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Judge Smith addresses students over lunch.
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On Wednesday, we hosted Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as part of our Jurist in Residence Program. Judge Smith is the only judge in the history of the Third Circuit to have served as both a chief district judge and as chief of the circuit. Prior to becoming a judge, he practiced and was managing partner at Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier and Halpern, served as an assistant district attorney, served as a special prosecutor, and was the Blair County district attorney, all in Pennsylvania. Judge Smith served as a county court judge and a common pleas court judge before being appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 1988. He was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2002. In addition to his federal judicial service, which includes serving on two committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States, Judge Smith teaches a seminar on class actions at Penn State Law—his alma mater.
While on campus, Judge Smith met with members of the student body to discuss the value of judicial externships and clerkships, visited and made remarks in Professor David Landau’s Civil Procedure class, had lunch with Law Review and Moot Court students, met with faculty members about clerkships, and attended a session with professors and judges of the federal bench and Florida Supreme Court. It was a pleasure to host him at FSU Law and to introduce him to members of our outstanding community!
- Dean Erin O'Connor
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Faculty & Alum Profile: Judge L. Clayton Roberts (’91)
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Judge Clay Roberts is an adjunct professor teaching Florida Constitutional Law this fall. He was appointed to the Florida First District Court of Appeal by Governor Charlie Crist in 2007 and was retained by voters in 2008 and 2014. Roberts previously served as deputy attorney general and executive deputy attorney general for the State of Florida, general counsel for the Florida Department of State, and director for the Florida Division of Elections. Roberts was director of the Division of Elections during the 2000 presidential recount. He was also council attorney for the Florida House of Representatives Public Responsibility Council, staff director for the Florida House of Representatives Committee on Election Reform, and staff attorney for the Florida Senate Committee on Executive Business, Ethics & Elections. In October, Roberts served as a judge for the FSU Law Moot Court Final Four Competition that was held at the Florida Supreme Court. Roberts holds a bachelor’s degree in military history from the United States Military Academy, West Point, and a J.D. from FSU College of Law.
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“I had the privilege of team teaching Florida Constitutional Law from 2005 to 2014 with Sandy D’Alemberte. I very much enjoy being back in the classroom this semester, but I miss Sandy terribly.”
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Alum Profile: Jennito Simon (’10)
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Simon (front row, far left) with winning FSU Law Trial Team members at the 2011 Florida Justice Association E. Earle Zehmer Memorial Mock Trial Competition.
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Jennito Simon manages a law firm partnership in Fort Lauderdale, where he practices in the areas of criminal defense, personal injury and general civil litigation. Prior to opening Pierre Simon LLC in 2019 with his law partner Faudlin Pierre, Simon managed a solo practice from 2015-2019 and was an assistant state attorney in Tallahassee, where he prosecuted a wide variety of criminal law cases. He is passionate about trial law and has handled more than 60 jury trials during his career. Simon was a competition-winning member of the FSU Law Trial Team and currently serves as a coach for the Fort Lauderdale High School Mock Trial Team. He remains engaged with the College of Law and has assisted with recruiting events.
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“I really enjoyed my time on the FSU Trial Team. I can say unequivocally the skills I learned from my coaches are skills I use daily in court, the bonds I forged with my teammates are strong to this day, and the experience of trying cases (even “mock” cases) gave me enough confidence in my early career that I could face whatever came at me in court.”
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Student Profile: 3L Dayna Maeder
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Desired Practice Location: Open to anywhere, but would prefer central or north Florida, Washington D.C. area or New York City area
Expected Graduation: December 2019
Field of Law Sought: Loves working in civil litigation and civil rights/constitutional law; also enjoys time in the courtroom, so criminal law is enticing
Born in Palm Beach Gardens, 3L Dayna Maeder grew up in Winter Garden, Florida. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with an interdisciplinary degree in journalism and mass communications. Maeder also earned a master’s degree from the American College of Education with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. She will graduate from FSU Law in December 2019. Prior to law school, Maeder was a journalist frequently published in newspapers and magazines nationwide. Currently, Maeder is clerking at McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern, P.A., working on the civil litigation team. She performs extensive research, drafts documents, attends depositions and mediations, communicates with clients and expert witnesses, assists in trial, and prepares appellate briefs. Maeder also worked three semesters in the Public Interest Law Center, where she participated in trials as a Florida Supreme Court certified legal intern through the Children in Prison Project. During the summer after her 1L year, Maeder externed at the Leon County Courthouse, where she observed hearings and trials and researched family law matters. On the national level, Maeder has served two years as editor-in-chief of the American Bar Association's Law Student Division, where she manages its student magazine and online blog that cater to roughly 60,000 law students. At FSU Law, she serves as the national competition chair for the Trial Team, external vice president for the Women's Law Symposium, secretary for the Association for Criminal Justice, and social and outreach chair for the Nontraditional Students Association. She was a teaching assistant in the Juris Master program for Healthcare Fraud and Abuse, as well as the Governance Risks, Ethics and Internal Control course. As a member of the Trial Team, Maeder competed in the George Mason University John L. Costello National Criminal Law Trial Advocacy Tournament, was a semi-finalist at the U.C. Davis Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Competition, and coached a team all the way to finals in the Wayne Hogan Intramural Competition. She also represented the FSU Business Law Society in the American Bar Association's Negotiation Competition. If you are interested in hiring Maeder after graduation, visit her LinkedIn profile.
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“I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to spend my law school career at FSU Law. The caliber of instructors, the dedication of the administration, and the unforgettable opportunities to practice legal writing and litigation have prepared me well for my future legal journey. Every person I've had the privilege of meeting through FSU Law has impacted my life so positively and I am excited to give back to the legal community.”
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