Stetson University College of Law

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Feb 4, 2003:  Gulfport, Fla. - Stetson University College of Law won the National Tax Moot Court Competition in St. Pete Beach, Fla. this weekend, taking the championship for the overall competition and the award for top brief.

"This is a special achievement," said Stetson Vice Dean Darby Dickerson. "Winning both awards means that we were best in oral arguments and best in writing-a very rare achievement."

Stetson's team consisted of students Beth Linea Carlson, Brittan Mitchell and Paige Ward, and was coached by Professor Janice Lawrence and Adjunct Professor Joe Rugg.

Stetson defeated Ohio Northern University in the final round and University of Alabama in the semifinals. Sixteen law schools across the United States participated in the contest. U.S. Tax Court judges Renato Beghe and Peter J. Panuthos presided over the final round.

The National Tax Moot Court Competition, sponsored by the Florida Bar, was founded in 1985 by Stetson professor John Cooper and former Stetson professor Richard Gershon. This is the fourth time in the competition's history that Stetson won the championship.

Beth Linea Carlson is a second-year law student from Palm Harbor, Fla. and a member of the Stetson Law Review editorial board, where she was named "Outstanding New Associate" in Fall 2002. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in English.

Second-year law student Brittan Mitchell of Tampa, Fla. is a merit scholar at Stetson with business degrees from Brigham Young University and Florida State University. She is a part-time law clerk with Smith Clark Delesie Bierley Mueller & Kadyk, P.A.

Paige Ward is a third-year law student from Fairhope, Ala., who earned her bachelor's degree from Auburn University in English.

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Stetson University College of Law is Florida's first law school. It has educated lawyers for more than 100 years, and offers continuing legal education programs for regional, state, national and international audiences. Stetson University College of Law tied for first place in Trial Advocacy in the 2003 U.S. News & World Report rankings of law schools. It is also the future headquarters for the National Conference of Law Reviews.