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St. Thomas Law Clinics and Internships

11/30/2018

Judge John Bowman, a circuit judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, attended St. Thomas University. While he was pursuing his juris doctor, Judge John Bowman made the dean's list and was part of the school's Moot Court team.

The St. Thomas University School of Law juris doctor program provides students with many opportunities to serve the public and develop their legal skills. One way in which a student can hone their abilities is through participation in clinics. These programs, which include internships and externships, highlight specific legal disciplines, serving as a way for law students to feel out new areas of practice and pursue career pathways. They can last either a single semester or an entire year.

Some of these clinics, such as those concentrating on civil practice, criminal practice, and tax, allow students to become more knowledgeable of a particular area of the legal field. Others, such as elder law and immigration, focus on serving specific populations and their unique legal situations. Finally, students interested in working for certain organizations can pursue judicial, Florida Supreme Court, or United Nations internships.

Young Lawyers Division in Florida Holds Holiday Event for Kids

11/10/2018

A lifelong resident of Florida, Judge John Bowman received his law degree from St. Thomas University in Miami. Since 2002, he has worked in Ft. Lauderdale as a circuit judge for the State of Florida. For his work with the highest civil court in the state, Judge John Bowman earned 2017 Jurist of the Year from the Broward County Bar Association (BCBA) Young Lawyers Section (YLS).

The YLS seeks to stimulate the interest of attorneys within the BCBA and promotes professional understanding within the community. To be a member, the attorney must be in their first five years of practice in the Florida Bar or be under the age of 36. To keep its members connected, the YLS hosts several annual events.

One of these events is its Holiday in February, with the 2019 event occurring on February 9 at the Museum of Discovery and Science. The YLS partners with the Heart Gallery of Broward County and invites about 50 local foster children to spend the morning building gingerbread houses, completing arts and crafts projects, playing games, and getting their faces painted. Santa visits the children, and he passes out gifts to each child. Afterward, the children and chaperones spend the rest of the day exploring everything the museum has to offer.

The Role of the Uniform Motion Calendar in Legal Proceedings

10/31/2018

Judge John Bowman has served as a circuit judge for more than 15 years in the civil division of the Florida state court system. Among his other accomplishments, Judge John Bowman improved his court’s efficiency by implementing a uniform motion calendar (UMC).

Uniform motion calendars streamline a judge’s workload. Much of a court’s time is taken by motions - requests for particular legal actions, such as dismissals on procedural grounds and summary judgments, in which the judge decides the case before trial.

With many cases on the docket, the number of motions builds. The UMC gathers and schedules them, letting the judge rule on each one in rapid succession. Each motion takes only five or ten minutes; longer motions must be scheduled separately. Individuals can follow the UMC schedule through the court website or ask the judge’s assistant.

Those filing motions can have them placed on the UMC in person at the courthouse or by email. On the appointed day, they should arrive early to wait for their motion to come up.

Heart Gallery of Broward County Advocates for Foster Youth

10/27/2018

Serving in the Dependency Division of Florida’s 17th Circuit, Judge John Bowman has presided over some 15,000 cases. Judge John Bowman’s work on behalf of adopted children has earned him recognition from the Heart Gallery of Broward County.

The agency promotes the interests of foster children by raising awareness and promoting adoption through a traveling photography gallery, one of more than 100 Heart Galleries around the nation. The first opened in 2001, and the Broward Country gallery went public in 2007. The Broward exhibit tours public spaces with portraits of foster children by more than 20 professional photographers.

Volunteers can assist the Heart Gallery’s mission by serving as a guardian ad litem (a legal advocate for a child), tutoring and mentoring children, offering job training, or educating youths in a foster home about life skills. Persons can provide in-kind donations of household products or clothes in good condition. Additionally, businesses and individuals can make tax-deductible cash donations.

Visit the gallery’s website at heartgalleryofbroward.org/portal/about-us for more information.

Awards from the American Inns of Court

10/17/2018

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Judge John Bowman has served on Florida’s 17th Judicial Circuit for more than 15 years. Alongside his work in the courtroom, Judge John Bowman recently completed a term as the president of the American Inns of Court (AIC).

AIC gives several annual awards to recognize excellence in different areas of the legal profession. Two of the more prominent awards are the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Professional Service and the Warren E. Burger Prize.

The Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service is given each year to a member of the American Inns of Court who has been practicing law for fewer than 10 years but has committed himself or herself to serve the public. The award is presented each October at the AIC Celebration of Excellence.

The Warren E. Berger Prize is an essay contest designed to reward scholarly thought and research in topics such as professionalism and ethics. Stakeholders in the legal community (attorneys, law professors, law students, constitutional scholars, etc.) may submit original manuscripts between 10,000 and 20,000 words. The winner receives a $5,000 cash prize.

Introducing the National Adoption Day and How One Can Help

10/9/2018

A seasoned trial court professional, Judge John Bowman serves as Circuit Judge of the Florida Circuit Court. In this capacity, he also leads the court’s National Adoption Day committee. With over two decades of active community service, Judge John Bowman continued his advocacy to help children under foster care find their permanent families by supporting National Adoption Day.

National Adoption Day was organized by individuals and groups as a nationwide effort to help more than 110,000 children in foster care across the country find a loving family that can permanently care for them. According to statistics from National Adoption Day, a child in foster care waits for an average of three years before he or she gets adopted while every year over 20,000 children age out of foster homes without gaining a permanent family.

These facts led to the creation of an annual one-day event, called National Adoption Day, that would make the dreams of each child in foster care become a reality. The day is set on the Saturday before the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Since 2000 when the National Adoption Day was started, close to 70,000 children have found a permanent family through the event.

Individuals can get involved in the annual event by adopting a child or by promoting a strong advocacy for community foster care. Businesses may also join by donating goods and services for the event or by becoming a sponsor for National Adoption Day. Event planners are also encouraged to participate by creating an event that promotes adoption or by promoting the event using toolkits with the event’s logos.

St. Thomas University Law School Admissions Information

9/5/2018

Based in Fort Lauderdale, John Bowman serves as a circuit judge. He also maintains membership on boards and committees that spearhead campaigns to improve the efficiency of family and civil courts throughout the state of Florida. For example, he streamlined technological efforts to track cases across various divisions. A graduate of St. Thomas University School of Law, Judge John Bowman participated on the school’s State Moot Court team and was on the Dean’s List.

Located in Miami, the St. Thomas University School of Law holds membership with the Association of American Law Schools and earned accreditation from the American Bar Association. The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) reviews applications throughout an academic year beginning in September and ending in July. Applicants need to submit their LSAT scores along with official transcripts for all undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees or certifications for review. Interviews are not required for admission, but visiting the campus and meeting faculty members are advised prior to enrolling.

Applicants are also required to write a personal statement, no more than four pages, detailing their professional and personal interests in law as well as the reason for choosing to apply to St. Thomas University’s law school. Personal statements should also discuss achievements and experiences and how they translate to the study and practice of law. A letter of recommendation, preferably from a colleague, professional superior, or professor, is required. Applicants can send up to four letters of recommendation. More about the admission process is available online by visiting www.stu.edu/law.

Probate Law in Florida

2/7/2017

Since 2002, Judge John Bowman has held the office of circuit judge in Florida’s highest civil trial court. Before joining the bench, Judge John Bowman was a probate attorney.

Probate is the process of settling estates under the supervision of the court. When a person dies (the decedent) leaving behind an estate, the court supervises the administration of the estate to ensure that all assets are gathered, creditors are paid, taxes are paid, and the remaining property is distributed to the decedent’s beneficiaries. The purpose of probate is to safeguard the decedent’s estate and prevent fraud.

Probate administration in Florida applies only to probate assets, or assets that form part of the decedent’s estate and were registered in the decedent’s own name. Probate assets include bank accounts, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and real estate.

Assets that cannot be probate assets include real estate owned under joint tenancy (ownership passes automatically to the surviving co-owner) and beneficiary designations such as retirement accounts with named beneficiaries.

National Adoption Day's Community Efforts

1/19/2017

John Bowman is a circuit judge based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A professional with many years of experience, Judge Bowman was recently reappointed to the Florida Supreme Court Bar Admission Committee. Judge John Bowman is a staunch advocate of National Adoption Day.

An event to encourage adoption and awareness of the children who are waiting in foster care and orphanages, National Adoption Day takes place on November 19th and originated in the year 2000. Since its start, National Adoption Day has helped place more than 50,000 children and adolescents with new families.

National Adoption Day is a community effort. Community administrators encourage local orphanages and foster care families to set up events on the day, giving them creative leeway in the planning and activities.

After November 19th, new families are asked to participate in the One Day project to inspire future adoptions. The One Day project is a simple social media plan in which new parents and adoptees share their personal stories of the day they became a family.

Membership Requirements for the Phi Theta Kappa Society

6/15/2016

Judge John Bowman received his bachelors degree in public administration from Florida Atlantic University, where he was a Phi Theta Kappa scholar. To become a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Judge John Bowman was required to fulfill certain eligibility requirements. The requirements necessary today are as follows:

Potential members must be enrolled in an accredited institution and have completed at least 12 hours of coursework that can be applied toward an associate degree. Local chapters determine the eligibility of part-time students. Generally, a student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher; however, local chapters may raise GPA standards in accordance with the Phi Theta Kappa constitution.

Moral standards for the society are in place and potential members must adhere to them. For example, anyone currently incarcerated is not eligible. Additionally, an invitation to membership must be received from the chapter within the college the student currently attends.