Law School, Stanford University

Law School, Stanford University
Name	Stanford Law School
Established	1893
Type	Private law school
Parent	Stanford University
Location	Stanford, California, Santa Clara County, California
Dean	Richard Reuben or current dean (verify)
Students	Approx. 580 (JD)
Website	stanfordlawschool

Law School, Stanford University

Stanford Law School is a graduate legal institution located on the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California. Established in the late 19th century, it has become prominent within American legal education alongside institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School. The school has produced leaders in the judiciary, government, technology, and public interest, including justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, federal judges, cabinet members, and executives at firms like Google, Apple Inc., and Facebook.

History

The law school was founded in 1893 during an era that included contemporaries such as University of Michigan Law School and University of Chicago Law School. Early figures included faculty and alumni who engaged with landmark developments like the Progressive Era legal reforms and debates over the New Deal. In the mid-20th century, the school expanded under leadership that responded to national movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of administrative law influenced by cases from the United States Supreme Court. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the school integrated with Silicon Valley growth, connecting to entities like Stanford Research Park, startups spun out of Stanford University School of Engineering, and legal questions prompted by companies such as Intel Corporation and Hewlett-Packard.

Campus and Facilities

The law school sits near landmarks on the main campus such as the Hoover Tower, the Cantor Arts Center, and the Rodin Sculpture Garden. Primary law school buildings include historic and modern facilities that house classrooms, a law library, and student spaces proximate to the Stanford Law Library holdings and archives relating to collections like the papers of prominent jurists. The campus provides access to university resources such as the Green Library, the Small Business Development Center partnerships, and athletic venues including Stanford Stadium. Nearby research collaborations link to facilities like the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and interdisciplinary hubs including the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

Academics and Programs

Academic offerings include the Juris Doctor program and postgraduate degrees such as the Master of Laws and J.S.D., with curricula covering courses tied to important legal texts and cases like those from the United States Reports and doctrinal fields traced to precedents from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The school emphasizes interdisciplinary study with cross-registration opportunities at units such as the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Stanford School of Engineering, and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Specialized programs and certificates intersect with practice areas relevant to institutions such as the World Bank, the International Criminal Court, and regulatory agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Admissions and Rankings

Admissions are highly selective, drawing applicants who often hold degrees from institutions like Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and international universities such as Oxford University and Cambridge University. Standardized test performance is competitive by comparison to peers like University of Chicago Law School and New York University School of Law. Rankings from publications that evaluate legal education place the school among top-tier programs alongside Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, influencing placement to clerkships with judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and appointments to roles within the United States Department of Justice.

Faculty and Administration

Faculty have included scholars who contributed to scholarship referenced in decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States and regulatory reforms involving agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. Visiting professors and lecturers have come from institutions like the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Columbia Law School, and practicing offices at firms including Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Latham & Watkins. Administrators coordinate with university leadership such as the Board of Trustees of Stanford University and collaborate with deans from peer schools like Harvard Law School.

Research, Centers, and Clinics

The school hosts research centers and clinics that address issues linked to organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and nonprofit entities like the ACLU. Centers focus on fields that intersect with partners including the Bureau of Economic Analysis and initiatives tied to technology companies like Cisco Systems and Adobe Inc.. Clinical programs enable students to litigate and advise on matters before tribunals and agencies including the California Supreme Court and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, while research publications appear in journals comparable to the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal.

Student Life and Organizations

Student organizations encompass groups connected to professions and interests represented by alumni at firms like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and NGOs such as Human Rights Watch. Organizations include journals, moot court teams that compete at competitions like the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, and affinity groups with links to associations such as the American Bar Association and networks that outreach to employers including DLA Piper and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Student activities engage with campus life events held with units like the Stanford Federalist Society chapter, the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation, and collaborative programming with the Stanford Technology Ventures Program.

Category:Stanford University