100 Years of UF Law
In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, this timeline is presented as an exploration — not just of time, but of people. It chronicles the actions and aspirations of men and women who yearned to understand the law and to practice it in support of their communities. Theirs is a rich and colorful tapestry of people and events, which helped shape UF Law into the institution it is today.
Harry R. Trusler, the law school’s longest-serving dean, wrote that the law school serves a higher purpose to society in that “Law is a liberal education. It cultivates and disciplines the mind; develops personal capacity and leadership, and imparts the essentials of business and of government. Were there no such thing as the legal profession, the College of Law, in training for active life, would hold its own as a practical College of Arts and Sciences; for the history of man — the story of his struggles and achievements — is written just as fully and significantly in his laws as it is in his language, art, literature, philosophy, or sciences.”
Special credit must be offered to the following people for their contributions to this timeline:
- Grace “Betty” Taylor, professor emeritus, for researching and authoring Creating a Law Program at the University of Florida, the document from which much of the content for the timeline is drawn.
- Martin H. Levin (JD 88) for his encouragement to think big when considering the college’s online history pages.