While the idea sounds absurd today, up until the 1940s it was not uncommon for property deeds to include clauses that restricted the sale of property to whites only. In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled against these racially restrictive covenants and the practice was outlawed in 1968 by the Fair Housing Act.

Yale and Arizona law professor Carol M. Rose will discuss, “Property Law and the Rise, Life, and Demise of Racially Restrictive Covenants,” at the sixth annual Wolf Family Lecture on the American Law of Real Property at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. The lecture will be March 13, at 11 a.m. in the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center courtroom, and will also be available as a live webcast. The event is free and open to the public.

The Wolf Family Lecture will offer valuable insights for property law students, as well as those interested in constitutional law and students involved with the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations.

Rose is the Gordon Bradford Tweedy Professor Emeritus of Law, and Organization and Professorial Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, and the Lohse Chair in Water and Natural Resources at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Her book, Saving the Neighborhood: Racially Restrictive Covenants, Law, and Social Norms (Harvard University Press), which she co-authored with Yale Law Professor Richard Brooks, will be available March 11.

The Wolf Family Lecture Series was endowed by a gift from UF Law Professor Michael Allan Wolf, who holds the Richard E. Nelson Chair in Local Government Law, and his wife, Betty. Wolf is the general editor of a 17-volume treatise, Powell on Real Property. The treatise is the most referenced real property treatise in the country and is cited regularly by the courts, including several citations in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Wolf family’s strong ties to the University of Florida date back to the 1930s, when Wolf’s father, Leonard Wolf, was a UF undergraduate. Since that time, two more generations of his descendants have made their way to Gainesville to study and work.

Past scholars who have delivered the Wolf Family Lecture in the American Law of Real Property include Thomas W. Merrill, Charles Evans Hughes Professor of Law at Columbia Law School; Gregory S. Alexander, A. Robert Noll Professor of Law at Cornell Law School; Lee Fennel, Max Pam Professor of Law at the University of Chicago; Joseph William Singer, Bussey Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School; and Vicki L. Been, Boxer Family Professor of Law and director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University School of Law.

The Center on Children and Families is seeking volunteers to participate in its annual Youth Summit. There will be an information meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12, and Monday, Feb. 16, at noon in HOL 359. The Youth Summit is designed to engage high school students in discussion about matters concerning law and policy and how each affects them. This year the summit will be on March 20, and will focus on youth involvement in the Juvenile Justice System. The program will address topics ranging from what activities could be illegal or result in suspension or expulsion from school to the consequences of involvement in the juvenile justice system. While volunteering, you will have the opportunity to interact with over 400 high school students to inform them of their legal rights, as well as inspire them to be focused and to live a productive life. For more information contact Debbie Willis, program at kelley@law.ufl.edu or Kristianna Rodriguez, Youth Summit project assistant at querod@ufl.edu. If you are a member of Facebook, the event and information is listed there as well.

ELULP informational meeting Feb. 13

The Environmental and Land Use Law Program offers many opportunities for you to become involved and learn about these important areas of law. There will be an informational meeting at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 13, in HOL 283. At the meeting, you’ll learn critical information about the ELUL program, including the requirements for earning a Certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law, and details about the curriculum, including the Conservation Clinic, summer externships, and the summer study abroad in Costa Rica, and find out about the Environmental and Land Use Law Society, the Environmental Moot Court Team, the Public Interest Environmental Conference, and our new LL.M. in Environmental and Land Use Law. Students who attend will also have the chance to meet and talk with some of the ELULP faculty and to get individual advice on course selection for summer and fall and career development guidance. This is an excellent opportunity for currently enrolled certificate students to get answers to questions about certificate requirements, course availability, etc. All students with an interest are encouraged to attend, but especially first- and second-year students – this is the ideal opportunity to get the best possible information to plan your academic program for your remaining semesters. Contact ELULP Program Assistant Lena Hinson at hinson@law.ufl.edu.

Real Property Law Association welcomes new officers, develops local connections

The UF branch of the Real Property Law Association (RPLA) was pleased to recently celebrate its second anniversary as a UF Levin College of Law organization. As part of the celebration, the RPLA inaugurated a new crew of officers. The inauguration was immediately followed by networking events at recent North Florida Area Real Estate Attorney (NFAREA) meetings hosted by the law firms of Salter, Feiber, Murphy, Hutson & Menet and Scruggs and Carmichael. The NFAREA welcomed Tiffany Kimball as the RPLA’s new President, along with fellow officers Jamie Barwig, Zea McDonnough, Derren Kales and Lauren Kirkpatrick. Barwig was offered and accepted the position of NFAREA secretary and is now responsible for both assisting the NFAREA chairperson and keeping the minutes for the organization. Outgoing president Brent Kimball was pleased to present a new initiative to the NFAREA designed to help local real property attorneys locate and communicate with University of Florida students interested in practicing in the field of real property. The RPLA will continue to work with Florida’s real property law community at the upcoming executive council meeting this spring, where they plan to attend several training seminars, volunteer their services for pro bono projects, and rub elbows with the elite of Florida’s real property community. (Photo from left: Tiffany Kimball, Lauren Kirkpatrick, Derren Kales and Zea McDonnough)

Research Assistant Needed

Professor Jonathan Cohen seeks a research assistant for this spring and summer concerning a project addressing one family’s response to a case of medical error. Interested students should have both excellent research and typing skills, as some of the work will involve transcribing interviews. Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and undergraduate and law school transcripts (unofficial copies fine) to Betty Donaldson, HOL 340, by Wednesday, Feb. 18

Introduction to Law School and the Profession 2009 Ambassador Program

Student Affairs is looking for ambassadors. Ambassadors are current students who are selected for their interest in helping new students prior to, during, and even after the ILSP. If you are interested in being a part of the ambassador team, now is the time to apply. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Feb. 17, at noon. An information sheet and application is available on the orientation Web site www.law.ufl.edu/students/orientation/. When you turn in your application and resume to the Office of Student Affairs, you will sign up for an interview. If you wish to be considered for a coordinator position, an additional application is required. Contact Michelle Ocepek at ocepek@law.ufl.edu or 352-273-0620 for more information.