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Adjunct Faculty

Faculty | Deans | Adjunct Faculty | Administration

Florida State Law is proud to announce an unusually rich set of course offerings taught by adjunct professors. These instructors, though not on the regular faculty of the law school, bring a diversity of experiences and talents to the school and a very high degree of professional accomplishment and expertise.

Adjunct Professors: Summer 2013

Albert J. Bowden, III: Civil Pre-Trial Practice
Meredith Charbula: Florida Criminal Practice
Laurie D. Jones: Sales & Leases and Professional Responsibility
Thomas Kirwin: Trial Practice
Seth Miller: Wrongful Convictions
The Honorable Ricky Polston: Florida Constitutional Law

Summer 2013 Courses for 2Ls and 3Ls

Albert J. Bowden, III, assistant attorney general for the state of Florida, will once again teach Civil Pre-Trial Practice. Mr. Bowden, a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey, is an experienced litigator, having worked more than 16 years with the Attorney General's Office and before that as a public defender and private practitioner. He is also a certified mediator for circuit and county courts. For more information, call 850.414.3300 or e-mail al_bowden@oag.state.fl.us.

Meredith Charbula, an assistant attorney general in the Capital Appeals division, will teach Florida Criminal Practice. Prior to her practice with the AG's Office, Charbula was an assistant state attorney in the Second Judicial Circuit, served nine years on active duty in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, was the deputy general counsel for Florida State and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ricky Polston, First District Court of Appeal. She retired from the United States Army Reserve in 2002 after 22 years of service. She is a 1987 Order of the Coif graduate of Florida State Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. For more information, contact call 850.414.3583 or e-mail meredith.charbula@myfloridalegal.com.

Laurie D. Jones will be teaching Sales & Leases and Professional Responsibility this summer. She is a 2000 graduate of Florida State Law, graduating first in her class and serving on the editorial board of the Florida State University Law Review. Since her graduation, she clerked for Judge Lanier Anderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and has served many times as an adjunct for the law school. For more information, call 850.656.0360 or e-mail ldjonesjd@aol.com.

Thomas Kirwin teaches Trial Practice at the Florida State College of Law. Kirwin has litigated cases for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida since 1992, and currently holds the position of First Assistant U.S. Attorney. Prior to his work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kirwin was an attorney in the Florida State Attorney’s Office and Army JAG Corps. He has taught various courses overseas, training prosecutors in Indonesia, the Ukraine, the Republic of Georgia, Austria and Hong Kong. He earned his J.D. from Florida State Law in 1979. For more information, call 850.942.8448 or e-mail Professor Kirwin.

Seth Miller is executive director of the Innocence Project of Florida and will teach Wrongful Convictions this summer. He earned his J.D. with honors from Florida State University in 2004 and was the executive editor for the Florida State University Law Review. For more information, call 850.561.6767 or e-mail smiller@floridainnocence.org.

The Honorable Ricky Polston of the Florida Supreme Court will teach Florida Constitutional Law. Justice Polston, an alumnus of Florida State Law, is a certified public accountant and was previously a certified circuit court mediator and judge on the First District Court of Appeal. Prior to becoming a judge, he practiced public accounting for seven years as audit manager with Deloitte Haskins & Sells, C.P.A.s, and law for 14 years (commercial litigation in federal and state courts throughout Florida). For more information, e-mail PolstonR@flcourts.org.

Adjunct Professors: Spring 2013

Eric Abrahamsen: Florida Criminal Practice
Dorene Barker: Poverty Law
Edwin A Bayó: Spanish for Lawyers
Richard Benham: Contract Drafting and Trademarks & Unfair Competition
Suzanne Brownless: Florida Dissolution of Marriage
Steve Brown: Advanced Trial Practice
Meredith Charbula: Florida Criminal Practice II
Robert N. Clarke, Jr.: Trial Practice
Laurie D. Jones: Sales & Leases and Professional Responsibility
Mark Ellis: International Human Rights Law
Dino Falaschetti: Insurance Law & Economics: Theory & Applications
Tor Jensen-Friedman: Trial Practice
Robert Hightower: Gratuitous Transfers
Fred Karlinsky
: Insurance Law & Economics: Theory & Applications
Patrick T. Kinni: Civil Pre-Trial Practice
The Honorable John J. Lazzara: Workers' Compensation
The Honorable Terry P. Lewis: Florida Civil Practice
Robert A. McNeely: Entertainment Law
Teresa Milla: Judicial Externship Perspectives
Lisa Nieuwveld: International Arbitration
R. Scott Palmer: Anatomy of a Crisis: The Real Estate Meltdown
The Honorable Ricky Polston: Insurance Law
David F. Powell: Gratuitous Transfers
David L. Powell: Planned Communities
Capt. Alan S. Richard: Admiralty Law
The Honorable Clay Roberts: Florida Constitutional Law
Philip Sandon: Remedies and Topics in Florida Practice
Amy W. Schrader: Florida Administrative Practice
Martin B. Sipple: Trial Practice
Herbert W.A. Thiele: Local Government Law
Stephen Turner: Legal Negotiations

Spring 2013 Courses for 2Ls and 3Ls

Eric Abrahamsen will teach Florida Criminal Practice this spring. A former prosecutor and county court division chief, Mr. Abrahamsen is a partner at the Law Offices of Friedman & Abrahamsen, where he practices criminal defense. He also coaches the College of Law Mock Trial Team and is an adjunct professor at Tallahassee Community College. Mr. Abrahamsen received his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law.

Dorene Barker has been the legislative director for Florida Legal Services since 1996. Prior to joining Florida Legal Services, Ms. Barker served as a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Revenue’s Child Support Enforcement Program and pro bono services attorney for Legal Services of North Florida, Inc. She received her J.D. from Florida State University College of Law. This spring, Ms. Barker will teach Poverty Law.

Edwin A. Bayó will be teaching Spanish for Lawyers. He has served as the assistant attorney general, Florida Department of Legal Affairs, Tax Section as well as an attorney for the Florida House of Representatives, Committee on Corrections and the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of Puerto Rico and a J.D. from Stetson University Law School.

Richard Benham will teach Contract Drafting and Trademarks & Unfair Competition. Mr. Benham’s practice focuses on technology law, intellectual property matters and business transactions. Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Benham served in the computer hardware and software industry for almost 20 years in various business and technical roles. Mr. Benham has considerable experience in drafting and negotiating agreements in subject areas including employment, real estate, intellectual property licensing, business combinations and finance. Mr. Benham holds a B.S. in Accounting from Florida State University and a J.D. (with Honors) from Florida State Law.

Suzanne Brownless will teach Florida Dissolution of Marriage at the College of Law this summer. She earned her B.S. degree from Stetson University and graduated from Florida State University College of Law with honors in 1980. As a child support attorney in Tallahassee, she focuses on a variety of family law issues both in the Circuit Court and before the Division of Administrative Hearings.

Steve Brown will teach Advanced Trial Practice this spring. He recently retired after serving for twenty one years as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Florida, the last three as the Chief United States Magistrate Judge. Prior to that he was a partner in a Miami law firm where he was a civil trial lawyer for nineteen years. He has taught a Trial Advocacy Program at the UM law school, CLE courses, and has spoken before bar associations throughout the United States and overseas.

Meredith Charbula, an assistant attorney general in the Capital Appeals division, will teach Florida Criminal Practice II. Prior to her practice with the AG's Office, Ms. Charbula was an assistant state attorney in the Second Judicial Circuit, served nine years on active duty in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, was the deputy general counsel for Florida State and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ricky Polston, when he was a judge for the First District Court of Appeal. She retired from the United States Army Reserve in 2002 after 22 years of service. She is a 1987 Order of the Coif graduate of Florida State Law, where she was a member of the Florida State Law Review.

Robert N. Clarke, Jr., a shareholder with the Ausley & McMullen firm in Tallahassee, will be teaching Trial Practice, which he has taught many times at Florida State Law. He is a 1986 honors graduate of the law school and now practices in complex commercial litigation and administrative law in a variety of federal, state and administrative fora. For more information, e-mail rclarke@ausley.com.

Laurie D. Jones will be teaching Sales & Leases and Professional Responsibility this summer. She is a 2000 graduate of Florida State Law, graduating first in her class and serving on the editorial board of the Florida State University Law Review. Since her graduation, she clerked for Judge Lanier Anderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and has served many times as an adjunct for the law school.

Mark Ellis will co-teach International Human Rights Law with Professor D’Alemberte this spring. A graduate of the Florida State University College of Law, he served as executive director of the American Bar Association Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI) before becoming executive director of the International Bar Association in 2000.

Dino Falaschetti (PhD, MBA, CPA) will co-teach Insurance Law & Economics: Theory & Applications with Fred Karlinsky this spring. Through 20 years of experience in business, policy, and inter-disciplinary research and teaching, he managed Fortune 100 audit-engagements and corporate finance operations. He also created insightful business analytics, litigation support strategies, and helped develop productive policies for the White House and state legislatures. Dr. Falaschetti now serves as Executive Director of the Property & Environment Research Center (PERC), a think tank that applies economic principles to solve environmental problems. He also serves as Special Consultant to Economists Incorporated, a premier economic consulting firm for law and economics, public policy, and business strategy.

Tor Jensen-Friedman will teach Trial Practice this spring. He has extensive experience with a broad range of felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. Since 2007, he has served as a coach of the Florida State Law Mock Trial Team. He earned his J.D. from Florida State.

Robert Hightower will teach Gratuitous Transfers this spring. He is owner and attorney with the law firm Rober S. Hightower, Attorney at Law. His practice consists principally of matters relating to estate planning, income tax planning, corporate legal matters, pension and profit sharing planning matters, litigation and dispute resolution involving state tax matters. He also advises professional service corporations on shareholder, pension, tax and transaction matters.

Fred Karlinsky will co-teach Insurance Law & Economics: Theory & Applications with Professor Falaschetti. Mr. Karlinsky is a shareholder with Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate, PA. His practice focuses on the areas of insurance law and administrative law. Mr. Karlinsky has been involved in revisions to the Florida automobile insurance law, worker’s compensation laws and medical malpractice laws. Mr. Karlinsky earned his J.D. from Florida State Law in 1992.

Patrick T. Kinni will again teach Civil Pre-Trial Practice. He is a senior assistant attorney in the Leon County Attorney’s Office, where he has litigated at the trial and appellate levels various issues of interest to local governments. Mr. Kinni received his J.D. from Nova Southeastern University School of Law in 1989.

The Honorable John J. Lazzara will teach Workers’ Compensation this spring. He is Judge of Compensation Claims (JCC) for the Tallahassee District and was first appointed in 1990. Prior to his appointment, he was engaged in the private practice of law in Tampa and also acted as a circuit civil mediator and federal court arbitrator. He also worked under contract as a Hearing Officer for the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission; the Property Appraisal Adjustment Board; and was a Panel Arbitrator on the first New Motor Vehicle Arbitration (Lemon Law) Board. Judge Lazzara has served as President, Conference of JCCs (1997-99); Chair, Florida Bar Workers’ Compensation Rules Committee (1994-95); Member, Appellate Court Rules Committee (2001-07) and twice chaired its Workers’ Compensation Law Subcommittee; Chair, DOAH/OJCC Workers’ Compensation Rules Revision Committee (2005-06); and is currently a member of the Florida Bar's the Standing Committee on Professionalism. He is a member of the Florida Bar’s Workers' Compensation Section and its Professional Conduct Guidelines Committee, as well as the Florida Bar’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. In 1998 and 2002 Judge Lazzara was nominated for appointment to the First District Court of Appeal. In November, 2005, Governor Jeb Bush appointed him Interim Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims, a position he held until May, 2006. In 2008, the judge was elected Inaugural President of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary, and currently serves on its Board of Directors. In 2009, Judge Lazzara was inducted as a Fellow of the ABA-affiliated College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and was elected to its Board of Governors (2011-13). In 2012 he was inducted a Charter Member of the Florida Workers' Compensation Institute's, Workers' Compensation Hall of Fame. His community service consists of serving on the Boards of Directors of Literacy Volunteers of Leon County and the Epilepsy Association of the Big Bend. Judge Lazzara received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Florida.

The Honorable Terry P. Lewis, who sits on the Circuit Court for Leon County, will teach Florida Civil Practice this spring. Judge Lewis earned his J.D. with honors from Florida State University. He has been recognized with such awards as Judge of the Year by the Florida Law Related Education Association and Trial Judge of the Year by the Tallahassee Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Robert A. McNeely, the managing shareholder in The McNeely Law Firm, will reprise his popular Entertainment Law course this spring. Mr. McNeely is an alumnus who has worked and published on topics in the areas of entertainment law, family law, legislative practice, intellectual property and appellate practice.

Teresa Milla will teach Judicial Externship Perspectives. Ms. Milla earned her law degree from Florida State Law and serves as a judicial clerk to the Honorable William A. Van Nortwick, Jr., at the First District Court of Appeal.

Lisa Nieuwveld, a partner at Bench, Cooper, Singh, LLP in New York will teach International Arbitration this spring. Prior to joining Bench, Cooper, Singh, LLP, Ms. Nieuwveld worked in The Netherlands with international arbitration and litigation group NautaDutilh and as an adjunct professor at Webster University.

R. Scott Palmer will teach Anatomy of a Crisis: The Real Estate Meltdown. He is special counsel for Antitrust Enforcement and chief of the Mortgage Task Force in the Florida Attorney General’s Office. From 1997-2007, he headed the Antitrust Practice at Berman DeValerio; from 1988-1997, he served in the Economic Crimes Division of the Attorney General’s Office, where he oversaw its complex litigation; and from 1982-1986, he was the chief prosecutor of the Statewide Grand Jury, responsible for the prosecution of multi-circuit organized crime cases. Mr. Palmer earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Miami and his B.A. from the University of Michigan.

The Honorable Ricky Polston of the Florida Supreme Court will teach Insurance Law. Justice Polston, an alumnus of Florida State Law, is a certified public accountant and was previously a certified circuit court mediator and judge on the First District Court of Appeal. Prior to becoming a judge, he practiced public accounting for seven years as audit manager with Deloitte Haskins & Sells, C.P.A.s, and law for 14 years (commercial litigation in federal and state courts throughout Florida).

David F. Powell is co-author of Bridging the Gap: Drafting for Tax and Administration Issues, (ABA Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, 2000) and is much sought-after by bar and other professional groups as a lecturer on estate planning. He teaches Gratuitous Transfers. Professor Powell is an Academic Fellow on the American College on Trust and Estate Counsel. He graduated with honors from University of Texas Law School in 1972, and he received an LL.M. in taxation a year later from New York University School of Law.

David L. Powell, a shareholder at the Tallahassee law firm of Hopping Green & Sams, will again teach his Planned Communities course, using a professionally prepared master plan for a hypothetical new community as a teaching tool to examine various land use regulatory programs. He has prepared the regulatory strategy and advised clients on master-planned communities, coastal resorts, and major utility and industrial projects throughout the state.  David received his law degree from Florida State University, where he graduated Order of the Coif and was Editor-in-Chief of the Florida State University Law Review. He has earned the highest rating from several listing services.

Capt. Alan S. Richard is a captain with the Division of Law Enforcement for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and is a 1994 graduate with highest honors from Florida State Law. He is teaching Admiralty Law, a topic on which he has published extensively and taught previously at the law school. As a student, he was a member of the Florida State University Law Review and the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law, and graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif.

The Honorable Clay Roberts will team co-teach Florida Constitutional Law with Professor D’Alemberte this spring. In January 2007, he was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal. Previously, he served as the executive deputy attorney general and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and Florida State Law. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Florida, the U.S. District Courts in Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Philip Sandon will teach Remedies and co-teach Topics in Florida Practice with Professor Daniels Ingram this spring. He earned his J.D. from Florida State and his B.A. from Harvard College. In addition to practicing law with Bryant, Miller & Olive, P.A., he has taught at Stetson University College of Law and been actively involved in various legal academic support capacities throughout the state.

Amy W. Schrader, a shareholder with Gray Robinson, P.A., will teach Florida Administrative Practice. She is board certified in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice and currently serves as chair-elect of the Administrative Law Section of the Florida Bar. Ms. Schrader focuses her practice on assisting companies and individuals in their dealings with Florida agencies, including representation at formal administrative hearings and appeal of final agency actions. Many of her cases involve challenges to the validity of agency rules or proposed rules and review or defense of agency procurement decisions.

Martin B. Sipple, a shareholder with the Ausley & McMullen law firm in Tallahassee, will be teaching Trial Practice. He is a 1991 graduate of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and served clerkships with the Nebraska Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois before entering private practice. He now practices commercial litigation and intellectual property law.  

Herbert W.A. Thiele
will teach Local Government Law. Mr. Thiele has served as Leon County attorney since 1990 and was city attorney of Delray Beach from 1981-1990. He earned his B.A. from Notre Dame in 1975 and J.D. from University of Florida in 1978.

Stephen Turner, managing partner in the Tallahassee and Destin offices of Broad and Cassel, will teach Legal Negotiations this spring. He is the former chairman of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group and senior member of the Constitutional Law and Government Litigation team. Mr. Turner earned his J.D. from the University of Florida in 1965.

Please click here for biographical information about previous adjuncts.

 

Faculty | Deans | Adjunct Faculty | Administration