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David and Deborah Fonvielle Public Defender Service Award Gives Assistance to College of Law Graduates
David Fonvielle and wife, Deborah, established the David and Deborah Fonvielle Public Defender Service Award, which will be given annually to FSU College of Law graduates who have worked in the Office of the Public Defender for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida for at least one year and for not more than three years. "Debby and I wanted to encourage good lawyers to go to work in the Office of the Public Defender and then stay there. The idea of our gift was simply a way to help lawyers help people,” said David Fonvielle. “That’s what lawyers do, after all — we help people.” Dean Don Weidner, Public Defender Nancy Daniels, Associate Dean for Administration Stephanie Williams, Professor Larry Krieger, and the four recipients were present to receive the Fonvielle award. Daniels said she was astounded to hear the news about the gift. “We obviously get a lot of unusual calls in our office, so getting this one was a breath of fresh air. First of all, the idea behind the gift is such a genuine, humanitarian expression. Secondly, and from a very practical position, graduates who come to work in our office carry with them a huge financial debt from school, knowing that their salaries will be limited when they come into this office. This monetary award is greatly appreciated.” The 2004 recipients all work in the Leon County Office of the Public Defender, and they are: John Alfino, Appeals Staff; Warren “Drew” Crawford, Felony Staff; John Kelly, Felony Staff; and Carrie McMullen, Felony Staff. Each received a gift of $1,500. Alfino said, “This award says a lot about an exceptional school and the great environment that exists in the Office of the Public Defender.” McMullen praised the work environment further. “There are tiers of support available to you as a new lawyer in the Public Defender’s Office. People here like what they do, and I find myself singing to the radio on my way into work every day,” she said. Fonvielle worked as a public defender for the Second Judicial Circuit immediately after graduating from law school in 1972. He has been in private practice since 1974. Fonvielle, Lewis, Foote & Messer is limited to handling cases involving significant personal injury and wrongful death claims.
“We applaud the foundation for the practice of law that is provided
through Dean Weidner’s initiatives and the College of Law,” said
Fonvielle. “I
appreciate what the Office of the Public Defender does on a day-to-day
basis. That environment is where I learned to listen, be organized, Weidner said that as part of its public service mission, the law school encourages students to pursue public interest law. “We try to look at the broader functions of a law school, all the way from who we admit, the range of courses we offer, to where our graduates work after school. We’re concerned about serving the public, and that is why David’s gift is so important.” Supporting Our Chief
Fonvielle Lewis Foote & Messer works closely with the Tallahassee Police Department as partners on several safety initiatives directed to teens. We also support Chief Walter McNeil’s election campaign for Sixth Vice President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Recently our firm co-hosted, with the Datamaxx Group and the Florida Restaurant Association, a reception to benefit the Chief ’s campaign. A member of the IACP since 1988, Chief McNeil currently serves on its Executive Committee and Financial Review Committee. The IACP, the world’s oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, has 19,000 members in over 89 countries. To date this effort has added $3,000 to the Chief ’s IACP campaign chest. We invite you to join us in supporting the Chief ’s campaign to represent our community and state in this highly distinguished international position. Campaign contributions may be written to the Florida Police Chiefs Association for IACP Sixth Vice President. Please mail contributions to: Campaign Treasurer Amy Mercer, Florida Police Chiefs Association, 924 North Gadsden Street, Tallahassee, FL 32303. FLF&M Awards $4,500 to Teens for Responsible Choices
For the past twenty years, a high percentage of our community’s graduating teens have chosen to celebrate safely at a substance-free Project Graduation event. The all-night “lock-in” parties are organized and supervised by parent volunteers. Firm partner Hal Lewis, a Leon High graduate, was a member of the first class in Leon County to hold a Project Graduation event in 1984. We applaud the parents and teens who choose to participate in these safe celebrations. Our firm also subscribes to the belief that rewarding positive behavior is the key to maximizing it. That is why in 2002 we created the FLF&M Responsible Choice Awards program, to reward young people who are making mature and safe decisions. For the third consecutive year, our firm presented $4,500 in cash to students who made the responsible choice to celebrate safely at their school’s Project Graduation. We contributed $500 to each of the eight Leon County participating schools and Wakulla High School. As the all-night event wrapped up, the names of five students were drawn at each school’s gathering. Forty-five lucky students began the summer with a $100 check from Fonvielle Lewis Foote & Messer! Here are what a few of the 2004 Project Graduation winners had to say when asked why they attended their Project Graduation events:
Hopefully, we can continue to encourage even more graduating seniors to make the smart, safe decision to attend Project Graduation. Congratulations to all our winners and the parent volunteers!
Jim Messer Receives "Silver Eagle" Award
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By
Phillip M. Pollock, FSU College of Law
High
school graduation is a major milestone in the life of a young person.
It is a time of great joy and family gatherings. However, unsupervised
celebrations associated with this life passage also can be dangerous,
and even deadly, for many teens throughout the nation. 
Jim Messer, partner, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Academy
of Florida Trial Lawyers and received the “Silver Eagle” Award
for his service to the Academy at its mid-year meeting in Palm Beach,
Florida. Mr. Messer received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee
University in 1984 and is a 1993 graduate of the Walter F. George School
of Law at Mercer University. He is admitted to practice in all courts
in the state of Florida, all Georgia state courts, the United States
District Court, Middle District of Georgia, and the United States Court
of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.