Florida State University College of Law

Public law school in Tallahassee, Florida, US

Florida State University
College of Law

Established| 1966; 59 years ago (1966)
School type| Public
Location| Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Enrollment| 454[1]
Faculty| 62[1]
USNWR ranking| 48th (tied) (2024)[2]
Bar pass rate| 82.97% (Overall 2023 first-time takers)[3]
83.4% (Florida bar exam, July 2023 first-time takers) [4]
Website| law.fsu.edu
ABA profile| Standard 509 Report

The Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the second highest ranked law school in Florida and is ranked in the top 50 best law schools in the U.S. The College of Law also holds the second highest bar passage rate in the state.

The law school borders the southeast quadrant of the University's campus, near the Donald L. Tucker Center, an arena and part of the Tallahassee civic center area. The College of Law campus consists of four major buildings, four historic houses around a green and five parking lots. It occupies two full city blocks and is directly across the street from the Florida Supreme Court and one block from the Florida Legislature. The school's most recent addition is its 50,000-square-foot Advocacy Center, which includes five courtrooms.

According to Florida State University's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 72.6% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage required employment (i.e., as attorneys) ten months after graduation.[5] According to those same disclosures, 81.7% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage required jobs or JD preferred positions within ten months of graduation.[6]

## History

[edit]

The B.K. Roberts Main Classroom Building at Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, FL

The College of Law was founded in 1966, and holds classes in the B.K. Roberts building, named in honor of the Florida Supreme Court Justice's role in creating Tallahassee's first law school at nearby Florida A&M University, in 1949.[7] Roberts held the State of Florida must provide African Americans some form of legal education in denying Virgil D. Hawkins admissions to the University of Florida Law School.[8][9] Sixteen years later, the Florida legislature voted in 1965 to close FAMU law and open a law school at Florida State University by transferring allocated funds from FAMU law to Florida State University's law school.[7]

## Admissions

[edit]

For the class entering in 2023, the school accepted 695 applicants out of 3,290 (21.12%), with 139 of those accepted enrolling, a 20.00% yield rate. The median LSAT score was 165 and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.85. Two students were not included in both the LSAT and GPA calculations. Its 25th/75th percentile LSAT scores and GPA were 158/166 and 3.67/3.93.[1]

## Rankings and reputation

[edit]

The D'Alemberte Rotunda, part of the College of Law, is used to host special events and in the past has been used by the Florida Supreme Court to convene special sessions

* In the 2024-2025 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked FSU tied for 48th overall.

## Programs

[edit]

The College of Law offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.), which is the first professional law degree. The three-year program provides students a foundational first-year program, a legal writing program, and a varied offering of upper-level courses, seminars, clinics, and co-curricular activities.

Externship programs exist in the United States and abroad — including at the International Bar Association in London, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague, the Special Court of Sierra Leone, in Washington, D.C., and in every major city in Florida, allowing students to spend a semester outside of Tallahassee.

The College of Law offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) program in Environmental Law and Policy, as well as an LL.M. program for foreign lawyers. Additionally, the College of Law offers certificate programs and its faculty also offer a significant range of courses in Criminal Law.

The College of Law offers a Master of Studies in Law (J.M.), Juris Master degree. It has multiple concentrations and it is designed for non-attorneys to get a deep understanding of law in their respective fields of work. Some of these fields or specialties are Cyber Security, Financial Regulation, Employment Law, Human Resources Risk Management, Healthcare Regulation, Environmental Law, Criminal Law, etc. This masters degree program is a two year program for full-time working professionals and has rigorous requirements to be accepted into the program as it is very selective.

The College of Law offers joint degree programs allowing students to earn other degrees in conjunction with the J.D., including Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, and Ph.D. degrees.

## Bar examination passage

[edit]

In 2023, the overall bar examination passage rate for the law school’s first-time examination takers was 82.97%. The Ultimate Bar Pass Rate, which the ABA defines as the passage rate for graduates who sat for bar examinations within two years of graduating, was 94.09% for the class of 2021.[3]

## Employment

[edit]

According to Florida State University's official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 72.6% of the Class of 2015 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage required employment ten months after graduation.[5] Florida State University's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 8.3%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2015 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[10]

## Faculty

[edit]

The faculty scholarship of Florida State Law regularly ranks among the top 30 law schools based on downloads, according to the Social Science Research Network, which hosts working papers by Florida State Law Faculty in Public Law and Legal Theory,[11] Law, Business & Economics[12] and Sustainability Law & Policy.[13]

Nationally prominent law professors at FSU include faculty in: Administrative and Regulatory Law (Mark Seidenfeld); Constitutional Law (Nat Stern); Criminal Law (Wayne Logan, Gary Kleck); Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law (Donna R. Christie, David L. Markell, Hannah Wiseman); International Law (Frederick M. Abbott, Fernando Tesón); Law & Humanities, including Legal Philosophy (Rob Atkinson and Fernando Tesón); Law, Economics & Business (Bruce L. Benson, Manuel Utset, Kelli Alces, Shawn Bayern); and Tax Law (Joseph M. Dodge, Steve Johnson, Jeffrey Kahn).

Florida State Law faculty members have published their own casebooks in environmental law — David Markell and Donna Christie. Other faculty authored books are widely used in law schools across the country for courses in Tax Law (Joseph M. Dodge), International Intellectual Property Law (Frederick M. Abbott), and Law and Economics (Mark Seidenfeld). Beyond the classroom, Florida State Law faculty members are regularly cited as authorities by courts, law reform bodies and other scholars. One faculty member, Sandy D'Alemberte, is a former president of both the American Bar Association and the National Judicature Society.

Affiliated faculty from other university departments holding courtesy appointments at the law school include John Scholz, a leading political scientist addressing regulatory enforcement; Bruce L. Benson, an economist focused and law and economics; R. Mark Isaac, a leading experimental economist; and Gary Kleck, a criminologist known for his work on guns and deterrence.

## Journals

[edit]

The Florida State University Law Review is the flagship law review of Florida State Law. It publishes four issues a year.

The Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law is the state's first and remains its only student publication in the field. It ranks among the top environmental and land use law journals based on citations.

The Journal of Transnational Law & Policy publishes articles in the field of international law, including human rights, comparative law and U.S. foreign policy.

The Florida State University Business Review is a law journal published annually at the College of Law which examines the interrelated disciplines of business and law. Originally founded and published by second year law students in 2001, the Business Review has become an official journal of the College of Law.[14]

## Alumni

[edit]

Main page: Category:Florida State University College of Law alumni

Kathy Castor Eleanor Hill C. Alan Lawson Mel Martinez Alumni  | Notability

|

John Antoon | Current U.S. District Court Judge for the Middle District of Florida
Jim Bacchus | Former U.S. Representative; justice and chairman of the World Trade Organization Appellate Body
Rick Baker | Former mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida
Kenneth B. Bell | Former Florida Supreme Court justice
Terry Bowden | Current Head Football Coach, University of Akron
Shannon Bream | Fox News Channel correspondent
Kathy Castor | Current U.S. Representative
Lacey A. Collier | Current U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Florida
Benjamin Crump | Lead attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin
W. Thomas Cumbie | Current Senior Judge for the United States Air Force, also a Colonel
Dwight Dudley | Former member of the Florida House of Representatives
Steven Geller | Former member Florida Senate Minority Leader
Adam Hasner | Former Florida House of Representatives Majority Leader
Eleanor J. Hill | Former United States Department of Defense Inspector General
Skip Horack | Writer and former lecturer at Stanford University
Tim Howard | former director of Northeastern University's Executive Doctorate Program in Law & Policy
Michael W. Jackson | Prosecutor of landmark 1965 Civil Rights Case and featured in White Lies Podcast
Mark E. Kaplan | Former Secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation
Tony La Russa | Former manager for the St. Louis Cardinals
C. Alan Lawson | Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida
Steven Leifman | Judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Marcelo Llorente | Former member of the Florida House of Representatives
Stephen MacNamara | Former Chief of Staff for Florida Governor Rick Scott
John Marks | Former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida
Mel Martinez | Former U.S. Senator; former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Craig McCarthy | Attorney on a number of high-profile cases and candidate for the Florida House of Representatives
Anne McGihon | Current member of the Colorado House of Representatives
Seth Miller[citation needed] | Executive Director of the Innocence Project Florida
Gary Pajcic | Former attorney and philanthropist
Ricky Polston | Current Florida Supreme Court justice
Ion Sancho | Former Supervisor of Elections for Leon County, Florida, gained notoriety in the 2000 presidential recount
Mary Stenson Scriven | Current U.S. District Court Judge for the Middle District of Florida
John E. Thrasher | Current president of Florida State University, former member of the Florida Senate, former chair of the Republican Party of Florida, 90th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, former member of the Florida House of Representatives, Captain in the United States Army
Carlos O. Torano | Current president of Toraño Cigars and Central America Tobacco
H. James Towey | Current president of Ave Maria University, and former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
George Tragos | Criminal Defense attorney
J. Alex Villalobos | Former member of the Florida Senate
John Wood | Former member of the Florida House of Representatives

* Rick Baker

* Tony LaRussa

* Ion Sancho

* Jim Towey

* Skip Horack

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Florida State University - 2023 Standard 509 Information Report". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
2. ^ "Florida State University College of Law)". Best Law Schools. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
3. ^ a b "| Bar Passage". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
4. ^ https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/content/download/788827/file/09-20-2021-FBBE-Full-Press-Release.pdf [bare URL PDF]
5. ^ a b "Employment Summary for 2015 Graduates" (PDF).
6. ^ "Class of 2015 employment data" (PDF).
7. ^ a b FAMU Law Archived 2017-06-15 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved May 19, 2017.
8. ^ State Ex Rel. Hawkins v. Board of Control, 83 So. 2d 20 (Fla. 1955), [1] Retrieved May 19, 2017.
9. ^ UF Law Virgil D. Hawkins Story, [2] Retrieved May 19, 2017.
10. ^ "Florida State University Profile".
11. ^ "SSRN Florida State University Public Law & Legal Theory Research Paper Series". Papers.ssrn.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
12. ^ "SSRN Florida State University, Law, Business & Economics Research Paper Series". Papers.ssrn.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
13. ^ "Sustainability Law & Policy". Ssrn.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
14. ^ "Journals and Advocacy Teams". Florida State University College of Law. Retrieved 20 October 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Florida State University

Located in: Tallahassee, Florida

Academics|

| Colleges &
Schools|

* College of Arts and Sciences
* College of Business
* College of Communication and Information
* College of Criminology and Criminal Justice
* College of Education
* College of Engineering
* College of Fine Arts
* College of Human Sciences
* College of Law
* College of Medicine
* College of Motion Picture Arts
* College of Music
* College of Nursing
* College of Social Sciences
* College of Social Work
* School of Hospitality
* School of Library & Information Studies
* School of Public Administration and Policy

|

Programs &
societies|

* Burning Spear Society
* FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training
* History of Florida State University
* International Programs
* Master Craftsman Studio
* National Center for Choreography
* Phi Beta Kappa
* Young Scholars Program

Research|

* Caribbean Law Institute
* Coastal & Marine Laboratory
* Florida State University Libraries
* Florida State University School
* High-Performance Materials Institute
* National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
* Northern Gulf Institute
* Off-Grid Zero Emission Building
* Sustainable Energy Center
* Taxol
* Walker Cancer Research Institute

People|

* Alumni
* Athletic Alumni
* Board of Trustees
* Faculty
* Honorary Degree recipients
* Presidents
* Torch Award recipients

Athletics|

| Teams|

* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football
* Cross country
* Men's golf
* Women's golf
* Women's soccer
* Softball
* Track & field

|

Culture|

* Cheerleading
* The War Chant

Venues|

* Bill Harkins Field
* Dick Howser Stadium
* Doak Campbell Stadium
* Tucker Civic Center
* JoAnne Graf Field
* Mike Long track
* Seminole Soccer Complex
* Tully Gymnasium

Rivalries|

* Florida Cup
* FSU-Clemson rivalry
* FSU-Florida rivalry
* FSU–Miami rivalry

Traditions|

* Alma Mater
* Hymn to the Garnet & Gold
* Marching Chiefs
* Osceola and Renegade

Misc.|

* ACC
* academic-athletic scandal

Student life|

* Asolo Repertory Theatre
* The Florida Channel
* FSU Flying High Circus
* FSU Pananole
* FSView & Florida Flambeau
* Global Peace Exchange
* Greek life
* Monarchy Party
* Pow Wow
* Reservation
* StarMetro
* Tallahassee
* WFSU-FM
* WFSU-TV
* WVFS
* The Yeti

Campus|

* Buildings
* Dodd Hall
* Don Veller Golf Course
* FSU-Panama
* Heritage Museum
* Innovation Park
* Landmarks and monuments
* Leach Recreation Center
* Legacy Hall
* Legacy Walk
* Panama City Campus
* Powell Alumni Green
* President's House
* Rec SportsPlex
* Ringling Museum of Art
* Southwest Tallahassee Campus
* Student housing
* Student Union
* University Center
* Westcott Building

* Founded: 1851
* Students: 44,597 (2022)
* Endowment: $897.8 million (2022)

* v
* t
* e

Law schools of the Southeastern United States

Alabama|

* Birmingham School of Law
* Cumberland School of Law (Samford Univ.)
* Miles Law School
* Thomas Goode Jones School of Law (Faulkner Univ.)
* University of Alabama School of Law

Arkansas|

* University of Arkansas School of Law
* William H. Bowen School of Law (UALR)

Florida|

* Ave Maria School of Law
* Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law (Barry Univ.)
* Florida A&M University College of Law
* Florida International University College of Law
* Florida State University College of Law
* Fredric G. Levin College of Law (UF)
* University of Miami School of Law
* Shepard Broad Law Center (Nova Southeastern Univ.)
* St. Thomas University School of Law
* Stetson University College of Law

Georgia|

* Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
* Emory University School of Law
* Georgia State University College of Law
* Savannah Law School
* University of Georgia School of Law
* Walter F. George School of Law (Mercer Univ.)

Louisiana|

* Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
* Paul M. Hebert Law Center (LSU)
* Southern University Law Center
* Tulane University Law School

Mississippi|

* University of Mississippi School of Law
* Mississippi College School of Law

North Carolina|

* Duke University School of Law
* Elon University School of Law
* Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (Campbell Univ.)
* North Carolina Central University School of Law
* University of North Carolina School of Law
* Wake Forest University School of Law

Puerto Rico|

* Eugenio María de Hostos School of Law (closed)
* Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law
* Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law
* University of Puerto Rico School of Law

South Carolina|

* Charleston School of Law
* University of South Carolina School of Law

Tennessee|

* Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (Univ. of Memphis)
* Duncan School of Law (Lincoln Memorial Univ.)
* Nashville School of Law
* University of Tennessee College of Law
* Vanderbilt University Law School

Virginia|

* Appalachian School of Law
* Antonin Scalia Law School (George Mason)
* The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School
* Liberty University School of Law
* Regent University School of Law
* University of Richmond School of Law
* University of Virginia School of Law
* Washington and Lee University School of Law
* William & Mary Law School

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Czech Republic
* Israel
* Catalonia

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