The College of Law is proud to offer 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.
Spring 2025
Lauren Angulo is co-teaching Contract Drafting this semester. Angulo founded Venustas Law Firm, which specializes in providing contracts, trademarks, and other comprehensive legal services to content creators, athletes, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. Before founding Venustas, Angulo worked as in-house counsel for the nation’s largest title insurance underwriter, resolving real property title defects, and then as a closing attorney for residential and commercial real estate closings. Angulo obtained her undergraduate degrees from Florida State University (FSU) and her Juris Doctor from the FSU College of Law.
Erica Bartimmo is teaching Discovery Skills this semester. She is Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Citi. Prior to that, she was a corporate attorney at Jabil Inc., a Fortune 200 manufacturing company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bartimmo provides advice and legal support to various business units within Jabil Inc., actively participates and manages outside counsel in all phases of litigation, and drafts and negotiates company contracts. Before that, Bartimmo was a member of Holland & Knight’s Litigation Section, where she practiced complex business litigation. While at Holland & Knight, Bartimmo represented and defended companies within the financial services and healthcare industries. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Bartimmo served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Mary S. Scriven of the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. In this position, Bartimmo managed a high volume of civil and criminal cases from filing to judgment, drafted dispositive orders, and assisted the judge with numerous trials and hearings.
Timothy Bass is teaching Space Law this semester. He has served as the Assistant Chief Counsel for the NASA-KSC Launch Services Program since 2009. Prior to that, Bass was a Law Clerk for NASA. He earned his J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 2009.
David Bedingfield teaches Family Law as well as Immigration Law this semester. Bedingfield has published extensively both in the UK and the USA, where he previously practiced before moving to the United Kingdom in 1990. He was appointed a recorder in 2009 and sits in family, civil, and criminal cases. His textbook, “The Child in Need: Children, the State and the Law,” was called an “essential purchase for childcare professionals.” Bedingfield has developed courses in advocacy techniques and has lectured extensively regarding the international movement of children, the adoption and placement of abused children, and human rights in the family law context.
The Honorable Stephen T. Brown, a 1968 graduate of FSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, is a retired federal judge teaching Jury Selection this semester. He 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 and CLE Courses and has spoken before bar associations throughout the United States and overseas.
Tristin Brown is teaching Policy Campaigns this semester. Prior to becoming the policy & program director at the People’s Parity Project, Brown was an associate counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. She first joined the committee as the Small, Webber, Spencer Litigation Fellow of the Georgetown Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program. Brown graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University with a B.S. in Public Relations and earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. At Georgetown, she was the president of the Black Law Students Association, a public interest fellow, a student ambassador, an online editor, and special projects chair of the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives. She was also recognized as a Pro Bono Pledge Honoree and Dean’s Certificate recipient for her special and outstanding service to the Law Center community, and she was elected by her peers to represent her class as a 2019 student commencement speaker. Additionally, at Georgetown, Brown represented clients in the DC Superior Court as a student attorney in the Domestic Violence Clinic.
Sarah Butters is teaching Trusts & Estates this semester. Butters is a shareholder at Ausley McMullen and has extensive experience in estate, trust, and related litigation; the preparation of wills, trusts, and sophisticated estate planning techniques; and the administration of probates and trusts. She frequently serves as a consultant on high-stakes disputes. She regularly testifies before the Florida House and Senate on legislation impacting the law of wills, trusts, and guardianships. She is a Past Chair of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar and a Fellow and Regent of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at Florida State University’s College of Law, teaching the law of wills and trusts, and is also a Past President of the Tallahassee Regional Estate Planning Council.
Robert N. Clarke, Jr. is teaching Florida Civil Practice this semester. Clarke is a shareholder and member of the Management Committee of Ausley McMullen in Tallahassee. 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.
Thomas Cloud is teaching Florida Local Government Law semester. He is a shareholder in GrayRobinson’s Orlando law firm office, he has also joined The Florida Bar’s Governmental and Public Policy Advocacy Committee. He is also a member of the Environmental and Land Use section.
Patricia “Trish” Conners is a nationally renowned litigator and creative legal strategist, with particular expertise in antitrust and competition law. For 36 years she served seven attorneys general in various senior executive positions in the Florida Attorney General’s Office, including as Chief Deputy.
Terence C. “Terry” Coonan teaches Human Trafficking. He is the executive director of the Florida State University Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and an Associate Professor of Criminology at Florida State University. He leads the multidisciplinary center’s efforts to educate and train a new generation of human rights advocates, track human rights issues, and serve as an advocate for human rights nationally and internationally. Professor Coonan has served as the Managing Editor of the Human Rights Quarterly. He has also worked at the Department of Justice in the Executive Office of Immigration Review, litigated asylum and immigration cases nationwide, and worked on various United Nations human rights projects.
Marc Dunbar is teaching Gambling & Pari-Mutual Law this semester. He is a partner in the Government Relations Practice Group at Jones Walker. He advises a wide range of clients, with particular emphasis on businesses in highly regulated industries. Dunbar is an alum of the Florida State University College of Law. Following law school, he worked for several years in the public sector. He was recognized for his exceptional legal work by Florida Tax Watch and was a recipient of the Davis Productivity Award, which honors state employees for exemplary service to Florida’s taxpayers.
Professor Charles Ehrhardt, author of Florida Evidence (West 2014), the leading treatise on the topic, and Florida Trial Objections (West 5th ed. 2012), Ehrhardt has been cited as an authority by appellate courts more than 500 times. He taught Torts, Evidence, Trial Practice, and Trial Evidence Seminar and was named Outstanding Professor seven times. After serving as the Ladd Professor of Evidence for 35 years, he earned emeritus status in 2007. He continues to teach Evidence at the law school.
Manny Farach is teaching Advanced Real Estate this semester. Farach is a shareholder at Mrachek P.A., where he practices real estate, business, appellate law, and alternative dispute resolution. Farach is triple board-certified by The Florida Bar in Real Estate Law, Business Litigation, and Appellate Law. Farach has served as HUD Foreclosure Commissioner and Chair of both the Fourth District and Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commissions and as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association since 1990, and a Florida Supreme Court Circuit Civil mediator since 1991.
Sam Farkas is teaching Bar Review: Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) this semester. Farkas is an attorney and the Vice President of Instruction and Online Education for BARBRI. He serves as an adjunct professor at several U.S. law schools where he teaches credit-bearing courses on law school and bar exam success skills. He specializes in helping students prepare for the MBE. He is passionate about teaching and helping students gain the confidence and competence necessary to succeed in law school, on the bar exam, and beyond. He graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University College of Law and is licensed in Florida and Georgia.
Katya Fisher is teaching Law & Technological Innovation this semester. Fisher is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Aracor. Previously as senior advisor and liaison to the chairman and members of the board and executive management team on strategic initiatives at Constructor Group and is responsible for oversight of legal and people. Fisher previously founded her own law practice and subsequently joined an AM200 law firm as a partner and practice group leader. She has represented clients successfully before the U.S. Tax Court and the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office. Fisher holds a B.A. from New York University and a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. During law school, she was awarded the Howard M. Squadron Fellowship as a visitor at the Programme in Comparative Media Law & Policy at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies. Fisher has been published in Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, Bloomberg Tax, and New York Real Estate Journal and quoted/mentioned in Bloomberg, Fortune, and Forbes.
Lizbeth Flores is teaching Start-up Law this semester. Flores is a leading corporate attorney with more than 20 years of experience advising clients in complex cross-border transactions. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, her practice focuses on international advising, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital. She holds a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Harvard Law School and a bachelor’s degree in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard University.
Judge Francine Ffolkes teaches Florida Administrative Law this semester. Before coming to the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) in 2017 as an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Ffolkes spent a childhood diving the reefs of her native Jamaica and dreaming of a career in marine biology. She chose the UM School of Law instead after taking an elective in coastal and marine law in her senior year. Before she came to DOAH, Ffolkes rose through the regulatory ranks to become deputy general counsel in charge of litigation for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The Honorable Martin Fitzpatrick is teaching Florida Civil Practice this semester. He was previously a judge for the Second Circuit Court of Florida. In April of 2020, he became a U.S. magistrate judge in the Northern District of Florida. He received his undergraduate degree from Stetson University and his J.D. from Florida State University.
Holly Goodman is teaching Employment Law this semester. Goodman is a shareholder at Gunster in West Palm Beach, Florida. As a board-certified labor and employment attorney, Holly Griffin Goodman focuses her practice on counseling clients, from small businesses to large institutions, on everyday employment matters. She is an FSU Law graduate, getting her J.D. in 2011.
Andrew “Drew” Hinkes is teaching Cryptocurrency & the Law. He focuses his practice on digital assets, advising financial services clients from startups to multinational corporations on a wide range of matters, including securities regulation, payment systems and money services business regulation, lending and staking, secured transactions including digital assets as collateral, structuring and governance of DeFi protocols and similar applications, anti-money laundering compliance, non-fungible tokens, stablecoins and other related technologies.
Joe Jacquot is co-teaching Judicial Power: The Role of a Judge with Ryan Newman. Jacquot is a business litigation shareholder at Gunster, who focuses his practice on representing clients in complex state matters involving litigation and appellate work, as well as counseling companies on various regulatory issues. Previously, Jacquot served as the general counsel to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis from the governor’s inauguration in January 2019 through October 2020. In this capacity, Jacquot was responsible for all litigation and legal matters of the governor and state executive agencies. He handled cases on behalf of the governor and his administration before federal and state courts, including five matters before the Florida Supreme Court on matters of statewide significance. Jacquot was a litigation partner at a national law firm, leading the firm’s national State Attorneys General practice. His work consisted of complex federal and state issues, including litigation and regulatory matters. Prior to that, he was a senior executive and legal counsel for a publicly traded mortgage company in Jacksonville, Florida. He had co-taught Executive Power: The President & The Governor.
Fred Karlinsky is teaching Law & Risk Management. Karlinsky is a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig. His practice focuses on the areas of insurance law and administrative law. He has been involved in revisions to the Florida automobile insurance law, worker’s compensation laws and medical malpractice laws. Karlinsky earned his J.D. from Florida State Law in 1992.
Melanie Kalmanson is teaching Florida Capital Punishment. Kalmanson is a partner at Quarles & Brady in Tampa, Florida, focused on commercial litigation, representing businesses and individuals in all phases of litigation in state and federal court. She is a double FSU graduate, getting her J.D. in 2016.
Alyssa Lathrop teaches the Judicial Externship Perspectives Seminar. Lathrop graduated with the highest honors from the Florida State University College of Law in 2009, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Florida State University Law Review. After graduation, she worked as a staff attorney for Justice Barbara Pariente at the Florida Supreme Court and then joined the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation as an assistant general counsel. She is currently a hearing officer at the Public Employees Relations Commission.
Sherri Denton Mallory is teaching Real Estate Transaction Skills this semester. Mallory is a highly experienced attorney with more than 30 years of experience specializing in Family Law, Real Estate Law, Litigation, and Estate Planning & Probate. She graduated from FSU Law with honors in 1987.
Michael Markham is running the new Bankruptcy Law Clinic this semester. He’s worked at Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP since 1988, focused on bankruptcy and insolvency-related litigation. He is an FSU double alumnus, getting his J.D. with honors in 1988.
Robert A. McNeely is teaching Entertainment Law this semester. He is a practicing attorney at Messer Caparello, Esq., and an alumnus who has worked and published on topics related to entertainment law, family law, legislative practice, intellectual property, and appellate practice.
Justice Carlos Muñiz is teaching Florida Constitutional Law this semester. Muñiz was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 22, 2019, becoming the 89th justice since statehood was granted in 1845. Prior to joining the court, he served on the staff of Secretary Betsy DeVos as the presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed general counsel of the United States Department of Education. In addition to working as an attorney in the federal Government and in private practice, Justice Muñiz had an extensive career in Florida state government. He served as the deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi, as deputy chief of staff and counsel in the Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, as general counsel of the Department of Financial Services, and as deputy general counsel to Governor Jeb Bush.
Alex Nakis is teaching UBE Essays/MPT this semester. He recently served as executive director at the AmeriBar Bar Review and holds a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Brian Newman co-teaches Trial Practice alongside Martin Sipple. Former Director and Chief Judge of the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) of the State of Florida. He was also previously chairman of the Pennington law firm’s administrative law practice group and is a 1993 graduate of the Florida State University College of Law.
Ryan Newman co-teaches Judicial Power: The Role of a Judge with Joe Jacquot. He is the general counsel to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Previously, Newman served as Counselor to the United States attorney general for national security and international affairs. He also served as the deputy general counsel (legal counsel) for the Department of Defense, where he was the senior lawyer in charge of litigation for the department. Prior to serving at the Pentagon, he was the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice, where he was responsible for coordinating department-wide policy initiatives, including the attorney general’s task force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, the attorney general’s memorandum on “Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty,” and the attorney general’s policy restricting settlement payments to third parties.
James Percival co-teaches Emergency Litigation. Percival is the Chief of Staff for Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. He currently serves as a Commissioner for the First District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission and previously served as the Deputy Attorney General of Legal Policy and Chief Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Florida. Percival earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Percival worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was counsel to Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand and Senior Counsel to Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio. Before that, he was an attorney at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and clerked for the Honorable Emmett Ripley Cox of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He co-taught Emergency Litigation with Ray Treadwell.
Robert A. Pierce is teaching Estate Planning this semester. Pierce is a shareholder of Ausley McMullen law firm in Tallahassee, where his practice areas include business, tax, estate, and probate law. He is a 1973 graduate of the Florida State Law School and a 1976 graduate of the graduate tax program at the University of Florida. He has previously served as general counsel of the Florida Department of Revenue. He has a broad practice that includes estate planning, wills and trusts, state and federal tax planning, business planning and transactions, and mergers and acquisitions.
Phil Sandon is teaching Florida Bar Topics this semester. Sandon has taught courses at many law schools throughout the state of Florida. His academic focus is in developing and implementing law school curriculum to aid students in their preparation for professional licensing exams. Sandon was reared in Tallahassee. He graduated from Harvard University, where he studied classics. He then attended Florida State University College of Law, graduating in 1992.
Maria Santoro is teaching Trial Practice this semester. Her practice areas are employment, medical malpractice, commercial litigation, personal injury litigation, automobile litigation, construction, and administrative law. She is AV® rated in legal ability and ethical standards by Martindale-Hubbell, is in the Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. She is fluent in Spanish. Santoro is certified as a circuit mediator by the Supreme Court of Florida. She has been admitted to practice before all Florida State Courts since 1987. She also is admitted to practice before all three U.S. District Courts—the Middle District in 2007, the Northern District in 1996, and the Southern District in 1988. Santoro has been a past member of The Florida Supreme Court Work Group on Statewide Jury Panel Sizes, the Florida Supreme Court Task Force on Management of Litigation Involving Complex Cases, and The Florida Bar Committee on Professionalism. In 1986, Santoro earned her J.D. from Western Michigan University (Cooley Law) in Lansing, Michigan. She earned her B.A. in business and English from Florida State University in 1982.
Kyle Sill teaches International Sales and Arbitration this semester. He is a graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law, taught International Sales and Arbitration this semester. He previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Scott Makar, and as senior law clerk for the Honorable Nikki Clark, and currently fills the position of senior law clerk for the Honorable Susan Kelsey. Additionally, Sill has taught as an adjunct professor at Florida Coastal School of Law, Florida State College at Jacksonville, and Universitè d’Auvergne, Facultè de Droit (located in Clermont-Ferrand, France).
Martin B. Sipple co-teaches Trial Practice with Brian Newman. Sipple is a shareholder at Ausley McMullen firm in Tallahassee. He earned his J.D. at Washington University School of Law, where he graduated Order of the Coif in 1991. He is board-certified by The Florida Bar in the area of Business Litigation and regularly represents clients in both state and federal cases involving civil litigation and intellectual property matters.
Judge Adam S. Tanenbaum is teaching Legislative Power this semester. Tanenbaum is currently serving as a judge on the First District Court of Appeal. Before his appointment, Judge Tanenbaum served as general counsel for the Florida House of Representatives (2016–2019). In that position, he provided legal advice and counsel to the Speaker of the House and to House members and staff regarding matters of legislative interest. He also advised House members and senior staff regarding ethics laws, public records requirements, House rules, and issues requiring constitutional or statutory interpretation. Previously, Judge Tanenbaum served as general counsel for the Florida Department of State (2015–2016) and chief deputy solicitor general at the Florida Department of Legal Affairs (2014–2015). Judge Tanenbaum earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Florida, where he was co-valedictorian. He graduated cum laude with a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Fernando Tesón is teaching Foreign Relations Law this semester. Tesón is an eminent scholar emeritus at FSU College of Law and is the leading authority on humanitarian intervention and the philosophy of international law. In addition, he has written on diverse topics such as immigration and political rhetoric. Originally from Buenos Aires, Professor Tesón has dual U.S. and Argentine citizenship. He has authored several books, including “Debating Humanitarian Intervention: Should We Try to Save Strangers?” (Oxford University Press, 2017) (with Bas van Der Vossen), “Justice at a Distance: Extending Freedom Globally” (Cambridge University Press, 2015) (with Loren Lomasky), “Rational Choice and Political Deliberation” (Cambridge University Press 2006) (with Guido Pincione), and “Humanitarian Intervention: An Inquiry into Law and Morality” (Transnational, 2005), which is considered the classic treatise in the field. He has also published dozens of articles in law, philosophy, and international relations journals, as well as collections of essays. Professor Tesón has presented his scholarship around the world.
Don Weidner is teaching Introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution this semester. Weidner was Dean of the FSU Law School from 1991-2016. A recognized authority on partnerships, limited liability companies, and fiduciary duties, Weidner is co-author of The Revised Uniform Partnership Act (Thomson Reuters 2023) (with Robert W. Hillman and Allan G. Donn). He has also written numerous articles on partnerships, limited liability companies, and financial accounting. He teaches Alternative Dispute Resolution, Closely Held Businesses, Property, and Real Estate Finance. He is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Civil Mediator and a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator. Dean Emeritus Weidner has served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Uniform Law Commission and was the Reporter for the Revised Uniform Partnership Act (1994). He is also a member of the American Law Institute and is currently a member of its Members Consultative Group on the Restatement of the Law of Corporate Governance. He served as dean of Florida State University College of Law from 1991-1997, as interim dean from 1998-2000, and as dean from 2000-2016. In 2011, he was named one of the Nine Transformative Law Deans of the Last Decade. In 2019, he received Florida State University’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award. He has served as a visiting professor at some of the nation’s top law schools, including Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Stanford. Dean Emeritus Weidner is an honors graduate of the University of Texas Law School, where he was project editor of the Texas Law Review.