The George Washington University Law School | |
---|---|
Parent school | George Washington University |
Established | 1865 |
School type | Private |
Parent endowment | $1.616 billion |
Dean | Blake Morant |
Location | Washington, District of Columbia, US |
Enrollment | 1,646 Full-Time: 1,376; Part-Time:270 |
Faculty | 371 |
USNWR ranking | 30 |
Bar pass rate | 86.23% |
Website | www.law.gwu.edu |
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. Founded in the 1820s, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C.
The school was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1923 and was a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools. It is located on the main campus of The George Washington University at the corner of 20th and H Streets in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.
The George Washington University Law School was founded in the 1820s but closed in 1826 due to low enrollment. The law school's first two professors were William Cranch, chief justice of the Circuit Court for the District of Columbia and second reporter of the U.S. Supreme Court, and William Thomas Carroll, a descendant of Charles Carroll the Settler and Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1827 until his death in 1863. The law school was reestablished in 1865 and was the first law school in the District of Columbia.
Law classes resumed in 1865 in the Old Trinity Episcopal Church and the school graduated its first class of 60 students in 1867. The Master of Laws degree program was adopted by the school in 1897. In 1900, the school was one of the founding members of the Association of American Law Schools. In 1954, it merged with National University School of Law of Washington.
Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, William Strong, David J. Brewer, Willis Van Devanter and John Marshall Harlan were among those who served on its faculty. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Antonin Scalia, and Justice Elena Kagan presided over its moot court in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2012 respectively.