TALLAHASSEE - Professor Shawn J. Bayern has been appointed the Larry and Joyce Beltz Professor of Torts. The professorship was established in 2001 by Larry D. Beltz, a 1970 graduate of the College of Law, to recognize someone actively teaching and researching in the area of torts.

Bayern teaches torts at Florida State and publishes scholarship in torts and other common law areas. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the California Law Review.

“Thanks to the generosity of Larry and Joyce, we are able to recognize Shawn Bayern for his wonderful scholarship and teaching,” said Dean Don Weidner. “Professorships like this help us to attract and to retain the very best faculty members.”

Beltz is a partner at Beltz & Ruth, P.A. in Saint Petersburg, Florida. He has been representing the injured for more than 35 years and has handled thousands of civil cases, many involving catastrophic injuries, resulting in settlements or verdicts in the millions of dollars.