Tuesday, April 8 at noon in room 250 - Come hear how several highly respected local attorneys fulfill their pro bono obligations and help low income clients. Panelists include:

Refreshments will be served.

Professor Jim Fleissner will be at Coastal Law on Tuesday, March 18 to speak at noon in room 250. His talk will be titled: "The First Amendment, Reporters, and Confidential Sources in the CIA Leak Investigation."

As Deputy Special Counsel in United States v. Libby, Professor Fleissner co-authored the government's sentencing submissions and appeared as co-counsel at Libby's sentencing on June 5th. Most recently, Professor Fleissner co-authored the government brief resulting in the U.S. Court of Appeals' order denying Libby bail pending appeal on June 29th, just hours before Libby's prison sentence was commuted by President Bush. Professor Fleissner will represent the United States in Libby's appeal of his conviction.

FCSL’s Law Students Against Violence will be presenting the Vagina Monologues at the 5 Points Theatre in Riverside on Park St.

• 2 shows only!!! - March 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets are $10
• Beverages and candy will be sold.
• Help fight to end violence against women and girls as a part of FCSL V-Day 2008!
• To reserve tickets or refer someone to sponsor this cause, please email: fcsl.lsav@gmail.com
• This show is for audiences ages 18 and above

This production will benefit the Hubbard House, a domestic violence shelter, and is a part of the global V-Day movement. For more information on these causes, please visit www.vday.org and www.hubbardhouse.org

Students, Faculty and Staff - You are cordially invited to join us for the Florida Coastal School of Law 2008 Law Week Banquet. Florida Coastal will be honoring Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince with the second annual Justice Raymond Ehrlich Award. The Banquet will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront - 225 East Coastline Drive. For more information, click HERE.

The Pro Bono Society will be collecting items to donate to the Jacksonville Humane Society beginning Monday, March 3rd, and continuing until Friday, March 14th. The below list includes items currently needed by JHS, and those items may be placed in boxes located in the Atrium or outside of the Pro Bono Office (Room 498).

Please contact Meghan Gilmer (mmgilmer@fcsl.edu) or Rosa Celeste (rmceleste@fcsl.edu) with any questions or for further information.

Stay connected with fellow Coastal Law alumni by attending a monthly social. See upcoming dates and locations by clicking on the link below.
- 2008 Alumni Socials

The Academic Success Team has released their latest tips for studying just in time for Midterms!
Highlights

Florida Coastal Law Review is honored to announce that Professor David B. Wexler will be visiting Florida Coastal School of Law on March 6, 2008. We welcome all faculty and students to join us at 10:30 a.m. in Room 525 to hear Professor Wexler speak about current issues concerning the field of Therapeutic Jurisprudence.

Professor Wexler first explicated the therapeutic jurisprudence perspective in a paper written in 1987. He and Professor Bruce Winick of the University of Miami worked together to further develop the area, which is now of interest to practitioners and academics of many disciplines and nations.

Currently, David B. Wexler is Professor of Law and Director of the International Network on Therapeutic Jurisprudence at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Distinguished Research Professor of Law, Rogers College of Law, Tucson, Arizona.

He is the foremost authority in Therapeutic Jurisprudence and has authored several books on the subject inlcuding: Judging in a Therapeutic Key: Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Courts (with Bruce J. Winick) (Carolina Academic Press 2003), Practicing Therapeutic Jurisprudence: Law as a Helping Profession (with Dennis P. Stolle and Bruce J. Winick) (Carolina Academic Press 2000), Law in a Therapeutic Key: Developments in Therapeutic Jurisprudence (with Bruce J. Winick) (Carolina Academic Press 1996), Essays in Therapeutic Jurisprudence (with Bruce J. Winick) (Carolina Academic Press 1991), Therapeutic Jurisprudence: The Law as a Therapeutic Agent (Carolina Academic Press 1990), and Mental Health Law: Major Issues (Plenum Press 1981).

Professor Wexler has also received many distinguished awards recognizing his expertise and contribution to the field of Therapeutic Jurisprudence. He is also a consultant on therapeutic jurisprudence to the National Judicial Institute of Canada, and has served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist, lecturing on therapeutic jurisprudence in Australia and New Zealand.

Please join us in Room 525 March 6th 10:30-11:30 a.m in welcoming Professor Wexler to Florida Coastal School of Law.

On Monday, March 10, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in Room 550, all are welcome to attend "How not to get Disbarred," a special presentation by Gray-Robinson attorney S. Grier Wells and local attorney and Coastal Law adjunct professor Jake Schickel.

Join Dean Jones’ class, “Race, Identity and Public Policy” hear Frank W. Sweet. Frank W. Sweet knows about “race,” what it is and what it is not. He knows it’s origins in the past and it’s contemporary history in the Untied States. He is a Ph.D. Candidate in history with a minor in molecular anthropology at the University of Florida in 2003.
More Information

We are pleased to announce that FCSL now has a state-of-the-art notification system that is capable of sending notifications instantly and simultaneously to all registered mobile phones, Blackberry’s, wireless PDAs, pagers, Smart or Satellite phones, and your FCSL email address as well. It is called E2campus and is free to signup to receive time critical notifications on the school’s status.
Sign Up for E2Campus

The Faculty Highlights for February 2008 are out. Please click below to download the highlights.
Highlights

We are please to introduce our first Computer Services Newsletter, Reality Bytes! Copies are available in the Computer Lab located on the second floor of the Library. You can also download the a copy of Reality Bytes HERE.

Also, our brand new Computer Services website is now live. Please visit this site anytime you need to make a Web Update Request, Plasma TV Request as well as other forms and assistance. You can visit the CS site by clicking on the Computer Services button located on the right hand side of the Coastal Law website or by clicking HERE.

FCSL welcomes the new Fall 2007 students to Orientation. For some important information about your first day of classes please visit the link below.
- Orientation Information

Students interested in participating in a live client clinic, for-credit externship or judicial internship in either the summer or fall semester of 2008 need to attend one of the following informational meetings:

Students will learn about the various placements and programs available, pre-requisites and other requirements, the application process, the Florida rule on becoming a certified legal intern and various other matters and will have the opportunity to get answers to any questions you have regarding our clinics and externships.

- Visit the Clinical Programs site

Multicultural Services, supervised by the Dean of Multicultural Affairs, (Assistant Dean) addresses the needs, issues, and concerns of students in nationality, ethnic, language, gender, and sexual orientation groups in our community and as a resource and referral officer for all such matters. The functions include representation and presentation of these students' perspectives to the Florida Coastal School of Law Community and providing independent resources and references to other departments when needed.

The office of Multicultural Affairs is designed and intended to work with all segments of the Florida Coastal School of Law community to help the development of these previously identified students through direct provision of opportunities, advice, and assistance. That advice and assistance is addressed to a myriad of problems such as analysis of academic goals and priorities, coping with personal, adverse conditions that affect law school performance, problems with interpersonal relations with other students and faculty, help in coping with the economic hardships and sacrifices while in law school, identification of symptoms and traits that may require professional consultations, assistance in the settlement of organizational disputes, and the allocation of financial resources for activities that are essentially multicultural to student groups that may require such assistance in the implementation on their programs.

For more information about the office of Multicultural Affairs please click HERE.

Please join local attorneys and Jacksonville Legal Aid representatives in a showing of the film MAXED OUT this Thursday, February 7th from 6-8 p.m in room 550. Pizza will be served! This film will provide information for students who are interested in pairing with local attorneys to volunteer with the JALA CARE (Credit Abuse Resistance Education) Pro bono project. To RSVP please e-mail Vicki Dearing at vdearing@fcsl.edu.

Jacksonville Legal Aid still needs student volunteers to assist lawyers in the JALA Care project referenced in this link. Contact them directly if you are interested. These hours are considered legal hours."
- JalaCare Information

Florida Coastal School of Law’s Student Bar Association invites the student body to the 2007 Barrister’s Ball Masquerade on Friday, November 9th from 9:00PM until 2:00AM. The ball will be held at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Tickets will be on sale from October 24, 2007 until November 2, 2007 in the atrium. Attire is formal and masks are preferred. We hope to see everyone there!

Florida Coastal School of Law assistant professor Roger Groves took his sports law workshop class to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium last week — but it wasn’t to see a Jaguars game. A group of 17 law students were there to learn more about the business of sports.

Coastal Law School’s Center for Law and Sports made its debut in 2005 and has quickly become a major draw for future law students. Groves, who began teaching at Florida Coastal in August, said as far as he knows, this was the first time a class went to the stadium to see all that goes on besides the football games.
- Read Move

On November 2, 2007, Florida Coastal School of Law and Jacksonville University will co-host the Ninth Annual Northeast Florida Environmental Summit titled, “Rising to the Challenge: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies to Combat the Impacts of Sea Level Rise.” This year’s conference will to be held at Florida Coastal School of Law’s new law school building in Jacksonville, Florida. The Summit will present a comprehensive assessment of the legal and policy challenges posed by the probable impacts of sea level rise and will discuss strategies to mitigate the causes and effects of those impacts. The Summit will feature several nationally recognized speakers, including the luncheon keynote speaker, Dr. Orrin Pilkey, James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of Geology, Earth, and Ocean Sciences at Duke University. The closing keynote speaker will be Professor Robin Kundis Craig of Florida State Law School. Other lectures and panel discussions will include experts in several fields relating to sea level rise, including law, science, business, policy, planning, and grassroots activism. All conference participants will have access to a full set of CLE materials and instructions on how to post their CLE credits on line immediately following the conference.
- View the flyer
- View the website

Please join the Pro Bono Society at its Fall Forum on Thursday, October 11, 2007, from 12 to 1 p.m. in Room 550.

The Fall Forum is held to educate FCSL students on various volunteer opportunities around the Jacksonville community. Many organizations representing various causes will attend, and a representative from each organization will give a brief introduction of its cause and volunteer opportunities. Afterwards, students may speak on an individualized basis with organization representatives at their respective tables.

Lunch will be provided. Please contact Meghan Gilmer at mmgilmer@fcsl.edu or Rosa Celeste at rmceleste@fcsl.edu with any questions or for further information.

We are pleased to announce that the Academic Success Team has moved to the 5th Floor, North! The services of the Academic Success Department are open to every student at FCSL, so please come take advantage of this wonderful resource. Meet with an Academic Success Counselor, the Writing Specialist, or visit our new Resource Room.
Tips for Fall

It's a new school year and the Library and Technology Center has a new website: Library and Technology Site Designed to be a starting point for research, it provides information about and access to all the electronic databases the library subscribes to, by topic or title. There is a prominent "Ask a Librarian" button and a handy "How do I...?" link that gives answers to frequently asked questions. Take a look. We welcome your feedback.
- FCSL Library

The Academic Success Team has put together some strategies for helping with midterms! Click on the link below for more information.
- Midterm Strategies

FCSL welcomes the new Fall 2007 students to Orientation. For some important information about your first day of classes please visit the link below.
- Orientation Information

The Academic Success team has put together some tips to prepare for summer finals.
View the Tips

The Academic Success team has created some strategies to help you learn from your exams. Download the document

A new conception of law practice is beginning to take hold within the legal profession, and along with it a new conception of what it means to be a lawyer. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of these innovative approaches to the practice of law -- including such diverse approaches as collaborative law, restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, transformative mediation, and holistic law -- and their relevance to various challenges facing the legal profession. This course will offer opportunities for experiential learning through role plays and discussions, in which participants will explore broader, more humane dimensions in the role of counselor and advocate, new methods of resolving conflict, and the spiritual dimensions of practicing law as a means of fostering personal growth and promoting social justice.

More Information about the Summer Learning Forum

The Jacksonville Film Festival and the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the Florida Bar will be presenting The Third Annual Independent Film and the Law Seminar on Friday, May 18, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Jacksonville. Florida Coastal School of Law is a principal sponsor, Visiting Professor Carolyn Herman is Program Chair and Dean Donald Jones and Assistant Professor Vicki Dearing are panelists. Topics include securing film music rights, negotiating production agreements and alternative ways to finance independent films. For more information and to register for continuing legal education, see the attached brochure or visit www.easl.info. For more information about the Jacksonville Film Festival, visit www.jacksonvillefilmfestival.com.

The following workshops are available to 1Ls interested in competing in the Moot Court Internal Competition. Please attend as many workshops as your schedule will allow.

More information about the 2007 Moot Court Workshops

"What Were They Thinking?" - A Proposed Approach To Harmless Error Analysis by Brent M. Craig, Assistant District Attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. Mr. Craig discusses some of the issues with the courts' approach to applying the harmless error test by critically analyzing the Chapman and Harrington tests. Mr. Craig's proposed new approach includes extending the application of the Chapman test.

More information about the Florida Coastal Law Review Journal

It is with great pride that Florida Coastal School of Law presents the first annual Justice Raymond Ehrlich Award. The award carries the name of the Former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, in recognition of his professional and humanitarian accomplishments. The award, which will be presented each year at the Florida Coastal Law Week Banquet, has been established by the students to honor an outstanding member of the legal community whose professional and personal accomplishments exemplify Justice Ehrlich’s distinguished career. In recognition of the need for aspiring attorneys to emulate the excellence exhibited by Justice Ehrlich, the award’s recipient must exemplify a career dedicated to the highest ideals of legal professionalism, ethical standards, and community involvement that Florida Coastal students strive to achieve.

The students of Florida Coastal are proud to present the first annual Justice Raymond Ehrlich Award to Wayne Hogan, Esq.

This year’s award will be presented on Friday, April 13, 2007 at the Law Week Banquet. Sponsors for the event include Holland & Knight and Spohrer Wilner. For more information, please contact lrwarren@fcsl.edu.

Tips from the Academic Success Team

View the ASP Tips

On Monday, April 24, 2007, at 6:00 p.m., in the Campus Atrium, the FCSL Campus Democrats and the Student Board of the FCSL Center for Law and Public Policy are hosting a Roast in honor of Assistant Dean Eric Smith.

Eric Smith has been an influential figure here at the law school and in the Jacksonville community. In addition to serving as the Assistant Dean of External Affairs, Smith is a former Jacksonville City Council President and Florida State Representative. This Roast event is honor of his years of service and his pending departure from our law school. Tickets for the Roast may be purchased at the door. They are only $6.00 per person and include a chicken dinner, side items, and beverages. Proceeds benefit the Jacksonville Humane Society.

Date: Wednesday - April 04, 2007
Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Dennis W. Archer, the National Policy Board chair, is the immediate past president of the American Bar Association and was the first African American elected to lead the ABA. Archer served as mayor of Detroit from 1994-2001. During his last year as mayor, he also was president of the National League of Cities. Archer’s distinguished career in public service also includes five years as an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, at the end of which he was named the most respected judge in Michigan by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

More Information about the FCSL Law Building Dedication

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the Honorable Nancy Soderberg, will speak at the Center for Law and public Policy’s Issues 2007 Forum in April. Ms. Soderberg, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, speaks at 3:30, Monday, April 9, in room 450. Her very timely topic is: "Today’s Foreign Policy." Seating is limited to the first 110 to rsvp and then on a space available basis.

Read More about Nancy Soderberg

Spring Break is almost upon us (March 19 – 23). The following tips may assist those who are trying to decide how to balance fun with studying.

More information about the Spring Break Study Tips

Professor Wendel will explore the relationship between moral values and legal norms in legal advising and counseling in the context of an analysis of the so-called torture memos prepared by lawyers in the Office of Legal Counsel in 2002. His principal claim is that the torture memos are morally bankrupt because they are legally bankrupt. The lawyers' actions were wrong from a moral point of view because the lawyers failed with respect to their obligation to treat the law with respect, not simply as an inconvenient obstacle to be planned around. In addition to critiquing the government lawyers' advice, he will also talk about the responsibilities of lawyers representing detainees, within the constraints of the rules establishing the system of military tribunals.

More information about W. Bradley Wendel

Congratulations to Scott Makar, an FCSL adjunct instructor, who has been appointed to the position of Solicitor General for the State of Florida. Attorney General Bill McCollum made the announcement earlier this week. The position was created by the Attorney General in February 1999 and is patterned after the U.S. Solicitor General.

More Information about Scott Makar

The ABA Section of Business Law is sponsoring its 21st annual Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest to encourage and reward law student writings on a business law subject of general and current interest. Each ABA-accredited law school, acting through its dean, is asked to nominate by February 26, 2007, a paper considering aspects of business law written in the 2005-2006 or current academic year by a student currently enrolled in the law school's J.D. program.

More Information about the Writing Contest
Entry Form

Jim King was elected in 1999 to represent Florida Senate District 8, which includes all of Flagler and parts of Duval, St. Johns, Volusia, and Nassau Counties. Prior to being elected to the Senate, he served for 12 years in the Florida House of Representatives, holding key leadership positions as House Majority Leader and Chairman of the House General Appropriations Committee and Fiscal Responsibility Council.

More Information about "Areas of Critical Concern" for more information