1980: W. Reece Smith Jr. elected ABA president
1981: ABA accreditation requires UF Law address the need for additional teaching space in its facilities
1981: Frank T. Read appointed dean of UF Law
1982: A gift from Lewis M. Schott establishes the Marcia Whitney Schott Courtyard
1984: Marshall Criser named UF president
1984: Chief Justice of the United State William Rehnquist dedicates newly completed Bruton-Geer Hall.
1988: Jeffrey E. Lewis appointed dean of UF Law (1988-1996)
1988: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Byron "Whizzer" White presides over UF Law's 1988 moot court final four
1989: Virgil Darnell Hawkins Civil Legal Clinics established at UF LawClick on the images in the film strip to navigate events in the decade.
The 1980s was a decade of growth and prosperity for UF Law and the nation. Deans Joseph Richard Julin (1971-1980), E. L. Roy Hunt (1980-81), Frank T. (Tom) Read (1981-88), and Jeffrey E. Lewis (1988-1996) supervised increased funding from the Florida Legislature to improve facility and program quality; UF Law alumni also increased its support for the college; the faculty grew from forty-six to fifty-six members, including six women; and Bruton-Geer Hall was constructed.