A University of Central Florida business law instructor has passed away.

Charles M. Lako, Jr., Esq., J.D., a business law instructor at UCF, died Monday, Jan. 13, a UCF spokesperson confirmed.

unnamed (1) “Charles Lako was a long-serving and highly valued colleague. He was a wonderful teacher, mentor and friend,” said Sean Robb, director of the Kenneth G. Dixon School of Accounting, part of the College of Business Administration.

“He passed away suddenly after a short illness and will be greatly missed by everyone in the Dixon School of Accounting,” Robb said.

Prior to joining UCF in 2004, Lako worked as a trial attorney in Georgia and Florida. He created a teen court that served high schoolers in Martin, Indian River and St. Lucie counties, developing a curriculum that educated students about law and volunteering as a judge for the students’ cases.

He also created and sponsored UCF’s chapter of the Res Ipsa Loquitur Law Society. It was founded in 2005 to instill the values of leadership and charity in business law students.

In a note to College of Business Administration faculty and staff, Dean Paul Jarley wrote: “Charles was a very dedicated teacher and he will be missed. A sad day for all of us.”