After decades of shaping the emerging fields of cultural heritage and art law, Professor Stephen Urice, a distinguished scholar and former archaeologist, will retire this semester from the University of Miami School of Law, leaving behind a legacy that bridged the worlds of art, law, and public policy.
A career defined by multidisciplinary expertise
Before becoming a cornerstone of the Miami Law faculty, Urice earned both a Ph.D. in Fine Arts and a J.D. from Harvard University. His early career as an archaeologist in the Mediterranean provided him with a unique perspective on the physical and cultural stakes of the law—an experience that later informed his work on the repatriation of antiquities and the protection of cultural property in conflict zones. At the School of Law, Urice became a leading authority in art and museum law, navigating the legal ethics of collections and deaccessioning, while also maintaining a deep focus on cultural property law and the technical precision required for trusts and estates.
Building the "Arts Track"
One of Urice’s most enduring contributions to the university was his role in establishing the Arts Track for the Graduate Program (LL.M.) in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law. Serving as its director until 2023, he mentored a new generation of "art lawyers," teaching them to navigate the nuances of the primary and secondary art markets, copyright issues, and the governance of artist-endowed foundations.
A prolific scholar and advocate
Through decades of scholarship and public service, Urice helped shape how museums, foundations, and courts approach ethical and legal questions surrounding art. He is a co-author of the seminal textbook Law, Ethics, and the Visual Arts, a work that transformed art law from a niche curiosity into a mainstream academic discipline. The Aspen Institute also sought his expertise, where he served as an advisor for the Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative, and the American Law Institute, where he spent nearly 30 years helping guide museum administration policy.
The School of Law will honor Urice alongside other retiring faculty on Friday, May 8, 2026, at a celebration in the Gail Serota Reading Room in the Law Library. While he may be stepping away from full-time teaching, his influence will continue to shape Miami Law – through the programs he built, the scholarship he advanced, and the generations of students he inspired to see law as a living partner to art and culture.
