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 variety of experiences and talents to the school and a very high degree of professional accomplishment and expertise.
Spring 2026
Lauren Angulo is a double Seminole, attorney, and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Venustas Law, a firm established in 2021 to address the gap in legal services for businesses, entrepreneurs, and talent in the creative and sports industries. She focuses on contract negotiation, compliance, and business strategy, helping clients protect their interests, structure their operations, and secure partnerships for sustainable growth. Her practice includes advising on business formation, contract drafting, brand collaborations, sponsorship deals, and legal compliance. Angulo also serves on the FSU College of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Erica Bartimmo is Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Citi. She is proficient in handling complex cases involving securities fraud, breach of contract, fiduciary duty, and antitrust claims in federal and state courts. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law.
Timothy Bass taught the inaugural Space Law class offered by FSU in 2014. Bass is currently a member of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Office of the Chief Counsel and is the first matrixed to the Exploration Ground Systems Program, where he practices in a wide range of fields, including space, procurement, ethics, labor, nuclear, and general law. He serves as the legal advisor to the Kennedy Space Center’s Radiation Protection Committee. He has also served in the International Law Practice Group within the Office of General Counsel at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Lynn Branham is a visiting professor from the Saint Louis University School of Law. Professor Branham’s expertise centers on restorative justice as well as sentencing and correctional law and policy. Professor Branham has held numerous leadership positions in the American Bar Association, including serving as a member of the Criminal Justice Section’s Council, Co-Executive Director of the Equal Justice Division, Chair and later Co-Chair of the Corrections Committee, and Chair of the Subcommittee on Effective Prison Oversight. The primary focus of Professor Branham’s current research is on integrating restorative justice into criminal justice systems and communities’ responses to crime, as well as affording victim-survivors the right of access to restorative justice. Her numerous publications also include casebooks and articles on correctional and sentencing law and policy.
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. 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 serves the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg as an Advocacy Manager. In this role, she shapes and executes the Foundation’s policy and advocacy plan, initiatives, and strategies pertaining to systems change and health equity. Prior to this role, Brown served as Policy & Advocacy Director at the National Black Worker Center. Her other previous roles include Policy & Program Director at the People’s Parity Project and Associate Counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Brown earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. Before law school, Brown worked as a staffer for former U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Graham and interned with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Sarah S. Butters is a Shareholder at Ausley McMullin with extensive experience in wills, trusts, and probate law. Butters 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, and also a Past President of the Tallahassee Regional Estate Planning Council. She is a summa cum laude graduate of FSU Law.
Robert "Rob" Clarke is a Shareholder at Ausley McMullen and a member of the Management Committee. Clarke has been repeatedly recognized for his superior representation of clients in the area of civil litigation. Clarke's experience with and knowledge of Florida courts is also enhanced by his service on The Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee. He was a member of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee for many years and served as Chair in 2005. Clarke is recognized by his peers as a leader in the field of civil procedure and has argued before the Florida Supreme Court relating to matters involving court rules.
Thomas Cloud is teaching Florida Local Government Law. He is a Partner in GrayRobinson’s Orlando law firm office, and 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 Shareholder at Stearns Weaver Miller. She is a litigator and creative legal strategist, with particular expertise in antitrust and competition law. A significant focus of her work is enforcement by state attorneys general. For 36 years, she served seven attorneys general in various senior executive positions in the Florida Attorney General’s Office, including as Chief Deputy.
David Dewhirst is co-teaching Executive Power. Dewhirst has been selected as the new Chief of Staff to the Attorney General as of February 19, 2025. He previously served as a senior advisor to Governor Ron DeSantis. Dewhirst began his legal career at the Freedom Foundation, which he co-founded, where he defended clients in legal proceedings before federal, state, and administrative tribunals involving the constitution, labor, and campaign finance. Prior to his current position, he served as Idaho's chief deputy attorney general and Montana's solicitor general. In 2018, Dewhirst joined the U.S. Department of Commerce as senior counsel before becoming the principal deputy general counsel. Dewhirst has also served as the chief environmental review permitting officer for commerce, the regulatory reform officer for the Department of Justice, and supervised the department's sizable litigation portfolio. He clerked for Judge Lawrence VanDyke on the Ninth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. He had co-taught Executive Power: The President & The Governor.
Joshua Doyle is the Executive Director of the Florida Bar. Doyle previously served as a special agent for the FBI, working in the Bureau’s Tallahassee office.
Manny Farach is teaching Real Estate Law Foundations. Farach is a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. His background is in 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.
Judge Francine M. Ffolkes currently serves as an Administrative Law Judge in Tallahassee, Florida. Previously, Judge Ffolkes served as the Deputy General Counsel for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Judge Martin Fitzpatrick is teaching Florida Civil Practice. 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.
Jonathan Grossman is teaching Bar Review: MBE. He is an alumnus of NSU Shepard Broad College of Law and is a bar prep instructor at multiple FL law schools. He has provided individual and group classes for students preparing for the bar exam since 2003 through his firm, Whatstheissue.org.
Richard "Rich" Harper is the Partner-in-Charge at Baker Botts' New York office. Harper litigates on behalf of some of the world's most sophisticated technology, media, and entertainment companies. He leads litigation teams in business tort and breach of contract disputes, ranging from trade secret litigation to business defamation claims for clients such as PepsiCo and Formula 1 Racing. Within the business tort field, Harper has built a leading national practice in fiduciary duty and securities litigation, having represented the company and/or directors of Liberty Media, NASCAR, Starz, and Charter Communications.
Joseph "Joe" W. Jacquot is co-teaching Executive Power. 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.
Melanie Kalmanson is a Partner with Quarles in Tampa. She advises clients on commercial litigation, representing businesses and individuals in all phases of litigation in state court, federal court, and arbitration. She dedicates her pro bono work to death penalty education.
Fred Karlinsky is a Shareholder and Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice Group. He also serves on Greenberg Traurig’s Executive Committee. Karlinksy has over 30 years of experience representing the interests of insurers, reinsurers, and a wide variety of other insurance-related entities. He is a recognized authority on national insurance regulatory and compliance issues, has taken a leadership position in many insurance trade organizations, and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Florida Trend 500, and Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” for his work in insurance law. Since 2014, Karlinsky has served on and currently chairs the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), where five of the seven current sitting Justices of the Florida Supreme Court have been appointed during Karlinsky's tenure on the JNC.
Alyssa Lathrop is an attorney with the Public Employees Relations Commission. 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.
Terry Lewis is an attorney with Messer Caparello and a retired Circuit Court Judge. He 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.
Sherri Denton Mallory is an Attorney, Partner, and Owner at Mallory Law Firm, P.A. Mallory teaches Real Estate Transactions at FSU College of Law. She earned her J.D. from Florida State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration & Computer Science from the University of Florida.
Michael Markham is the Director of the Bankruptcy Pro Bono Clinic. 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.
Preston McLane is a special program adjunct and attorney advisor at the FSU College of Law. He is also the Program Administrator for the Division of Air Resource Management at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. McLane teaches Florida Environmental Law and has taught as an adjunct professor at FSU Law since 2014. His responsibilities there range over many key programs under the Clean Air Act, including managing the State Implementation Plan development and revision process, rulemaking, regulatory planning, budget development, grant program development, and coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on matters relating to Florida’s attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Robert "Rob" McNeely is a litigation and transactional attorney at Messer Caparello, P.A. He has taught entertainment law as an adjunct professor at the FSU College of Law for over 20 years. McNeely has practiced entertainment law since 1999, building his practice by focusing mostly on the music industry. He has represented superstars and garage bands, been involved in worldwide tours, and worked with countless recording artists, songwriters, music producers, record companies, and music publishers. He has litigated entertainment law and intellectual property law issues in state and federal courts in Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and California.
Justice Carlos Muñiz is teaching Statutory Interpretation in the Courts. Justice 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 the 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 the Executive Director of AmeriBar and teaches UBE Essays/MPT. Nakis brings extensive legal expertise to his clients and is licensed to practice in Florida. He is a nationally renowned bar exam expert, having worked with law schools throughout the country to improve student bar exam performance. Over the last 25 years, Professor Nakis has assisted thousands of bar examinees.
Brian Newman is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Before joining Citizens, Newman served as the Director and Chief Judge of the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) of the State of Florida. He was 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. He co-taught Trial Practice alongside Martin Sipple.
Ryan Newman co-taught Judicial Power 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.
Ben Odom is the Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at NASCAR. He is a double Seminole and a former graduate assistant for the university’s football program. He now teaches at FSU and serves on several boards at FSU Law. Odom began his legal career as a staff attorney at the International Speedway Corporation.
R. Scott Palmer is the Special Counsel - Chief of Complex Enforcement at the Florida Office of the Attorney General. He has taught Antitrust. An employee of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs, Palmer holds board certifications in antitrust and trade regulation law. 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. Palmer earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Miami and his B.A. from the University of Michigan. For more information, contact him at scott.palmer@myfloridalegal.com.
James Percival is Chief of Staff for Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and oversees the state’s civil appellate litigation on behalf of the solicitor general. 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 “Bob" A. Pierce is teaching Trusts and Estates. Pierce is a Shareholder of the 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.
Adria Quintela is a clinical professor and co-directs the Externship Program and supervises judicial, government, in-house corporate, public interest, and international externships. She also teaches Civil Externship Perspectives and Professional Responsibility. Quintela previously worked at The Florida Bar for more than 23 years, most recently serving as staff counsel and director of lawyer regulation, where she was responsible for supervising the operations of the lawyer regulation department. She previously held positions as Chief Branch Discipline Counsel and Senior Attorney/Assistant Staff Counsel. Her experience also includes practicing law in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, focusing on areas such as personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, employment litigation, and commercial litigation.
The Honorable Thomas M. Ramsberger is a judge of the Florida 6th Circuit Court. He earned his B.S. and J.D. from Florida State University School of Law. Prior to his election to the circuit court, he worked as an attorney at his law firm, Ramsberger Law Group, PA.
Phil Rosenthal is Head of Bars and Academics at Clio, Chief Growth Officer at VLex, and Co-Founder & Former President of Fastcase. Rosenthal earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Phil Sandon is a bar support instructor at FSU Law, teaching Florida Bar Topics. Sandon has taught courses at many law schools throughout the state of Florida. His academic focus is on developing and implementing law school curriculum to aid students in their preparation for professional licensing exams. He graduated from Harvard University, where he studied classics. He then attended Florida State University College of Law, graduating in 1992.
Maria Santoro is the Senior Counsel at Sniffen & Spellman, P.A., and teaches at FSU law. Her practice areas are Employment, Medical Malpractice, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation, Automobile Litigation, Construction, and Administrative Law. She is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell and in the Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers. Santoro is certified as a Circuit Mediator by the Supreme Court of Florida. Santoro has been admitted to practice before all Florida State Courts since 1987. She is also 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.
Kyle Sill is a secretary at the First District Court of Appeal. He is a graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law and taught International Sales and Arbitration at FSU Law. 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 "Marty" Sipple is a Shareholder at Ausley McMullen and board-certified by The Florida Bar in the area of Business Litigation. He focuses his practice on business litigation and intellectual property matters. Sipple teaches trial practice at FSU Law and is the past Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Contract and Business Cases.
William P. Sklar is a Shareholder at Carlton Fields and was elected vice president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. His practice areas include representation of developers and lenders in a broad range of planning, drafting, and development of residential, commercial, and complex mixed-use condominiums and planned developments. Sklar served as Co-Chair of Governor Bush's Homeowners Association Task Force from 2003 to 2004. He was responsible for legislative reform of Florida's Homeowners Association Statute (Chapter 720).
Philip M. Sprinkle is a Partner at Akerman’s Miami Office, specializing in healthcare law. Board Certified in Health Law by The Florida Bar and licensed in Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. Sprinkle has, for 43 years, represented privately-held companies with an emphasis on physician groups, academic medical centers, and affiliated providers, in M&A, board governance, joint ventures, and reimbursement matters at both the state and federal levels.
Fernando Tesón, the Eminent Scholar Emeritus at FSU College of Law, 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 and has also published dozens of articles in law, philosophy, and international relations journals and collections of essays.
Donald J. Weidner is the former Dean of the FSU College of Law. Weidner is the Professor Emeritus at FSU Law and is a recognized authority on partnerships, limited liability companies, and fiduciary duties. 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.
JoLen Wolf is an FSU Law graduate ('76) and teaches Florida Family Law. The course is an updated version of her Florida Dissolution of Marriage course, which she taught for more than 12 years. Wolf was an FSU Law legal writing professor for nine years before returning to private practice in an of counsel position at The Mills Firm. Before joining the FSU faculty, Wolf practiced with Gardner, Shelfer, Duggar & Bist. She was also a research assistant to the Honorable George W. Hersey at the Fourth District Court of Appeal, an assistant state attorney, and a cabinet aide. In 2009, she and her husband, the Honorable James R. Wolf, created an endowment at the law school to support the FSU Law Moot Court Team. Their endowment established the Judges John S. Rawls and James R. Wolf Intramural Moot Court Competition, named for her father and husband.
Fall 2025
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.
Georgia Cappleman taught Florida Criminal Procedure this semester. She is a 2001 graduate of Florida State University College of Law and has been an assistant state attorney for over 17 years. Currently, she serves as chief of Felony Division D. From November 2009 to January 2017, she served under Hon. Willie Meggs as chief assistant state attorney. She has handled over 150 jury trials including death penalty cases and many cases involving violence against women and children. She has lectured on multiple topics, including the death penalty, sexual assault, and domestic violence. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Refuge House, which is an organization that provides emergency shelter, counseling, and other resources to survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the Big Bend Area. She chairs the local Regional Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Group. She has also coached the FSU College of Law trial teams for several years and was proud of her team for bringing home the CAJC National Championship in 2015.
Thomas Cloud is teaching Florida Local Government Law this semester. He is a shareholder in GrayRobinson’s Orlando law firm office, and 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.
Ralph Demeo teaches Animal Law Litigation, Legislation, & Policy. He is a shareholder at Guilday Law in Tallahassee, where he practices primarily in the areas of environmental, land use, administrative, and animal law. He is one of the state’s leading environmental and animal law attorneys. In addition, he serves as chief executive officer of Pets Ad Litem, Inc. (PAL), a charity dedicated to promoting humane education. His experience includes environmental, land use, administrative, occupational health and safety, toxic torts, brownfields, construction defect, transportation and aviation, energy, local government, aquaculture and pesticides, and animal law, with emphasis in civil and administrative litigation. He represents industry, businesses, landowners, corporate and individual clients, as well as local governments, throughout Florida and the southeastern United States. He also represents clients in state and federal courts, and before agencies and the legislature. Demeo has served as environmental and land use counsel on more than $3 billion in projects and transactions in his career, including some of Florida's most significant projects. He has also served as counsel in several high-profile cases in Florida, including the leading case on primary administrative jurisdiction and the leading case on the right to privacy.
David Dewhirst is co-teaching Executive Power this semester. He is a senior advisor to Governor Ron DeSantis. Dewhirst began his legal career at the Freedom Foundation, which he co-founded, where he defended clients in legal proceedings before federal, state, and administrative tribunals involving the constitution, labor, and campaign finance. Prior to his current position, he served as Idaho's chief deputy attorney general and Montana's solicitor general. In 2018, Dewhirst joined the U.S. Department of Commerce as senior counsel before becoming the principal deputy general counsel. Dewhirst has also served as the chief environmental review permitting officer for commerce, the regulatory reform officer for the Department of Justice, and supervised the department's sizable litigation portfolio. He clerked for Judge Lawrence VanDyke on the Ninth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. He had co-taught Executive Power: The President & The Governor.
Mark Ellis is teaching International Human Rights this semester. Ellis is executive director of the International Bar Association (IBA), where he leads the world’s foremost international organization of bar associations, law firms, and individual lawyers. Prior to leading the IBA, Ellis served as the founding executive director of the American Bar Association Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI), providing technical legal assistance to more than 28 countries across Central Europe, the Balkans, and the former Soviet Union after the fall of the Berlin Wall. CEELI remains one of the most extensive international pro bono legal assistance projects ever undertaken by the U.S. legal community. Currently, Ellis is leading the IBA’s extensive assistance program in Ukraine. Ellis has published extensively on international humanitarian law, war crimes tribunals, and the development of the rule of law, and his op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Huffington Post, and The London Times. Ellis is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Review of Books. He chairs and serves on numerous international boards. Ellis is in his nineteenth year of service on the law school’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Manny Farach is teaching Real Estate Law Foundations 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.
Judge 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.
Tor Friedman is teaching Trial Practice this semester. Friedman has served as the co-director of the FSU Trial Team and as a coach of the Trial Team since 2007. He is the managing partner of Friedman & Abrahamsen Law Firm in Tallahassee, which specializes in DUI and criminal defense, personal injury and wrongful death litigation, and employment discrimination and sexual harassment cases. He is a former felony prosecutor at the Leon County State Attorney’s Office and has handled over 100 trials. He has been named to Florida Trend's Legal Elite in the categories of Criminal Defense and Government Attorneys from his time at the State Attorney’s Office. He has been quoted in the New York Times and The Washington Post for his legal expertise.
Jonathan Grossman is teaching Bar Review: MBE. He is an alumnus of NSU Shepard Broad College of Law and is a bar prep instructor at multiple FL law schools. He has provided individual and group classes for students preparing for the bar exam since 2003 through his firm Whatstheissue.org.
Dr. Randall Hanna is co-teaching Education Law this semester with Professor Mears. He has served as the dean and chief executive officer of Florida State University, Panama City, since 2016. He previously served as chancellor of the Florida College System and a member of the board of trustees of Florida A&M University, the University of West Florida, and Tallahassee Community College. He also served as a member and chairman of the Florida State Board of Community Colleges. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his doctorate in education, Hanna earned a juris doctorate with high honors from Florida State University. He received an MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida. He was recognized for his outstanding service with the receipt of the Grad Made Good Award from FSU in 2014. In addition to serving as dean of FSUPC, Hanna serves as the dean of the College of Applied Studies for FSU.
Joe Jacquot is co-teaching Executive Power this semester. 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.
Khari James is teaching Juvenile Justice this semester. She is Senior Counsel with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and its Law Center. Both her career and personal life have always been focused on public service. Prior to her current role, James was a prosecutor. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida and as a state prosecutor. In these roles, James prosecuted a wide range of federal and state offenses involving homicide, human trafficking, domestic and sexual violence, narcotics, money laundering, and firearms. James has also worked at The White House, at the Department of Homeland Security: Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and clerked for the federal judiciary in Chicago. She also currently works as an educator and trainer throughout the community. She has spent time educating both community members and criminal justice professionals on a variety of topics, such as sex crimes, domestic violence, and building trust between the community and law enforcement. James attended Florida State University College of Law for law school and the University of Central Florida for her undergraduate studies, where she majored in criminal justice and victim advocacy.
Todd. G. Kocourek teaches Introduction to American Law. He is a practicing attorney in Florida and a Florida civil law notary. Kocourek focuses his practice on international commercial law and Florida governmental relations. He also serves as CEO of Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, the SBA statewide Certified Development Corporation for the State of Florida, and is of counsel to Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. in Miami, Customs and International Trade Law counselors. He served as committee counsel to the Commerce Committee of the Florida House of Representatives, where he oversaw commercial legislative projects, including the revision of Florida's domestic and international banking codes and the revision of Florida’s Limited Liability Company statute. He also served in the Office of the Governor as general counsel for the Florida International Affairs Commission, which set international policy for the State of Florida. Kocourek has studied EC law in Brussels and public international law at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, and he serves as consular correspondent for the Consulate General of Italy in Miami. He is a past chair of the International Law Section of The Florida Bar, the Florida International Volunteer Corps, and the Florida Export Finance Corporation, for which he currently serves as vice chairman. He speaks Spanish and Italian and has basic knowledge of Japanese and Arabic.
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.
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.
Susan Marvin is teaching Mediation this semester. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Hope College in Michigan and earned her J.D. from Florida State University College of Law. She has served in many different roles throughout her career, including as the chief of alternative dispute resolution at the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, a senior attorney at the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, a legal editor for The Florida Bar, and as the director of the Family Visitation Program. Marvin’s course focuses on an understanding of mediation, primarily through the lens of the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, the Florida Rules of Procedure, and Chapter 44, Florida Statutes, with a discussion of the Uniform Mediation Act.
Preston McLane is teaching Florida Environmental Law. McLane has taught as an adjunct professor at FSU Law since 2014. He is an attorney advisor and visiting professor at FSU Law, teaching in the environmental law program. He is also currently a program administrator with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Resource Management. His responsibilities there range over many key programs under the Clean Air Act, including managing the State Implementation Plan development and revision process, rulemaking, regulatory planning, budget development, grant program development, and coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on matters relating to Florida’s attainment and maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Matthew Mears is co-teaching Education Law with Dean Randy Hanna. He is an attorney specializing in education law, and the former Chancellor of Early Learning in the Florida Department of Education.
Justice Carlos Muñiz is teaching Statutory Interpretation in the Courts this semester. Justice 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 the 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.
R. Scott Palmer is teaching Antitrust this semester. An employee of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs, Palmer holds board certifications in antitrust and trade regulation law. 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. Palmer earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Miami and his B.A. from the University of Michigan. For more information, contact him at scott.palmer@myfloridalegal.com.
Robert A. Pierce is teaching Trusts and Estates this semester. Pierce is a shareholder of the 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.
Monica Armster Rainge is teaching Agricultural Law this semester. She is a globally recognized agricultural lawyer, mediator, and farm advocate. For more than 25 years, her passion has been fighting for justice in food, agriculture, land rights, and natural resources management. Attorney Rainge formerly served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ms. Rainge holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and a juris doctor from the University of Florida. She earned a Master of Laws degree in Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas. She will teach Agricultural Law.
Capt. Alan S. Richard teaches Admiralty Law. 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 taught 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 he graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif.
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 on 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.
Thomas Spulak is teaching Political Law this semester. As group leader of the King & Spalding Government Advocacy & Public Policy practice, he is actively involved in numerous lobbying efforts on the most pressing issues in Washington, involving tax, health, energy, defense, aerospace, and appropriations. Spulak counsels clients on the full suite of political law issues. He advises clients on complying with federal and state laws that regulate and require the reporting of lobbyist activities, and counsels clients on the ethical considerations involved when corporate representatives and government officials interact. He provides guidance on federal and state election laws and assists corporations with establishing and administering federal and state political action committees. Spulak assists foreign entities in complying with the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
Judge Adam S. Tanenbaum is teaching Courts and the Legislature 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.
Paul Welter is teaching AI & Legal Practice this semester. He is a lawyer and software developer with a focus on law and digitalization. As an independent consultant, he helps companies with two things: legal issues relating to digitalization ("Law of Tech") and the automation of legal tasks ("Tech of Law"). Previously, he was responsible for the automation of M&A processes in a major US law firm and developed the legal tech app evergreen:hub, which supports organizations in the assessment of software updates. As an affiliate at CodeX – The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics and founder of bayshore.ai, he researches AI that solves legal issues reliably and explainably. He is also involved in the German Society for Law and Informatics and recode.law, the leading young legal tech organization, which he co-founded. He will teach AI & Legal Practice.