Benjamin Barros, Dean, Stetson University College of Law
Benjamin Barros, dean of Stetson University College of Law, spoke with Invest: about the college’s excellent reputation and its role in the robust Tampa legal market. He also described the importance of adopting technology into its curriculum and the desire to attract students from around the world.
What have been some key milestones for the Stetson University College of Law over the past year?
There is tremendous demand for our programs, and our applications are up dramatically. We are viewed as a law school that many people want to go to. We’ve been able to increase our class sizes and become more selective in our entering credentials. We’re a well-established part of the Florida legal landscape and have a reputation for producing outstanding lawyers. We are expanding our professional education program, where we provide legal education in non-degree settings. If you think of a law college as a business, our main product is degrees. We are expanding beyond degrees to provide additional education opportunities such as short badging and micro-credentialing for lawyer and non-lawyer professionals.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton had a big impact on us in the fall, but we came through in good shape. We finished our fall semester as we usually would even though we lost about 11 days between the two storms.
How has demand shifted for Stetson University College of Law’s degrees in recent years?
We are Florida’s oldest law school and do many things extraordinarily well. We are known for preparing our students very well for practice. When I speak with lawyers, they tend to want to hire our graduates because we excel at getting them ready to hit the ground running as practicing lawyers. We are known for having the best advocacy program in the country over the last 40 years, and we train students for litigation and trial work. These strengths differentiate us from other law schools. The Tampa Bay legal market is very robust, and our graduate employment numbers are very high. We report our graduate employment numbers to the American Bar Association 10 months after graduation, and we’re observing the best employment numbers we’ve seen in a long time. We also succeed in marketing ourselves and selling our story, which extends our reach.
What is your overview of the law education landscape in Tampa Bay at the moment?
About 80% of our students come from Florida. Most of our students who come from elsewhere stay in the area. This is our home and our area of strength. The Tampa legal market is very robust and growing in terms of sophistication. Tampa is increasingly rivaling Miami as a legal hub and a center of international business. The Tampa Bay economy is dynamic, thriving, and growing as a whole. Legal practice in the Tampa Bay region is increasingly growing and increasingly sophisticated in terms of national scope, major firms that are present, and the type of work being done both nationally and internationally.
How does Stetson University College of Law keep the curriculum updated in order to meet labor demands in the legal sector?
We are a professional school that is attuned to the market and what employers need. We excel in advocacy and are known for our excellent legal writing program and many areas of specialization. We’re always striving to improve. Generative AI and related technologies are a top focus, and we prioritize preparing students to excel in a world with rapidly evolving technology. The Bar exam is going to change fundamentally in 2028. Florida has adopted the NextGen Bar Exam which will be implemented in 2028, and rolled out nationally between 2026 and 2028. It’s a big regulatory and market change so we need to adapt our curriculum in order to prepare our students.
How is Stetson University College of Law making legal education more accessible?
We give many scholarships every year. There is a mix of merit-based and need-based aid, but most of our aid is focused on merit and recruiting students with outstanding backgrounds. We have other types of aid that are often funded by donors. That is a big part of the legal educational landscape. As an expensive private school, it’s important to do as much as possible to prepare our students for success and create a worthy return on investment.
What is your outlook for Stetson University College of Law and the legal education sector in Florida over the next three years?
We will continue to enhance our stellar reputation in preparing our students for practice. We will adapt to the new world of generative AI and ensure our students know how to use emerging technologies and apply them to their practice. I would also like to have a more residential campus to enhance our student experience, in part with a goal to attract more international students. We offer an amazing education in a beautiful location, and I think students from around the world would love to study here.
