Levin College of Law

Albert J. Farrah (Dean, 1909-1912)

 

Known to his contemporaries as “the greatest law teacher in the South,” Albert J. Farrah was a founding figure in legal education in the Sunshine State. Born in 1863 on a farm in Michigan, Farrah went on to graduate from University of Michigan School of Law. In 1900, he was invited to come to Stetson University to serve as founding dean of the state’s first law school. After nine years at Stetson, Farrah came to UF to establish Florida’s first public college of law. The UF College of Law began with 38 students and two teachers holding class in a spare room at the Thomas Hall Dormitory for Men; almost a century later, it is the flagship of Florida law schools. Dean Farrah later moved to the University of Alabama’s School of Law, where he served as dean from 1913 until shortly before his death in 1944. Farrah Hall on the University of Alabama campus is named in his honor. He was well known for drilling into his students the maxim, “Out of facts the law arises.”

Published: July 3rd, 2014

Category: History

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