John T. Berry to be Distinguished Commencement Speaker at NSU College of Law Commencement

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE FLA. – Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Shepard Broad College of Law will feature John T. Berry, J.D. of The Florida Bar as its Distinguished Honoree Commencement Speaker during spring ceremonies on Thursday, May 10.

John T. Berry, J.D

Berry, who serves as the Florida Bar’s Legal Division Director, supervises the lawyer regulation and professionalism efforts at the Florida Bar. In addition to being the commencement speaker. Mr. Berry will be receiving an honorary degree from Nova Southeastern University. According to law Dean Jon M. Garon. “We are very fortunate to have Mr. Berry coming to share his insight and wisdom with our new graduates,” Garon said. Mr. Berry will be congratulating 59 Master of Science in Law students and 191 juris doctor students from the NSU Shepard Broad College of Law that will be receiving their degrees.

Prior to returning to The Florida Bar, Berry served as executive director of the State Bar of Michigan from 2000-2006. He also has served as director of the Center of Professionalism at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. He has held previous positions as assistant executive director of the State Bar of Arizona (1998-2000), and as staff counsel and legal division director of The Florida Bar (1983-1998). His staff counsel duties included supervising lawyer regulation, unauthorized practice of law, ethics, professionalism, and the advertising departments. He served for seven years as an assistant state attorney at the Florida Ninth Judicial Circuit Fraud Division, Orlando, Florida, handling white collar and organized crime cases.

Berry was trained and approved by the Florida Supreme Court as an instructor for judicial education. He is a frequent lecturer throughout the nation and the world on ethics and professionalism. In addition, Berry is responsible for the establishment of The Florida Bar’s and the State Bar of Arizona’s Professional Enhancement Program (ethics school) where he participated as a main lecturer. He was also a member of more than 15 consulting teams to other states, evaluating their ethics and professionalism efforts.

Berry was the 2001 recipient of the ABA’s Michael Franck Award, the highest award bestowed nationally by the association for achievement in the field of lawyer ethics, professionalism, and conduct.

He graduated magna cum laude from University of Florida in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received his J.D. from Stetson University College of Law in 1976.

For additional information, contact Kathleen Perez at Kperez1@nova.edu or 954 262-6295.

 

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa Bay, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence 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 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU.

Shepard Broad College of Law: Nova Southeastern University’s College of Law offers a cutting edge, skills-centered academic program in three-year full-time and four-year part-time divisions. With its recently redeveloped clinical programs, every NSU Law student is guaranteed a live-client experience. In-house clinical studies are supplemented by full-time field placement opportunities practicing law in Florida, across the United States, or select locations throughout the globe. To solidify student success after graduation, NSU Law pioneered a curriculum on the business of lawyering through the NSU Law Leadership Academy. NSU Law students have a myriad of curricular opportunities, including a rich, diverse curriculum, concentrations in International Law, Health Law or IP, Technology and Cybersecurity; dual degree programs abroad in Rome, Barcelona, or Prague; dual degree programs at many of NSU’s other 17 colleges; and much more.  For more information, please visit www.law.nova.edu.

 

Media Contact Information:
Kevin Boyd
954-288-9509
kevinboydpr@comcast.net

Kathleen Perez
954-262-6295
Kperez1@nova.edu
Shepard Broad College of Law
Office of Marketing and Communications

Michael Mckenzie