Columbia Law School

Columbia Law School
Name	Columbia Law School
Established	1858
Parent	Columbia University
Dean	Gillian Lester
City	New York City
State	New York
Country	United States
Website	https://www.law.columbia.edu/

Columbia Law School is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States, a graduate school of Columbia University located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1858, it has been a central institution in the development of modern American legal education and jurisprudence. The school is renowned for its influential faculty, rigorous academic programs, and its powerful network of alumni who occupy leading positions across the global legal, corporate, and governmental landscapes.

History

The institution was established as the Columbia College Law School and held its first classes in Old College, a building on the university's former campus in Midtown Manhattan. Its early development was shaped by figures like Theodore Dwight, a proponent of the casebook method, which revolutionized legal pedagogy. A pivotal moment came in 1891 with the appointment of Dean William Albert Keener, who fully embraced the case method pioneered at Harvard Law School, cementing its scholarly reputation. Throughout the 20th century, it became a hub for legal realism, a movement significantly advanced by professors like Karl Llewellyn and influential in shaping New Deal policies. The school moved to its current Morningside Heights location in 1903, following the broader relocation of Columbia University.

Academics

The school offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) as its primary professional degree, alongside the Master of Laws (LL.M.) and the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) for advanced legal scholars. Its curriculum is noted for foundational first-year courses and a vast array of upper-level electives, with particular historical strength in areas like corporate law, international law, and constitutional law. The school pioneered the Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar academic honor and requires J.D. candidates to perform significant pro bono service. Interdisciplinary study is encouraged through numerous dual-degree programs with other graduate schools within Columbia University, such as the Columbia Business School and the School of International and Public Affairs.

Campus and facilities

The law school's primary home is the Jerome L. Greene Hall, a modernist building completed in 1960 that houses classrooms, faculty offices, and the Arthur W. Diamond Law Library, one of the largest and most comprehensive law libraries in the world. The campus also includes William and June Warren Hall, which contains additional academic and administrative spaces. The school's location in New York City provides unparalleled access to major law firms, financial institutions, United Nations headquarters, and federal and state courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the New York Supreme Court.

Notable alumni and faculty

Its alumni network is exceptionally powerful, including two U.S. Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt; nine Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, such as Harlan Fiske Stone and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; numerous U.S. Attorneys General like Robert F. Kennedy; and leaders in finance like Warren Buffett. Distinguished faculty have included legal giants like John Dewey, Benjamin N. Cardozo, and contemporary scholars such as Timothy Wu. Many graduates hold leadership roles in global firms like Cravath, Swaine & Moore and institutions like the World Bank.

Publications and centers

The school sponsors several influential legal journals, most notably the Columbia Law Review, one of the most cited law reviews globally, along with the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law and the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law. It hosts numerous research centers and institutes, including the Center for Climate Change Law, the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts, and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. These centers facilitate cutting-edge scholarship and public policy work on issues ranging from corporate governance to human rights.

Rankings and reputation

Consistently ranked among the top law schools nationally, it is perennially placed within the top five by publications like U.S. News & World Report. It is a core member of the so-called "T14" law schools and is particularly renowned as a premier feeder for careers in elite corporate law and clerkships with the Supreme Court of the United States. Its reputation is built on extremely selective admissions, the scholarly output of its faculty, and the outsized professional success of its graduates in the highest echelons of the legal profession, government, and business.

Category:Columbia University Category:Law schools in New York (state) Category:Educational institutions established in 1858