20
EVENTS
Stetson University College of Law inducted Susan S.
Demers, B.A. ’71, the Honorable Michelle T. Morley, J.D.
’76, and Thomas “Tommy” D. Roebig Jr., J.D. ’86, into
its prestigious Hall of Fame on Oct. 26, 2019. For the past 15
years, Stetson Law has honored distinguished luminaries in the
legal and academic arenas at its annual Hall of Fame event, and
previous winners include Charles A. Dana, William R. Eleazer
and Dolly Hand, LL.B. ’49.
SUSAN S. DEMERS
Susan S. Demers is a 1971 graduate of Stetson University
with a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Theatre and a Juris
Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law.
Since 1982, she has served as the Dean of St. Petersburg
College’s ABA-approved Paralegal Studies Program and taught a
variety of law-related classes. She is currently the Dean of the
College of Policy Ethics and Legal Studies at SPC, and one of
her most important endeavors is the Civic Engagement Project
designed to develop more informed citizens. She also oversees
the four-year program in Public Policy and Administration.
In addition to her work at SPC, Demers has served as an
adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy and Technology at Stetson
University College of Law. She devotes time as a consultant and
coach for Stetson’s competitive trial teams. In 2009, she, along
with husband David Demers and Professors Roberta Flowers
and Lee Coppock, J.D. ’96, coached the trial team that won the
prestigious American Association of Justice competition. They
also coached three Chester Bedell Competition teams, two of
which won the championship.
In 2008, Demers was honored with Stetson Law’s Distinguished
Service Award, which was created for non-alumni who devote
their time, integrity and scholarship to make Stetson Law the
outstanding legal institution that it is today.
She is a past president of the Clearwater Bar Association and
served on the board of directors of the Clearwater Bar
Foundation. Three times she earned the CBA President’s Award,
which honors exceptional service to the public and the legal
profession. She is active with the People’s Law School, an
18-week program that teaches members of the public about
different areas of the law.
Demers is on the board of the St. Petersburg City Theatre and
helped spearhead the 2017 effort to save the company when it
began to struggle financially. She and her two granddaughters
continue to perform in Florida’s longest continually operating
community theater.
THE HON. MICHELLE T. MORLEY
Michelle T. Morley is a 1986 graduate of Stetson
University College of Law. She spent several years in
private practice before being elected to the 5th Judicial
Circuit in Florida in 2006.
As a judge, Morley has distinguished herself in Family Law,
Child Dependency and Dependency Mediation Training,
Guardianship, Domestic Violence, Poverty Law and Economic
Diversity Issues, Eldercare Issues, Judicial Ethics, and the future
of Equal Justice. She became an Arbitrator for the Florida
Attorney General’s Office, resolving “Lemon Law” complaints
and joined the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators. She
also serves on the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Morley has always been active in her community, including
being a member of or volunteering with the Tri-County Business
HALL OF FAME
Dean Susan S. Demers, B.A. ’71 with her daughter, Kristin Demers-Crowell,
J.D. ’ 97 and husband, Judge David A. Demers, B.A. ’68. J.D. ’72.
The Hon. Michelle T. Morley, J.D. ’86, with Professor Emeritus Robert Bickel.