Stetson University College of Law

Stetson University College of Law
Motto	Pro Deo et Veritate
Established	1900
School type	Private
Parent endowment	US$47.6 million
Dean	Interim Dean Royal C. Gardner
Location	Gulfport, Florida, USA
Enrollment	1,033
Faculty	61
USNWR ranking	Tier 3
Bar pass rate	80.0% (Feb 09)
Annual tuition	$31,420
Website	www.law.stetson.edu

Stetson University College of Law, founded in 1900, is Florida's first law school. Located in Gulfport, FL (moving to the city in 1954 from its original location in DeLand), it also has a campus in Tampa, FL. The law school occupies a historic 1920s resort hotel, the Rolyat. The College of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools .

Programs

• Offers J.D. Certificates of Concentration in Advocacy, Elder Law, Higher Education Law and Policy, and International Law; J.D./M.B.A., J.D./Grado (Spanish law degree), J.D./M.D., and J.D./M.P.H. dual-degree programs; LL.M. in International Law and online LL.M. degree in elder law.
• The Stetson Law Review was the Headquarters for the National Conference of Law Reviews from 2003-2008. NCLR is the leading organization for law reviews and journals with approximately 145 members from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
• Home to the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law.
• Centers for Excellence in Advocacy, Elder Law, Higher Education Law and Policy, and International Law.
• Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy and the Journal of International Aging Law and Policy are produced in conjunction with the school.

Standings

Stetson School of Law main tower as seen from the main court yard (inspired by Torre del Oro in the city of Seville)

• Ranked #110 over-all. Over the past dozen years, the school's advocacy program has been, according to some sources, ranked first in the nation eight times, and second three times.
• Stetson fielded the 2009 American Association for Justice National Champion Trial Team, placing first out of 248 squads from 147 law schools. Stetson has won the AAJ National Championship 4 times. http://www.law.stetson.edu/tmpl/news/article.aspx?id=6412
• The Stetson Law School team was the 2004-2005 world champions at the 12th Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition, the first U.S. law school to win since 1996, receiving Frederic Eisemann Award (i.e., prevailing team in orals) for winning. Stetson defeated the University of Vienna for the gold.

Points of interest

• The law school is part of the Stetson University, which is located in DeLand, Florida.
• Its Tampa campus shares space with a working court, Florida's Second District Court of Appeal.
• A 2006 book entitled Florida's First Law School: History of Stetson University College of Law by Michael I. Swygert provides a detailed history of the school covering its founding, development, and growth (ISBN 1-59460-316-2).
• Harold Sebring, a former chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court (and a judge at the Nuremberg War Trials), is a former dean of Stetson Law (1955–1968).

Notable alumni

Stetson School of Law Library (58,000 square feet)

• Gus Bilirakis (1989) - Florida House of Representatives (1998); United States House of Representatives (2006)
• Pam Bondi (1990) - Attorney General of Florida
• Craig Crawford (1981) - television political commentator, writer, and columnist for the Congressional Quarterly
• E. Harris Drew (1923) - Member of the Florida Supreme Court (Chief Justice)
• Justice Carol W. Hunstein (1976) - Georgia Supreme Court Justice (1992)
• Bruce Jacob - Florida Assistant Attorney General during the early 1960s and counsel in Gideon v. Wainwright.
• Frederick B. Karl (1949) - Florida Supreme Court Justice
• Prakash Khatri (1983) - Department of Homeland Security’s Ombudsman and a specialist in Immigration and Citizenship issues as they relate to national security
• Carl M. Kuttler, Jr. (1965) – President of St. Petersburg College, 1978–2009
• Michael William Lebron, Lionel (1983) - Nationally syndicated radio talk show host.
• Kenneth Marra (1977) - Federal judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• Rich McKay (1984) - President and general manager, Atlanta Falcons (2004)
• Anthony E. Porcelli - Federal judge, Middle District of Florida
• James T. Russell (1954) - Florida Legislature (1958); Florida assistant state attorney (1965)
• Congressman E. Clay Shaw Jr. (1966) - Represented South Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-2007.
• David Sholtz - twenty-sixth Governor of Florida (1933–1937)

Noted Faculty

• Bruce Jacob (see above)
• Royal Gardner (Interim Dean)
• Ellen Podgor (editor of White Collar Crime Prof Blog)
• Charles Rose (author of Fundamental Trial Advocacy and noted military law scholar)
• Carol Henderson (Director of National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law and president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.)

Gallery

• 

  Stetson Law's Campus from the Library

• 

  Stetson Law's Crummer Courtyard from the Coffee Shop

External links

• Stetson Law Home Page
• Brief History of Stetson Law
• Extended History of Stetson Law
• Law School Ranking