The American Bar Association denied Florida Coastal School of Law’s appeal after the school was found not in compliance with the ABA’s accreditation standards.
Those findings were published in October and confirmed in March by the ABA Accreditation Committee.
Florida Coastal Dean Scott DeVito appeared before the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, which denied the appeal, at its Aug. 2 meeting.
With the denial, Florida Coastal is required to develop a written reliable plan for bringing the school into compliance with the standards; publish the letter from the ABA Council on the school’s website; and within 30 days of semester grades being complete and distributed provide students with information relating to Bar exam pass rates by quartiles and attrition rates.
Florida Coastal sued the ABA in May, alleging that the ABA denied the school due process in the accreditation standards review.
The U.S. District Court denied Florida Coastal a temporary restraining order in July, stating that such action was inappropriate while the appeal was pending.
After being notified of the denial by the ABA, DeVito said, “Our only comment is that we disagree with the decision of the Council and are reviewing our next steps with our attorneys.”
A few tickets remain for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s 19th annual Robert J. Beckham Equal Justice Awards Celebration Sept. 20 at the Omni Hotel.
Holland & Knight partner George “Buddy” Schulz is this year’s honoree.
He’s chair of the firm’s Public and Charitable Service Department, which coordinates the pro bono and community programs that provide assistance to people of limited means and organizations that help them.
In addition to his work at the law firm, Schulz has served as a cabinet member of United Way; general counsel of PACE Center for Girls in Jacksonville; a director of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and the Jacksonville Urban League; a member of the city Ethics Commission and Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Strategy Board; and a member of the Gator Bowl Association.
He also is a volunteer to the Guardian ad Litem program, a trustee emeritus of the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a member of Florida Blue Key.
Keynote speaker is Piper Kermon, author of the prison memoir “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” that was adapted into the Emmy Award-winning original series on Netflix.
She has been called as a witness by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights to testify on solitary confinement and women prisoners, and by the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs and Homeland Security Committee to testify about the federal Bureau of Prisons.
The awards event begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
Visit jaxlegalaid.org/equal-justice-awards-register/ for ticket information.
Young lawyers hosting breakfast with judges
The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section’s judicial breakfast is 8:30 a.m. Sept. 19 at the Duval County Courthouse.
Attorneys are invited to meet in the chief judge’s chambers on the seventh floor for a complimentary informal breakfast and conversation with Duval County judges.
Visit jaxbar.org to register.
The city issued a building permit to Duckworth Construction Co. to build-out office space on the fourth floor at 200 W. Forsyth St. for the Hall Booth Smith law firm.
The cost is listed at $131,611.70 for the 8,170- square-foot project.
Office managing partner Brent Allen said the firm is expanding its Jacksonville operation and will maintain its space on the 11th floor of the BB&T building.
Birmingham, Alabama-based law firm Carr, Allison, Oliver & Sisson applied to the city for a certificate of use for its new Jacksonville office at 208 N. Laura St.
The firm is moving into 4,416 square feet of space on the 11th floor.