• Florida Coastal School of Law took top honors at two national moot court competitions. Teams competing on behalf of the school won the National Latina/o Law Students Association Moot Court Competition Oct. 6 in Los Angeles, and the National Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition Oct. 7 in Atlanta. Coastal Law is now 3-for-3 at national competitions this year, having won the E. Earle Zehmer Workers’ Compensation National Moot Court Competition on Aug. 20 in Orlando, where the school also claimed the Best Advocate and Best Brief awards.
• Bishop Felipe Estevez will celebrate the Red Mass at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Immaculate Conception, 121 E. Duval St. The Red Mass is a centuries-old tradition celebrated throughout the world for elected officials and members of the judicial, legal and law enforcement communities to gather. A reception in the church courtyard will follow.
• This year's CLG Law & Spirituality Award will be awarded at the Red Mass to Deacon Paul Consbruck, who is a member of the Florida and Maryland Bars. Since September 2005, he has represented more than 700 families, handling re-adoption, recognition of foreign adoption, international adoptions, domestic adoptions, wills, trusts and guardianships.
• Florida’s pro bono service awards ceremony will be 3:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Florida Supreme Court. Nominations must be received by Nov. 12. Nomination forms are available at floridabar.org for The Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award, The Florida Bar Presidents’ Pro Bono Service Award, The Florida Bar's Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Service Award, The Chief Justice's Law Firm Commendation, The Chief Justice's Voluntary Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award and The Distinguished Judicial Service Award. Nominees' pro bono service contribution may be cumulative. Consideration is not limited to the events of the immediate past year. For additional information, contact Dorohn Frazier at The Florida Bar, (850) 561-5764 or [email protected].
• “The Importance of an Independent Judiciary” will take place Thursday in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom, HOL 180, at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. The panel discussion and conversation with law students is free and open to the public. All seven Florida Supreme Court justices have been invited, and to date, Justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince are confirmed to appear on the panel. The three justices also are on the Nov. 6 ballot for merit retention.
• Judge David Gooding and Family Support Services of North Florida will host “Legal Lessons: Dependency Court and You,” from 2-3 p.m. Oct. 22 at the courthouse. The event is part of an educationsal series for attorneys, paralegals, attorneys ad litem and guardians ad litem and is part of a free program. The program will be held in Courtroom 204. For information, email [email protected].