9
B R I E F S
STETSON LAW
PROFESSORS LEADING
IN LEGAL WRITING
B Y B R A N D I PALMER
Three seems to be the lucky number for Stetson legal
writing this year. In addition to being ranked No. 3 for
legal writing in the nation, Stetson is in the unique position
of having three of its faculty holding high-profile national
leadership positions. Professor Anne Mullins is president of the
Association of Legal Writing Directors, Jason Palmer was elected
treasurer of the board of directors of the Legal Writing Institute,
and Dr. Kirsten Davis was also elected to the board of directors
of the Legal Writing Institute.
Dr. Davis is also serving as interim dean for student affairs,
in addition to her role as professor of law and director of the
Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication.
“Serving as interim assistant dean is a great reminder that
learning to be a ‘Stetson Lawyer’ is happening all the time,
everywhere, on the campus,” said Dr. Davis. “As faculty and
staff, we have tremendous opportunities to shape the professional
identities of our students both in and outside of the classroom.”
Dr. Davis is planning for a new series of Institute-sponsored
lawyer communication training sessions. The Institute is also
hosting nationally recognized Generation Z expert, Dr. Corey
Seemiller, to lead a conversation with faculty and staff about
working with Generation Z.
Professor Jason Palmer’s leadership engagement with the Legal
Writing Institute began when he was invited to co-chair the
Legal Writing Institute’s Biennial Conference in Portland,
Oregon. While co-chairing the Biennial Conference, he was
elected by his peers to the LWI board. After serving two years as
a board member, Professor Palmer was elected LWI treasurer. His
new role as treasurer involves developing the two-year budget
and working with LWI committees and the Applied Legal
Storytelling Conference to develop and manage their budgets
and fiscal responsibilities.
Professor Palmer said that as a board member and LWI treasurer
he is focused on building more service-oriented engagement
(L-R): Professor Anne Mullins, Dr. Kirsten Davis, Professor Jason Palmer.
among members. He actively supports LWI efforts to promote a
virtual water cooler concept, in which members read and discuss
articles online and build the discipline through scholarship. He
also served as an editor for the Journal of Legal Writing and the
LWI Monograph Series. Professor Palmer has written two law
review articles this year, one on separation of powers and access
to the courts and one on emotional intelligence and homophobia.
He is also authoring a book on Reparations in Domestic and
International Mass Claims Processes and revising a textbook on
International Litigation and Arbitration. He is in his fourth year
co-editing the ABA Section of International Law’s Year in Review.
Professor Anne Mullins’ enthusiasm about legal writing is
palpable.
“This is my calling,” said Professor Mullins.
New to Stetson from University of North Dakota School of Law,
Mullins was drawn to Stetson’s program because the law school
dedicates real resources to fundamental skills education.
At North Dakota, Mullins was a standout, honored as Law
School Teacher of the Year and with the university-wide Excellence
in Teaching award. Her love for mentoring junior lawyers
is what drew Mullins away from a legal career in complex
commercial litigation into academia. At Stetson for only two
semesters, Mullins has distinguished herself as president-elect
of ALWD, one of the largest national legal writing professional
organizations. She is also chairing ALWD’s upcoming biennial
conference, “A Time for Transformative Leadership: Teaching
and Learning.”
This summer, Mullins will co-author Florida Legal Research
for the next academic year. She is writing an opinion for the
Feminist Judgments Project, working on two law review articles:
on legal reasoning in an age of alternative facts and cognitive
emotion in the law. She recently presented at law review symposia
at Wake Forest and Washburn.
As faculty and staff, we have tremendous
opportunities to shape the professional identities
of our students both in and outside of
the classroom.
— Dr. Kirsten Davis