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{{Short description|Private law school in Chicago, Illinois, US}}
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{{Infobox Law School
|name = University of Chicago<br>Law School
|image = Lawschool 2008-09 2008-10-09 0017.jpg
|image_size = 250
|established = {{start date and age|1902}}
|parent = [[University of Chicago]]
|type = [[Private school|Private]] [[law school]]
|head = [[Adam Chilton]]
|city = [[Chicago]]
|state = [[Illinois]]
|country = [[United States]]
|students = 626 (2021)<ref name=ChicagoLaw>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/2022-01/Std509InfoReport-50-50-12-14-2021-11-03-50_a11y.pdf|title=Chicago, University of - 2021 Standard 509 Information Report|date=December 14, 2021|access-date=February 27, 2022|archive-date=February 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227215616/https://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/2022-01/Std509InfoReport-50-50-12-14-2021-11-03-50_a11y.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|faculty = 183 (2021)<ref name=ChicagoLaw/>
|ranking = 3rd (2025)<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=University of Chicago |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/university-of-chicago-03052#:~:text=University%20of%20Chicago%20is%20ranked,widely%20accepted%20indicators%20of%20excellence. |website=U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Schools |access-date=April 8, 2025}}</ref>
|bar pass rate = 97.9% (2020) <ref name=bardata2020>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/2021-04/ConsumerBarPassage.pdf|title=University of Chicago - 2021 Consumer Bar Passage Report}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|homepage = {{URL|https://law.uchicago.edu}}
|aba profile = [https://law.uchicago.edu/aba-required-disclosures ''Standard 509 Report'']
|logo = University_of_Chicago_Law_School_Logo_2022.svg
|logo_size = 250
}}

The '''University of Chicago Law School''' is the [[Law school in the United States|law school]] of the [[University of Chicago]], a [[Private university|private]] [[research university]] in [[Chicago]], Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time faculty and hosts more than 600 students in its [[Juris Doctor]] program, while also offering the degree programs in [[Master of Laws]], [[Master of Studies in Law]], and [[Doctor of Juridical Science]].<ref name="ChicagoLaw" /> 

The law school was originally housed in Stuart Hall, a Gothic-style limestone building on the campus's main quadrangles. Since 1959, it has been housed in an [[Eero Saarinen]]-designed building across the [[Midway Plaisance]] from the main campus of the University of Chicago. The building was expanded in 1987 and again in 1998. It was renovated in 2008, preserving most of Saarinen's original structure.

Members of the faculty have included [[Cass Sunstein]], [[Richard Posner]], and [[Richard Epstein]], three of the most-cited legal scholars of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Other notable former faculty members include U.S. president [[Barack Obama]] and [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] justices [[Antonin Scalia]], [[John Paul Stevens]], and [[Elena Kagan]].

==History==
===Establishment of a new law school in Chicago===
[[File:Harper Midway Chicago.jpg|thumb|View of the University of Chicago from the Midway Plaisance]]
When the University of Chicago was founded in 1892, its president [[William Rainey Harper]] expressed a desire to establish a law school for the university that would improve democratic government.<ref name="Carrington">Paul D. Carrington, "The Missionary Diocese of Chicago", 44 ''Journal of Legal Education'' 467 (1994)</ref> At the time, Harper observed that, "[t]hus far democracy seems to have found no way of making sure that the strongest men should be placed in control of the country's business."<ref>William Rainey Harper, ''The Trend in Higher Education'' 31 (Chicago, 1905)</ref> Harper took advice from a number of his contemporaries. One such adviser, a professor at the [[University of Cambridge]], suggested that the object of the new law school should be to train students to become "leaders of the bar and ornaments of the bench, inspiring teachers, scientific writers and wise reformers" and emphasising public law and comparative law.<ref name="Ellsworth">Frank L. Ellsworth, ''Law on the Midway: The Founding of the University of Chicago Law School'' 33 (Chicago, 1977)</ref> Another adviser, a member of the [[Chicago Bar Association|Chicago bar]], suggested that [[Harvard Law School]], led by [[Christopher Columbus Langdell]] and influenced by the [[casebook method]] at the time, had "lost touch with great leaders among jurists and lawyers" and that the new law school in Chicago should focus on "social economics" or "principles of statesmanship" for lawyers.<ref name="Ellsworth"/> Noted legal scholar [[Ernst Freund]] suggested that the law school promote an interdisciplinary approach to legal education, offering elective courses in subjects such as history and political science.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JpZ1CgAAQBAJ|title=The University of Chicago: A History|last=Boyer|first=John W. R.|date=2015|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226242651|language=en|page=439}}</ref> Ultimately, Harper settled with the view that the study of law should not occur in a vacuum, and that it should take into account "the whole field of man as a social being".<ref name="Ellsworth"/>

In 1901, Harper announced that the new law school would be established the following year. He requested assistance from the faculty of Harvard Law School, whose dean at the time, [[James Barr Ames]], granted professor [[Joseph Henry Beale]] a two-year leave of absence to serve as the first dean of the law school in Chicago. He did so on the condition that Chicago "have ideals and methods similar to [those of] the Harvard Law School".<ref name="Ellsworth"/> However, Ames objected to the proposed curriculum, which contemplated close affiliation with social science departments in the university and subjects that were not found in a traditional first-year law curriculum. He insisted that the faculty comprise "solely of persons who teach law in the strict sense of the word" and using the casebook method.<ref name="Ellsworth"/> Harper agreed to these terms, and together with Beale assembled the faculty and designed the curriculum. Harper departed from the understanding he had reached with Ames and hired Freund to teach property law, and the law school's curriculum was influenced by Freund's interdisciplinary approach. The founding faculty members were [[Blewett Harrison Lee]] and [[Julian Mack]], who had both taught at the [[Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law|law school of Northwestern University]]; [[James Parker Hall]], who had taught at [[Stanford Law School]] and turned down an offer to teach at Harvard Law School; Clarke Butler Whittier, who had also taught at Stanford; [[Harry A. Bigelow]], a notable scholar at [[Boston University]] who recognized limitations in the casebook method;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tefft |first1=Sheldon |title=Harry A. Bigelow |url=http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=2&article=1053&context=lawschoolrecord&type=additional |work=Law School Record |agency=University of Chicago}}</ref> and Freund.<ref name="Carrington"/>

===Founding and early period===

On October 1, 1902, the law school opened for classes in the University Press Building (currently the Bookstore Building). [[John D. Rockefeller]] paid the $250,000 construction cost, and President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] laid its cornerstone.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JpZ1CgAAQBAJ|title=The University of Chicago: A History|last=Boyer|first=John W. R.|date=2015|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226242651|language=en|page=438}}</ref> At the time of its opening, the law school consisted of 78 students (76 men and two women). It offered courses in contract law, torts, criminal law, property law, agency, and pleading, with electives in administrative law, corporations law, federal jurisdiction, Roman law, international law, and legal ethics.<ref name="Ellsworth"/> The law school invented the [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree,<ref name="Carrington"/> and was just one of five law schools in the U.S. that required a college degree from its applicants as a prerequisite to admission.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asklib.law.harvard.edu/faq/115308|title=What is the difference between the LL.B. degree and the J.D.degree? - Ask a Librarian!|website=asklib.law.harvard.edu|access-date=19 January 2020}}</ref> Its library, which was established in short order, housed some 18,000 volumes of law reports. In 1903, a year after the law school opened, enrollment at the law school grew rapidly as its student body increased to 126. [[Floyd R. Mechem House|Floyd R. Mechem]], a professor at the [[University of Michigan Law School]] and pioneer in empirical legal studies at the time, joined the faculty and remained at the law school for 25 years until his death in 1928.<ref>Edward W. Hinton, "Floyd Russell Mechem", 23 ''Illinois Law Review'' 591 (1929).</ref><ref name="Ellsworth"/>
[[File:Theodore Roosevelt laying the cornerstone for the new law school on April 2, 1903.png|thumb|left|President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] laying the cornerstone for the law school on April 2, 1903, after receiving the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1626&context=lsr|title=''The Law School Record''|website=chicagounbound.uchicago.edu|access-date=January 18, 2021}}</ref>]]
The law school prospered in its early years and fostered relationships with scholars in other fields, including economics, political science, psychology, and history.<ref name="Ellsworth"/> It also developed ties with members of the Chicago bar, who served as part-time faculty members and taught legal procedure and other practical courses. The law school's academic standards were recognized as at least equal to those of Harvard.<ref name="Carrington"/> In 1904, the law school moved to Stuart Hall on the main university campus. In the same year, [[Sophonisba Breckinridge]] became the first woman to graduate from the law school––a feat that had not yet been achieved at [[Yale Law School]], [[Columbia Law School]] or Harvard. In her autobiography, Breckinridge noted that "the fact that the law school, like the rest of the University ... accepted men and women students on equal terms was publicly settled".<ref>Giselle Roberts and Melissa Walker (eds.), ''Southern Women in the Progressive Era: A Reader'' (2019)</ref> The law school also established its first alumni association in this period.<ref name="ucmagazine">{{cite web|url=http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0306/features/cause-timeline.shtml|title=The University of Chicago Magazine: June 2003|website=magazine.uchicago.edu|access-date=October 9, 2018}}</ref>

The law school faced considerable change in the years leading up to [[World War I]] and shortly thereafter. Beale returned to Harvard after his two-year leave of absence. In 1909, the eminent jurist [[Roscoe Pound]] taught at the law school for a year.<ref name="Carrington"/> The law school established a chapter of the [[Order of the Coif]] in 1911 and the [[Edward W. Hinton]] Moot Court program in 1914. During World War I, enrollment declined: in Spring 1917, 241 students were enrolled; this number dropped to 46 by Fall 1918. In 1920, [[Earl B. Dickerson]] became the first African-American to graduate from the law school. The law school's Black Law Students Association is named in his honor.<ref name="uncap.lib.uchicago.edu">Dingwall, Christopher; Rachel Watson "[http://uncap.lib.uchicago.edu/view.php?eadid=MTS.dickerson Guide to the Earl B. Dickerson Papers]", Chicago Public Library, ''Mapping the Stacks'', accessed September 3, 2011.</ref> Following the war, in 1926, enrollment reached 500 students for the first time. In 1927, the law school began to offer its first seminars. Its longest-serving dean, [[James Parker Hall]], who played a significant role in recruiting numerous distinguished faculty members to the law school, died in office in 1928.<ref>{{cite web |title=James Parker Hall {{!}} New York Times|date=March 19, 1928|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/03/14/archives/james-parker-hall-law-dean-57-dead-head-of-chicago-university.html |website=www.nytimes.com |language=en}}</ref>
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===Growth in interdisciplinary approach and the leadership of Edward Levi===
[[File:Law School, University Of Chicago (NBY 417036).jpg|thumb|The law school, depicted on a postcard from the 1910s]]

In the 1930s, new dean [[Harry A. Bigelow]] built on the interdisciplinary foundations laid by Freund and introduced classes in accounting, economics, and psychology. The law school's curriculum was shaped by the emerging influence of the [[law and economics]] movement. [[Aaron Director]] and [[Henry Calvert Simons|Henry Simons]] began offering economics courses in 1933.<ref name="uc news">{{cite web|url=http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/04/040913.director.shtml|title=Aaron Director, Founder of the field of Law and Economics |date=September 13, 2004|publisher=University of Chicago News Office|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref> Faculty member [[Edward Hirsch Levi|Edward Levi]] also introduced economics in the antitrust course, permitting Director to teach one of every five classroom sessions.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iz5MDwAAQBAJ|title=Legal Reasoning and Political Conflict|last=Sunstein|first=Cass R.|date=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190864460|language=en|page=68}}</ref> The first volume of the ''[[University of Chicago Law Review]]'' was also published in 1933.<ref name="About the Law Review">[http://lawreview.uchicago.edu/page/about-law-review], ''About the Law Review''.</ref> The law school established a legal writing program in 1938 and the Law and Economics Program in 1939. The LL.M. program was established in 1942, while Harry A. Bigelow Teaching Fellowships were established in 1947. As was the case during World War I, enrollment at the law school, like at many of the other top law schools in the country, declined and its academic calendar was adjusted to meet military needs.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JpZ1CgAAQBAJ|title=The University of Chicago: A History|last=Boyer|first=John W. R.|date=2015|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226242651|language=en|page=440}}</ref>

[[File:University of Chicago Law School, 1955-63. Law School - 00441v.jpg|thumb|Law School building (1955-1963)]]

In the 1950s and 1960s, the law school experienced a period of profound growth and expansion under the leadership of [[Edward Hirsch Levi|Edward Levi]], who was appointed Dean in 1950. In 1951, [[Karl Llewellyn]] and [[Soia Mentschikoff]] joined the law school, the latter being the first woman on the faculty. Other notable scholars, widely regarded as institutional figures and leading thinkers in their respective areas,<ref>Joseph Isenbergh, "Walter Blum", 55 ''University of Chicago Law Review'' 734 (1988)</ref> were [[Walter J. Blum]] and [[Bernard D. Meltzer]], who studied and taught at the law school for their entire academic careers. Between 1953 and 1955, Supreme Court justice [[John Paul Stevens]] taught antitrust at the law school. In 1958, Director founded the ''[[Journal of Law and Economics]]''. In 1959, the law school moved to its current building on 60th Street, designed by [[Eero Saarinen]]. In 1960, constitutional law scholar [[Philip Kurland]] founded the ''[[Supreme Court Review]]''. Levi later served as the provost (1962–1968) and the president (1968–1975) of the University of Chicago, before becoming the [[United States Attorney General]] under president [[Gerald Ford]]. During his time at the law school, Levi also supported the [[Committee on Social Thought]] graduate program.<ref>(Press Release) [http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/00/000307.levi.shtml Edward H. Levi, former U.S. Attorney General, President Emeritus of the university and the Glen A. Lloyd Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the law school and the College, dies at 88]. News.uchicago.edu. Retrieved on August 15, 2013.</ref>

===Late 20th century===

By the 1970s and 1980s, the law and economics movement had attracted a series of scholars with strong connections to the social sciences, such as [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|Nobel laureates]] [[Ronald Coase]] and [[Gary Becker]] and scholars [[Richard A. Posner]] and [[William M. Landes]]. In 1972, Posner founded the ''[[The Journal of Legal Studies|Journal of Legal Studies]]''. The law school also established joint degree programs with the Committee on Public Policy Studies and the Department of Economics, complementing [[Max Rheinstein]]'s Foreign Law Program, which was established in the 1950s with a bequest from the [[Ford Foundation]]. The Legal History Program was established in 1981.<ref name="Boyer 2015 441">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JpZ1CgAAQBAJ|title=The University of Chicago: A History|last=Boyer|first=John W. R.|date=2015|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226242651|language=en|page=441}}</ref> In 1982, the [[Federalist Society]] was established by a group of students at the law school, together with students from [[Harvard Law School]] and [[Yale Law School]]. In 1989, the D'Angelo Law Library exceeded 500,000 volumes.<ref name="ucmagazine"/>
[[File:Coase working 2000s.jpg|thumb|left|Nobel laureate [[Ronald Coase]] taught at the law school from 1964 to 2013]]
In the same period, many scholars who would later become leaders in their field joined the law school faculty at an early stage in their careers. [[Richard A. Epstein]], identified in a ''[[Legal Affairs]]'' poll as one of the most influential legal thinkers of modern times,<ref name="Legal Affairs">{{cite web |url=http://www.legalaffairs.org/poll/ |title=Who Are the Top 20 Legal Thinkers in America? |access-date=July 4, 2008 |work=Legal Affairs |archive-date=April 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424101611/http://www.legalaffairs.org/poll/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> joined the faculty in 1973 and continues to serve as emeritus professor and senior lecturer. [[Geoffrey R. Stone]], a leading [[First Amendment]] scholar and alumnus and former dean of the law school, joined the faculty in the same year. [[Douglas G. Baird]], a luminary in bankruptcy law, has been on the faculty since 1980 and served as dean between 1994 and 1999. [[Cass Sunstein]], regarded as "the most cited legal scholar in the United States and probably the world",<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://holberg.uib.no/en/news/holberg-prize/holberg-prize-and-nils-klim-prize-laureates-2017-announced|title=Holberg Prize and Nils Klim Prize Laureates 2018 Announced|date=2017-03-10|work=Holbergprisen|access-date=2018-03-14|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801153300/http://holberg.uib.no/en/news/holberg-prize/holberg-prize-and-nils-klim-prize-laureates-2017-announced|archive-date=2017-08-01|url-status=dead}}</ref> began his teaching career at the law school in 1981 and served as a faculty member for 27 years. Former [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] justice [[Antonin Scalia]] served as a professor between 1977 and 1982.<ref name="chic">{{Citation |last=Shipp |first=E. R. |periodical=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/26/us/scalia-s-midwest-colleagues-cite-his-love-of-debate-poker-and-piano.html |title=Scalia's Midwestern colleagues cite his love of debate, poker, and piano |date=July 26, 1986 |access-date=January 13, 2010 |author-link=E. R. Shipp}}</ref> His future colleague on the Supreme Court, [[Elena Kagan]], began her career at the law school too, as did noted legal scholars [[Lawrence Lessig]] and [[Adrian Vermeule]]. The 44th President of the U.S. [[Barack Obama]] taught at the law school between 1992 and 2004 in the areas of constitutional law, racism and the law, and voting rights before he was elected to the [[Senate|U.S. Senate]].<ref>{{cite web |title=President Obama returns to the Law School {{!}} University of Chicago |access-date=January 21, 2021|url=https://www.uchicago.edu/features/president_obama_returns_to_the_law_school/ |website=www.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>

==Academics==
The law school currently employs more than 200 full-time and part-time faculty members and enrolls approximately 600 students in its [[Juris Doctor]] (J.D.) program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/Disclosure509.aspx|title=Standard 509 Disclosure|website=www.abarequireddisclosures.org|access-date=October 9, 2018|archive-date=April 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428150753/http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/Disclosure509.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> It also offers advanced legal degrees such as the [[Master of Laws]] (LL.M.) (or alternatively the [[Master of Comparative Law|M.C.L.]]), the [[Master of Studies in Law|Master of Legal Studies]] (M.L.S.) and the [[Doctor of Juridical Science|Doctor of Jurisprudence]] (J.S.D.).<ref>{{cite web |title=Admissions {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/admissions |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref> The J.D. degree may be combined with a [[Master of Business Administration]] (M.B.A.) or [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (Ph.D.) with the [[University of Chicago Booth School of Business]], a [[Master of Arts]] (A.M.) in international relations, a [[Master of Public Policy]] (M.P.P.) with the [[Harris School of Public Policy Studies|University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy]], or a [[Master of Divinity]] (M.Div.) with the [[University of Chicago Divinity School]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dual Degrees and Certificate-Granting Programs {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/joint-degrees |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>

The law school's professors use the [[Socratic Method]] to facilitate learning in lectures and seminars. This method includes calling on students without prior notice, presenting hypotheticals, and continuously questioning them to test their knowledge and application of the material and to flesh out underlying assumptions in their responses.<ref name="socratic-method">{{cite web |title=The Socratic Method |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/socratic-method |access-date=November 28, 2020 |website=law.uchicago.edu}}</ref> It is one of the few law schools in the United States that employs this mode of teaching, which is assisted by its low student-to-professor ratio.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Jack|last=Schneider|title=Remembrance of Things Past: A History of the Socratic Method in the United States|journal=Curriculum Inquiry|date=December 2013|volume=43|issue=5|pages=613–640|doi=10.1111/curi.12030|s2cid=42448911}}</ref>

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===Clinics===
The law school offers seven [[legal clinic]]s, in which students earn course credit while practicing law under the direction of the clinic's independent faculty:<ref>{{cite web |title=Clinics {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/clinics |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
* Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, including:
**Abrams Environmental Law Clinic
**Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project
**Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project Clinic
**Employment Law Clinic
**Federal Criminal Justice Clinic
**Housing Initiative Transactional Clinic
**Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
**Global Human Rights Clinic
* Exoneration Project Clinic
* Innovation Clinic
* Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship
* Jenner & Block Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic
* Kirkland & Ellis Corporate Lab Clinic
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===Academic centers===
The law school has six research centers and projects. Each center hosts events, activities, and guest speakers throughout the academic year. They are as follows:<ref>{{cite web |title=Research Centers {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/centers |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
* Coase-Sandor Institute for Law and Economics<ref>{{cite web |title=Coase-Sandor Institute for Law and Economics {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=July 5, 2022|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/coase-sandor |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
* Constitutional Law Institute<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitutional Law Institute {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=July 5, 2022|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/constitutional-law |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
* Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity 
* Center for Comparative Constitutionalism<ref>{{cite web |title=Center for Comparative Constitutionalism {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=July 5, 2022|url=http://ccc.uchicago.edu/ |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
* Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values<ref>{{cite web |title=Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=July 5, 2022|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/centers/lawphilosophyandhumanvalues |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
* Center on Law and Finance<ref>{{cite web |title=Center on Law and Finance {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=July 5, 2022|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/law-finance |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
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===Policy initiatives===
The law school has five current and past policy initiatives:<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Policy Initiatives {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=March 12, 2024|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/projects/policyinitiatives |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
*Animal Law Policy Initiative (2004–2007)
*Court Reform in the Juvenile Justice System
*Federal Tax Conference
*Foster Care to Adulthood (2005–2008)
*International Best Standards for Guest Worker Programs (2015–2017)
*Kanter Project on Mass Incarceration (2013)
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Court Reform in the Juvenile Justice System
International Best Standards for Guest Worker Programs (2015-2017)
Bilateral Labor Agreements Dataset
Animal Law Policy Initiative (Concluded)
Foster Care to Adulthood (2005-2008)
Kanter Project on Mass Incarceration (2013)

===Programs===
*Legal History Program<ref>{{cite web |title=Legal History Program {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/legalhistory |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
*The John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics<ref>{{cite web |title=The Olin Foundation and Support for Law and Economics Research {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/olin-foundation-and-support-law-and-economics-research |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
*International and Comparative Law<ref>{{cite web |title=International and Comparative Law {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/internationallaw |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>
*Law and Philosophy<ref>{{cite web |title=Law and Philosophy {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/lawandphilosophy |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>{{Anchor|Law Library}}
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=== D'Angelo Law Library ===
[[File:University of Chicago Law Quad by Matthew Bisanz.jpg|Laird Bell Quadrangle fountain in front of the D'Angelo Law Library|thumb|right]]

The D'Angelo Law Library is part of the [[University of Chicago Library]] system. Renovated in 2006, it features a second-story reading room. The Law Library is open 90 hours per week and employs 11 full-time librarians and 11 additional managers and staff members. It has study space for approximately 500 people, a wireless network and 26 networked computers. It contains over 700,000 volumes of books, with approximately 6,000 added each year, including materials in over 25 languages, and primary law from foreign countries and international organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/law/about/facts/|title=Facts about the D'Angelo Law Library - The D'Angelo Law Library - The University of Chicago Library|website=www.lib.uchicago.edu|access-date=October 9, 2018}}</ref>

=== Admissions and costs ===
In 2021, the law school enrolled 175 students from an applicant pool of 6,514. Overall, the acceptance rate was 11.91% <ref name=ChicagoLaw/> For the entering class of 2024, the 25th and 75th [[LSAT]] percentiles were 169 and 175, respectively, with a median of 172. The 25th and 75th undergraduate [[GPA]] percentiles were 3.82 and 3.98, respectively, with a median of 3.91.<ref name=ChicagoLaw/>

In 2020, the law school reported that it had received approximately 1,000 applications for 80 positions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/2020-09/uchicago_law_school_announcements_2020-2021.pdf |title=Announcements |date=September 1, 2020 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |access-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017180120/https://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/2020-09/uchicago_law_school_announcements_2020-2021.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees and living expenses) at the law school for the 2017–18 academic year was $93,414.<ref name="abarequireddisclosures.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/EmploymentOutcomes.aspx|title=Standard 509 Disclosure|website=www.abarequireddisclosures.org|access-date=January 10, 2021|archive-date=November 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125104241/http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/EmploymentOutcomes.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Grading ===
The law school employs a grading system that places students on a scale of 155–186. The scale was 55–86 prior to 2003, but since then the law school has used a prefix of "1" to eliminate confusion with the traditional 100 point [[grading scale]]. For classes of more than 10 students, professors are required to set the median grade at 177, with the number of grades above 180 approximately equaling the number of grades below a 173.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/handbook/academicmatters/grading |title=1.18 Grading - University of Chicago Law School|website=www.law.uchicago.edu|access-date=October 9, 2018}}</ref>

In an article published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 2010, business writer [[Catherine Rampell]] criticized other schools' problems with grade inflation, but commended Chicago's system, saying that Chicago "has managed to maintain the integrity of its grades."<ref>{{Cite news|title=In Law Schools, Grades Go Up, Just Like That|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/business/22law.html |newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 21, 2010|access-date=June 2, 2015 |issn=0362-4331|first=Catherine|last=Rampell}}</ref>

Students graduate "with honors" by attaining a final average of 179, "with high honors" upon attaining a final average of 180.5, and "with highest honors" upon attaining a final average of 182. The last of these achievements is rare; typically only one student every few years will attain the requisite 182 average. Additionally, the law school awards two honors at graduation that are based on class rank. Of the students who earned at the law school at least 79 of the 105 credits required to graduate, the top 10% are elected to the [[Order of the Coif]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/handbook/jd-honors|title=4.16 J.D. Honors {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|website=www.law.uchicago.edu|access-date=2019-12-05}}</ref> Students finishing their first or second years in the top 5% of their class, or graduating in the top 10%, are honored as "Kirkland and Ellis Scholars."<ref name=":0" />

=== Publications ===
The law school produces seven professional journals.

Four of those journals are student-run:

* the ''[[University of Chicago Law Review]]'' (among the top five most cited law reviews in the world)<ref name="taxprof.typepad.com">{{Cite web |title=TaxProf Blog: 2020 Meta-Ranking of Flagship U.S. Law Reviews |url=https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2020/07/2020-meta-ranking-of-flagship-us-law-reviews.html}}</ref>
* the ''[[Chicago Journal of International Law]]'', 
* the ''[[University of Chicago Legal Forum]]'', and
* the ''University of Chicago Business Law Review''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Journals &#124; University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/journals}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Law School Launches Student-Led Business Law Journal &#124; University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/new-business-law-journal}}</ref> 

The other three are overseen by faculty:

* the ''[[Supreme Court Review]]'',
* the ''[[Journal of Law and Economics]]'', and
* the ''[[Journal of Legal Studies]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Journals {{!}} University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/journals |access-date=January 18, 2021 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>

The law school produces several series of academic papers, including the Kreisman Working Papers Series in Housing Law and Policy, the Coase-Sandor Working Paper Series in Law and Economics, the Fulton Lectures, and the Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers, in addition to a series of occasional papers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Academic Paper Series - University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/publications/papers |access-date=October 9, 2018 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu}}</ref>

===Student groups===
There are approximately 60 student-run groups at the law school which fall under the umbrella of the Law Students Association.<ref>{{cite web |title=Student Organisation Directory {{!}} University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/studentorgs |access-date=January 18, 2021 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref> It is home to one of the three founding chapters of the [[Federalist Society]]. As a professor, former Supreme Court justice [[Antonin Scalia]] helped to organize the Chicago chapter of the society.<ref name="chic" /> Chicago is also home to a large chapter of the progressive [[American Constitution Society for Law and Policy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=American Constitution Society {{!}} University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/studentorgs/acs |access-date=January 18, 2021 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref>

== Reception ==

=== Outcomes and career prospects ===
In 2018, the law school was ranked first in the U.S. for overall employment outcomes by the ''[[National Law Journal]]''<ref name="Above the Law">{{cite web|url=https://abovethelaw.com/2017/04/the-top-law-schools-with-the-best-employment-outcomes/|title=The Top Law Schools With The Best Employment Outcomes|date=April 19, 2017|publisher=Above the Law|access-date=July 6, 2018}}</ref> and second in the U.S. for best career prospects by ''[[Forbes]]''.<ref name="forbes_2017-10-31">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2017/10/31/the-best-law-schools-for-career-prospects-in-2018/?sh=787fa8cd4221|title=The Best Law Schools For Career Prospects In 2018|work=Forbes|access-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref> According to the law school's official 2020 [[American Bar Association|ABA]]-required disclosures, 98.5% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment within ten months of graduation.<ref name="abarequireddisclosures.org" /> The median salary for its graduates in the Class of 2019 was $190,000, and 75% of graduates earned starting salaries of $190,000 or greater upon graduation.<ref name="abarequireddisclosures.org" /> For the same cohort, 50.2% of graduates secured positions at law firms with more than 500 lawyers.<ref name="abarequireddisclosures.org" /> The law school is ranked first in the U.S. by the ''[[National Law Journal]]'' for placing the highest percentage of recent graduates in law firms of 100 or more lawyers.<ref name="nationallawjournal.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.law.com/2018/04/25/law-grads-hiring-report-job-stats-for-the-class-of-2017/|title=Law Grads Hiring Report: Job Stats for the Class of 2017|access-date=May 6, 2018}}</ref> It also had the highest first-time Bar pass rate (98.9%) of all law schools in the United States.<ref name="abarequireddisclosures.org" />

=== Judicial clerkships ===
In 2023, University of Chicago Law School alumni comprised the third-highest percentage of recent graduates clerking for federal judges, after [[Stanford Law School]] and [[Yale Law School]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sloan |first=Karen |date=2023-05-01 |title=These law schools sent the most grads to federal clerkships |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/these-law-schools-sent-most-grads-federal-clerkships-2023-05-01/ |access-date=2023-05-05}}</ref> Data compiled from the previous 12 years by Brad Hillis in 2017 indicates that the law school has the third-highest gross and third-highest per capita placement of alumni in [[Supreme Court of the United States]] clerkships among all law schools since 1882.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brian Leiter Supreme Court Clerkship Placement, 2000 Through 2008 Terms |url=https://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2017/01/supreme-court-clerks-by-school-1882-2017-2005-2017.html|website=www.leiterrankings.com|access-date=November 28, 2020}}</ref> Between 1992 and 2017, it placed 88 alumni in [[Supreme Court of the United States]] clerkships. During the 2021-2022 Term alone, nine different Chicago alumni clerked for nine different justices on the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nine Clerks for Nine Justices in 2021-2022, Marking New Alumni Clerkship Record at the Supreme Court {{!}} University of Chicago Law School |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/seven-clerks-seven-justices-2021-2022-continuing-five-decade-uchicago-alumni-clerkship-streak#:~:text=Nine%20University%20of%20Chicago%20Law,Law%20School%20alumni%20at%20once. |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu}}</ref> In the Class of 2019, 27.6% of its graduates secured clerkships (with 87.3% of those graduates in federal clerkships).<ref name="abarequireddisclosures.org" />

=== Rankings ===
The law school is included in the [[T14 Law|T14]], a classification of consistently high ranking U.S. law schools. Recent rankings include:
* Third of all law schools in the world (third in the U.S.) by the [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]] in 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020 - Law |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/shanghairanking-subject-rankings/law.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713045723/http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/law.html |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |access-date=November 22, 2020 |publisher=Academic Ranking of World Universities}}</ref>
* Fourth in the world (second in the U.S.) by the ''[[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]]'' in 2021<ref>{{cite web |date=October 26, 2020 |title=World University Rankings 2021 by subject: law |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2021/subject-ranking/law#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats |access-date=November 22, 2020 |publisher=Times Higher Education World University Rankings}}</ref>
* First in the U.S. by [[Above the Law (blog)|Above the Law]] in 2021<ref>{{cite web |date=June 24, 2021 |title=The 2021 Top Law School Rankings Are Finally Here |url=https://abovethelaw.com/2021/06/the-2021-atl-top-50-law-school-rankings-are-finally-here/ |access-date=August 3, 2021 |publisher=Above the Law}}</ref> and second by ''[[Business Insider]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=The 50 best law schools in America |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/best-law-schools-us-2016-7 |access-date=September 14, 2018 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>
* Third in the U.S. by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' in 2022<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Best Law Schools |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings |access-date=March 28, 2022 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> and 2023<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sloan |first=Karen |date=2023-05-11 |title=Revamped US News law school rankings yield major shifts |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/revamped-us-news-law-school-rankings-yield-major-shifts-2023-05-11/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref>
* Second in the U.S. in terms of scholarly impact in a 2021 study by [[Gregory Sisk]] et al. in 2021<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sisk |first1=Gregory C. |author1-link=Gregory Sisk |last2=Catlin |first2=Nicole |last3=Veenis |first3=Katherine |last4=Zeman |first4=Nicole |year=2021 |title=Scholarly Impact of Law School Faculties in 2021: Updating the Leiter Score Ranking for the Top Third |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3910536 |journal=University of St. Thomas Law Journal |ssrn=3910536}}</ref>
* Second in the U.S. for best career prospects by ''[[Forbes]]'' in 2017<ref name="forbes_2017-10-31" />
* Third in the U.S. for highest-earning graduates by ''Forbes'' in 2021<ref>{{cite web |title=The 25 Law Schools Whose Grads Earn The Most |url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45egmid/the-25-law-schools-whose-grads-earn-the-most/?sh=c2f96991ef04 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |work=Forbes}}</ref>
* First in the U.S. for best professors and best for federal clerkships by the ''[[The Princeton Review|Princeton Review]]'' in 2023<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=University of Chicago - Law School - The Princeton Review Law School Rankings & Reviews |url=https://www.princetonreview.com/law/university-chicago--law-school-1035807?ceid=best-law |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=www.princetonreview.com}}</ref>
* Third in the U.S. for best classroom experience by the ''Princeton Review'' in 2023<ref name=":1" />

==Campus==

[[File:Daytime reflection 7-26-09.jpg|thumb|The Laird Bell Quadrangle. [[Eero Saarinen]] designed the present law school building, opened 1959.]]

The law school was originally housed in Stuart Hall, a Gothic-style limestone building on the campus's main quadrangles. Needing more library and student space, the law school moved across the [[Midway Plaisance]] to its current, [[Eero Saarinen]]-designed building (next to what was then the headquarters of the [[American Bar Association]]) in October 1959. The building contains classrooms, the D'Angelo Law Library, faculty offices, and an auditorium and courtroom, arranged in a quadrangle around a fountain (mimicking the college Gothic architecture of the campus's main quadrangles). The year saw a number of celebrations of the law school's new home, including a filming of ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'' and appearances by Chief Justice [[Earl Warren]], Governor (and later Vice President) [[Nelson Rockefeller]] and Secretary-General of the United Nations [[Dag Hammarskjöld]].<ref name="law.uchicago.edu">[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/alumni/magazine/fall09/building Building a Future on a Strong Foundation | University of Chicago Law School]. Law.uchicago.edu. Retrieved on August 15, 2013.</ref>

In 1987, and over the objections of the Saarinen family, the building was expanded to add office and library space (and the library renamed in honor of alumnus Dino D'Angelo). In 1998, a dedicated space for the law school's clinics, the Arthur Kane Center for Clinical Legal Education, as well as numerous additional classrooms, were constructed.<ref name="law.uchicago.edu"/> Renovation of the library, classrooms, offices, and fountain was completed in 2008, notable for the preservation of most of Saarinen's structure at a time when many modernist buildings faced demolition.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122341764591312909 Saarinen's Law School Wasn't Razed - WSJ.com]. Online.wsj.com (October 8, 2008). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.</ref><ref>[http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2008/07/polishing-a-saa.html Cityscapes: New luster for a Saarinen gem: Once-threatened U. of C. Law School building is expertly recycled by OWP/P] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222193049/http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2008/07/polishing-a-saa.html |date=December 22, 2010 }}. Featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com (July 1, 2008). Retrieved on 2013-08-15.</ref>

== People ==

=== Deans ===
{{Main|List of deans of the University of Chicago Law School}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Joseph Henry Beale]] (1902–1904)
*[[James Parker Hall]] (1904–1928)
* [[Harry Bigelow|Harry A. Bigelow]] (1929–1939)
* [[Wilber G. Katz]] (1939–1950)
*[[Edward H. Levi]] (1950–1962)
* [[Phil C. Neal]] (1963–1975)
*[[Norval Morris]] (1975–1979)
*[[Gerhard Casper]] (1979–1987)
*[[Geoffrey R. Stone]] (1987–1993)
*[[Douglas Baird]] (1994–1999)
*[[Daniel Fischel]] (1999–2001)
*[[Saul Levmore]] (2001–2009)
*[[Michael H. Schill]] (2010–2015)
*[[Thomas J. Miles]] (2015–2025)
*[[Adam Chilton]] (2025–present)
{{div col end}}

=== Notable faculty ===
The law school's faculty has included the [[List of Presidents of the United States|44th]] [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Barack Obama]], [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] justices [[Antonin Scalia]], [[John Paul Stevens]] and [[Elena Kagan]], leaders of the [[legal realism]] movement [[Karl Llewellyn]] and [[Herman Oliphant]], [[tax law]] doyen [[Walter J. Blum]], leading constitutional law scholars [[Harry Kalven]] and [[Michael W. McConnell]], founder of the [[law and literature]] movement [[James Boyd White]], and one of the most widely-cited legal scholars in the world, [[Cass Sunstein]]. Its current faculty includes [[Kyoto Prize]] winner [[Martha Nussbaum]], distinguished legal philosopher [[Brian Leiter]], [[First Amendment]] scholar [[Geoffrey R. Stone]], federal appellate judges [[Frank H. Easterbrook]] and [[Diane P. Wood]], bankruptcy expert [[Douglas Baird]], prominent legal historian [[Richard H. Helmholz]], and among the most widely-cited legal scholars of the 20th and 21st centuries [[Richard A. Posner]], [[Richard Allen Epstein|Richard A. Epstein]] and [[Eric Posner]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Faculty Directory {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/directory?profile_type=103 |website=www.law.uchicago.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Teaching Law, Testing Ideas, Obama Stood Slightly Apart {{!}} ''New York Times''|author=Jodi Kantor|date=July 30, 2008|access-date=January 18, 2021|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html |website=www.nytimes.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Ivory Tower of Power|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-03-22-0903200725-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 22, 2009|access-date=January 21, 2021 |first=Tom|last=Hundley}}</ref>

==== Current ====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Daniel Abebe]]: constitutional law and international law scholar
* [[Albert Alschuler]]: scholar on criminal law and criminal procedure
* [[Douglas Baird]]: scholar on bankruptcy law and contracts
* [[William Baude]]: scholar on constitutional law and interpretation
* [[Omri Ben-Shahar]]: contracts and consumer protection scholar
* [[Lisa Bernstein]]: contracts and commercial law scholar
* [[Curtis Bradley]]: international law and foreign relations scholar
* [[Emily Buss]]: scholar on children and parents' rights
* [[Anthony J. Casey]] (alumnus): scholar on business law, finance, and bankruptcy
* [[Dhammika Dharmapala]]: economist and tax scholar
* [[Frank H. Easterbrook]] (alumnus): [[United States federal judge|United States circuit judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]] and leading antitrust scholar
* [[Richard Allen Epstein|Richard A. Epstein]] (emeritus): scholar on classical liberalism, libertarianism, torts, Roman Law, contract and law and economics
* [[Daniel Fischel]] (emeritus, alumnus): law and economics scholar, and chairman and president of [[Compass Lexecon]]
* [[Tom Ginsburg]]: scholar on international and comparative law
* [[Richard H. Helmholz]]: legal historian and expert on European legal history
* [[M. Todd Henderson]] (alumnus): scholar on corporations law and securities regulation
* [[William H. J. Hubbard]] (alumnus): civil procedure and law and economics scholar
* [[Aziz Huq]]: scholar on constitutional law, federal courts, and criminal procedure
* [[Dennis J. Hutchinson]] (alumnus): constitutional law scholar and former editor of the ''[[Supreme Court Review]]''
* [[Alison LaCroix]]: legal historian and constitutional law scholar
* [[William Landes]]: economist and law and economics scholar
* [[Brian Leiter]]: legal philosopher and scholar on [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]]
* [[Saul Levmore]]: former Dean of the law school and scholar on commercial law and public choice
* [[Jonathan Masur]]: behavioral [[law and economics]], patent law, and administrative law scholar
* [[Thomas J. Miles]]: law and economics scholar
* [[Jennifer Nou]]: scholar on administrative law and regulatory policy
* [[Martha Nussbaum]]: influential philosopher and expert on ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, political philosophy, feminism, and ethics
* [[Randal C. Picker]] (alumnus): scholar on antitrust and intellectual property law
* [[Eric Posner]]: scholar on international law and contract law, and one of the most cited law professors in the U.S.
* [[Richard A. Posner]]: former federal appellate judge and the [[Citation impact|most cited]] legal scholar of the 20th century.<ref name=ShapiroJLS/>
* [[John Rappaport]]: criminal procedure and criminal law scholar
* [[Gerald N. Rosenberg]]: leading scholar on political science and law, and author of ''The Hollow Hope'' (1991)
* [[Andrew M. Rosenfield]] (alumnus): economist, CEO and managing partner of TGG Group, and managing partner of [[Guggenheim Partners]]
* [[Geoffrey R. Stone]] (alumnus): leading scholar on constitutional law and the [[First Amendment]]
* [[Lior Strahilevitz]]: property law and privacy law scholar
* [[David A. Strauss]]: constitutional law scholar
* [[Diane P. Wood]]: [[United States federal judge|Chief United States circuit judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]]
{{div col end}}

==== Former ====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Mortimer J. Adler]]
* [[Amabel Anderson Arnold]]
* [[Paul M. Bator]]
* [[Harry A. Bigelow]]
* [[Walter J. Blum]] (alumnus)
* [[Lea Brilmayer]]
* [[Gerhard Casper]]
* [[Ronald Coase]]: winner of the [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences]]
* [[William Crosskey]]
* [[Brainerd Currie]]
* [[David P. Currie]]
* [[Kenneth W. Dam]] 
* [[Kenneth Culp Davis]]
* [[Aaron Director]]
* [[Justin Driver]]
* [[:de:Ulrich Drobnig|Ulrich Drobnig]]
* [[Owen M. Fiss]]
* [[Ernst Freund]]
* [[Elizabeth Garrett]]
* [[Grant Gilmore]]
* [[Douglas Ginsburg]] (alumnus)
* [[Jack Goldsmith]]
* [[Philip Hamburger]]
* [[Bernard Harcourt]]
* [[Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr.]]
* [[Edward W. Hinton]] (after whom the Hinton Moot Court Competition is named)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/camaraderie-and-competition-hinton-moot-court|title=The Camaraderie and Competition of the Hinton Moot Court {{!}} University of Chicago Law School|website=www.law.uchicago.edu|access-date=2020-01-28}}</ref>
* [[James F. Holderman]]
* [[Elena Kagan]]: Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 
* [[Dan Kahan]]
* [[Harry Kalven]] (alumnus)
* [[Stanley Nider Katz]]
* [[Nicholas Katzenbach]]: former Attorney General of the United States
* [[Friedrich Kessler]]
* [[Spencer L. Kimball]]
* [[Larry Kramer (legal scholar)|Larry Kramer]] (alumnus)
* [[Anthony Kronman]]
* [[Philip Kurland]]
* [[John H. Langbein]]
* [[Douglas Laycock]] (alumnus)
* [[Lawrence Lessig]]
* [[Karl Llewellyn]]
* [[Edward Levi]]: former Attorney General of the United States (alumnus)
* [[Jonathan R. Macey]]
* [[Julian Mack]]
* [[Michael W. McConnell]] (alumnus)
* [[Tracey Meares]] (alumna)
* [[Bernard D. Meltzer]] (alumnus)
* [[Soia Mentschikoff]]
* [[Abner Mikva]] (alumnus)
* [[William Robert Ming|William R. Ming]] (alumnus)
* [[Norval Morris]]
* [[Edward R. Morrison]] (alumnus)
* [[Dallin H. Oaks]] (alumnus)
* [[Barack Obama]] (1992–2004): former [[President of the United States]]
* [[Herman Oliphant]] (alumnus)
* [[Douglas H. Parker]]
* [[Eduardo Peñalver]]
* [[Roscoe Pound]]
* [[John Mark Ramseyer]]
* [[Max Rheinstein]]
* [[Antonin Scalia]]: former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
* [[Michael H. Schill]]
* [[Stephen Schulhofer]]
* [[Richard Scott, Baron Scott of Foscote]]: former Lord of Appeal
* [[Henry Calvert Simons|Henry Simons]]
* [[A. W. B. Simpson]]
* [[Anne-Marie Slaughter]]
* [[John Paul Stevens]]: former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
* [[Cass Sunstein]]
* [[Jacobus tenBroek]]
* [[Adrian Vermeule]]
* [[James Boyd White]]
* [[Hans Zeisel]]
{{div col end}}

=== Notable alumni ===
{{Main|List of University of Chicago Law School alumni}}

The law school has produced many distinguished alumni in the judiciary, government and politics, academia, business, and other fields. Its alumni include heads of state and politicians around the world, the [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]], the President of the [[Supreme Court of Israel]], judges of [[United States Courts of Appeals]], several U.S. [[Attorney General of the United States of America|Attorneys General]] and [[Solicitor General of the United States|Solicitors General]], members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] and [[Cabinet of the United States|cabinet officials]], [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellors]], university [[Chancellor (education)|presidents]] and faculty [[Dean (education)|deans]], founders of the law firms [[Kirkland & Ellis]], [[Baker McKenzie]], and [[Jenner & Block]], CEOs and chairpersons of multinational corporations, and contributors to literature, journalism, and the arts. The law school counts among its alumni recipients of the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], [[Fulbright Program|Fulbright Scholars]], [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholars]], [[Marshall Scholarship|Marshall Scholars]], [[Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan|Commonwealth Fellows]], [[National Humanities Medal]]lists, and [[Pulitzer Prize]] winners.

In the judiciary, notable alumni include [[John Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd|Lord Thomas]], who served as [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]] from 2013 to 2017, and former President of the [[Supreme Court of Israel]], [[Shimon Agranat]]. [[United States courts of appeals|Federal appellate judges]] who graduated from the law school include [[Douglas H. Ginsburg]], [[David S. Tatel]], [[Michael W. McConnell]] and [[Robert Bork]], who was [[Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination|unsuccessfully nominated]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]]. Other federal appellate judges include [[Abner Mikva]], who later served as [[White House Counsel]] in the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]]; [[Frank H. Easterbrook]], who currently teaches at the law school; and [[Jerome Frank]], who served as [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission|Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission]] and, together with fellow alumnus [[Herman Oliphant]], played a leading role in the [[legal realism]] movement in the U.S. More recently confirmed alumni federal appellate judges include [[Anthony Johnstone]], [[Eric E. Murphy]], [[Neomi Rao]], [[Beth Robinson]], [[Eric D. Miller]], and [[Allison H. Eid]].

Notable alumni in government and politics include [[Attorney General of the United States|Attorneys General]] [[John Ashcroft]], [[Ramsey Clark]] and [[Edward H. Levi]], who was Dean of the law school from 1950 to 1962. The last [[Solicitor General of the United States]], [[Noel Francisco]], graduated from the law school in 1996. Other graduates include the former [[Prime Minister of New Zealand]], [[Geoffrey Palmer (New Zealand politician)|Geoffrey Palmer]]; prosecutor at the [[Nuremberg trials]] and drafter of the [[Charter of the United Nations|U.N. Charter]], [[Bernard D. Meltzer]]; former [[Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] director, [[James Comey]]; former [[United States Secretary of the Interior]] and key figure in the implementation of the [[New Deal]], [[Harold L. Ickes]]; former [[Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare]], [[Abraham Ribicoff]]; the first director of the [[Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]], [[Richard Cordray]]; current [[White House Counsel]] [[Ed Siskel]]; current [[CDC]] official [[Nirav D. Shah]]; current [[United States senators|U.S. senator]] [[Amy Klobuchar]], and [[U.S. Representative]] and [[United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack]] Vice-Chair [[Liz Cheney]], among other members of [[United States Congress|Congress]].

Alumni who are leaders in higher education include the current president of [[Princeton University]], [[Christopher L. Eisgruber]]; the current Dean of the [[University of Texas School of Law]], [[Ward Farnsworth]]; the former Dean of [[Stanford Law School]] and President of the [[London School of Economics]], [[Larry Kramer (legal scholar)|Larry Kramer]]; the co-chair of the [[COVID-19 Advisory Board]], head of [[Operation Warp Speed]], and former Dean of the [[Yale School of Medicine]], [[David A. Kessler]]; the former Dean of [[Cornell Law School]], [[Roger C. Cramton]]; and the former Dean of [[Vanderbilt University Law School]], [[Tulane University Law School]] and [[Cornell Law School]], [[William Ray Forrester]]. Scholars who graduated from the law school include [[Harvard Law School]] professor [[Mary Ann Glendon]], who is a former [[List of ambassadors of the United States to the Holy See|U.S. ambassador to the Holy See]]; [[First Amendment]] scholar [[Geoffrey R. Stone]]; [[tax law]] doyen [[Walter J. Blum]]; and one of the pre-eminent constitutional law scholars of the 20th century, [[Harry Kalven]].<ref name="ShapiroJLS">{{cite journal |last=Shapiro |first=Fred R. |year=2000 |title=The Most-Cited Legal Scholars |journal=Journal of Legal Studies |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=409–26 |doi=10.1086/468080 |s2cid=143676627}}</ref>

In business, notable alumni include the billionaire and founder of the [[Carlyle Group]], [[David Rubenstein]]; the former CEO and president of [[Bloomberg L.P.]] and the current CEO of [[Sidewalk Labs]], [[Daniel L. Doctoroff]]; the executive chairman of [[Hyatt Hotels Corporation]], [[Thomas Pritzker]]; the chairman and president of [[Compass Lexecon]] and an emeritus professor at the law school, [[Daniel Fischel]]; former president of [[Weyerhaeuser]] and of [[Boy Scouts of America]], [[Norton Clapp]]; the current commissioner of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]], [[Adam Silver]]; the founder of [[Yammer]], [[David O. Sacks]]; and [[Katherine L. Adams]], the general counsel of [[Apple Inc.]]. In the field of [[non-governmental organization]]s, alumni include the founder and CEO of the [[International Justice Mission]], [[Gary Haugen]]; and co-founder of [[Amnesty International]], [[Luis Kutner]].

The law school also counts among its alumni four recipients of the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]; two [[Pulitzer Prize]] winners; the first female African-American [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]], [[Carol Moseley Braun]]; the first African-American to serve as a United States federal judge, [[James Benton Parsons]]; civil rights attorney and chairman of the [[Fair Employment Practices Committee]], [[Earl B. Dickerson]]; the first female president of the [[American Law Institute]] and of the [[American Bar Association]], [[Roberta Cooper Ramo]]; [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winner [[Studs Terkel]]; civil rights activist and the first woman to graduate from the law school, [[Sophonisba Breckinridge]]; and the founder of the [[intelligent design movement]], [[Phillip E. Johnson]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website}}
*[https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.ARBITRATION Guide to the University of Chicago Law School Arbitration Study Records 1916-1966] at the [https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/scrc/ University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center]
*[https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.JURYPROJECT Guide to the University of Chicago Law School Jury Project Records 1953-1959] at the [https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/scrc/ University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center]

{{UChicago|academics}}
{{Law Schools of the Midwest}}
{{Eero Saarinen}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:University of Chicago Law School| ]]
[[Category:Law schools in Illinois]]
[[Category:Schools of the University of Chicago|Law]]
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[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1902]]
[[Category:1902 establishments in Illinois]]