Pritzker School of Law facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Motto	Quaecumque sunt vera (Latin) Ὁ Λόγος πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας - Ho logos pleres charitos kai aletheias (Greek) Whatsoever things are true (Philippians 4:8 AV) The word full of grace and truth (Gospel of John 1:14)
Established	1859 (as law department of the Old University of Chicago) 1873 (as Union College of Law) 1891 (as Northwestern University School of Law) 2015 (current name)
School type	Private law school
Parent endowment	US $14.3 billion
Dean	Zachary Clopton
Location	Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 41°53′47″N 87°37′03″W / 41.8963°N 87.6174°W / 41.8963; -87.6174
Enrollment	658
Faculty	190
USNWR ranking	10th (tie) (2025)
Bar pass rate	92% (2017)
ABA profile	Standard 509 Report

The Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is a top law school that is part of Northwestern University. Northwestern University is a private research university. The law school is located in Chicago, Illinois. Many people consider Northwestern Law to be one of the best law schools in the United States. It is often listed among the "T14" schools, which is an unofficial group of the top law schools.

The school was started in 1859. It was the first law school in Chicago. Many important people have studied here. These include governors of different states and two Supreme Court justices: Arthur Goldberg and John Paul Stevens. Other famous alumni include Adlai Stevenson II, who was a governor and presidential candidate, and Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago.

History of the Law School

The Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law began in 1859. It was the first law school in Chicago. At first, it was the law department of the Old University of Chicago. Henry Booth was its first director, and it had 23 students.

In 1873, the law school became known as Union College of Law. This happened when it joined with Northwestern University. Then, in 1891, Northwestern University took full control. The school was officially renamed the Northwestern University School of Law.

Over the years, the school added special programs. These included programs where students could earn both a law degree (JD) and a business degree (MBA) or a PhD. These programs helped the school stay among the top law schools in America.

In October 2015, the school received a large gift of $100 million from J. B. Pritzker and his wife, M. K. Pritzker. Because of this generous gift, the school was renamed the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

In July 2024, a group filed a lawsuit against the university. The lawsuit claimed that the university's efforts to hire more women and people of color for its faculty were unfair. It also mentioned the selection of articles for its law review. The lawsuit was filed after the Supreme Court of the United States changed rules about how colleges can consider race in admissions.

Studying at Northwestern Law

Entrance to Levy Meyer Hall

How to Get Admitted

Getting into Northwestern Law is very competitive. For the class that started in the fall of 2021, only about 14% of applicants were offered a spot. Out of 7,410 people who applied, 1,031 were accepted. Only 234 students chose to attend.

Students who get in usually have high scores on the LSAT exam. They also have strong grades from their undergraduate studies. The school often prefers students who have worked for at least two years before applying. About 90% of students have some work experience.

Levy Mayer Hall

What it Costs

The total cost to attend Northwestern Law for one year can be high. For the 2022-2023 school year, the total cost was $104,564. This amount includes tuition, fees, living expenses, and books.

Law Journals

Northwestern Law has seven student-run legal journals. These journals publish scholarly articles about different areas of law. Students are chosen to work on these journals based on their grades and writing skills.

• Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business: This journal focuses on how international laws affect businesses and private groups.
• Northwestern University Law Review: This is one of the oldest journals, first published in 1906. Many famous legal experts and judges have been editors.
• Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property: This journal covers laws related to technology and intellectual property. This includes topics like copyrights, patents, and the internet.
• Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology: This is a very popular journal about criminal law. It was started in 1910.
• Journal of Law and Social Policy: This journal looks at how laws affect different parts of society. It covers topics like civil rights, housing, and health care.
• Journal of Human Rights: This journal discusses important issues and laws related to human rights.
• Northwestern Law Journal des Refusés: Started in 2022, this journal aims to make legal topics easier for everyone to understand.

Clinics and Centers

Northwestern Law has many clinics and centers. These places allow students to get real-world experience helping clients. They also work to improve the legal system.

Pritzker Legal Research Center

The Pritzker Legal Research Center has over 829,974 books and other publications.

The Pritzker Legal Research Center is the law school's library. It helps students and teachers find information for their research. It is named after the Pritzker family, who are known for their charity work.

Bluhm Legal Clinic

The Bluhm Legal Clinic is a large program where students help real clients. It started in 1969 and now has about 20 clinics. Students learn how to represent clients and work to make the legal system fairer.

Center on Wrongful Convictions

The Center on Wrongful Convictions (CWC) works to find and fix cases where people were wrongly found guilty of crimes. They help clients who say they are innocent. The center also tries to make people aware of why wrongful convictions happen and how to prevent them.

Appellate Advocacy Center

This center helps students learn about arguing cases in higher courts. Students work on cases in federal appeals courts and sometimes the Supreme Court of the United States. They help write legal documents and sometimes argue cases in front of judges.

Children and Family Justice Center

This center helps young people and families with legal issues. Students work on cases involving youth crime, family problems, school rules, and immigration. They learn important skills like interviewing clients and preparing for court.

MacArthur Justice Center

The MacArthur Justice Center focuses on issues like police misconduct and civil rights. They have worked on important cases involving people held in places like Guantanamo Bay.

Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center

This center helps new businesses and entrepreneurs with legal advice. Students work with inventors, business owners, and non-profit groups. They also teach about entrepreneurship law.

Center for International Human Rights

This center works to protect human rights around the world. Students learn about international law and help with real human rights cases. They provide advice to groups like the United Nations.

Investor Protection Center

This center helps people with limited income or small investments who need legal help. Students, supervised by lawyers, help clients with problems they have with financial companies.

Fred Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy

This center teaches students how to be good trial lawyers. It focuses on new ways to argue cases, especially using new technology. The center also does research on how trials work.

Campus Location

The modernist Rubloff Building is part of the law school section of Northwestern's Chicago campus and overlooks Lake Michigan. To its west in the foreground are partial views of the original law school buildings designed by James Gamble Rogers in the 1920s

Northwestern Law is located in downtown Chicago. It is in the Streeterville/Gold Coast area, right by Lake Michigan. The campus is close to many famous Chicago landmarks.

Being in downtown Chicago is helpful for students. They can find part-time jobs and see how law is practiced in real life. The location is near courts, businesses, and public interest groups.

People at Northwestern Law

Notable Faculty

Many important legal scholars and experts have taught at Northwestern Law. Some of them include:

• Ronald J. Allen, an expert on evidence law.
• Steven Calabresi, a scholar of constitutional law and founder of the Federalist Society.
• Leon Green, known for his work on the law of torts (civil wrongs).
• Newton Minow, a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
• Roscoe Pound, a former dean of Harvard Law School.
• David S. Ruder, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• John Henry Wigmore, considered the "father of modern evidence" and a former dean of Northwestern Law.

Famous Alumni

Many graduates of Northwestern Law have become leaders in different fields.

In Academia

• James Nabrit Jr., a president of Howard University and a civil rights lawyer.
• Jonathan Turley, a law professor at The George Washington University Law School.

In Business and Non-Profits

• Eddie Einhorn, a former owner of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.
• Elbert Henry Gary, a co-founder of United States Steel Corporation.
• Jay A. Pritzker, a co-founder of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
• Jerry Reinsdorf, an owner of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls basketball teams.

In Government and Politics

• William Jennings Bryan, a former U.S. Secretary of State.
• Dale Bumpers, a former governor of Arkansas and U.S. Senator.
• Florence Kelley, a social reformer who helped create the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
• Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln, who served as United States Secretary of War.
• J. B. Pritzker, the current governor of Illinois.
• Adlai Stevenson II, a former governor of Illinois and Ambassador to the United Nations.
• Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago.

In the Judiciary

• Arthur Goldberg, a former United States Supreme Court Justice.
• Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
• John Paul Stevens, a United States Supreme Court Justice.

Notable Firsts

Northwestern Law has educated many people who achieved important "firsts":

• Mary Bartelme, the first woman elected judge in Illinois.
• Ferdinand L. Barnett, the first African-American assistant State's Attorney in Illinois.
• Ada Kepley, the first woman in the United States to graduate from a law school.
• Dawn Clark Netsch, the first woman elected to a statewide constitutional office in Illinois.
• Harold Washington, the first African American Mayor of Chicago.
• Horace Ward, the first African American to become a federal judge in Georgia.