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From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia Stanford Law
School (also known as Stanford Law or SLS) is a graduate school
at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon
Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was
established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the
faculty as the first professor of law. It employs more than 50 faculty and
hosts over 500 students who are working towards their Juris Doctor (J.D.) or
other graduate legal degrees such as the Master of Laws (LL.M.) and the
Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.), giving it the smallest student body
of any law school in the top 25 of the US News & World Report annual
ranking.
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Stanford Law School typically ranks in the top
three in the US News overall rankings of law schools and is currently ranked
third, behind Yale and Harvard Law Schools.
The late Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist and retired
Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court,
are both Stanford Law alumni, as is current Chief Justice of California
Ronald M. George.History
Stanford first offered a curriculum in legal studies in 1893, when the
university hired its first two law professors: former President Benjamin
Harrison, and Nathan Abbott. Abbott was given control over the program, and
assembled a small faculty over the next few years. The law department was
almost exclusively composed of undergraduates at this time, and included a
large number of students who might not have been welcome at more traditional
law schools at the time, including women and Hispanic, Chinese and Japanese
students.
In 1900, the department moved from its original location in Encina Hall to
the northeast side of the Inner Quadrangle. The new facilities were much
larger and included Stanford’s first law library. Beginning to focus more on
professional training, the school implemented its first three year
curriculum, and became one of 27 charter members of the Association of
American Law Schools. In 1901 the school awarded its first professional
degree.
Starting in 1908, the law department began its transition into an
exclusively professional school when Stanford's Board of Trustees passed a
resolution in 1908 to officially change its name to law school. Eight years
later Frederic Campbell Woodward would be appointed the first dean of the
school, and in 1923 the school was accredited by the American Bar
Association, the year the ABA began certifying law schools. Stanford's law
program officially transitioned into a modern professional school in 1924
when it began requiring a bachelor's degree for admission.
The 1940s and 1950s brought a great deal of change for the law school. Even
though World War II caused the school’s enrollment to drop to less than 30
students, the school made quick efforts at expansion once the war ended in
1945. Moving to a new location in the Outer Quadrangle and the opening of
the law school dormitory Crothers Hall allowed the school to grow, while the
publication of the Stanford Law Review started building the school a
national reputation. The decision that Stanford should remain a small law
school with a very limited enrollment was made during this period.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the law school aimed to become more diverse. A great
deal of new and progressive student organizations established themselves,
several of which focused on legal issues which largely affected Chicanos and
women. The first female and black professors were hired at the school during
this period, and the school sought to academically diversify its student
body by collaborating with the Stanford Business School to create a
joint-degree program. For the third time in its history, the law school
relocated in the 1970s to its current location in the Crown Quadrangle.
Earning national recognition in the 1980s and 1990s, the law school made
efforts to make its curriculum more progressive. Classes were offered
focusing on law relating to technology, the environment, and intellectual
property, and international law, allowing students to specialize in emerging
legal fields. Additionally, the school’s clinical program was established
starting with the public interest East Palo Alto Community Law Project. By
the dawn of the 21st century, the law school had created many new
opportunities for its students to specialize and get involved in community
projects. Over the past few years, a new focus on inderdisciplinary
education has emerged.
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