History - 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 LL.M. 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 |
| 1930 | Stetson Law becomes ABA approved |
| 1931 | Stetson Law joins AALS |
| 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 | J.D. 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 | LL.M. program begins Law Library and Legal Information Center opens |
| 2002 | Part-time J.D. program launched Student Center opens |
| 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 |
Florida's First Law School
For extensive information on Stetson Law's history, read Florida's First Law School: A History of Stetson University College of Law by Michael I. Swygert and W. Gary Vause.
Hall of Fame
Stetson Law's history includes many noted scholars, judges, lawyers and benefactors. To learn more about a few of the people who have profoundly shaped the institution, please see the Hall of Fame.