Dean Colson began his distinguished legal career clerking for the Hon. Peter T. Fay on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Following his clerkship, Colson clerked for then Justice William H. Rehnquist on the Supreme Court of the United States. Renowned for handling complex civil litigation, Colson is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. Beyond the courtroom, Colson was appointed by the chief justice to serve two terms on the Federal Courts Standing Rules Committee and chaired the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Committee. Colson is the only person to have chaired the boards of the State University System, the University of Miami, and Florida International University.
What aspects of the curriculum or faculty had the most significant impact on your legal education and career trajectory?
I was part of the first class of Dean Soia Mentschikoff. That first year Soia made all of us take a Friday night class and a Saturday morning class. She wanted us to spend our time on campus to study and to get to know our classmates and faculty. It worked. Many of my closest friends today were my first-year classmates, and by the time I graduated, I had developed close friendships with many members of the faculty whose dedication to the law and students was very impressive.
How did your education at the University of Miami School of Law prepare you for your career?
In the summer after my second year, I was offered a clerkship by Judge Fay upon graduation. I was graduating in January, so I had only one semester left, and I had arranged a very light schedule–I was planning on goofing off. One day during summer school, I got a note asking me to drop by Dean Mentschikoff ‘s office. She told me she had heard of my clerkship, and she handed me a new schedule for the Fall convinced I needed to be better prepared for my new job. Suddenly, my last semester professors were Bruce Winick, Tim Muris, Tom Lee, and Terry Anderson. Great professors who were teaching important subjects and who expected a lot from their students. Not exactly what I had planned, but Soia was, of course, right.
What opportunities or connections did you gain at the law school, and how did they influence your career?
My classmates in law school were extraordinary. I have practiced law with my close friend Joe Matthews for most of my career, and he graduated first in our class. Harley Tropin and I might as well be law partners because we have worked on so many matters together, and it all started in our first year. Even today, Harley knows all my secrets. Charlie Papy, Ret. Admiral Jay Carmichael and Mark Dresnick all helped me during law school but also helped me navigate those early years of our careers. I was blessed by the quality of my classmates.
