VOLUME 44, NUMBER 1 STETSON SPRING 2004 The Magazine of Stetson University Lawyer College of Law New Dean New Campus NNEWEW HORIZONS Amazing tales of courage, adventure and fun from Stetson’s unique student body LawyerSTETSON VOLUME 44, NUMBER 1 SPRING 2004 STETSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW Darby Dickerson Vice President and Dean Royal C. Gardner Vice Dean John F. Cooper Associate Dean, International and Cooperative Programs Jan Majewski Associate Dean, Tampa Campus Phebe H. Kerr Associate Dean of Students Pamela B. Coleman Assistant Dean of Admissions Dotti E. Bressi Associate Vice President of College Relations Darlene L. Kelly Director of Development and Alumni Relations The Docket EDITORS Davina Y. Gould MAY 2004 SEPTEMBER 2004 Editor and Assistant Director of Communications 14 Spring 2004 Honors and Awards Ceremony, 17-18 Stetson Law “50 Years in Gulfport” Frank Klim College of Law Campus, Gulfport Celebration, College of Law Campus, Gulfport Executive Director of Communications 15 Spring 2004 Commencement Ceremony, Aaron Reincheld Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, speaker; OCTOBER 2004 Communications Specialist College of Law Campus, Gulfport 9-10 Board of Overseers Meeting, College of Law Campus, Gulfport CONTRIBUTORS/PHOTOGRAPHERS 21 CLE: Practice Before the 1st DCA, Omni Jacksonville Hotel Roger Curlin ’02 16 LL.M. Banquet, College of Law Campus, Gulfport 24 Tampa Bay Mad Hatter Golf Classic, Avila Golf Roxann Harris 21 CLE: Basics of Special Needs Trusts, St. Pete and Country Club, Tampa Tyler Hickey Beach 27 Alumni luncheon, New York, N.Y. Felix Hill ’95 21 CLE: Representing a Client with Diminished Layla McDonald Capacity, St. Pete Beach JUNE 2004 Brandi Palmer 22 CLE: Special Needs Trusts VI, St. Pete Beach 8 CLE: Winning Negotiation Skills, Tampa Law Velaine Paryzek 22 Family and Friends Day, College of Law Center C.J. Sagorski Campus, Gulfport 11 Alumni Luncheon, Columbia, S.C. Chris Stickney 23 Hispanic Bar Association Picnic, College of St. Petersburg Times 15-18 CLE: International Bankruptcy Symposium, Law Campus, Gulfport Montreal, Quebec, Canada Patricia Toups 28-30 International Environmental Moot Court Brianna Wetherwax 24 Stetson Lawyers Association Annual Competition, College of Law Campus, Gulfport Dennis Yankus Reception, in conjunction with The Florida Bar Annual Meeting, Boca Raton NOVEMBER 2004 The Stetson Lawyer is published twice 13 CLE: Primer on Bankruptcy, Tampa Law Center a year by the Offices of College JULY 2004 20 Law School Information Day, College of Law 6 CLE: Discovery of Medical Records after Relations and Communications for Campus, Gulfport alumni, students, faculty, staff and HIPAA, Tampa Law Center friends of Stetson Law. 21-25 CLE: Trial Skills, College of Law Campus, Gulfport DECEMBER 2004 1401 61st Street South AUGUST 2004 3-4 CLE: 29th Annual Seminar on Bankruptcy Law Gulfport, FL 33707 and Practice, Sheraton Sand Key Resort 3-6 ABA annual meeting, Atlanta, Ga. (727) 562-7818 • fax (727) 347-4183 8 Holiday Open House, College of Law Campus, 10 CLE: Motion Practice: Judicial Panel, Tampa Gulfport www.law.stetson.edu Law Center [email protected] 17 Fall 2004 Honors and Awards Ceremony, 12 CLE: Construction Law, Tampa Law Center College of Law Campus, Gulfport © 2004, Stetson University College of Law. 27-28 Stetson Lawyers Association Advisory 18 Fall 2004 Commencement Ceremony, College All rights reserved. Council Meeting, College of Law Campus, of Law Campus, Gulfport Stetson University College of Law is an Gulfport equal opportunity educational institution. T ABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES NEWS BRIEFS 14 Grads give back 3 Darby Dickerson named Vice President and Dean of College of Law December 2003 graduates raise thousands to fund class scholarship 4 Stetson promotes Gardner, Cooper and Radwan to decanal positions 16 A teacher of teachers 2 Professor Robert Bickel inspires students, 4 Stetson students lead national ABA Law colleagues with passion for higher Student Division, receive regional awards education 4 Stetson events commemorate Black History Month 17 Stetson hosts Brown 50th anniversary event 5 International news: Stetson adds A recap of one of the nation’s best panel Argentina to summer programs; Russian discussions of the landmark Brown v. Board judicial delegation visits Stetson; Stetson of Education decision 50 years later offers bankruptcy symposium in Canada 6 Leadership Development Program launched 18 Through the Citadel ...and back 6 Scientific evidence students process mock Student Nicole Villareal describes her crime scene with law enforcement experience as one of the first female students to attend the Citadel 7 Advocacy board news: Advocacy teams deliver outstanding performances in 14 competitions 20 Balancing law school and life 34 College of Law graduates lead Stetson board, alumni association The story of James McTyier, one of many part-time students who split time between 34 Stetson University honors Craig Crawford full-time jobs and part-time law school BA ’78, JD ’81 22 New campus, 37 Alumnus Jeffrey Maine ’93 charts new new horizons academic territory as tax law professor A photo tour and introduction to 43 Tower Club offers alumni CLE discounts Stetson’s Tampa Law Center 32 Law, politics DEPARTMENTS and business Alumnus Matt Towery ’87 combines 2 From the Dean entrepreneurial skills, political wit and a 17 Stetson education as pollster, columnist 8 Faculty Forum 13 Continuing Legal Education 32 Cornerstone Campaign Campaign entering final year; Tampa 34 Class Notes courtroom named for Reece Smith; feds allocate $5 million to Stetson projects; 35 In Memoriam Tampa gargoyles become hot naming opportunity 36 Alumni Events 38 From the SLA President 42 Alumni News/Information Update 44 Commemorative Brick Order Form SPRING 2004 1 22 F ROM DEAN DICKERSON A vision for the future of St rofessor Cal Kuenzel, who we must understand and try to further developing the business and taught at Stetson University improve our weaknesses. We must international aspects of our curricu- PCollege of Law for 40 years, consider the challenges and the lum. We have a growing always asked his Contracts students, opportunities. We cannot be all J.D./M.B.A. dual-degree program, “Who are you?” After the students things to all people, so we must which reflects that a significant puzzled for a while, the answer was choose what we want to be. portion of our student body is inter- finally revealed: “I am my word.” My vision for Stetson includes ested in transactional and commer- We must ask a similar question remaining deeply committed to cial work. about Stetson: Who are we, and superb teaching and skills training. My vision also includes increas- what do we want to be? We are known throughout the ing diversity on campus; continuing As for “who we are,” we are world for our advocacy training and strong support for the Center for Florida’s first law school. We are a must continue building upon our Excellence in Elder Law, which has strong regional law school that strengths in this area. already developed many wonderful emphasizes skills and practical My vision for Stetson includes initiatives; exploring a Center for training. We are a school that val- recruiting a stronger student body Excellence in Higher Education ues ethics, professionalism and pub- that can pass the bar on the first try Law and Policy to serve as an lic service. We are a school that and secure satisfying jobs inside and umbrella for nationally recognized provides a caring, individualized outside of Florida. It includes train- work already performed in this area learning environment for our stu- ing leaders, not simply lawyers. This by Stetson professors; establishing dents. We value our teaching mis- part of the vision will take money the Tampa Law Center as a true sion. We produce fine attorneys, and effort. The lack of scholarship legal center, while ensuring that the many of whom ascend to leadership money hurts the school. We have main Gulfport campus remains positions within the bench, bar and students who would like to come to strong and vibrant; ensuring that greater community. We have two Stetson, but who cannot or do not the part-time J.D. program provides beautiful campuses in Tampa Bay. because of our inability to provide a quality educational program to Although we can say much more, them with a competitive financial students who select that option; this description captures our aid package. improving our already strong serv- essence. My vision for Stetson includes ice to the legal profession and What do we want to be? That improving the intellectual greater community; improving our question requires more thought. exchange on campus and placing ties with the local business commu- Stetson is at a crossroads. a higher priority on faculty nity; and preserving our culture of Although the possibilities of what scholarship. Our first priority must strong faculty-student interaction Stetson can become are almost infi- remain outstanding teaching. both inside and outside of the class- nite, we must soon chart a course. But scholarship informs and room. Over the next few months, the improves teaching, so the goals of During this strategic planning College will start a process of strate- maintaining the highest quality of process, I am interested in hearing gic planning. In this competitive teaching and of improving scholarly from you — our alumni, supporters environment, we must be proactive. output are reinforcing goals, not and friends — about the direction We must play to our strengths, and mutually exclusive ones. you think Stetson should take dur- My vision for Stetson includes ing the next several years. Like our 2 STETSON Lawyer F ROM DEAN DICKERSON Darby Dickerson named etson Law Vice President & Dean faculty, students and staff, you have a Darby Dickerson was named the new Vice President vested interest in the school’s future, and Dean of Stetson University College of Law in February 2004.