Stetson Lawyers Association honors eight law alumni and friends

GULFPORT, Fla., June 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Stetson Lawyers Association presented awards to eight outstanding alumni and friends of Stetson University College of Law during the Florida Bar Annual Meeting in Orlando on June 26.

• Nestor M. de Armas JD '73 and Congressman David W. Jolly received the Distinguished Service Award for their significant, meritorious and continuing contributions to Stetson Law.

Former president of the Stetson University Alumni Association, de Armas has served as trustee emeritus, chair and member of Stetson's Board of Trustees. He and his wife Donna created the Nestor M. and Donna Hunt de Armas Scholarship to assist Stetson University students with financial need.

Congressman David W. Jolly, who represents Florida's 13th Congressional District, serves on Stetson Law's Center for Excellence in Elder Law Advisory Board. Jolly also serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Veterans' Affairs Committee, and was the former senior advisor and general counsel to the late Congressman Bill Young.

• Judge David Demers B.A. '68, JD '72 and Judge Irene Sullivan JD '77 received this year's Distinguished Alumni Award.

Demers, elected chief judge of the Pinellas County Circuit Court in 2001, implemented policies and procedures during his six-year tenure that guide the circuit court today. Judge Demers is a 2009 Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame inductee who has served as an adjunct professor at Stetson, a member of the prestigious Stetson College of Law Skills Training Committee, and a frequent presenter at Stetson University's Professionalism seminars.

Sullivan is a 2011 Stetson University College of Law Hall of Fame inductee and adjunct professor teaching juvenile law at Stetson. She practiced trial law in St. Petersburg for 22 years before she was elected circuit court judge in 1998. Judge Sullivan served on the juvenile and family law bench until 2011 and authored the popular book, Raised by the Courts: One Judge's Insight into Juvenile Justice.

• Lawrence P. Ingram JD '90 received the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award for continuously supporting Stetson Law and its alumni association.

Ingram, managing partner of the Tampa office of the international law firm Phelps Dunbar, currently serves as vice chair of the executive committee of the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers.  

• Brian Tannebaum JD '94 received the Outstanding Alumni Representative Award for dedication and service to the Stetson Lawyers Association.

Tannebaum is an American Bar Association National Trial Champion and a former member of Stetson's Trial Team. Tannebaum is a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers where he is one of only two members of the association to have received all three presidential service awards.

• Gregory Coleman B.B.A.'85, JD '89, incoming president of the Florida Bar, received the Ben C. Willard Award for humanitarian achievements bringing distinction to himself and Stetson Law.

Coleman has served on and chaired nearly every significant standing and special committee in the Florida Bar and is an unprecedented three-time winner of the Florida Bar's prestigious President's Award of Merit. Coleman is also a member of the House of Delegates for the American Bar Association and a director of the Florida Bar Foundation.

• Stetson Lawyers Association president Jenay Iurato JD/MBA '00 received the President's Award in recognition of her leadership.

Iurato works with the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association, the Junior League of Tampa, and advocates for ending human trafficking around the world.

Marc Levine JD '06 was named incoming president of the Stetson Lawyers Association. Stetson University President Wendy Libby, Stetson University College of Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, and Stetson Law alumnus Luis Prats B.A.'78, JD '81 spoke at the awards program.

Editor's Note: To download high-resolution images from this event, visit Stetson Law News.

About Stetson University College of Law
Stetson University College of Law, Florida's first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through our academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson lawyers are ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession.  

SOURCE Stetson University College of Law