When Florida Coastal School of Law hired Dennis Stone in 1996 to become one of its founding vice presidents, 90 percent of lawyers practicing nationwide were white.
The founders at Florida Coastal thought it was because the pipeline of minority graduates coming out of law schools wasn’t large enough. Last fall, due to the emphasis the school placed on the issue, minorities made up nearly 50 percent of Florida Coastal’s graduates.
Stone returned to Florida Coastal in May as its president, after serving as president at the Charlotte School of Law.
A legal educator for more than 30 years, Stone hadn’t initially planned to be a lawyer. He studied astrophysics in his first years at the University of California, Berkeley. Then, he changed his focus to computers and information technology, earning his master’s degree in library and information sciences.
When Stone took a class in legal research, though, he fell in love with the law. He particularly wanted to use technology as a way to perform research, and that was only being done in law schools.
Stone went on to earn a law degree from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, Calif., and to work as a professor of law and a law librarian at universities in Connecticut and Washington.
“Electronic research was something I knew was coming,” he said. “I rode a wave that lasted for 15 years, focusing on that.”
Stone was hired in 1996 by Florida Coastal as vice president of information resources and technology. He was attracted by the startup’s philosophy, which is made up of three principles.
The first was to serve underserved communities. That means outreach to minority students, as well as giving back to communities in need. For example, the school’s interns and graduates actively participate in Three Rivers Legal Services, a nonprofit that provides free legal help to low-income clients.
“Students (I’d seen at other schools) had great ideals when they came in, but by the time they graduated they’d lost the focus on helping mankind. It was about finding the best job and the best firm,” he said. “The mission here is to make a difference.”
The second principle is to prepare students for law practice through experiential learning. Students practice writing motions, letters and summary judgments in school and participate in internships, externships and clinics.
The third is a school that is centered on students’ needs, rather than faculty publishing and reputation rankings.
“The most interesting thing (about returning to Florida Coastal Law) has been to see the alumni, their support for the school and everything it stands for,” Stone said.
As president, Stone sees his primary role as one of identifying resources and supporting processes that meet the school’s goals. The profession is still changing, and Stone aims to continue to respond.
One example: This year the school created a Center for Law Practice Technology.
“There’s a wave of technology that will hit the workplace within the next four years that will be equivalent to what went on the last two decades,” Stone said. “It means people have to learn to use technology in ways they didn’t before, reducing costs through efficiency and becoming engaged through social media.”
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