History of Stetson Law
Florida's First Law School
Stetson University College of Law humbly began on Oct. 2, 1900, with five students from Florida. Since then, the state's oldest law school has trained thousands to become legal experts and societal leaders.
In 1954, Stetson Law moved from DeLand to a beautiful new 21-acre campus in Gulfport. An enrollment boom after World War II spurred the relocation to the 17 buildings which had been part of the Hotel Rolyat built in 1925. Today, the student body exceeds 1,000 and Stetson Law has grown to become home of the nation's top-ranked advocacy program and LLM degree programs in advocacy, elder law and international law. The Tampa Law Center opened in 2004 as a major hub for legal activity -- housing evening law classes, the Tampa branch of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal, and legal conferences.
1900
Stetson Law founded in DeLand
1902
First graduating class
1922
Stetson Law becomes three-year school
1926
Stetson Law applicants need two years of college
1926
Hotel Rolyat opens
The Stetson University College of Law campus in Gulfport once housed a magnificent "Florida boom period" hotel known as the Rolyat. The hotel opened in January 1926 and was a re-creation of a Spanish walled settlement of the feudal ages. On opening night, the main fountain in the Plaza Mayor was filled with champagne.
1930
Stetson Law becomes ABA approved
1931
Stetson Law joins AALS
1932
Babe Ruth visits Hotel Rolyat
Babe Ruth signed his 1932 Yankees contract officially in the lounge and a second time for photographs in the Plaza Mayor at the Rolyat Hotel.
1932
Florida Military Academy opens
In 1932, the Hotel Rolyat closed due to poor economic conditions. Instead of selling the land, the hotel's owners purchased a boys' school and moved it to Gulfport, where it was located until 1952.
1942
Stetson Law closes until end of WWII
1947
Stetson Law moves to naval base at DeLand Airport, enrollment grows to 194 due to G.I. Bill
1954
Stetson Law relocated to Gulfport
1957
First Law College Board of Overseers
1958
Charles A. Dana Library opens
1963
Stetson is first law school in Florida to establish clinical program
1966
JD replaces LL.B.
1968
H. Jackson Crummer classroom building and Eleanor Naylor Dana Administrative Hall open
1970
Stetson Law Review is first published
1976
Harold L. Sebring Courtroom opens
1994
Stetson wins all five National Trial Advocacy competitions, Carey & Florin Courtroom dedicated
1995
Stetson Law ranked No. 1 for trial skills education
1998
LLM program begins, Law Library and Legal Information Center opens
2002
Student Center opens, part-time JD program launched
2004
Tampa Law Center opens, Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Courtroom dedicated
2005
William Eleazer Courtroom dedicated
2006
Florin Roebig Courtroom upgraded and rededicated
2010
Dolly & Homer Hand Library named
2012
Veterans Law Institute opens
2018
Veterans Law Institute moves to new building
2019
Professor Michèle Alexandre selected as Dean
Professor Michèle Alexandre, JD, a leading civil rights scholar, administrator and trailblazer, is selected as the next dean of the College of Law at Stetson University. Alexandre is the College of Law's first African American dean.
2020
The establishment of the Business Law Concentration creates an opportunity for students to sharpen their skills within corporate law, tax law, and other critical areas
2021
Stetson Dispute Resolution and Moot Court Boards win the second ABA Competitions Champion Award after earning the most points throughout the American Bar Association Law Student Division’s four competitions.
2022
Stetson Law’s Dispute Resolution Board wins South Texas University’s Energy Law Negotiation Competition despite the college having no energy law concentration.
2023
D. Benjamin Barros joins Stetson Law as Dean.
2023
Stetson Law’s innovative Advocacy Institute opens its doors.
