Legal Briefs (Tampa edition)

Legal Briefs (Tampa edition)

ABA president to address

Stetson graduation

American Bar Association President Dennis Archer will be the keynote speaker at the Dec. 20 fall commencement at Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport.

The school will present Archer, the first black president of the ABA and chairman of Detroit's 200-member Dickinson Wright, with an honorary doctorate for his accomplishments in the legal field and for his community service. Archer is a former Detroit mayor.

About 100 students, including seven who will receive the LL.M degree in international law and business, are expected to walk at the 1 p.m. ceremony. Eighteen students will receive a JD and a master's degree in business administration.

Fowler White adds

five new associates

Fowler White Boggs Banker, the Tampa Bay area's second largest law firm, added five new attorneys - Shana Duehring, Jeffrey M. James, Michele G. Johnson, Brian Okay and Joseph E. Parrish.

Duehring, a Wake Forest University School of Law graduate who will concentrate on the defense of first- and third-party tort and contract claims, will be based in the firm's St. Petersburg office.

James, a graduate of Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, will practice in the firm's products liability practice group where he will concentrate on the areas of toxic torts, aviation torts, mold litigation, products liability, construction litigation and other specialties related to torts.

Johnson, a Notre Dame Law School graduate, will focus on computer law, intellectual property law and general litigation, all part of the firm's product liability/technology law practice group.

Okay, a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, will represent brokerage firms, financial institutions, corporations as part of the firm's securities, financial services and white-collar practice group.

Parrish will practice in the firm's products liability practice. His law degree is from Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis.