University of Florida Levin College of Law

One of the nation's best values in legal education, the University of Florida Levin College of Law has a longstanding tradition of preparing its graduates for significant leadership roles. It placed first in Florida, fourth among public schools, and eighth overall in “output,” i.e. the caliber of a school’s graduates. It ranked fourth among public law schools in 2013 (tied for seventh overall) in the number of its graduates serving as federal district and circuit court judges; more than 250 graduates serve as state appellate and trial judges in Florida, and many serve in those roles in other states as well. No other law school has produced as many presidents of the American Bar Association since 1973; five including 2010-11 president Steve Zack. Four Florida Governors and hundreds of state senators, representatives and cabinet members hail from UF Law. Twelve graduates also became college presidents, and more than a dozen have served as deans of law schools.

U.S. News & World Report ranks UF Law 24th among public law schools and 49th overall; its Tax Program first among publics and second overall; and its Environmental Law program seventh among publics and 14th overall. UF Law also continues to be highly rated in terms of reputation – 16th among publics and 38th overall in the assessment of practicing lawyers and judges, and 14th among publics and 35th overall in the assessment of academics.

Vision

A law school dedicated to advancing human dignity, social welfare, and justice through knowledge of law.

Mission Statement

The mission of the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law is to achieve excellence in educating professionals, advancing legal scholarship, serving the public, and fostering justice. We aspire to prepare lawyers to serve their clients, the justice system, and the public with a high level of accomplishment and a commitment to the highest ideals of the legal profession. We strive to provide students with a well-rounded legal education. Our curriculum is designed to teach students about the law and to help them develop the skills necessary to use that knowledge in practice. Our goal is for our graduates to possess the core competencies essential to embark on the practice of law. These core competencies include:

• Legal Analysis (including knowledge of laws and rules, the ability to apply laws and rules to different factual settings, and the ability to engage in legal argumentation);
• Legal Research and Writing (including the ability to conduct independent legal research and produce legal writings of professional quality);
• Fundamentals of Client Services (including interviewing and counseling skills);
• Fundamentals of Dispute Processing and Legal Problem Solving (including litigation, settlement, and transactions); and
• Fundamentals of Professional Responsibility and Identity (including knowledge of the shared values of the legal profession and ethical problem solving, the skills to create a professional identity, and the skills to work with people from diverse backgrounds).