Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. It is situated on a wooded campus in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

. With approximately 800 students and 60 full-time faculty members distinguished for scholarly research, BC Law is consistently ranked in the top-tier of

law schools in the United States A law school in the United States is an educational institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree. Law schools in the U.S. confer the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.), which is a ...

. In 2021, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked BC Law as the #29 law school in the nation.https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings The school's small size and prestige make admission highly selective. Reflecting its

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

(

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

) heritage, BC Law has established programs in

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

and

public interest law Public interest law refers to legal practices undertaken to help poor, marginalized, or under-represented people, or to effect change in social policies in the public interest, on 'not for profit' terms ( ''pro bono publico''), often in the fields ...

, as well as programs i
business law and innovation
law and public policy and criminal and civil litigation. Its faculty played a part in arguing for the repeal of the

Solomon Amendment The term Solomon Amendment has been applied to several provisions of U.S. law originally sponsored by U.S. Representative Gerald B. H. Solomon (R-NY). The 1982 Solomon Amendment was an amendment to a Federal education bill that made compliance wit ...

, presenting oral arguments before the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

in '' Rumsfeld v. FAIR''. According to BC Law's 2021

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

(ABA)-required disclosures, 90.2% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or advantage employment ten months after graduation. For 2021, the acceptance rate was 23.49%, with 22.79% of accepted students enrolling, with an average LSAT score of 165, and with an average GPA of 3.69.

History

Although provisions for a law school were included in Boston College's original charter, ratified by the General Court of the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1863, Boston College Law School was formally organized later in 1929. Previously, promising Boston College graduates interested in a legal education were encouraged to seek admission to

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, as attested by the law school's inaugural faculty of whom 11 out of 17 members held degrees from both universities. BC Law's founder,

John B. Creeden John B. Creeden (September 12, 1871 – February 26, 1948) was an American Catholic Church, Catholic priest and Society of Jesus, Jesuit, who served in many senior positions at List of Jesuit educational institutions, Jesuit universities in t ...

, formerly president of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, served as its first regent and alumnus Dennis A. Dooley as its first dean. On September 26, 1929, BC Law opened its doors in the 11-story Lawyer’s Building on Beacon Street opposite the

Massachusetts State House The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the List of state capitols in the United States, state capitol and seat of government for the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, lo ...

in downtown

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. From a pool of nearly 700 applicants, 102 day and evening division students had been selected. So rigorous were the school's academic standards that 50% of the first class eventually dropped out or flunked out. However, just three years later, the school received American Bar Association accreditation, joining Harvard, Yale, and Boston University as the only law schools in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

to attain that distinction; accreditation by the

Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non ...

followed in 1937. Women were admitted to the school by 1940, when enrollment had surpassed 350 students. In 1954, the school moved to St. Thomas More Hall on the edge of the main Chestnut Hill campus and to its present Newton campus, the home of the former

Newton College of the Sacred Heart Newton College of the Sacred Heart was a small women's liberal arts college in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. It opened in 1946 and merged with Boston College in June 1974. The college was highly regarded during its time, and in 1971 founded the ...

, in 1975. Today, the law campus includes Stuart House, an administrative building; lecture halls; seminar spaces; a dining hall; conference space; and a law library that includes the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room.

Academics

Curriculum

BC Law offers a first-year law program that includes constitutional and criminal law, civil procedure, contracts, property, and torts, as well as a two-semester legal reasoning, research, and writing course called Law Practice, which provides three experiential learning credits and a foundation in critical thinking, analysis, and communication. There is also a 1L experiential-based elective in the spring semester. The School offers programs abroad through th
Semester-in-Practice International Program
primarily based in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and exchange programs with

Bucerius Law School Bucerius Law School (pronounced ) is a private law school located in Hamburg, Germany. The school is the first private law school in Germany. It admits approximately 100 undergraduate students per year. Origins and structure Bucerius Law Schoo ...

Paris HEAD Law School
an
Renmin University
in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The law school also has exchange programs with

, the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, and numerous other law faculties throughout the world.

Law reviews

Boston College Law School has two main, student-run publications: ''

Boston College Law Review The ''Boston College Law Review'' is an academic journal of legal scholarship and a student organization at Boston College Law School. It was established in 1959. Until 1977, it was known as the ''Boston College Industrial & Commercial Law Review'' ...

'' (BCLR) and the ''Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest'' (UCC Reporter-Digest). In Spring 2017, the ''Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review'', ''Boston College International and Comparative Law Review'', and the ''Journal of Law and Social Justice'' published their last issues and consolidated into the ''Boston College Law Review''. The ''Boston College Law Review'' is the Law School's main flagship journal and was ranked 20th in the 2019 Washington & Lee Law Review Rankings, the highest ranking in its history. Starting in Fall 2017, it publishes eight issues per year. It endeavors to publish high-quality pieces written by students and scholars on a wide variety of legal issues. The ''Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest'' is published by Matthew Bender & Company, a division of LexisNexis. It provides annotations on numerous cases relating to the Uniform Commercial Code, thereby serving as a helpful research tool. BC Law also maintains an online publication, the ''Intellectual Property and Technology Forum'', covering issues of copyright, trademark and patent law.

Libraries

Opened in 1996 at a cost of $11.7 million, the 84,500-square-foot Law Library building was designed by the Boston firm of Earl R. Flansburgh & Associates and contains four levels organized in four wings around a unifying central atrium. It houses 500,000 print volumes covering all major areas of American law and primary legal materials from the federal government,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, and

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. The library also features a substantial electronic volumes offering, treatise and periodical collection and a growing collection of international and comparative law material. The library's Coquillette Rare Book Room houses works from the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries, including works by and about

Saint Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

. It also contains a marble fireplace mantel that once adorned the East Room of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

Research centers and institutes

*Center for Human Rights and International Justice *Business Institute, Boston College *Center for Asset Management *Center for Corporate Citizenship (CCC) *Center for East Europe, Russia and Asia *Center for Ignatian Spirituality *Center for International Higher Education *Center For Investment Research And Management *Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture (ISPRC) *International Study Center *Irish Institute *Jesuit Institute *The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy *Small Business Development Center *Urban Ecology Institute *Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics *Women's Resource Center

Rankings

Ranking Summary: Above the Law 2020: 22nd; U.S. News & World Report 2022: 29th; National Law Journal Go-To Law Schools: 19th; Washington & Lee Law Review Rankings: 20th. Boston College Newton Campus, Newton MA

Due to BC Law faculty reputations as teachers and mentors among students, the

Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

law rankings placed BC Law in the #7 position for "Best Professors". BC Law is also ranked #10 for "Best Quality of Life." In 2019, ''Above The Law,'' a legal blog that focuses on

BigLaw A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

, ranked BC Law 22nd overall in the country. Since 2007, the

National Law Journal ''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''. Originally a tabloid-sized weekly newspape ...

has ranked BC Law in the top 20 law schools due to the large number of graduates the school places in top American law firms. Harvard was the only other Boston area law school that placed in the top 20 for recruiting. The ''U.S. News & World Report's'' 2021 law school rankings placed BC Law 29th in the country. For 2023 the ranking was 37th in the country. The magazine ranked BC Law's tax program 14th in the nation, its environmental law program 27th, and its legal writing program 29th.

Employment

According to BC Law's 2021 ABA-required disclosures, 90.2% of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or advantage employment ten months after graduation (at least eight Class of 2020 BC Law graduates secured employment between 03/15/2021 and 04/07/2021. If these graduates had been counted, percent employment would be 93.5%). BC Law's

Law School Transparency Law School Transparency (LST) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy and education organization concerning the legal profession in the United States. LST was founded by Vanderbilt Law School graduates Kyle McEntee and Patrick Lynch. LST describes its m ...

under-employment score is 14.2%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2020 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation. For BC Law graduates, median private sector starting salary is $190,000, and the median public service starting salary is $62,500, based on self-reporting data.

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at BC Law for incoming students in the 2019-2020 academic year is $79,473. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $301,402.

Nickname

In a nod towards the nickname of

Boston College athletics The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

teams, the term "Legal Eagle" is sometimes used to refer to students and alumni of Boston College Law School.

Noted people

* Arthur Berney (born 1930), Boston College Law School Professor Emeritus *

Edward P. Boland Edward Patrick Boland (October 1, 1911 – November 4, 2001) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, he was a representative from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district. Early life and education Bolan ...

, JD 1936,

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

; author of the

Boland Amendment The Boland Amendment is a term describing three U.S. legislative amendments between 1982 and 1984, all aimed at limiting U.S. government assistance to the Contras in Nicaragua. The first Boland Amendment was part of the House Appropriations Bill ...

* Garrett J. Bradley, JD 1995, member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

(2000–2016) *

Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to: Sportsmen *Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State * Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds *Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...

, JD 1985, United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (2017–2020);

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

(2010–2013) *

William M. Bulger William Michael Bulger (born February 2, 1934) is an American former Democratic politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts. His eighteen-year tenure as President of the Massachusetts Senate is the longest in history. He th ...

, JD 1961, President of the

University of Massachusetts System The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medica ...

(1996–2003);

President of the Massachusetts Senate The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president of ...

(1978–1996) *

Thomas Capano Thomas Joseph Capano (October 11, 1949 – September 19, 2011) was a disbarred American lawyer and former Delaware deputy attorney general who was convicted of the 1996 murder of Anne Marie Fahey, his former lover. Background Thomas Capano, a p ...

, JD 1973, former Deputy Attorney General of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

; convicted murderer *

Mike Capuano Michael Everett Capuano ( ; born January 9, 1952) is an American politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1999 to 2019. A Democrat, his district included the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well a ...

, JD 1977,

from

(1999–2019); Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts (1990–1999) * J. W. Carney Jr., JD 1978, criminal defense attorney *

Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Republican, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2001, and as the United States Amb ...

, JD 1973,

United States Ambassador to Canada This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Canada.U.S. ...

(2001–2005);

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

(1999–2001);

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts The lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His ...

(1991–1999) * James A. Champy, JD 1968, organizational theorist, known for his work in the field of

business process reengineering Business process re-engineering (BPR) is a business management strategy originally pioneered in the early 1990s, focusing on the analysis and design of workflows and business processes within an organization. BPR aims to help organizations fundam ...

, business process improvement, and organizational change * Robert W. Clifford, JD 1962, Associate Justice,

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

(1986–2009) *

Silvio O. Conte Silvio Ottavio Conte (November 9, 1921 – February 8, 1991) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for 16 terms, representing the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts ...

, JD 1949,

from

(1959–1991); member of the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...

(1951–1959) * Mike Connolly, JD 2009, member of the

(2017–''present'') *Thomas A. Cox, Jr., JD 1987, Judge, Superior Court of

Fulton County, Georgia Fulton County is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most-populous county and its only one with over one million inhabi ...

(2017–''present'') *

Bill Delahunt William David Delahunt (born July 18, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Delahunt did not seek re-election ...

, JD 1967,

from

(1997–2011); District Attorney,

Norfolk County, Massachusetts Norfolk County is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the fourth most populous county in the United States whose county seat is neither a city nor a boro ...

(1975–1997) * John Dooley, LLB 1968, Associate Justice,

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

(1987–2017) *Robert Downes, JD 1968, Judge, Superior Court of Alaska, Fourth District (2005–2012) * James B. Eldridge, JD 2000, member of the

(2009–''present''); member

(2003–2008) * Frank Galvin, JD 1952, fictional alumnus, main character in the film ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and ...

'', portrayed by

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

Michael S. Greco Michael Spencer Greco (born November 22, 1942 in Rende, Italy) is an American lawyer who served as president of the American Bar Association (2005–2006). He is a retired partner in the Boston office of K&L Gates, and a former partner at the now- ...

, JD 1972, President,

(2006–2007) *Elizabeth L. Gunn, JD 2005, Judge,

United States Bankruptcy Court United States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. The current system of bankruptcy courts was created by the United States Congress in 1978, effective April 1, 1984. United States bankruptcy c ...

for the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(2020–''present'') *

Margaret Heckler Margaret Mary Heckler (née O'Shaughnessy; June 21, 1931 – August 6, 2018) was an American politician and diplomat who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 until 1983. A member of the Republican Party, she al ...

, JD 1956,

United States Congresswoman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

;

United States Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

;

United States Ambassador to Ireland The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...

* Philip H. Hilder, JD 1981, former attorney-in-charge of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

's Houston office of Organized Crime Strike Force (1987–1990) *

Paul Hodes Paul William Hodes (born March 21, 1951) is an American lawyer, musician, and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and was New Hampshire's first Jewish representative. Hodes was an un ...

, JD 1978,

from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

(2007–2011) *

Jared Huffman Jared William Huffman (born February 18, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 2nd congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2006 to 2012, Huffman was ...

, JD 1990,

from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

(2013–''present''); former member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

(2006–2012) *

Thomas E. Humphrey Thomas Edward Humphrey (born November 19, 1945) is an American lawyer and jurist. He is an associate justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and former chief justice of the Maine Superior Court. Early life He graduated from Rocky Hill High S ...

, JD 1972, Associate Justice,

(2015–''present'') *

Ellen Segal Huvelle Ellen Judith Huvelle ( ''née'' Segal; born June 3, 1948) is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She has overseen several significant cases. In a case decided in May 20 ...

, JD 1975, Judge,

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

(1999–''present''); Associate Judge,

Superior Court of the District of Columbia The Superior Court of the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as DC Superior Court, is the trial court for the District of Columbia, in the United States. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law, as well as family court, landlor ...

(1990–1999) * Cameron Kerry, JD 1978,

General Counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

of the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

(2009–2013), acting

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

(2013) *

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

, JD 1976,

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

(2013–2017),

(1985–2013), 2004 Democratic candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Kerry Kennedy Mary Kerry Kennedy (born September 8, 1959) is an American lawyer, author and human rights activist. She is the seventh child and third daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. During her 15-year marriage to former New York Gove ...

, JD, human rights activist, writer and daughter of

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

Erik P. Kimball Erik P. Kimball is a United States bankruptcy judge in the West Palm Beach Division of the Southern District of Florida. He was appointed to the 14-year term in June 2008. Biography A 1983 graduate of Hopedale High School, Kimball earned a Jur ...

, JD 1990, Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida *

Leslie E. Kobayashi Leslie Emi Kobayashi (born October 9, 1957) is a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. Early life and education Kobayashi was born in 1957 in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. She received h ...

, JD 1983, Judge, United States District Court for the District of Hawaii (2010–''present'') *

William Landay William Scott Landay (born July 23, 1963) is an American novelist and former lawyer. Early life and education Landay graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in Boston, Yale University and Boston College Law School.Mehegan, David"His cases have ...

, novelist *

Myles Lane Myles Stanley Joseph Lane (October 2, 1903 – August 6, 1987) was an American professional ice hockey player, college football player and coach, and New York Supreme Court justice. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Ra ...

, JD 1938, Justice,

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

(1968–1979); professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player; college football player and coach * Sandy N. Leal, JD 1989, Judge, Orange County Superior Court (2018–''present'') *

Bernard J. Leddy Bernard Joseph Leddy (March 18, 1910 – January 9, 1972) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont. Education and career Leddy was born in Underhill, Vermont on March 18, 1910, a son of J ...

, LLB 1934, Judge,

United States District Court for the District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

(1966–1972) * David Linsky, JD 1982, member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1999–''present'') *

Christopher Liwski Christopher Donald Liwski (born April 21, 1980) is a Canadian American rower, a six-time U.S. National Team member, a double world championship medal winner, and a two-time member of the United States Olympic Rowing Team. Career Earl ...

Canadian American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to Citizenship of the United States, American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadians, Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can ...

rower, a six-time U.S. National Team member, a double world championship medal winner, and a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team *

Mark Longietti Mark Alfred Longietti (born January 16, 1964) is an American politician and lawyer. He is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 7th District and was elected in 2006. Early life and education He was ...

, JD 1988, member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

(2007–''present'') * Paul Loscocco, JD 1987, member of the

(2001–2009) *

Frank Lowenstein Frank Graham Lowenstein (born August 16, 1967) is an American lawyer, diplomat and former government official. Early life and education He was born on August 16, 1967 in New York City, New York. He is the son of former New York congressman Alla ...

, JD 1997, United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (2013; 2014–2017) *

Stephen F. Lynch Stephen Francis Lynch (born March 31, 1955) is an American businessman, attorney and politician who has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts since 2001. He is a Democrat representing Massachusetts's 8th co ...

, JD 1991,

(2001–''present'') *

Dan Malloy Dannel Patrick Malloy (; born July 21, 1955) is an American politician, who served as the 88th governor of Connecticut from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association from 2016 to 2017. On July ...

, JD 1977, Chancellor of the

University of Maine System The University of Maine System (UMaine System or UMS) is a state university system in the U.S. state of Maine. It was created in 1968 by the Maine Legislature and consists of eight institutions, each with a distinct mission and regional character. ...

(2019–''present''), former

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

(2011–2019), former

Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut The mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, United States, is the city's chief executive. History of the mayoralty Before 1945, the city charter of the City of Stamford divided the city into two separate political jurisdictions: a central city with a " ...

(1995–2009) *

Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Army reservist who has served as the junior United States senator from Massachusetts since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representati ...

, JD 1972,

(2013–''present''),

(1976–2013) *

Shannon Miller Shannon Lee Miller (born March 10, 1977) is an American former artistic gymnast. She was the 1993 and 1994 world all-around champion, the 1996 Olympic balance beam champion, the 1995 Pan American Games all-around champion, and a member of the ...

, JD 2007, Olympic gymnast * Lara Montecalvo, JD 2000, Judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maine * District of Massachusetts * ...

Marilyn Mosby Marilyn Mosby (née James; born January 22, 1980) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the State's Attorney for Baltimore from 2015 to 2023. She is currently under federal indictment for multiple crimes. Early life Born Marilyn Jam ...

, JD 2007, State Attorney for

City of Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

(2014–''present'') * Cammy Myler, JD 2001, 4-time Winter Olympian * Francis Patrick O'Connor, JD 1953, Associate Justice,

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

William Orrick III William Horsley Orrick III (born May 15, 1953) is an American lawyer and judge. A native of San Francisco, Orrick has been a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California since 2013. He ...

, JD 1979, Judge,

United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del ...

(2013–''present'') * Charles Redding Pitt, JD 1977, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama (1994–2001) * Grier Raggio, JD 1968, Democratic candidate in 32nd congressional district of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

* James A. Redden LLB 1954, Judge,

United States District Court for the District of Oregon The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the sta ...

(1980–2020); former

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and State Treasurer of Oregon *

Charles E. Rice Charles Edward Rice (August 7, 1931 – February 25, 2015) was an American legal scholar, Catholic apologist, and author of several books. He is best known for his career at the Notre Dame Law School at Notre Dame, Indiana. He began teaching th ...

JD 1956, author, legal scholar, and professor of law *

Thomas Reilly Thomas Francis Reilly (born February 14, 1942) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents. He was one of three candidates who ...

JD 1970,

Attorney General of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder a ...

(1999–2007), 2006 Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate * William P. Robinson III, JD 1975, Associate Justice,

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

(2004–''present'') * Leon Rodriguez, JD 1988, Director, DHS, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (2014–2017); Director, Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (2011–2014) *

Manuel Rodríguez Orellana Manuel Rodríguez Orellana (born 1948 in Puerto Rico) is a legal scholar, lawyer, lecturer, columnist, published poet and political leader of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement. He is the son of former Dean (education), Dean of the Universit ...

JD 1975, Author (memoir), Professor of Law (retired), Puerto Rican Independence Party (Senator 2000) *

Warren Rudman Warren Bruce Rudman (May 18, 1930November 19, 2012) was an American attorney and Republican politician who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire between 1980 and 1993. He was known as a moderate centrist, to such an extent that Pres ...

, JD 1960,

from

(1980–1993);

Attorney General of New Hampshire The Attorney General of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New Hampshire who serves as head of the New Hampshire Department of Justice. , the state's attorney general is John Formella. Qualifications and appointment Un ...

(1970–1976) * Larry Ruttman, JD 1958, author * Marian T. Ryan, JD 1979, District Attorney,

Middlesex County, Massachusetts Middlesex County is located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and ...

(2013–''present'') * Thomas Salmon, JD 1957,

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

(1973–1977) * Bobby Scott, JD 1973,

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

(1993–''present'') *

Francis X. Spina Francis X. Spina (born November 13, 1946) is a former Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Biography Justice Spina graduated from Amherst College and Boston College Law School. He worked for Western Massachusetts Legal S ...

, JD 1971, Associate Justice,

(1999–2016) * Michael A. Sullivan, JD 1985, Mayor of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

* Richard Thompson, member of the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

(1994–2000) *

Patric Verrone Patric Miller Verrone (born September 29, 1959) is an American television writer and labor leader. He served as a writer and producer for several animated television shows, most notably ''Futurama''. Schooling and pre-television career Verrone g ...

, JD 1984, President of the Writers Guild of America West * Kevin White, LLB 1955,

Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...

(1968–1984) * Diane Wilkerson, JD 1981, first African-American member of the

(1993–2008) * Debra Wong Yang, JD 1984, United States Attorney for the Central District of California (2002–2006) * Gerald T. Zerkin, JD 1976, Federal Public Defender for

Zacarias Moussaoui Zacarias Moussaoui (Arabic: زكريا موسوي, '; born May 30, 1968) is a French member of al-Qaeda who pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to conspiring to kill citizens of the United States as part of the September 11 attacks. He is serv ...

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* {{authority control

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Catholic law schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1929 Gothic Revival architecture in Massachusetts Jesuit universities and colleges in the United States Law schools in Massachusetts Catholic universities and colleges in Massachusetts Universities and colleges in Newton, Massachusetts 1929 establishments in Massachusetts

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