Washington College of Law
| American University Washington College of Law | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Motto | Champion What Matters |
| Parent school | American University |
| Established | 1896 (as independent institution) and 1949 (merger with American University) |
| School type | Private |
| Dean | Camille A. Nelson |
| Location |
Washington, D.C., United States 38°56′42″N 77°04′48″W / 38.945°N 77.08°WCoordinates: 38°56′42″N 77°04′48″W / 38.945°N 77.08°W |
| Enrollment | 1,678 (1503 JD, 160 LLM, 15 SJD) |
| Faculty | Full-time: 65 |
| USNWR ranking | 71 |
| Bar pass rate | 81% |
| Website | wcl.american.edu |
| ABA profile | ABA Profile |
American University Washington College of Law (WCL) is the law school of American University. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of Northwest Washington, D.C., one block south of the Tenleytown-AU Metro station. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, and a member of the AALS.
WCL is ranked 71st in the nation in the Best Law Schools by U.S. News & World Report. Begun in 1896, it was the first law school to be founded by women, the first with a female dean, and the first to graduate an all-female class.
According to WCL's 2013 ABA-required disclosures, 45.6% of the Class of 2013 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation.
Ellen Spencer Mussey and Emma Gillett began teaching in Mussey's law offices in 1898 after they were approached by three women who wished to study with them. Not originally intending to create a full-fledged law school, they requested the law school of Columbian College to accept the six women for their final year. When Columbian refused the request on the ground that "women did not have the mentality for law", the two women became determined to complete the students' education themselves and to found a co-educational law school that was specifically open to women. Although Gillett was a graduate of Howard University School of Law, Washington College of Law only accepted white applicants.
With its first graduating class, the Washington College of Law became the first law school to be founded by women, the first with a female dean, and the first law school to graduate an all-female class. A year later, Mussey's male law clerk enrolled in 1897, making the school officially coeducational.
Washington D.C. incorporated WCL in 1898. After several temporary locations, the school moved to the Le Droit Building on 8th & F Streets in 1900. Enrollment rose to 55 students by 1908 and doubled in five years to 128 students. Dean Mussey secured a lease in 1909 in the Chesley Building on New York Ave, until the school outgrew the six-classroom lease. The school moved to its first permanent home in 1920; the former residence of Robert G. Ingersoll on K Street. Continually growing, WCL moved in 1924 to the former home of Oscar Underwood, and former residence of Archibald Butt. WCL merged with American University in 1949 and graduated its first African American student in 1953.
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