History
History of UF Law: 2000-
First 50 | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000-
The decade of the 2000s witnessed phenomenal growth in faculty, research centers and facilities, a new library and classrooms, greater faculty and student diversity & improved college rankings under Deans Jon L. Mills (1999-2003) & Robert Jerry (2003 - present).
2000
The Marcia Whitney Schott Courtyard was named in Mrs. Schott's honor with a donation from her husband, Lewis M. Schott. Both graduated from UF Law in 1946.
Fall 2001 and Spring 2002 graduating classes contributed and pledged over $18,000 to give back to law school programs.
2003
Robert Jerry assumed the Deanship on July 1, replacing Jon Mills, who returned to the leadership of the Center for Government Responsibility.
2003-2004
Renovation of Holland Hall began, which, when completed, featured 11 new, state-of-the-art classrooms and the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center.
2005
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor spoke at the dedication of the new classrooms and the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center. The 78,000-square-foot law library of 625,000 volumes serves as the centerpiece of the College's $25 million newly renovated campus. UF law grad Fredric G. Levin's (JD 61) gift of $10 million dollars combined with state matching funds of $10 million dollars and gifts of $6.3 million from alumni financed the construction and renovation.
2006
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke at the dedication of the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom, located on the first floor of the east tower of the newly renovated Holland Hall.
2007
A UF Law Moot Court team won first place at the Henry G. Manne Moot Court Competition for Law & Economics at the George Mason University School of Law in Washington, D.C.
The UF Law Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Trial Team won the national title at the NBLSA Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition in Atlanta.
The University of Florida Trial Team brought home a national title at the St. John's University National Civil Rights Trial Competition in Jamaica, N.Y.
2008
A UF Law Moot Court team placed first overall in the Henry G. Manne Moot Court Competition for Law and Economics sponsored by the George Mason University School of Law in Washington, D.C. for the second year in a row.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited UF Law students, faculty and staff to discuss challenges the next U.S. president will face.
UF Law became the first college in the nation to offer a master’s degree in environmental and land use law.
Construction began on the Martin H. Levin Legal Advocacy Center, which will feature a large, modern state-of the-art courtroom. Construction of the advocacy center was made possible through the support of UF law grad Fredric G. Levin (JD 61) and other alumni who contributed $5.2 million to the Levin College of Law.
Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr. became the first representative of the U.S. Supreme Court in history to judge the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Final Four on Sept. 5.
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens and U.S. District Court Judge Jose A. Gonzalez Jr. (JD 57) spoke at the inaugural Marshall M. Criser Distinguished Lecture at the UF Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The lecture series was established with a gift from Lewis Schott (LLB 46) as a tribute to former UF President Marshall Criser (LLB 51).
2009
UF Law celebrated its 100 year anniversary.
The first national ranking of law schools to consider "output," i.e. the caliber of a school’s graduates, has placed the University of Florida Levin College of Law first in Florida, eighth overall and fourth among public schools. The inaugural ranking by Super Lawyers magazine was based on the number of each school’s graduates in the magazine’s annual state and regional listing of exceptional lawyers in more than 70 areas of practice.
UF Law Professor and Dean Emeritus Jon Mills accepted an appointment to serve on the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission. The Florida JNC is a 56-member commission charged with the thorough review and recommendation of the most qualified candidates to serve as U.S. District Court Judges, U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals in Florida.
A $1 million gift was announced to complete the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law’s Trial Advocacy Center and bring the total of Levin family gifts to the law school to nearly $30 million, including state matching funds. The gift from Teri Levin, Fredric G. Levin’s sister-in-law, honors her late husband, Allen Richard Levin.
2010
U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s top graduate schools released placed the University of Florida Levin College of Law as Florida’s only top 50 law school. UF Law was ranked 47th overall, and 24th among all public law schools. Its Graduate Tax Program was 3rd overall and continued to rank 1st among publics. Its Environmental Law Program was tied for 7th among public universities and 16th overall.
The UF Law Trial Team won first place at the Florida Bar Chester Bedell Memorial Mock Trial Competion. The victory marks the sixth time UF Law has won the prestigious competition.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was UF Law’s special guest at the second annual Marshall M. Criser Distinguished Lecture. Thomas became the fifth Supreme Court justice to visit the college in five years.
UF Law alumnus and former president of The Florida Bar Stephen N. Zack was sworn in as president of the American Bar Association, becoming the first Hispanic-American to take on the duty and the fifth UF Law graduate to hold the position. Following in Zack’s footsteps on the state level are UF Law alumni Mayanne Downs, who became president of The Florida Bar, and Scott G. Hawkins, who became The Florida Bar president-elect for 2011.