Campus to Career 2027 Schedule and Programming

Networking is one of the most valuable, and most intimidating, skills a law student can develop. Competent Networking brings together a panel of former Stetson Law Ambassadors who have gone on to become standouts in the legal field, offering students a rare chance to learn directly from those who once walked in their shoes.

Moderated by Catherine Henry, President-Elect of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, this panel will explore how to build genuine professional relationships, make a lasting impression, and approach employers with confidence. Students will leave with practical tools to engage meaningfully at Campus to Career and throughout their legal careers.

Casual dinner provided in the Mann Lounge.

Data centers are no longer a quiet real estate play in Florida. Neighbors show up, local boards slow or stop projects, and a site that looks financeable on paper can die in a hearing over power, water or land use. SB 484, Florida’s new data center law, does not end that fight. It keeps cities and counties in charge of zoning and planning, requires large-load customers to bear their own utility costs instead of shifting them onto other ratepayers, and bars a water permit if the project would harm water resources or conflict with local rules.

This panel is for anyone trying to understand that project gauntlet, and for anyone who sees what these facilities can still unlock. The same pressures are pushing new innovations: direct-to-chip and immersion cooling, onsite and renewable power generation, AI-driven predictive maintenance, faster data movement including laser transfer, and early work on space-based compute.

• Land use counsel will cover site control, design, reviews and the local approvals that decide whether a community accepts a project or shuts it down.
• Public utility and energy regulation counsel will unpack the power fight: how large-load customers pay their own way, how onsite and renewable generation fits, and how operators meet demand and redundancy without shifting costs onto other ratepayers.
• Data center operations and maintenance counsel will look at the deal from the owner’s, operator’s and tenant’s side: what is efficient and viable, what clients expect, and how that gets written into leases, subleases, colocation agreements, master service agreements (MSAs), service level agreements (SLAs), security terms and smart facility maintenance.
• Environmental counsel will cover water, resource limits and cooling strategies that can lower a project’s impact and, in some cases, make approval possible.

You do not need to know SB 484 before you walk in. You will leave seeing how development, demand, operations and environmental constraints now rise or fall together.

Snacks and water in the classroom. Lunch will be served in Classroom A after the program, and you are welcome to stay for the noon program in the same room.

The law has invisible impacts on ordinary people who lack the finances, connections or understanding of the legal system to protect themselves, which makes public service clinics a necessity. This panel will focus on the ways attorneys can use their knowledge of law and financial systems to protect vulnerable communities in housing disputes, consumer protection, bankruptcy, wills and estates, and more. Panelists may also discuss Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the legal battles surrounding it.

Snacks and water in the classroom.

Panelists will discuss the impact being a Hispanic American attorney has had on their legal careers, including the work Hispanic American attorneys are often expected to do or the paths they are assumed to take, such as immigration law, compared with the paths the panelists actually chose. The conversation will explore how the panelists’ work connects back to their communities and how their backgrounds led them to their chosen fields.

The discussion will highlight the diversity of legal paths open to attorneys of Hispanic American descent and address limits panelists may have felt were imposed by societal expectations. Panelists will close with a discussion of mentorship and how to navigate these issues as a new attorney or law student.

Snacks and water provided.

Whether you plan to pursue a position in public service or big law, open your own practice or follow another professional path, there is more to consider than your starting salary. In this session, LeAndra Ross, an Accredited Financial Counselor® from the nonprofit legal education organization AccessLex Institute®, will discuss making informed career decisions that weigh pay, benefits packages and cost of living. Ms. Ross will also cover other important financial topics, such as preparing for bar-related expenses and managing credit and debt effectively.

Snacks and water in the classroom.

Law school teaches students how to analyze legal issues and advocate for clients, but it rarely covers the business decisions that determine whether a law firm succeeds. This panel brings together attorneys from different practice areas and firm structures to discuss what it takes to lead, grow and sustain a successful law firm.

Panelists will share insights on leadership, client development, financial management, tax considerations, firm expansion and the evolving legal marketplace. Whether you aspire to make partner, become a managing partner or start your own practice, this discussion will provide practical advice on the business side of practicing law.

Lunch provided in Classroom A.

Panelists will share what inspired them to practice plaintiff’s law and what the work looks like day to day.

Lunch provided on the third floor of the library.

Stetson Law Ambassadors are the familiar faces behind campus tours, admitted student events and countless first impressions of the College of Law. They are, in many ways, the heartbeat of campus life. Join a panel of four Ambassadors as they discuss what it means to serve in this role, the responsibility of representing Stetson, and how the experience has shaped their growth, both personally and professionally.

This conversation is an opportunity to hear directly from students many already recognize, and to understand the service behind that recognition.

Snacks and water provided.