Florida Supreme Court Justice to Speak at NSU’s Shepard Broad Law Center Commencement

Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. –

Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Shepard Broad Law Center is proud to announce that Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince will be the keynote speaker for the 2011 Law Center Commencement Ceremony. At the ceremony, Justice Quince will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree, presented by Dean Athornia Steele.

NSU law professor Randolph Braccialarghe and NSU law student Jeremy Singer will also speak at the ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, May 14 at 4:00 p.m. at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.

“We are honored to have a Justice of such high regard give the commencement address for our 2011 class of graduates who will go on to be trusted, highly adept, professional members of the Bar and our society,” said Athornia Steele, dean of the Shepard Broad Law Center. “Our students are very active in justice issues and logged approximately 23,000 hours of pro bono legal work during their legal education at the Law Center. I am very proud of what our 2011 graduates have already accomplished.”

Justice Peggy A. Quince was the first African American female to be appointed to one of Florida’s district court of appeal. On December 8, 1998, she was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court, where she also served a term as Chief Justice.

Justice Quince received her B.S. degree from Howard University in 1970 and her J.D. degree from the Catholic University of America in 1975. In addition to the honorary Doctor of Laws degree she will receive at the 2011 NSU Law Center commencement, she has also received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Stetson University College of Law and St. Thomas University School of Law.

While in school, Justice Quince was active in Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and the Black American Law Students Association, and received an award for her work with Catholic’s Neighborhood Legal Services Clinic.

After beginning her legal career in Washington, D.C. as a hearing officer with the Rental Accommodations Office administering that city’s new rent control law, she entered private practice in Norfolk, Virginia in 1977, with special emphasis in real estate and domestic relations.

In 1978, she moved to Bradenton, Florida where she opened a law office, and then in 1980, began her tenure with the Attorney General’s Office, Criminal Division. She handled numerous appeals in the Second District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Her thirteen-and-a-half-year tenure at that office included five years as the Tampa Bureau Chief and three years handling death penalty cases exclusively.

Justice Quince’s various memberships include The Florida Bar, Virginia State Bar, the National Bar Association, the Tallahassee Women Lawyers, and the William H. Stafford Inn of Court. She is also an active member of the Government Lawyers Section, the Criminal Law Section, and the Equal Opportunity Section of The Florida Bar. In addition to this involvement, she has been active in many other auxiliary bar organizations and efforts related to justice issues.

Justice Quince is a member of the executive council of the Appellate Section of The Florida Bar and is the Supreme Court liaison to the Workers’ Compensation Committee, the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, and the Supreme Court’s Family Court Steering Committee.

In addition to being a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Justice Quince’s civic and community activities include membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Jack and Jill of America, Inc.; the Urban League; the NAACP; and The Links, Inc. Her service to the profession and the community has been acknowledged in the receipt of numerous honors and awards.

Additional information about all of NSU’s commencement ceremonies can be found at: http://www.nova.edu/commencement/

For more information about the Shepard Broad Law School, visit: www.nova.edu/law

About the Shepard Broad Law Center: Located in the heart of Broward County, the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University integrates a solid foundation in traditional legal subjects and a pioneering clinical program that sets it apart from other law schools. The school offers full-time day and part-time evening programs, as well as Master of Science degrees in health law, education law, and employment law. Additionally, the Shepard Broad Law Center offers a wide variety of international and comparative learning opportunities including courses, clinical opportunities, and law programs abroad. The Shepard Broad Law Center is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. 

About Nova Southeastern University: Located in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited Florida University dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 29,000 students and is the seventh largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The University awards associate’s, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, specialist, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences.  Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU was also awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification in 2010 for the University’s significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement.   For more information about NSU visit www.nova.edu.

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Contact:
Brandon Hensler
NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5385 Office
954-393-5926 Cell
Brandon.Hensler@nova.edu