Skip to main content
Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony

Celebrating Our Graduates

Class of 2026 Spring Commencement
Ceremony

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Stephen C. O’Connell Center
250 Gale Lemerand Dr, Gainesville

Ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m.
Graduates report for robing at 3:30 p.m.
Doors open to guests at 4:00 p.m.

AC Marriott
151 NW 14th Street, Gainesville
$209 per night
Must book before 4/14/26
AC Marriott Booking Link

Aloft Hotel
3743 Hull Road, Gainesville
$169 per night
Must book before 4/15/26
Aloft Booking Link

Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown
101 SE 1st Avenue, Gainesville
$199 per night ($159 for 5/13/26 only)
Must book before 4/14/26
Hampton Inn and Suites Booking Link

Hilton Garden Inn
4075 SW 33rd Place, Gainesville
$169/$209 per night
Must book before 4/15/26
Hilton Garden Inn Booking Link

Hilton UF Conference Center
1714 SW 34th Street, Gainesville
$169 per night
Must book before 4/15/26
Hilton Booking Link

Holiday Inn
1250 West University Avenue, Gainesville
$139 per night
Must book before 4/23/26
Holiday Inn Booking Link

Homewood Suites
3333 SW 42nd Street, Gainesville
$169/$209 per night
Must book before 4/15/26
Homewood Suites Booking Link

Hotel Eleo
1514 SW 14th Street, Gainesville
$199 per night
Must book before 4/14/26
Hotel Eleo Booking Link

Hotel Indigo
5020 SW 30th Lane, Gainesville
$254 per night
Must book before 4/14/26
Indigo Booking Link

Residence Inn
3275 SW 40th Blvd, Gainesville
$175 per night
Must book before 4/14/26
Residence Inn Booking Link

Sweetwater Branch Inn B&B
625 East University Avenue, Gainesville
Various room types and prices
Group Block Code UFLAW26
Must book before 5/1/26
Sweetwater Branch Inn Booking Link

hide list

Commencement Keynote Speaker: Judge Robert J. Luck

Judge Robert J. Luck

Judge Robert J. Luck was nominated on October 15, 2019, and confirmed by the Senate on November 19, 2019, to serve as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Before his confirmation to the federal appellate court, Judge Luck presided over hundreds of criminal, civil, and family law appeals as a Justice on the Florida Supreme Court, and as a Judge on Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal.

Earlier, Judge Luck served on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. He presided in the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions. Judge Luck, in his years as a trial court judge, tried seventy jury trials, and heard dozens of appeals from the county court and municipal agencies. Judge Luck was appointed to the circuit court in 2013 and was elected by the voters of Miami-Dade County to retain his seat in 2016.

Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Luck was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. In his years as a federal prosecutor, he was assigned to the Appeals, Major Crimes, and Economic Crimes Sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Judge Luck tried nineteen jury trials before the federal district court and argued three appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In his final year in the Office, he was a Deputy Chief in the Major Crimes Section.

Earlier in his career, Judge Luck was a legislative correspondent for two United States Senators, a law clerk and staff attorney to Circuit Judge Ed Carnes on the Eleventh Circuit, and a part of the Greenberg Traurig firm’s appellate section. Judge Luck received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law magna cum laude and was asked to join the Order of the Coif. Judge Luck also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Law Review. Judge Luck received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Florida with highest honors.

Although a life-long South Floridian, Judge Luck and his family currently live in Tallahassee.

Previous Ceremonies