Levin College of Law

The Center for Estate Planning

UF Law has made a significant institutional commitment to sustaining one of the strongest estate planning curricula in the country because of the importance of the estate planning field to the State of Florida. The State of Florida has welcomed exceptional growth in estate planning and administration in recent years. The growth in Florida’s estate planning industry can be attributed to many factors: the overall demographic move toward the Sun Belt, favorable income and estate tax laws, retiree-friendly communities, and asset protection, to name a few. The convergence of our state demographics, the top tier status of our law school, the stature of our professors, and the national recognition of our exceptional Tax LL.M. program create an academic atmosphere with distinct emphasis on a strong estates and trusts curricula.

UF Law’s commitment to a robust estate planning program is shown through its ongoing, generous support of the Center for Estate Planning. The Center for Estate Planning integrates teaching, training, research, scholarship and public service with the goals of advancing estates and trusts knowledge, law, policy, professionalism and skills.

Estate Planning Program

In addition, the Center for Estate Planning administers the Estate Planning Program, which is designed to give students a well-rounded legal education with focus in the areas of estates and trusts planning, drafting and administration (thereby implicating the laws of gifts, loans, intestate succession, wills, trusts, future interests, probate, fiduciary law, family holding entities, valuation discounts, and taxation). Our friendly and knowledgeable professors and staff are very accessible for career counseling and advice, as well.

Opportunities for Learning

The Center for Estate Planning provides students, faculty and community members alike with the opportunity to participate in events pertinent to estate planning issues. Accordingly, the Center hosts a lecture series on pertinent issues in distinct areas of this diverse legal discipline. In this regard, the Center tries to host speakers in the following areas: non-tax estate planning, tax estate planning, fiduciary administration, charitable giving, and ethics.

Academic Opportuntiies

Recognizing that a sufficient education in estate planning requires practical experience, the Center for Estate Planning enhances the classroom experience by facilitating student placement in judicial externships for academic credit in the probate divisions of several judicial circuits. In addition, the Center hosts presentations by active practitioners about career issues distinct to estate planning and provides other net-working opportunities. By providing real world experience to students, the Center for Estate Planning is able to incorporate an aspect to the study of estates and trusts that simply cannot be gleaned from the academic setting alone.

Student Involvement

The Center for Estate Planning also thrives on student involvement. The Center oversees and provides student opportunities in community service programs through the Estates and Trusts Law Society. The Center also works closely with the Graduate Tax Program and the UF Institute for Learning in Retirement to provide courses in adult education on estate planning.