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The Florida Bar Foundation has selected our Public Interest Law Center (PILC) as first runner up for the 2019 Paul Doyle Children’s Advocacy Award. As runner up, PILC’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Law Project (HELP) will receive a $3,000 stipend to be applied to the project. HELP is a unique clinical project that aims to serve a currently underserved subpopulation of child human trafficking victims: commercially sexually exploited children not already involved in the dependency system. This subpopulation has fallen through the cracks, unable to access services available to other children who are in foster care. The project trains law students to advocate for child human trafficking victims and, through precedent-setting direct representation and collaborative outreach and prevention efforts, aims to create a service model that can be replicated in other parts of the state, potentially impacting children in all regions of Florida. Professor Paolo Annino (’83), Graduate Fellow Caitlyn Kio (’18) and two students who participated in HELP – 3L Laura Dadowski and 2L Daniela Donoso – will attend The Florida Bar Foundation’s Annual Reception & Dinner in June to accept the award on behalf of FSU Law and the Public Interest Law Center. - Dean Erin O'Connor
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Faculty Profile: Timothy Bass
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Timothy Bass is an adjunct professor at FSU College of Law remotely teaching Space Law this spring. He taught the inaugural Space Law class offered by FSU in 2014. Bass brings real-world experience to the classroom and strives to ensure the practicality of the subject for the students by providing examples based on current events and history. His passion for space leads him to be available for questions and comments from students both inside and out of the classroom. Bass has provided insight for student papers related to space for other classes and has assisted students in résumé and interview preparation, especially for federal jobs. Bass is currently assistant chief counsel for the NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Office of the Chief Counsel and is the first matrixed to the Exploration Ground Systems Program, where he practices in a wide range of fields including space, procurement, ethics, labor, nuclear and general law. He serves as the legal advisor to Kennedy Space Center’s Radiation Protection Committee. He has also served in the International Law Practice Group within the Office of General Counsel at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C., where he worked with various countries, inter-governmental organizations and private entities around the world to ensure compliance with laws, regulations and policies in furtherance of NASA’s strategic goals of international cooperation. He also led a cross-directorate team assessing smallsats, particularly CubeSats, and developing NASA’s position on them for international purposes. Bass worked as counsel to NASA’s Launch Services Program for more than six years, providing advice related to launch services and commercialization efforts. Bass holds bachelor’s degrees in international management and Spanish, with a minor in economics from Mississippi State University. He earned a J.D. from the University of Mississippi, where he received cords from the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law and worked on the Journal of Space Law. Bass mentors NASA interns and new hires, both within and outside of the legal office, and proactively participates in outreach programs. He served on the editorial board for a reference book, Promoting Productive Cooperation between Space Lawyers and Engineers. In April 2019, he was appointed the inaugural poet laureate for the City of Cape Canaveral.
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“Teaching space law provides an opportunity for the students to learn about an area where they can have a tremendous impact, as space law is a relatively new corpus of law with many questions up for debate. It is a privilege to be part of the students' development and see their interest bloom into passion.”
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Alum Profile: Nora R. Bailey (’17)
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Nora R. Bailey is an associate at Wicker Smith in West Palm Beach, where she represents insurance companies and health care providers in medical malpractice cases in both litigation and arbitration. She has practiced at the firm since graduating cum laude from FSU Law in 2017. During her time at Wicker Smith, she has also lectured on various topics to medical staff members and employees at her clients’ hospitals. As a law student, Bailey was a law clerk at Ausley McMullen and Phipps & Howell, and a summer associate at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, PA. Bailey is very engaged in the legal profession and is a member of the American Bar Association, Palm Beach County Bar Association (PBCBA) and the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. She also serves as a member of the PBCBA’s Lawyers for Literacy Committee and Law-Related Education Committee. In her free time, Bailey enjoys spending time with her husband, Patrick Bailey (’17), and their two dogs.
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“My time at FSU Law prepared me well for the demands of a rigorous litigation practice. I am grateful every day for the faculty and staff that helped me to become the lawyer I am today, and the experiences I had while at FSU—particularly my time on the Moot Court Team—all of which ensured I was able to secure a position at a top-notch firm. Wicker Smith is a leader in the insurance defense industry and has become go-to counsel for nearly every health care company in Florida; I am proud to be a part of that team.”
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Student Profile: 3L Alan LaCerra
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Desired Practice Location: Winter Springs or the Orlando area
Expected Graduation: May 2019
Field of Law Sought: Business law
Alan LaCerra will graduate from FSU Law this Sunday. Although born and raised on the border of Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton in South Florida, LaCerra now considers Winter Springs to be his hometown. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English, on the creative writing track, with a minor in math from the University of Central Florida. He also earned a master’s degree in English, on the literature track, from UCF. LaCerra spent a decade teaching college English in Central Florida. He taught at UCF, Florida Tech, Valencia College and Rollins College. Last summer, LaCerra clerked at Ausley McMullen, where he provided research on a variety of projects, mostly relating to administrative law, contractual damages and bankruptcy. The summer after his 1L year, LaCerra was a research assistant for Professor Jake Linford and participated in the FSU Summer Program in Law at the University of Oxford in England. Through the fall 2018 semester, LaCerra has earned book awards in 11 classes. LaCerra also has been involved in several co-curriculars and student organizations. He was executive article selection editor for volume 46 of the Florida State University Law Review. In this leadership position, he worked with the editor-in-chief and article selection editor to read, evaluate and ultimately select various submissions for possible publication. LaCerra has been a member of the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law since his 1L year. He was vice president of the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Society and the LGBT advocacy organization OUTLaw. As such, LaCerra prepared and participated in events relating to intellectual property and relationship wellness, and he regularly attended Professor Larry Krieger’s weekly mindful meditation sessions. Additionally, LaCerra earned experience in mock trial (by participating through Phi Alpha Delta, as well as volunteering to judge and to play a witness) and moot court (doing editing work for a team, as well as volunteering to judge). LaCerra left his 10-year career in higher education teaching to attend law school so that one day he may become a judge. If you are interested in hiring LaCerra after graduation, visit his LinkedIn profile.
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“I've worked hard in my life to excel at everything I've done, and I'm happy to have been able to excel at FSU Law. I've had outstanding success due to the amazing professors, students, alumni and support staff here. As I continue on my journey through life, I will always remember the opportunities that FSU Law gave me, as well as the people with whom I have shared them.”
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