TALLAHASSEE—Stephen Turner views the scholarship his law firm recently created as an investment not only in the Florida State University College of Law and the students who receive it, but also in the legal profession as a whole. 

“We want to help FSU law school attract the highest level of students with the long-term intent of elevating the practice of law in the state and public confidence in our legal system,” says Turner, Tallahassee managing partner in the law firm of Broad and Cassel. “If the caliber of students is better, lawyers are better, judges are better, legislators are better, professional relationships are better and analytical thinking is better.” 

The Tallahassee office of the Broad and Cassel established the Broad and Cassel Scholarship with a gift of $105,000 over seven years ($15,000 per year) to attract top students to the law school and increase the school’s academic excellence. Once selected, individual recipients will remain Broad and Cassel scholars during their three years in law school, and each will receive an annual scholarship of $5,000. Recipients also will be offered the opportunity to clerk during the summer at one of the firm’s seven locations. 

“Steve’s commitment to excellence is an important resource for us and we are extremely grateful for his firm’s generous and innovative scholarship/clerkship opportunity,” says Dean Don Weidner. 

In addition to displaying outstanding academic performance, scholars are expected to have established a reputation for high moral character and professional ethics, and display those characteristics during law school, Turner says. 

“We believe that top law students tend to be fine lawyers and that their performance is a good indicator of how dedicated they will be to the profession. We want to encourage future lawyers who are high-minded and thoughtful, and who display maturity, good judgment and leadership,” Turner says. 

Though a graduate of the University of Florida College of Law, Turner has established strong ties with the Florida State University law school and considers it his “adopted home.” He says he is impressed with the quality of the Florida State alumni working at Broad and Cassel and students he has encountered as an adjunct professor.