Interim Dean Merritt McAlister sits down with Professor Jane Bambauer, who is the new Associate Dean for Strategy and Innovation at UF Law. They discuss Professor Bambauer's journey from math major and touring indie musician to a leading voice in technology and law. Professor Bambauer shares how her unconventional background eventually led her to navigate the complex intersections of the First Amendment, privacy, and artificial intelligence.

Together, they explore how generative AI is poised to disrupt legal education, dive deep into the contrast between machine decision-making and human discretion, and offer a nuanced take on the public discourse around AI.

Professor Bambauer discusses her work leading UF Law's First Amendment and AI labs, offering actionable advice on how students and legal professionals can embrace large language models and AI agents to become more creative and efficient problem solvers.

In this new season of Serious About Law, Dean Merritt McAlister is joined by Dean Sabrina Lopez, Senior Associate Dean for Students. Together, they discuss the evolving landscape of legal education and what it truly means to build a student-centered law school experience.

Dean Lopez shares her vision for UF Law’s innovative "One Student Support Team" initiative—a holistic framework integrating Academic Affairs, Student Wellness, Career Services, and Bar Prep into a seamless support network for students from 1L orientation to post-graduation bar passage. Drawing on her unique background as a former K-12 teacher, Greenberg Traurig real estate attorney, and law professor, Dean Lopez highlights the strategies that led to record bar exam pass rates year after year.

Whether you're an incoming 1L, a current student, or part of our global alumni network, this conversation offers actionable advice on navigating law school and the legal profession, and the profound impact student support can make during your time at law school.

In this candid and inspiring conversation about growth, grit, and Gator pride, Dean Merritt McAlister chats with Emma Towler, now a UF Law alumna and proud “double Gator.” They discuss Emma’s journey from UF undergrad mascot to law student and future litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York.

Emma reflects on her deep connection to UF, balancing academics with involvement, and the supportive Gator community that shaped her experience. She also shares advice for future law students and insights from unique programs like the Inside Out clinic.