School: Meet the Professors (Fall 2007)

Well, I'm in the thick of fall semester, so I figure now would be a good time to feature my current professors and their teaching styles. Non-law students may wish to skip this post. :-P

This is Professor Cohen, my Evidence teacher. He received a Ph.D. in economics and a J.D. from Harvard, and he's been teaching for quite awhile. Our Evidence class is gigantic (easily 120-odd people) and Professor Cohen hates calling on people, which sometimes makes for some awkward interludes as Professor Cohen tries to get somebody, anybody, to respond to his question (we all know the answer, but no one wants to raise their hand because of fear of getting it wrong or looking like a know-it-all). He's a nice guy and I'd take another class with him, if the room were smaller :-P.

Here's Professor Flournoy, my Administrative Law teacher. She's another Harvard law school grad, and she's the director of the Environmental and Land Use Law program here at UF. Another great teacher, Professor Flournoy doesn't mind mixing in PowerPoint and whiteboard work along with the lecture. She has a keen mind that can respond quickly to vague or vapid questions.

Next up is Professor Rowe, who teaches Patent Law. Yet another Harvard law grad, though she received her M.A. from UF. She actually doesn't have any science or technical background; her background is patent litigation, not patent prosecution. She's probably the least-accomplished lecturer, though still okay. She brings in various materials and current caselaw and statutes (Congress is currently fiddling with the Patent Act, and the Supreme Court is changing stuff up too).

Finally, there's Professor McGilvray-Saltzman, who runs our Legal Drafting section. She started from humble beginnings (Palm Beach Community College FTW), but eventually graduated from UF law school. She's definitely the most animated and interested of my professors, but that might be because it's such a small section. Legal Drafting is probably my favorite class, since you get to create fairly realistic legal documents like complaints and contracts.