Antony Page, Dean & FIU Foundation Professor of Law, Florida International University College of Law

Antony Page, dean and FIU Foundation professor of law at Florida International University College shared with Invest: the varied ways in which FIU’s flourishing law program routinely evolves its curriculum to continue apace with not only legal and regulatory changes, but also with technological advancements and ever-shifting market needs.

What are a few key highlights for FIU’s College of Law from the last 12 months?

A highlight for the university is that we became the fourth Preeminent State Research Institution in Florida. This honor recognizes and rewards the state’s highest-performing public research universities based on student success and research performance metrics, and we are very proud of this new designation. 

At the law school, our graduates continue to perform extraordinarily well in the marketplace. Employers are routinely impressed with our graduates’ level of performance, beginning at a very early stage. This success can be attributed to rigorous doctrinal instruction along with the extra resources we put into legal research and writing. We have one of the top legal research and writing programs anywhere. Our bar passage rates remain among the best in the country, and our focus remains on ensuring our students have excellent job opportunities.

How do you keep the law school’s curriculum up to date with both market demands and changes on the legal and regulatory front?

Our professors keep up with the important legal and regulatory changes law for existing subjects that are being taught. An example can be found in constitutional law where there are continually new cases coming down, and as the cases are decided, our courses are modified to include the new, significant cases, like the recent Dobbs ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade. 

With respect to new subjects, we modify our curriculum quickly as new subjects arise and develop. Recent examples of this include vaccine law during the pandemic, and courses on blockchain, cryptocurrency, and AI. We were able to introduce a vaccine law course in the summer of 2020 because we knew how important this subject would be and how quickly our students would need to have knowledge in this area.

Have you observed any variation in enrollment numbers in recent years?

Our enrollment is slightly higher than in recent years, though application numbers have been much higher. We have grown about as big as we can get and are still rejecting about 80% of our applicants. This can be a good problem to have, but it’s unfortunate that we are rejecting a large number of people who I know would be excellent law students and then become fantastic lawyers. There is no shortage of applicants, and we have many more people who want to enroll than can enroll. 

We are constantly reviewing expansion ideas concurrently with future job market predictions. It is important that we keep a close eye on employment numbers, as historically, there have occasionally been too many law graduates searching for jobs. 

What are some ongoing campus projects or expansions in the works for the law school?

There is always a renovation or expansion taking place somewhere on campus. The Bell interfaith chapel is under construction, as well as a new engineering building. A new building for  the School of International and Public Affairs just opened. 

Specifically with respect to the law school, we have one of the best buildings in the country. Further developments will likely take place within programs instead of the addition of new facilities. In particular, we’re launching a Master of Science in Law and Technology, which is intended to bridge the gap between lawyers who may not understand technology, AI, crypto or blockchain, and to introduce relevant law to people who have a background in technology. 

In what ways is the FIU College of Law leveraging technology and innovation to provide the best educational experience to its students?

I believe all law schools are contending with this question. AI appears to have the potential to be transformational. In addition to offering a course in AI and the Law, we have introduced assignments in our classes involving AI. We are also looking at our curriculum as a whole, because the bar exam in Florida is going to change in 2028. Classes entering in 2025 will take a significantly different bar exam. We have a task force that is researching the changes that will be required by the new bar exam, and in theory, the new exam will be an improvement over the current one. It will involve less memorization and instead focus more on demonstrating skill development.

What is the value proposition of a legal education in today’s market?

We focus on the return on investment for a law degree. Most importantly, we ensure our graduates have rewarding job opportunities. A recent study showed that a law degree provides a million dollar return, and that applies even more strongly to us as a public law school. Our in-state tuition has been frozen at $22,000 for many years, thanks to the kind taxpayers of Florida. There are law schools charging three times as much for tuition, so I feel comfortable with the ROI discussion as it pertains to our school. 

In addition to the financial return, there is the intellectual challenge, and as a lawyer one has a great ability to help people. No matter how effective AI gets, there is still a personal, human component to advocacy which clients will continue to want. Further, lawyers are able to do interesting, meaningful work, which I believe matters a great deal. (Psychic income is also an important part of ROI.) Every day is going to involve some kind of challenge, and this fast-paced, innovative, type of career is generally important for the kind of people who want to attend law school.

What are the primary challenges faced by both the legal sector and law students in South Florida?

For those studying the law, the biggest immediate challenge is that students routinely experience a bit of culture shock — law school is different from undergraduate education. The first semester is particularly challenging in this regard. 

In the transition from law school to practice, students do not necessarily know much about the business side of running a law firm. We run courses intended to help students learn this, but not everyone takes them. Providing a service from a business standpoint involves a steep learning curve.

Additionally, the work can be extensive and stressful with long hours, and while this field attracts people who accept this reality, poor coping mechanisms such as substance abuse are not uncommon. To address this, we launched a well-being program during the pandemic to teach law students how to cope with stress and pressure. These students have the tools to navigate these challenges both during law school and private practice.