Law Day 2022

By: Daniela Alonso

The Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association (EJCBA) will host its annual event to commemorate Law Day on May 1st, 2022, including a moderated panel discussion of legal experts discussing this year’s theme: Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.

The event is free and open to the public, and will take place at Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday, May 1st from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

The event will begin with a reading of a Law Day Proclamation issued by the Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, the Honorable Mark W. Moseley. Afterwards, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Robert Folsom, President-Elect of the EJCBA. The Law Day panelists are the Honorable Clayton Roberts, Judge of the First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida and Adjunct Constitutional Law Professor at Florida State University College of Law, and Laura Rosenbury, Dean and Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law at University of Florida Levin College of Law. The panel discussion will include a question-and-answer portion with questions prepared by the moderator, submitted in advance by members of the Bar, and from the audience. The event will end with a speech by a local high school essay contest winner, who will speak on a legal theme of interest to the community.

The 2022 Law Day theme is “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.” The Constitution is a dynamic document, as it not only outlines a blueprint for government, but also delegates power, articulates rights, and offers mechanisms for change. It is neither perfect, nor exhaustive, as our nation’s history makes clear. Legislation, court rulings, amendments, lawyers, and “we the people” have built upon those original words across generations to attempt to make the “more perfect Union” more real. That effort continues today, as contemporary leaders and everyday citizens raise their voices as loud as ever to fulfill the promise of the Constitution. Defining and refining those words of the Constitution might be our oldest national tradition, and how each of us works—together—toward a more perfect Union.

Additional information about the Law Day 2022 panelists:

The Honorable Clayton Roberts: Judge Roberts was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal by Governor Charlie Crist on January 18, 2007. He has been retained as an appellate court judge by the voters twice (in 2014 and 2020). Since taking office in 2007, Judge Roberts has served as Chief Judge once, from July 2015 – June 2017. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Judge Roberts’ legal career has included work as a staff attorney for the Committee on Executive Business, Ethics & Elections on the Florida Senate from 1995 to 1997; staff director of the Committee on Election Reform; Council Attorney, Public Responsibility Council, Florida House of Representatives; Director of the Florida Division of Elections; and General Counsel for the Florida Department of State. He became an Executive Deputy Attorney General in 2003 and a Deputy Attorney General in 2006. He held this position until his appointment to the Court of Appeal. Judge Roberts obtained his bachelor's degree in Military History from the United States Military Academy (West Point) and his law degree from Florida State University. Judge Roberts has taught Florida Constitutional Law as an adjunct professor at Florida State University since 2005.

Dean Laura Rosenbury: Laura Rosenbury is the Dean and Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law at University of Florida Levin College of Law. Dean Rosenbury joined UF Law in July 2015 with the goal of raising the national and international profile of Florida’s flagship law school. Under her leadership, UF Law has extended its reach around the globe; increased incoming applications by 185%; enrolled six of the most accomplished and diverse classes in UF Law’s 112-year history; hired 27 new faculty members; and completed four of the largest fundraising years in the past decade, including raising $4.5 million for student scholarships in four months – the largest and fastest match challenge in UF history – and securing a record-breaking $20 million gift to endow a health law program. Since 2016, UF Law has jumped 27 spots in the U.S. News rankings and now ranks among the top 25 law schools in the nation. Before joining the UF Law community, Dean Rosenbury was a professor of law and vice dean at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. She also has served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School and University of Chicago Law School. The Dean’s research and teaching focus on the law of private relationships, exploring how law and social norms interact in family law, employment discrimination law and property law. Her work has been published in the Yale Law Journal, Michigan Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Cornell Law Review, and in many other journals and books. Dean Rosenbury was elected to the American Law Institute in 2010 and was named a fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 2014. In addition, she has taught courses on negotiation, non-adversarial communication, team building, and leadership for practicing lawyers and other executives. Dean Rosenbury received her A.B. summa cum laude in women’s studies from Harvard-Radcliffe College and her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she served as a primary editor of the Harvard Law Review. Dean Rosenbury has taught courses and written academically in the areas of Children and Law; Employment Discrimination; Family Law; Feminist Legal Theory; Property; and Trusts and Estates.