordinary in that his talents in the law ranged wide and deep,” said UF Law Associate Dean Amy Mashburn, “Not only was he a skilled prosecutor who became a skilled teacher, but he also was a prolific legal writer.”

Dekle has been a favorite source of state and national media reporting on criminal courts. Students and reporters have taken advantage of Dekle’s extensive knowledge of procedure and litigation techniques, which includes prosecution and defense from criminal traffic to capital murder. Dekle is also known for one very big case, the same case that was the subject of his 2011 book, The Last Murder: The Investigation, Prosecution, and Execution of Ted Bundy. Before joining UF Law, Dekle received a lifetime achievement award from the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association for his work in continuing legal education for prosecutors.

MICHAEL FRIEL Michael Friel joined the UF Law faculty in 1987 and served as the director of the Graduate Tax Program from 1988 to 2016.

As director, Friel led UF Law’s signature program, which has consistently ranked No. 1 among public universities and No. 3 overall in the most recent U.S. News and World Report ranking. He stepped down as director in 2016, but has continued to teach tax classes.

“Mike was the heart and soul of the Graduate Tax Program for over two decades,” Rosenbury said, “recruiting students, connecting

them with employers and handling so many other student needs.”

Friel did not confine himself to administrative duties during his 30 years as a UF Law professor. He is a co-author of the textbook Taxation of Individual Income, now in its 11th edition. He also co-authored Understanding Federal Income Taxation, which is in its fourth edition; the treatise Modern Estate Planning; and the forthcoming textbook Taxation of Partnerships and Partners. Friel has written on numerous federal tax topics and lectured at tax institutes in the U.S. and abroad. He has taught a wide range of tax courses to J.D. and LL.M. students.

One of Friel’s frequent collaborators and co-authors, J. Martin Burke, professor emeritus at the University of Montana School of Law, praised Friel’s scholarship in the July 2016 issue of the Florida Law Review.

“A deep and clear thinker, Professor Friel never ceases to impress me with his insights regarding challenging tax issues and the means of explaining and illustrating the application of complex tax concepts,” Burke wrote.

Friel once explained that as he took the helm of the tax program he kept telling himself: “Don’t screw it up.” It’s an observation that points to Friel’s characteristic modesty as he managed the nation’s premier public university tax program.

“Professor Friel is the consummate professional distinguished by his generosity of spirit, commitment to service, compassion, energy, high ethical standards, brilliance and humility,” Burke wrote.

Friel earned his LL.M. from New York University School of Law, his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from Harvard College.

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“MIKE WAS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE GRADUATE TAX PROGRAM FOR OVER TWO DECADES.” —Dean Laura A. Rosenbury

“Bob was extraordinary in that his talents in the law ranged wide and deep.”

—UF LAW ASSOCIATE DEAN AMY MASHBURN

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“MUCH OF MARTY’S WORK CONSISTS OF THE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS THAT HAS MADE OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM ONE OF THE VERY BEST IN THE WORLD.” —Dean Laura A. Rosenbury

M A RT I N J. M C M A H O N J R .

Martin J. McMahon Jr., the James J. Freeland Eminent Scholar in Taxation and Professor of Law, retired from active teaching at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. McMahon is a national tax policy expert who has served as a mainstay of the UF Law tax program since 1997. He spent his last year on the faculty serving as director of the Graduate Tax Program.

McMahon served as editor-inchief of the Florida Tax Review for six years. He has published over 50 law review articles, a treatise — Federal Income Taxation of Individuals with co-authors Boris Bittker and Lawrence Zelenak — and multiple editions of four textbooks — Federal Income Taxation, Federal Income Taxation of Business Organizations, Federal Income Taxation of Partnerships and S Corporations, and Federal Income Taxation of Corporations, co-authored with the late Paul McDaniel, Daniel Simmons, and various other co-authors.

McMahon also made more than 200 continuing legal education presentations nationwide and in numerous other countries.

McMahon taught at the University of Kentucky from 1979 to 1997 and was a visiting professor at the University of Virginia for the 1982-1983 academic year. He was professor-in-residence in the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in 1986 and 1987.

Dean Laura A. Rosenbury praised McMahon’s influence during the spring faculty retirement celebration.

“Much of Marty’s work consists of the technical analysis that has made our graduate program one of the very best in the world,” Dean Rosenbury said. “But that technical analysis has frequently been accompanied by bold policy proposals befitting of someone who studied socialist and communist economic systems during college.”

Professor McMahon received an LL.M. in taxation from Boston University Law School, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, and a B.A. in economics from Rutgers University.

W I N STO N N AG A N Since joining the faculty in 1975, Professor Nagan, a Samuel T. Dell Research Scholar Emeritus, has devoted his research and scholarship to issues related to global peace-building. Nagan, who served as chair of Amnesty International USA, has pioneered solutions to conflicts across international lines, championing inclusive standards and principles rooted in international human rights law. He became a leading scholar on the legal aspects of the apartheid regime in South Africa, and his article on apartheid sanctions is still the leading article in the field.

Nagan has also produced leading scholarship on national security and the war on terror. He is chair of the board of trustees of the World Academy of Arts and Science, established the East-African Journal for Peace and Human Rights, is editor-in-chief of Erudito WAAS and served as president of the XII

“Winston showed his students that law informed by insights from the social sciences and viewed through a policy-oriented lens revealed its potential to advance shared values and shape society’s future.”

—UF LAW ASSOCIATE DEAN AMY MASHBURN

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International economic colloquium on sustainable development.

“I draw the greatest satisfaction from the enormously talented students we have had here, and I think our students have been equally matched by some utterly brilliant faculty,” Nagan said.

UF Law Professor Amy Mashburn (JD 87) is now associate dean for academic affairs, but she was once one of Nagan’s students. She said his teaching profoundly affected her outlook on law and her legal career.

“Winston showed his students that law informed by insights from the social sciences and viewed through a policy-oriented lens revealed its potential to advance shared values and shape society’s future,” Mashburn said.

His long list of affiliations attests to Nagan’s vast and diverse interests.

Dean Laura A. Rosenbury noted that he has continued to travel, speak and write actively since assuming emeritus status.

“I am in awe of the ways you have continued to publish and travel the world since you retired last summer,” Dean Rosenbury said during the spring faculty retirement celebration.

Nagan holds a Doctor of the Science of Law from Yale Law School, a M.A. from Oxford and an LL.M. and a Master of Comparative Law from Duke University School of Law. He received B.A. degrees from the University of South Africa and Oxford University.

L EO N A R D L . R I S K I N Before coming to UF Law from the University of Missouri in 2007, Leonard L. Riskin, the Chesterfield

Smith Professor of Law, was already recognized as one of the top legal theorists on alternative dispute resolution, especially with respect to mediation.

Riskin’s research also touches on mindfulness meditation and its value to the practice of the law.

“When Len Riskin joined our faculty in 2007 he raised our scholarly profile and he expanded the depth and quality of the courses we offered,” said Dean Laura A. Rosenbury.

Riskin holds an LL.M. from Yale Law School, a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.S. from University of Wisconsin, Madison.

PAT R I C I A T H O M S O N Senior Legal Skills Professor Patricia Thomson (JD 83) joined the faculty in 1989 and served as a lynchpin of the college’s legal writing curriculum ever since.

Her teaching areas include legal research and writing, appellate advocacy, advanced techniques in appellate advocacy and legal writing for comparative law LL.M. students. She served as a presenter for the Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference in 2008. Her international teaching includes time at the University of Warsaw’s Center for American Studies in Poland.

“She has been a great team player. She was my mentor when I began here in 2005 and provided invaluable help to me,” said UF Law Professor Mary Adkins (JD 91), who is director of the Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy Program.

“She was an innovator in her teaching, and she will be missed.”

F A C U LT Y R E T I R E M E N T

“SHE WAS MY MENTOR WHEN I BEGAN HERE IN 2005 AND PROVIDED INVALUABLE HELP TO ME.” —Professor Mary Adkins (JD 91)

“When Len Riskin joined our faculty in 2007 he raised our scholarly profile and he expanded the depth and quality of the courses we offered.”

—DEAN LAURA A. ROSENBURY

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F A C U LT Y I N M E M O R I A M

Gertrude Block: Instructor established UF Law writing curriculum

“SHE WAS A FACULTY COLLEAGUE IN THE BEST SENSE OF THE WORD AND FREQUENTLY PROVIDED ME AND OTHER FACULTY MEMBERS ADVICE ON GRAMMATICAL AND LITERACY ISSUES.” —UF Law Emeritus Professor Joe Little

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E M E R I T US L EC T U R E R G E RT R U D E B LO C K , 96, passed away on Aug. 31, 2016. An expert in legal writing, Block served at UF Law as a lecturer and writing specialist from 1974 until her retirement in 1990. She is survived by her two daughters, Sally Stein and Judy McLaughlin; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A Pennsylvania native, Block graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s in economics and was named to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1944, Block and her husband, Seymour, moved to Gainesville when Seymour became a faculty member in the Chemical Engineering department at UF. At the time of his death in 2014, Seymour was the longest-serving faculty member at the University of Florida.

“Gertrude was a godsend for our many students who needed assistance in coping with legal writing,” said UF Law Emeritus Professor Joe Little. “She was also a faculty colleague in the best sense of the word and frequently provided me and other faculty members advice on grammatical and literacy issues.”

Block completed her Master of Arts in Teaching in English at UF. From 1967 to 1974, she taught in the English and Humanities department, including courses in transformational grammar and honors English. In 1974, Joseph Julin, then-dean at UF Law, hired Block as a part-time writing instructor. Block soon joined the law school full time, teaching legal writing and providing individual writing assistance for all law students and faculty. In 1982, Block developed and launched a legal writing clinic, providing students with additional practice and guidance.

Block’s expertise in legal writing extended far beyond UF. In 1981,

she published the first edition of Effective Legal Writing: a Style Book for Law Students and Lawyers, which was regularly revised and expanded through the fifth edition in 1999. The first book review, published in the New York Law Journal in 1981, commented that the book “belong[s] on the bookshelf of every legal writer who would like to improve his or her handiwork.”

Block published monthly question-and-answer style columns on legal language usage in multiple bar journals, including The Florida Bar News, The Pennsylvania Lawyer and The New York Bar Journal, among others.

In addition to publishing, Block presented workshops and seminars on legal writing for organizations across the country, including the Delaware Bench/Bar Association, the Legal Writing Institute and the National Association of Law Review Editors. Block consulted with other laws schools about their legal writing programs, provided writing advice to law firms and corporate executives and served as an expert witness.

Even after her retirement, Block served on an American Bar Association committee preparing a style manual for appellate court judges, continued to write monthly columns and consulted with faculty members on language and construction. In 2004, Block published Legal Writing Advice: Questions and Answers, a compilation of her monthly bar journal columns.

Married for 72 years, Block and her husband were known to walk home together daily.

“She and Seymour lived long and fruitful lives,” Little said.

“They are sorely missed.”

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Walter Probert: Accomplished scholar and advocate for legal theory E M E R I T US P R O F E S S O R WA LT E R P R O B E RT, 91, passed away on July 3, 2016. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; two sons, Richard and Jim; and five grandchildren. Probert served on the UF Law faculty from 1959 until his retirement in 2002.

At UF Law, Probert taught courses including torts, jurisprudence, law and language, law and medicine, and law and humor.

He also taught as an affiliate faculty member at the College of Medicine Department of Community Health and Family Medicine and served on the Health Center Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects.

Born in Portland, Oregon, Probert enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and served as first lieutenant until 1947, when he was honorably discharged. Probert earned degrees from the University of Oregon, completing his B.S. in 1949 and his J.D. with honors in 1951.

Upon graduation from law school, Probert worked in private practice in Portland before earning a Sterling Graduate Fellowship to attend Yale University from 1952 to 1953. Probert served as faculty at Western Reserve University from 1953 to 1959 and completed his J.S.D. at Yale University Law School in 1957.

Recognized for his excellence in teaching, Probert was awarded the Florida Blue Key Distinguished Faculty Award in 1970 and was appointed the Cone, Wagner, Nugent, Johnson, Hazouri and Roth Endowed Professor of Law in 1996.

“Probert was a loyal, courageous, and wonderful example of the humanistic side of legal theory and its importance for education,” UF Law Emeritus Professor Winston Nagan wrote in a message to faculty. “He insisted that no student should graduate from this law school without a

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credible understanding of the boundaries and challenges of legal theory.”

In 1972, Probert published Law, Language and Communication.

Nagan said the central message of Probert’s book “was that lawyers need to be more conscious of the signs and symbols encased words and one-word phrases. The book was sufficiently precocious because it explored aspects of theory that constituted a legal vacuum.”

Probert routinely published on topics such as law and psychology and communication theory within the legal field, in journals including the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review and the Florida Law Review.

Probert’s influence reached far beyond UF. Throughout his career, he served as a visiting professor at Northwestern University, the University of Denver, the University of Texas and the University of Washington. In 1968, Probert served as research visitor at Oxford University, where he gave a lecture on law and intention and conducted research. That same year, he served as co-investigator for a pre-professional program in the humanities, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. From 1973 to 1974, Probert served as director of the Law and Social Sciences Program at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C. Probert maintained membership in a number of professional organizations, including the American Society of Law and Medicine, the Law and Psychology Association, and the Oregon State Bar.

“PROBERT WAS A LOYAL, COURAGEOUS, AND WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF THE HUMANISTIC SIDE OF LEGAL THEORY AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR EDUCATION.” —UF Law Emeritus Professor Winston Nagan

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LAW AND ACCOUNTING STUDENTS USE THEIR TAX EXPERTISE TO HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

IN THE COMMUNITY T H R O U G H A PA RT N E R S H I P W I T H U N I T E D WAY, students from UF Law and UF’s Fisher School of Accounting gain hands-on tax practice while assisting members of the Gainesville community with annual tax returns.

Since 2000, the collaboration with United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program has helped hundreds of low-income individuals file their tax returns for free.

This year, 40 volunteers participated in the program, completing 228 returns, amounting to $1,692,533 in

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adjusted gross income. Rich Mills III (3L), president of UF Law’s Association for Tax Law, considers VITA a major part of their community outreach.

“It’s a free service for the community, and we have a lot of people who’ve used it for years. It really takes a lot of weight off people’s shoulders,” Mills said. The program enables student volunteers to gain experience in preparing returns and working directly with clients.

Typically, eight volunteers worked eight hours a week from early February

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V O L U N T E E R I N C O M E TA X A S S I S TA N C E

“STUDENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY MEET A CLIENT AND GET A GOOD FEELING FROM DOING SOMETHING NICE.” —UF Law Professor Steven Willis

through early April helping file returns for individuals who signed up through the United Way of North Central Florida. Mills says the group completed an average of 12-15 returns nightly.

At the start of the spring semester, student and community volunteers are trained through a training program offered by the Internal Revenue Service.

During this tax season, Andrew Slaton (1L), who holds a master’s degree in accounting and a

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Certified Public Accountant’s license, helped two people from China sort out the complexities of the United States — People’s Republic of China Income Tax Convention.

The tax convention gave the husband, as a professor, a reprieve from paying taxes, but the convention did not cover his wife.

Slaton volunteered several hours to figure out how they could file jointly.

“They were very, very grateful,” said Slaton. “I was glad it was

over, but I learned a lot so it was beneficial.”

UF Law Professor Steven Willis, who has served as VITA faculty adviser for nearly 10 years, said the program is beneficial for clients and also for the students who volunteer.

“Students have a chance to really meet a client and get a good feeling from doing something nice,” Willis said. “Students who have run the program have learned leadership, and they’ve devoted lots of hours to a worthy cause.”

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NON-PROFIT O R G A N I Z AT I O N U . S . P O S TA G E PA I D

Levin College of Law P.O. Box 117633

JACKSONVILLE, FL PERMIT NO. 296

Gainesville, FL 32611-7633

CONNECT www.law.ufl.edu