The University of Florida Levin College of Law is up in U.S. News & World Report rankings released March 12. Among the nation’s 201 public and private ABA-accredited JD-awarding law schools, UF’s law school is 23rd among public schools and 46th overall.

The publication places the school in two top specialty program rankings: first among public law schools and third overall in tax, and fifth among publics and 12th overall in environmental law. UF Law also continues to be highly rated in terms of reputation – 10th among publics and 26th overall in the assessment of practicing lawyers and judges, and 15th among publics and 35th overall in the assessment of academics.

“We are pleased that we continue to be one of the best values available in legal education,” said UF Law Dean Robert Jerry, referring to UF Law’s high placement for quality and equally low placement for cost among all U.S. law schools. “We’re among the three most affordable law schools in the US News top 50, when taking tuition and cost of living into account.

“At the same time, I caution every year that U.S. News and other rankings need to be considered in context and weighed along with other factors in evaluating institutional quality and fit, particularly when one considers the many factors not reflected in this ranking that make UF Law a leading law school,” Jerry said. “For example, we have a proven track record in providing leaders for the profession at both the national and state levels, and the prominence of our alumni in the federal and state judiciaries also sends a strong statement about our quality.”

In other national rankings, UF Law was fourth among public law schools in 2011 (eighth among all law schools in the nation) in the number of its graduates serving as federal district and circuit court judges.  More than 250 graduates serve as state appellate and trial judges in Florida, and many serve in those roles in other states as well. A 2012 Journal of Legal Education article titled “Where Do Partners Come From?” surveyed the National Law Journal 100 law firms and found that UF Law ranked 11th among publics and 29th overall in the number of alumni graduating from 1986 to the present serving as partners. A ranking by Super Lawyers magazine placed UF Law first in Florida, fourth among public schools, and eighth overall in “output,” i.e. the caliber of a school’s graduates. A 2012 article from Legal Metrics ranking law schools based on the number of arguments by their alumni before the U.S. Supreme Court since 2000 placed UF Law in the top 10 nationally.

“That a large number of law schools hire our graduates as law professors is also a sign of the college’s strength,” said Jerry.

A study published in the August 2011 Journal of Legal Education ranked UF Law in the top 33 (17 percent) of law schools nationwide, and as high as 22nd (11 percent) in one calculation, for the impact of its faculty on the law.

UF Law is also one of the top 10 law schools in the nation for Hispanics, according to Hispanic Business Review (seven times in nine years), and was ranked in 2012 as one of the top six schools for blacks in the South by On Being a Black Lawyer magazine.

It is unusual for a school to be so affordable, successful in both academia and the profession, and highly rated in such diverse areas.

“Thanks to our exceptional faculty and outstanding graduates, the UF Law Graduate Tax Program has ranked at the top of the U.S. News specialty tax area for as long as they have published the list, and remains the No.1 public school in this area,” said Associate Dean for Graduate Tax Mike Friel. “We are always gratified to see the program’s quality recognized in this way.”

ELUL Program Director Mary Jane Angelo said, “We are proud that UF’s Environmental and Land Use Law Program continues to be distinguished as a top program in this critical area. We have a large and dynamic program, and the faculty and students work very hard through projects like our annual Public Interest Environmental Conference, which attracted 250 participants to Gainesville this year, to make a genuine impact on current environmental issues.”

Jerry concluded, “The University of Florida is a quality school that cares about our students and offers them multiple paths to career satisfaction and success. We have state-of-the-art facilities and a beautiful campus, and we are part of one of the best and most comprehensive universities in the nation. The loyalty and influence of the Gator Nation’s law alumni cannot be overstated. Rankings like those published in the Journal of Legal Education and elsewhere offer interesting information for prospective students to consider and can help guide us in our continuing efforts to improve, but should be used as only one data point among many.”

A diversity panel held Oct. 12 at UF Law featured national and local leaders who discussed how to minority lawyers can claim more of the jobs and governance of the legal profession. (Photo by Marcela Suter) 

By Francie Weinberg
Student writer

When The Florida Bar integrated – requiring all Florida lawyers to become members – in 1950 the white leadership was mindful that it would not allow blacks into its social gatherings.

That history lay in the background of “Leadership and Law: Diverse Perspectives on the Role of Race and Participation in Professional Legal Organizations,” presented Friday, Oct. 12. The program brought together leaders from national, state and local bar associations into the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center Courtroom to discuss ways in which (voluntary) segregation still exists today in Florida’s legal profession – and whether there’s anything wrong with that. Panelists also discussed how minority lawyers can claim more of the jobs and governance of the legal profession.

From the local level all the way to the national level, legal bar associations are often divided by color lines, decades after becoming officially integrated. The event focused on ways to foster a dialogue on avenues for leadership and joint initiatives that transcend racial and other divides.

More than 70 people of many races came together to listen to five noted panelists. The panel included Daryl Parks, Arnell Bryant-Willis, Carl Schwait, AuBroncee Martin and Dawn Vallejos-Nichol, and was moderated by UF Law Professor Kenneth B. Nunn. It was sponsored by the 8th Judicial Circuit Bar Association, the Josiah T. Walls Bar Association, UF Law Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations and The Florida Bar. The program was the brainchild of Rob Birrenkott, director of UF Law’s Center for Career Development.

Panelists discussed why it is necessary to have minority bar associations in addition to general bar associations, and how it helps give black lawyers useful connections and a push in the right direction.

“It’s not necessarily what is printed in the law books or the cases,” said Martin, the felony division head for the public defender’s office for the 8th Judicial Circuit and president-elect of the Josiah T. Walls Bar Association. “It’s about how you relate to one another that really drives the legal system. In the legal profession, bar associations are good opportunities for you to put yourself in a position for good things to happen to you.”

Inspired by the 50^th anniversary of the graduation of W. George Allen (JD 62), who helped pave the way for generations of students in Florida by becoming the first African-American to graduate from the University of Florida and UF Law, the discussion also focused on how to diversify the law profession.

“The challenges for African-American lawyers just tend to be a little bit different than other lawyers,” said Parks, immediate past president of The National Bar Association, a legal group for African-Americans. “The NBA is able to really go to bat for diversity. When it comes to these crucial issues, we have to argue that we deserve better.”

Nunn asked why a separate bar association for African Americans is necessary. He also brought up why it is important to work toward bringing The National Bar Association together with other bar associations like The Florida Bar.

“We live in a multi-cultural, multi-diverse world,” said Bryant-Willis, a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors and The Florida Bar’s Inaugural Diversity Initiatives Manager. “What the bar is trying to do is develop programs so that we can help minorities reach out and become a part of minority organizations if they so desire.”

Nunn’s final concern was how to move the various bar association toward a more diverse and united front and what the future holds.

“They’re just groups that recognize that different lawyers have different life perspectives,” Martin said. “Each of these organizations is akin to an instrument and when you play them together you make beautiful music.”

“I was very pleasantly surprised and honored to have received this award.” said Liu, who is a first-generation college and law student. “In our dynamic multicultural society, it’s wonderful to see great firms reaching out and encouraging diversity in the legal workplace.”

Constangy initiated this award program in order to recognize the achievements of law students who have demonstrated their interest in diversity and their continued commitment to diversity in the profession of law. Liu was also the recipient of a similar Diversity Scholarship awarded by Foley & Lardner LLP in 2008.

Liu was motivated to pursue a career law through her childhood experience of helping her parents with the family business. She noticed a sharp disparity between the numbers of lawyers who were available to serve the Asian-American community. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Fujianese, Liu hopes to fulfill that role and to serve as a role model for other ethnically diverse law students.

Committed to furthering diversity in the legal profession, Liu is currently the president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA) and the secretary for the International Law Society. Liu has also served as the vice president of special events for the Law Association for Women, where she coordinated events such as the Women Judge Panel.

“I think it is important to identify your interests and find a nice balance,” said Liu. “For me, staying active throughout the semester has helped to give more meaning to my overall law school experience.”

During her undergrad at the University of Miami, Liu loved to study abroad, going overseas on three occasions.

“I love studying different cultures, meeting different people and especially trying new food.” said Liu, who has studied at Oxford University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University (in Beijing, China).

Following college graduation, Liu was awarded a Fulbright fellowship by the U.S. Department of State to conduct research on social and economic development in China.

Liu said that her favorite study abroad experience was in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong is a rare and eclectic mix of the two worlds I adore; a dazzling metropolis of East meets West.” Liu said. “I can go have authentic Chinese food one night, and then I can go and have good steak and burgers the next.”