Stetson Lawyer; 1981 vol. 25 no. 1 May

Volume 25, Number 1 ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA May, 1981 BRUCE JACOB, '59, WILL SUCCEED DILLON AS DEAN Dean of Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University, Assumes Duties at Stetson, July 15 Twenty-two years after graduating from Stetson College of Law, Bruce Jacob, '59, will return to his Alma Mater as dean, succeeding Richard T. Dillon, who, after holding down the top college administrative post since September, 1968, has opted to devote his full time to teaching as the first Charles A. Dana Professor of Law. Jacob, presently Dean and Professor of Law at the Walter F. George School DEAN MEETS DEAN. Bruce Jacob (right) responds with a smile as Dean Dillon heartily greets him with "best wishes and all my headaches." of Law, Mercer University, has had a brilliant career since graduating number two in his class at Stetson. It is difficult to determine which should be considered the more significant achievements from a resume that has 111 separate listings, but the following statistics are exceedingly impressive: LL.M., Northwestern University School of Law; S.J.D., Harvard Law School; professor and administrator at three law schools, Ohio State, Mercer and Emory; practitioner with the firm of Holland Bevis and Smith, Bartow and Lakeland; counsel in many appellate court cases, including representing the respondent in Gideon v. Wainright (1963) and petitioner (1969) in Kaufman v. United States before the United States Supreme Court; author of more than a dozen published books and articles; speaker at numerous state and national conferences; and special hearing officer. United States Department of Justice, in conscientious objector cases. Specialist in Criminal Law The new dean is deeply interested in the criminal justice system and programs that provide legal assistance for indigents. At Ohio State, as director of clinical programs, he represented numerous defendants and appellants in criminal cases and petitioners in post-conviction cases. At Emory he established a Legal Assistance for Inmates Program, for the benefit of indigents in the Atlanta Penitentiary. At Mercer he has taught Criminal Defense Practice and Criminal Appeals and post-conviction Remedies. Six Months' Search A search committee chaired by Professor Calvin Kuenzel recommended Dean Jacob's name to President Pope Duncan after a six months' search for the best possible person to succeed Dean Dillon. The committee consisted of Amory Underhill, '36, chairman of the Board of Overseers; Cecil Bailey, '27, president (since retired) of the Charles A. Dana Law Center Foundation; Dr. Earl Edington, past president of the Board of Trustees of the University; Dr. Douglas Lee, vice president for development, as representative of the entire University; and four college of Law faculty members, Professors E. McGruder Faris, Ruth Thurman, Robert Bickel, and William R. Eleazer. Commending the committee for its "splendid work" in seeking out, interviewing and screening applicants, President Duncan said, "I am convinced that we have a man eminently qualified to lead our law school in building upon the strong tradition of excellence which Dean Dillon leaves with us." The committee emphasized that the new dean's being a graduate from Stetson had little bearing upon his selection. "We were looking for the best possible man we could find for the position," stated Professor Kuenzel. "The fact that he once took a course at Stetson taught by Dean Dillon and was the Dean's student assistant when he taught a course in legal research and writing is a bit of interesting history that was not, however, of persuasive value to us." FLORIDA BAR MEMBERS When confronted with baffling problems of law, Dean Designate Jacob can always turn to his wife for legal advice. The former Ann Wear of Lakeland is a member of the Florida Bar. Jacob himself is a member of the bars of Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and Ohio. He has also been admitted to practice before the U. S. Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeals, 5th and 6th Circuits, and the District Courts for the Northern District of Georgia, the Southern District of Ohio and the District of Massachusetts. MESSAGE TO ALUMNI / consider it an honor and a welcome challenge to have the opportunity to serve my Alma Mater as its next dean. The law school has made remarkable progress during the administration of my former teacher and good friend, Richard T. Dillon, successor to Harold L. Sebring, who was dean when I enrolled as a student. I will make every effort to conduct the administration of the school in a manner that will further enhance Stetson's record of achievement, and the national reputation it has so justly earned during the tenure of these two outstanding men. . . . Bruce Jacob