Chief Judge Joseph Lewis Jr. to Deliver Keynote Address at NSU’s Shepard Broad Law Center Commencement

Leader in Florida Legal Community to Speak at May 7 Ceremony

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Joseph Lewis Jr., Chief Judge, First District Court of Appeal, will address degree candidates of Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Shepard Broad Law Center at its Commencement at the Don Taft University Center on May 7 at 1 p.m.

“As a leader in the legal community throughout the state of Florida, we are very fortunate to have Chief Judge Lewis join us at this year’s commencement,” said Dean Jon Garon, J.D., Shepard Broad Law Center.  “His extensive experience in both his profession as well as in community service—a pillar of NSU—will inspire our students as they begin their careers.”

Joseph Lewis, Jr. currently serves as Chief Judge, First District Court of Appeal, a position he has held since 2013. He was originally elected to the First District Court of Appeal in 2001.

Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Lewis, a graduate of the University of Montana and Florida State University College of Law (J.D. 1977), was with the Office of the Florida Attorney General from 1981 through 1995 where he served in a number of capacities, including Bureau Chief, Employment Litigation/civil Litigation Section, and Senior Attorney, General Civil Litigation Section. He also served as an Assistant Public Defender from 1978 to 1981. Judge Lewis began his legal career in 1977 as the Judicial Research Aide for the Florida Industrial Relations Commission.

In 2000, Judge Lewis was awarded the Florida Bar Meritorious Public Service Award. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits as well as numerous Florida districts and other jurisdictions.

Judge Lewis has been an active and well recognized member of the judiciary and the legal community. He has been serving on the Supreme Court Standard Jury Instructions Committee since 2011 as well as several others, including  the Post-Conviction Subcommittee of the Criminal Court Steering Committee (2007  2011), the Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (2007  2012, Representative 2003  2005), the Criminal Law Section (2002 -present, Executive Council 2002 – 2008), the Appellate Court Rules Committee (2001 – 2007, Vice Chair 2004 – 2005), Government Lawyer Section (1997 – present, Treasurer 2002 – 2004, Secretary 2001 – 2002, Executive Council 1998 – 2001, At Large Representative 1997 – 2001) and Labor and Employment Law Section (1999 – 2000).

Judge Lewis is currently involved in many public service activities, most notably the Tallahassee Urban League and in providing pro bono legal services through the Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association and Legal Services of North Florida, Inc.

Shepard Broad Law Center Graduation

Thursday, May 7

1 p.m.

Don Taft University Center| NSU Campus, Davie, FL

Participants:

Degree candidates from NSU’s Shepard Broad Law Center, including J.D., and masters’ degrees in the specialty areas of Education, Employment and Health Law.

More information on NSU’s Commencement exercises can be found online at www.nova.edu/commencement/.

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About the Shepard Broad Law Center: Nova Southeastern University’s Law Center offers a rigorous traditional academic program in three-year day and four-year evening versions, as well as dual-degree programs. Additionally, NSU Law offers three online Master of Science degrees in law in the areas of education, employment, and health. NSU Law prides itself on preparing graduates to make a smooth transition from the classroom to the courtroom or boardroom. Lawyering Skills and Values (LSV)-Every student completes a four-semester LSV sequence that combines traditional legal reasoning, writing, and research with an introduction to lawyer interviewing, counseling, negotiating, mediating, advocating, and other critical skills in a simulated law firm experience. For more information please visit http://www.nsulaw.nova.edu/

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and first-professional degrees levels.  An independent, not-for-profit institution with approximately 25,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida as well as  San Juan, Puerto Rico and online globally.  For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu .

Media Contact
Marla Oxenhandler | Office of Public Affairs
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