November 2018
NSU Law Surpasses Overall NY State Bar Passage Rate by 8 Points
 
Eighty-two percent of the eleven NSU Shepard Broad College of Law graduates taking the New York State Bar Exam, passed the bar on the first try, according to information released by the New York Board of Law Examiners on October 23, 2018. The NSU Law results are eight points higher than the overall first-time bar passage rate for New York. New York has the second largest group of NSU Law test takers, following Florida. 
 
Our community was very disappointed by the recent Florida first-time pass rate, and the law school faculty and staff continue to work with students and recent graduates to provide additional resources and curricular enhancements to improve first-time passage in all jurisdictions. Committed to a goal of 100% Florida bar passage, NSU will continue to focus on enhancing bar preparedness and resources. The New York bar results serve as a positive reminder of what NSU Law graduates can accomplish.
Gerald Morris has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award as the Alumnus of the Year for the Shepard Broad College of Law. This award is the highest and most prestigious honor bestowed upon a graduate from NSU. It is presented each year to a graduate from one of the 15 colleges at NSU during homecoming activities.

Professor Gerald Morris was a member of NSU Law's charter class, receiving his JD with honors in 1977. He later obtained an LL.M. in health law from the University of Houston and has been board certified in health law since 1995. Professor Morris has been an adjunct professor beginning in 1992. From the start, his passion in Health Law was known and he was instrumental in the establishment of NSU Law’s Health Law Curriculum and programming. Professor Morris won the NSU Law Adjunct Professor of the Year award in 2008. He has supported NSU Law as a member of the NSU Law Board of Governors and he participates and supports the coaching of the Transactional Moot Court competition teams. Currently, Mr. Morris is General Counsel to Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale where he has served as in-house counsel since 1992.   
Gerald Morris (JD 1977)
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
November Pro Bono Events for Students and Alumni 
The following are pro bono opportunities for NSU Law students for the month of November 2018. Details available on Symplicity - click on the Events tab on the left navigation bar for details.

All of these opportunities can be counted toward the Pro Bono Honor Program as well as the 2018 Mandatory Service Graduation Requirement. For questions, please contact Jennifer Gordon , Director of Public Interest, at (954)262-6126.

  • November 2 – Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic – Dade
  • November 3 – Immigration Legal Screening Clinic - Broward
  • November 6 – Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic – West Palm Beach
  • November 8 – Legal Help Clinic Small Claims Court – Dade
  • November 16 – Pro Se Bankruptcy Clinic – Broward

Legal Research and Writing – “Writing and Wellness”
Approximately 100 students attended the “Writing and Wellness” event on October 4, 2018 at the NSU Shepard Broad College of Law. The interactive event—designed to help students manage the stress of their upcoming Legal Research and Writing memos—focused on nutrition, exercise, yoga, and mindfulness. Featured speakers included Professor Leslie Cooney, NSU Professor of Law and Mindfulness Expert; Stephanie Hermann (JD 2016), Associate Attorney at Fenstersheib Law Group and Yoga Instructor; Lubov Baugh, Fitness Coach and Personal Trainer; and Marilyn Gordon, EdD RDN CSSD LDN , Professor and Nutritionist, Nova Southeastern University. The “Writing and Wellness” event was organized by Dean Olympia Duhart, Director of the Legal Research & Writing Program, and Professor Camille Lamar. The LRW Student Outreach Committee is chaired by Professor Amanda Foster.

The next LRW event will be the Bluebook Citation Workshop on November 1 and November 7, 2018. Details
NSU Trial Association–Honorable E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Team advances to Finals
Congratulations to the Honorable E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Team on advancing to the final round during their competition in October at the Broward County Courthouse.

The team consisting of Wesley Wallace, Jenna Bascome, Michael Halpern, and Kevin DeMatteo won second place beating FIU. Jenna Bascome, Derek di Scipio, and Jihad Sheikha received "Best Advocates." Michael Halpern earned "Overall Best Advocate” and received a scholarship award.
News and Events
NSU Law held 2018 Law Review Symposium
Progression 2018: Using Law to Facilitate an Efficacious Innovative Economy
On October 5, 2018, NSU Law welcomed a wealth of expertise from across the United States to discuss underlying issues that coincide with flourishing innovation in various sectors worldwide. Progression 2018: Using Law to Facilitate an Efficacious Innovation Economy, addressed the many changes facing the global economy, including medical data, smart connected devices, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, regulation, privacy, and security concerns brought on by the developments in technology and the legal regimes that govern these sectors. Overall, the goal of the Symposium was to provoke conversation and awareness about important new health, technological, privacy, and entrepreneurial issues presently affecting our global and regulatory economy.

Our distinguished guests included: Stacey A. Tovino - Judge Jack and Lulu Lehman Professor of Law with UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law; Niya McCray - attorney with Kabat, Chapman & Ozmer LLP; Steven W. Teppler - Chair of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice at Mandelbaum Salsburg, and Adjunct Professor at NSU Law; Kathy Cerminara - NSU Law Professor; Marilyn Uzdavines - NSU Law Professor; Tracy H. Pearl - Professor of Law with Texas Tech University School of Law; Timothy M. Ravich - Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida; Tabrez Ebrahim - Assistant Professor at California Western School of Law; Vicenç F. Feliú - Associate Dean and NSU Professor of Law; Kevin D. Rosen - Partner at Shutts & Bowen; Mark Budnitz - Professor of Law Emeritus at Georgia State University College of Law; Richard C. Balough - Balough Law Offices, LLC; and Jon M. Garon - Dean of NSU Shepard Broad College of Law.

A symposium issue based on the presentations at the conference will be published by the Nova Law Review.
2018–2019 Mentoring Program Breakfasts
The Business of Law and The Path to Partnership
Three expert panelists and NSU JD alumni presented on the morning of September 21, 2018, on the business of law. Dean Janice Shaw, with the NSU Law Career and Professional Development Office, was the moderator of the program. Panelists included: Alison Smith, Esq. (JD 2003), Partner at Weiss, Serota, Helfman, Cole & Bierman, and Jeffrey M Wank (JD 2009), Partner at Kelley Kronenberg, James C. Sawran (JD 1982), Managing Shareholder and Vice President of McIntosh Sawran & Cartaya, P.A. The panelists represented law firms of varying size and provided different perspectives on key business principles and the financial factors that impact attorney and law-firm success. Photo above includes Dean Garon and Assistant Dean Janice Shaw.
NSU Law hosted the 2nd Mentoring Breakfast on November 2. Thank you to Sidney and Talia as well as the 40+ attorneys and students that participated.

Friday, January 25, 2019
7:30 – 9:00 am
NSU Law Mentoring Breakfast

Tuesday, February 19, 2019
6:00 - 8:00 pm
NSU Law Mentoring Dinner
Law Connect Plus
Professional and Ethical Considerations in Starting Your Own Law Firm
Sheena Benjamin-Wise
(JD 2001)
Hilary Creary
(JD 1993)
Chad Van Horn
(JD 2009)
Friday, November 16, 2018
7:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
NSU Law
CLE 2.5 General & 0.5 Technology
The Program will focus on a wide range of issues encountered by attorneys who decide to start their own law firms. Presenters will focus on matters ranging from choosing the right location, staffing issues, and establishing systems which maximize efficiency and profitability, while providing appropriate client services. Each discussion will address the professional and ethical considerations which will guide the participants in making the right decisions.

Palm Beach Chapter Celebration
Thursday, December 6, 2018
at the Gunster Law Firm
777 South Flagler Drive
Suite 500 East, West Palm Beach, FL
For sponsorship opportunities or questions, please email Catherine Eaton or call her a t (561) 420-8500
 
Miami-Dade Chapter Celebration
Thursday, December 13, 2018
at Fiduciary Trust International of the South
2 Alhambra Plaza, PH #1A, Coral Gables, FL
For sponsorship opportunities or questions, please email Kristen Reynoso or call her at (305) 441-8881
Two professors are seeking tenure with NSU Shepard Broad College of Law

If you were a student of Professor Heather Baxter and Professor Shahabudeen Khan, please take a moment to provide comments to assist the Committee on Retention, Promotion and Tenure.
AAMPLE Program Survey
The AAMPLE program is being reviewed by the Law Faculty’s Program Review Committee. The Committee seeks your input. Whether you were a participant or not, if you have an opinion, an experience or a story that you think is relevant, tell the Committee by November 21, 2018. Submissions can be anonymous or they can identify the submitter.
Comments may also be sent directly to Professor Brion Blackwelder
Volunteer for The Florida Bar's Disaster Relief Hotline
The Florida Bar's Young Lawyers Division's ( YLD) Board of Governors is working together with the American Bar Association and FEMA to provide and staff a legal disaster relief hotline for those affected by Hurricane Michael. This is an easy way to do pro bono work remotely and to help people in areas where many of your students, their families, and your alumni likely call home.

To volunteer, complete this FORM and review the FEMA Disaster Assistance Manual for Legal Services Advocates ( https://bit.ly/2gL549X ).
Faculty News
Associate Dean for Library Services & Professor of Law Vicenç Feliú

Published So Happy Together: Should the California Decision Be a Basis to Recognize a Right of Public Performance In Pre-1972 Sound Recordings? , 58 IDEA: J. Franklin Pierce Ctr. for Intell. Prop. 267 (2018).
Professor Michael Flynn

Was interviewed by ABC Local 10 News reporter Layron Livingston in July regarding a rental car accident dispute and again in August 2018 concerning FDOT liability for pot hole damage to vehicles.
Dean Jon M. Garon

Presented “Managing Change from the Middle by Leaning into an Unknown Future” at the Leadership in Higher Education Conference on October 26 th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His talk focused on how university leaders can respond to the disruptive changes impacting higher education.
Professor Ishaq Kundawala

Was interviewed by ABC Local 10 News reporter Layron Livingston in July regarding a consignment shop in North Miami that suddenly closed.
Professor Robert M. Jarvis

Published Control the Casinos and Stop the Dogs: Florida’s 2018 Proposed Constitutional Amendments , 22 Gaming L. Rev. 393 (2018).
 
Published Boats and Divorce , 49 J. Mar. & Com. 319 (2018) (co-authored with Professor Phyllis Coleman).
 
Was quoted in Gambling Compliance on September 6, 2018 concerning Amendment 3.
 
Was quoted in the Palm Beach Post on September 23 and September 30, 2018, concerning an ethics investigation into former Palm Beach County judge Martin Colin and an article about Governor Rick Scott’s stock portfolio, respectively. 
Professor Kenneth L. Lewis, Jr.

Published Peace in Israel and Palestine: Moving from Conversation to Implementation of a Two-State Solution , 24 Sw. J. Int’l L. 251 (2018).

Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Public Impact & Professor of Law Elena Marty-Nelson

Published the following:
Empowering Negotiators—Successfully Bargaining Salary Offers, Prenuptial Agreements, and Other Stressful Life Events Using the TABLE Method (Carolina Academic Press, forthcoming Jan. 2019) (co-authored with Lynn A. Epstein)

Via v. Putnam—Rewritten Opinion , in Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Trusts & Estate Opinions (Deborah S. Gordon, Browne C. Lewis & Carla Spivak eds., Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2019).

Professor Emeritus of Law and C. William Trout Senior Fellow in Public Interest Law Joel Mintz

Published an opinion piece in The Revelator regarding a Trump administration proposal to replace the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan to redress climate change.
 
Published a blog piece on the Center for Progressive Reform website on the potential role of the National Environmental Policy Act in preventing and responding to disasters.
 
Was quoted in an article in Greenwire with respect to the Trump EPA’s Smart Sectors Program.
Professor Marilyn Uzdavines

Was invited to be on a health law faculty committee that will assist in reviewing the competition problem and rules for the 2019 L. Edward Bryant, Jr. National Health Law Transactional Moot Court Competition. The competition will take place in March 2019 at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Contact Us
For questions, suggestions, and to submit news for any future editions of the Student Newsletter please contact:
 
Lynn Acosta
Assistant Dean for Student Services
E:           lynn@nova.edu              | P: 954-262-6127
law.nova.edu | (954) 262-6303 | lawalumni@nova.edu