Stanford Law School

The Stanford Law Quad

Clinical education provides hands-on experience

Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located near Palo Alto, California in Silicon Valley. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law. Stanford Law School is considered one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States. It employs about 50 lecturers and faculty, and hosts 550 students who are working towards their Juris Doctor.

Kathleen Sullivan, the former Dean, remarked at her appointment, "Who could resist a world class law school in paradise?" With beautiful surroundings, a small student body, and a very low student to faculty ratio, the school has an intimate and collegial environment. The academic program is flexible and includes a diverse array of courses and clinics. Students also publish top legal journals, such as the Stanford Law Review.

For most of the past decade, US News & World Report has ranked Stanford Law School as one of the two best and most selective law schools in the country, behind only Yale. [1] As many as 5,000 students apply for admission each year. Selection is intense, typically fewer than 8% of applicants are accepted. Most students ranked in the top 5% of their graduating class, scored in the top 5% on the LSAT, and have considerable additional other accomplishments. Stanford may place more weight on experience beyond academic numbers than any other law school.

The Law School has a distinguished history of producing leaders in the judiciary and academia, in addition to corporate law, government, and the public interest. The Law School has exceptional placement for graduates, about 60% of whom join law firms and 30% accept clerkships. Despite its small size, Stanford has produced the third most professors of law in the country and the fourth most clerks to the Supreme Court.

The late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist and former Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor are both Stanford alumni, as is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California Ronald M. George.

Notable alumni

Max Baucus (1967), U.S. Senator (1979–present)
Jeff Bingaman (1968), U.S. Senator (1983–present)
Joshua B. Bolten (1980), Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (2003-2006)White House Chief of Staff(Present)
Warren Christopher (1949), U.S. Secretary of State (1993–1997)
Frank Church (1950), U.S. Senator (1957–1981)
Ronald M. George (1964), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California (1996–present)
William Neukom (1967), first General Counsel at Microsoft
Sandra Day O'Connor (1952), first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1981–2006; retired)
William Rehnquist (1952), Chief Justice of the United States (1986–2005); died while serving.

Notable faculty

External links