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Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law | February 2017
In this Issue

Upcoming Events 






February 4  - 13th Kozyak Minority Foundation Annual Picnic |  Information

February 10 - Law Center Plus | RSVP

February 12 - I care I Cure... I Run, | Register

February 17 - NSU Law's Entrepreneur Simulator | RSVP

February 20 - Distinguished Speakers Series- A Conversation with Seth M. Siegel, J.D. | Get Tickets

February 24 - Mentoring Breakfast | RSVP

March 6-11 - NITA Presents: Practice and Perfect Essential Skills in a Simulated Trial Setting | Registration
  
eventsEvents
The 13th Kozyak Minority Mentoring
Foundation Annual Picnic
The ultimate Networking event for minority law
students, lawyers and judges
Saturday, February 4, 2017 | 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Amelia Earhart Park, Hialeah, FL

The Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic (the "MMP") is the Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation premier annual event. The 13th Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic will be held Saturday, February 4, 2017 starting at noon at Amelia Earhart Park located in Miami. Although the picnic is FREE, there is a $20 fee per car for parking. Every student, lawyer and judge who attends the MMP will have an opportunity to find a mentor or mentee. This event count towards the NSU Law Dean's Certificate of Professionalism! The MMP is a family friendly event. We encourage you to Pre-Register and don't forget to come see us at the NSU Law Tent!  | Picnic Information | For Mentors | For Mentees
(L to R) Elgin Polo, CPA,  Joyce Julian, Esq., and Mark Sawicki, Esq.
Law Center Plus: "Follow the Money:
Forensic Accounting and Mandatory
Disclosure in Family Law"
Friday, February 10, 2017 |  7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Shepard Broad College of Law, Classroom 1

This particular seminar is designed to educate attorneys, on how to better understand the purposes of Florida Rule 12.285 (commonly known as mandatory disclosure) encompassing the procedural history, scope, practical application, and its usefulness in Family Law litigation, and how a forensic accountant ties into mandatory disclosure by clients. Our guest speakers will be: Mark E. Sawicki, ESQ.  of Mark E. Sawicki, P.A; Joyce A. Julian, ESQ. of Joyce A. Julian, P.A.; and Elgin Polo, CPA,CVA, ABV of Kbat, Schertzer, De LaTorre, Taraboulos, & CO
Join the NSU Law Team running for
I Care I Cure... I Run, 10th Anniversary!
Sunday, February 12, 2017 | 6:30 a.m - 11:00 a.m.
Nova Southeastern University

I Care I Cure will host the 10th Anniversary of the I Care I Cure...I Run 5K, Mile Run of Color Fun, Family Fun Day and Corporate Challenge on Sunday, February 12, 2017. This Foundation raises money to fund the search for cancer cures designed for children. It has a particular connection to the College of Law. It was founded by Beth Besner who was a counselor in our Career Services Office and her husband Brad. Their son Ian was a student at NSU's University School when he was stricken with leukemia. He survived the cancer, but not the cure. Thus, Beth and her husband Brad discovered the dire need for the development of cancer cures that were specifically designed for children, hence the creation of I CARE I CURE. The College of Law will have a team running and walking. Please join us to show support for the great cause.  Register!
NSU Law's Entrepreneur Simulator
Business Startups from the
Attorney-Client Perspective
Friday, February 17, 2017 | 12:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Panza Maurer Law Library


NSU Law's Entrepreneur Simulator is an educational experience for attorneys and students interested in learning the legal complexities involved in starting up and operating a business. The Simulator focuses on an "entrepreneur timeline" from the conception of a business to its operation as a fully­-functioning business. During this timeline, legal professionals illustrate and discuss common legal and financial scenarios and best practices. | Register Here
Distinguished Speakers Series -
A Conversation with Seth M. Siegel, J.D. 
Friday, February 20, 2017 | 7:00 p.m.
Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center

This event is co-hosted by NSU's Farquhar Honors College, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, Shepard Broad College of Law, and College of Engineering and Computing. Siegel is the Daniel M. Soref Senior Water Policy Fellow at the University of Wisconsin's School of Freshwater Sciences, as well as the co-founder of several companies, including Beanstalk, the world's leading trademark brand extension company, which he sold to Ford Motor Company. [...] Read More | This event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required for attendance. Limit two (2) tickets per person. Get your Tickets Today!
Mentoring Program Last Session of 2016-2017:
Professionalism & Ethics in the Courtroom
Friday, February 24, 2017 | 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Panza Maurer Law Library (3rd floor)

This will be the final Mentoring Breakfast of the semester, all law students including 1Ls are encouraged to attend.  The panel of judges who will be speaking are: The Honorable Melanie May, The Honorable Robert Diaz, and The Honorable Kal Evans.  Students and alumni will hear firsthand what judges expect from attorneys in the courtroom and how to react to any given situation while staying professional. If you have any questions, please contact Alumni Relations at  [email protected] | RSVP
NITA Presents:  Practice and Perfect Essential Skills in a Simulated Trial Setting
March 6-11, 2017 | 7:00 p.m.
NSU Shepard Broad College of Law

Here you'll discover and master techniques in a supportive environment staffed by our world class faculty. This program offers you direct mentoring and constructive critique from a faculty that includes trial lawyers, judges and professors who have all been teaching trial advocacy for decades. The Director of the Program is our very own NSU  Professor of Law, Mark Dobson. This course offers CLE Credits: 46 Credits, 2.0 Ethics. NSU Law Alumni receive a discounted rate, Register today!
Implicit Bias, Explicit Justice: Fairness & Diversity Insights from the Bench, Fairness and Diversity Panel
January 17, 2017

On Tuesday, Jan. 17th, the Florida Supreme Court's Fairness and Diversity Committee brought state judges to campus for programs on implicit bias. Around 9:00 in the morning, judges were able to met informally with students and student groups for questions and answers. The program began at 11 a.m. at the Panza Maurer Law Library, 3d floor and ran until 1 in the afternoon. |  Photos |
Mentoring Program Breakfast, No. 3: 
(L to R) Michelle Suarez, Natalie Giachos, and The Honorable Giuseppina Miranda
"Work Life Balance: Keeping it in Perspective." 
January 27, 2017

With about 40 alumni and students in attendance, the third mentoring breakfast of the year was well received and informative.  The Honorable Giuseppina Miranda, 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Michelle K. Suarez, Attorney at Odroniec Suarez, P.A., and Natalie Giachos, Attorney at Boyar & Freeman, P.A. were the panel speakers for the breakfast who gave tips and best practices on "Work Life Balance: Keeping it in Perspective."  | Photos  |
FSU Fifth Annual Animal Law  Writing Competition
Deadline: July 17, 2017

The FSU College of Law's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund is pleased to announce the Fifth Annual Animal Law Writing Competition. The purpose of this competition is to generate interest and recognition of this rapidly growing field. All articles must be postmarked no later than July 17, 2017.  Click here for further details | Competition Rules |
faculty
Faculty News
Professor Tim Canova comments in story for the Counter Punch Online Magazine named How to Cut Infrastructure Costs in Half. To read the full article, click here.

Staff Attorney Jayme Cassidy, has been invited by the
Miami VA to  meet with ABA President Linda Klein, to discuss the NSU Veterans Law Clinic and Legal Incubator programs housed at the NSU College of Law.  The Miami VA selected only two legal services programs to have this opportunity. Ms. Cassidy will also be presenting to the ABA Access to Legal Services Committee Members about the NSU College of Law Legal Incubator program, the nation's first Legal Incubator program targeting the Veterans community.

Professor Olympia Duhart published an Op Ed in The Miami Herald on Jan. 17, 2017 advocating for President Obama to grant a posthumous pardon to civil rights activist Marcus Garvey. Read the editorial here.

Professor Olympia Duhart also participated in a panel on Diversity and the Law School Culture at the AALS meeting in San Francisco Jan. 5, 2017. She served as moderator for a panel that examined the challenges of creating a law school culture that embraces student and faculty diversity. In addition, Professor Olympia Duhart completed her work on a podcast mini-series examining gender bias in the legal profession. Duhart served as producer for three units - In the Media, Multiple Identities and Solutions - in the series. The podcast is available on iTunes and at LST Radio.

Heather Baxter and Olympia Duhart, professor of Law and LRW - Executed a successful LRW Student Outreach Event. On Friday, January 13, Heather and Olympia hosted the fourth annual judicial workshop, titled The Importance of Professionalism in Adversarial Legal Writing: A Judicial Roundtable Discussion. This event, held in the Jury Assembly Room at the Broward County Courthouse, was aimed at reinforcing the importance of professionalism in persuasive legal writing.  The panel of Judges who participated were The Honorable Melanie G. May, Fourth District Court of Appeal of Florida, The Honorable Carlos A. Rodriguez, 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida, The Honorable Elijah H. Williams, 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida, and The Honorable Robert F. Diaz, Broward County Court. Click Here to see the Photo album.
Professor Vicenç Feliú, has been named Associate Dean and Professor of Law for Library Services of the Panza Maurer Law Library. He will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the law library, in conjunction with Jon M. Garon, the Dean of the College of Law, and working closely with the Alvin Sherman Library, a public-private partnership between NSU and Broward County. See full press release.

Elena Rose Minicucci, (JD 1996) Co-Chaired the Alumni Track Program for the Institutional Advancement (IA) Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) during its conference in San Francisco January 4-8, 2017.  Minicucci, and her co-chair, produced three programs during the conference. The topics included, "Alumni Advisory Boards: Use Them or Lose Them," "Making the Case for Alumni Relations: How Do You Measure Success?" and "Reunions, Big Events, and Volunteer Management." Over 250 members of IA Section were at the conference.  Minicucci was director of alumni relations (2011-2016) and now teaches in the Critical Skills Program at NSU Law.
Fran Tetunic Professor of Law and Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic, was quoted in an article of the January issue of Vanity Fair. Fran explained the difference in outcome for a high profile celebrity when using a public judge verse private judge and the impact it can have on one's reputation and image. 

Professor Michael Masinter was interviewed by WIOD radio regarding the "pending Supreme Court nomination. Clip is available here


Professor Joel Mintz submitted a 912 page (550 words/page) manuscript of a new casebook, A Practical Introduction to Environmental Law. Co-authored with four other law professors and one contributing author, the book contains numerous "practice problems" designed to introduce law students to the challenges faced by environmental practitioners. It is scheduled to be published by Carolina Academic Press in June, 2017. Professor Mintz was a commentator and questioner at a panel on "Environmental Law in the New Administration" at the AALS Annual Meeting in San Francisco. He also participated in national scholars' roundtable discussions on "The Coming Assault on Our Safeguards," and "Trump's Infrastructure Agenda and Public Health and Environmental Policy," at a Center for Progressive Reform member scholars' meeting at UC Hastings law school in San Francisco;

Professor Mintz published a blog piece, "Environmental Enforcement in the Crosshairs," discussing the vulnerability of EPA's enforcement program during the Trump administration and the 110th Congress. He was quoted repeatedly in a discussion of the prospects for EPA enforcement in "2017 Outlook," an annual publication of the Bloomberg/BNA Environment Reporter and spoke with a reporter for Inside Climate News regarding the prospects for the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline and interpretation of the National Environmental Policy Act under the Trump administration.
Adjunct Professor Ethan Wall was interviewed in WLRN Miami, South Florida. The tittle of the interview was "At Your Service: Social Media and the Law". To listen to the entire interview, please click here.
alumni
NSU Alumni Association Events
      • February 24, 2017: NSU Takeover Night at the Panthers | RSVP
  Visit the Alumni Event Page for Full Listing of Events
student
Student News
Yale Sanford (2L), speaks to the workshop attendees
NSU Trial Association launches: Workshops!
January 20 & 27, 2017

Open to all members, the workshops highlighted different aspects of the trial allowing for participants to get on their feet and start advocating. The goal of this hands-on approach is to provide members with an opportunity to hone their litigation skills in an environment that fosters confidence and the ability to apply critique on the spot. The two workshops which focused on the basic elements of a trial were held on consecutive Fridays in January (Jan. 20 & Jan. 27). The first highlighted opening statements and closing arguments. The second workshop focused on direct and cross examinations. Participants were split up into groups of three or four and were taught a lesson by a member of the NSU Trial Association. To learn more about NTA and how to get involved, Click Here!
class
Class Actions
Jonathan Tolentino
Jonathan I. Tolentino (JD 1999), was recognized by the Florida Bar with The Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award in January 2017. Tolentino was a founding member of the Pro Bono Bankruptcy Legal Clinic with the Legal Aid Service's Collier Lawyers Care program. Tolentino is founding partner with Jonathan Tolentino, P.A. in Naples, FL focusing on real estate, bankruptcy and personal injury law.


Featured in February Class Actions: Eunice Baros, Roberta G. Stanley, Robin Moselle, Donna Greenspan Solomo, Joseph J. Nagy, Leticia Piloto-Rodriguez, Jennifer C. Erdelyi, Charles Davant, Annabella Barboza, Justin Parafinczuk, Thomas P. Fabricio, Marc A. Marra, Liza Escapa Lima, Michelle K Suarez, Robert L. Newman, Linda Fresneda Llerena, Amanda Levine, Esq., Matthew I. Botkin, CPA, CFP, Esq., and Mary Grecz.
Development Update:
Opportunities for Giving

Susan Stephan
Susan Stephan, Director of Development
At NSU Law, we are able to offer opportunities for students to realize their potential when our generous donors give to the law school in areas including our scholarship funds, programs, and law clinics. We are grateful to our alumni, staff, faculty and friends whose support for our students helps us to prepare them for successful careers after graduation. Please consider making a gift today or adding NSU Law to your estate plans to continue your support through a legacy gift.

To learn more about opportunities to support NSU Shepard Broad College of Law, please contact our Director of Development, Susan Stephan, at 954-262-6261 or [email protected]. Thank you!


For questions, suggestions, and to submit news for the Class Actions column, please contact:
 
Laura Dietz
Director of Alumni Relations
[email protected]  |  954-262-6303  
 
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