The William & Mary Law School, known historically as the Marshall-Wythe School of Law,
[ is the professional graduate ]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, ...
of the College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
.
Located in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...
, the school is the oldest extant law school in the United States, having been founded in 1779 at the urging of alumnus Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
. It has an enrollment of 645 full-time students (in 2018–19) seeking a Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
(J.D.) or a Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
(LL.M.) in the American Legal System
The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as v ...
, a two or three semester program for lawyers trained outside the United States.
History
William & Mary Law School was founded in 1779 at the impetus of Virginia Governor
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022.
Oath of office
On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, an alumnus of the university, during the reorganization of the originally royal institution, transforming the college of William and Mary into the first university in the United States. At Jefferson's urging, the governing board of visitors of William & Mary established a chair of law and appointed George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, delegate to the Philadelphia Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Although the convention was intended to revise the league of states and first system of government under the Articles of Confederation, the intention fr ...
, and Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...
, its first holder. (In the English-speaking world, older law professorships include the chair at Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, first held by William Blackstone
Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the ''Commentaries on the Laws of England''. Born into a middle-class family i ...
, the chair at Edinburgh University's School of Law (1709), and the Regius Chair of Law at Glasgow University).
Before filling the chair of law at William & Mary, Wythe tutored numerous students in the subject, including Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
and James Monroe. John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
, who became Chief Justice of the United States in 1801, received his only formal legal education when he attended Wythe's lectures at William & Mary in 1780. St. George Tucker
St. George Tucker (July 10, 1752 – November 10, 1827) was a Bermudian-born American lawyer, military officer and professor who taught law at the College of William & Mary. He strengthened the requirements for a law degree at the college, as he ...
, who succeeded Wythe as Professor of Law and edited the seminal early American edition of Blackstone's Commentaries
The ''Commentaries on the Laws of England'' are an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1770. The work is divided into four volume ...
, also was one of Wythe's students.
The growth of the Law School was halted abruptly by the beginning of the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. The start of military campaigns on the Virginia Peninsula compelled William & Mary to close its doors. It would be another sixty years before the historical priority in law could be revived in a modern program that is now nearly ninety years old.
After William & Mary Law School was reopened early in the twentieth century (1921), it was moved around the main campus of the university to several different buildings in succession. In 1980, the School was moved to its current location on the outskirts of Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location and ...
, a short distance from the main campus. The building has been renovated several times since 1980, with the addition of a new wing of classrooms and renovation of older classrooms in 2000, the opening of the Henry C. Wolf Law Library
The Wolf Law Library is located at the College of William & Mary's School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It contains a 380,000 volume collection and is a member of the Consortium of Southeastern Law Libraries.
In 2008, The Prin ...
, the construction of a new admission suite, and the addition of the James A. and Robin L. Hixon Center for Experiential Learning and Leadership (dedicated in 2017).
A. Benjamin Spencer, a nationally renowned civil procedure and federal courts expert and former professor of law at the University of Virginia, is the current dean and Chancellor Professor at William & Mary Law School. Named on July 1, 2020, he is William & Mary's first African-American dean of any school at the university, including the law school. W. Taylor Reveley III
Walter Taylor Reveley III (born January 6, 1943) is an American legal scholar and former lawyer. He served as the twenty-seventh president of the College of William & Mary. , formerly managing partner of the law firm of Hunton & Williams
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is an American law firm created by the merger of Hunton & Williams LLP and Andrews Kurth Kenyon LLP on April 2, 2018. The firm has offices in 20 cities, primarily in the United States.
History
Hunton & Williams (formerl ...
, is a former dean of the Law School. He served as the 27th president of William & Mary from September 5, 2008, to June 30, 2018, after serving as interim president since February 2008. Davison M. Douglas (J.D., PhD, M.Phil., M.A., M.A.R.), a nationally renowned legal historian, served as dean from July 2009 through June 30, 2020. The former chancellor of William & Mary, Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...
, delivered commencement remarks to the graduating class of the Law School in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
Cost of attendance
Tuition at William & Mary for the 2021–22 academic year is $30,600 for Virginia residents and $44,600 for non-residents. Approximately 97% of students received financial aid (2020). 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 ...
estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years, based on data from the 2018–2019 academic year, is $197,520 for residents; the estimated cost for non-residents is $229,557.
Employment
According to William & Mary's official 2019 ABA-required disclosures, 95% of the Class of 2019 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required or JD-advantaged, non-school funded employment nine months after graduation. William & Mary's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 10%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2018 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation, with 0% of the class in school-funded jobs.
In 2019, William & Mary Law School came in 11th among all U.S. law schools in percentage of graduates that secured full-time, long-term federal judicial clerkships, often seen as the most prestigious clerkships law graduates can obtain.
Ranking
W&M Law was ranked 24th on the Above the Law ranking in 2019.
U.S. News
''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR) is an American media company that publishes news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. It was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and international-focused ...
ranked W&M Law as tied for the 30th place in their latest 2023 rankings of the nation's law schools. For the Class of 2024 (enrolled as of August 19, 2021), the median undergraduate GPA was 3.8 and the median LSAT score was 164.
Programs
* William & Mary Law School offers institutes and programs such as the Center for Racial & Social Justice, the Coastal Policy Center, the Center for Comparative Legal Studies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, the Center for Legal and Court Technology, the Center for the Study of Law and Markets, the Dunn Civil Liberties Project, the Election Law Program, the Human Security Law Center, the Institute of Bill of Rights Law, and the Property Rights Project.
* The annual Supreme Court Preview of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law brings journalists and academics together each fall for an analysis of key cases on the Court's docket for the new term.
* William & Mary Law School has several Clinics for students to work under the supervision of attorneys, ranging in areas of practice. The Clinics offered include the Appellate and Supreme Court Clinic, Domestic Violence Clinic, Elder Law and Disability Clinic, Federal Tax Clinic, Immigration Clinic, Innocence Project Clinic, Lewis J. Puller Veterans' Benefits Clinic, and Special Education Advocacy Clinic. The Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veteran's Benefits Clinic provides students (under the supervision of staff attorneys) with the opportunity to ensure that veterans receive the benefits which they are entitled to as a matter of law and service.
* Journals include the ''William & Mary Law Review,'' the ''Bill of Rights Journal'', ''William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review'', ''William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice,'' and ''Business Law Review''.
* The school's McGlothlin Courtroom is home to the Center for Legal and Court Technology, a joint program of the School and the National Center for State Courts. The mission of the project is to use technology to improve the administration of justice and the legal systems of the world.
* Created in 2005 as a joint venture of the National Center for State Courts and the Law School, the Election Law Program was intended to provide practical assistance to state court judges in the United States who are called upon to resolve difficult election law disputes. It has since been expanded to include a student Election Law Society.
* The George Wythe Society of Citizen Lawyers is a civic leadership program, formed in the fall of 2005, to recognize and encourage community service and civic participation by members of the student body.
* The Human Rights and National Security Law Program focuses on the interplay between national defense and the protection of civil rights. The Program's Distinguished Lecture Series and co-sponsored symposia bring experts to campus each semester to foster discussion and debate about on-going and emerging issues.
* The Center for the Study of Law and Markets seeks to advance the understanding of the role of legal institutions in promoting well-functioning markets in a free society.
* The Center for Comparative Legal Studies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding bridges the gap between resources available at academic institutions and the need for them in the field by rule of law actors engaged in post-conflict reconstruction efforts. The Center serves as a focal point for the law school's international and comparative legal and policy research and programming and sponsors summer international internships in developing and post-conflict countries around the world.
* The Institute of Bill of Rights Law engages in study of the Bill of Rights and sponsors a variety of lectures, conferences, and publications to examine Constitutional issues.
* The William & Mary Property Rights Project encourages scholarly study of the role that property rights play in society. The Project's annual Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference explores recent developments in areas such as takings litigation and takings law.
Notable alumni
* Michele Bachmann (LL.M., 1988), U.S. House of Representatives, Minnesota (2007–2014)
* Dennis L. Beck (William & Mary 1969, Law 1972), magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (1990–2012)
* John L. Brownlee (Law 1994), former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
* Ronald L. Buckwalter
Ronald Lawrence Buckwalter (born December 11, 1936) is an inactive Senior status, senior United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Education and career ...
(Law 1962), judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1990–2003)
* William H. Cabell (Law 1793), received first baccalaureate in law granted in America, governor of Virginia (1805–1808), justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia (1811–1851)
* Eric Cantor (Law 1988), U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (2001–2014); House Majority Leader
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are ele ...
of 112th Congress
The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 ...
, 2011
* Glen E. Conrad (Law 1974), judge of the (2003–2017), chief judge (2010–2017)
* Clifton L. Corker (Law 1993), Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
* Ted Dalton
Edward Dalton (April 1882 – ''unknown'') was an English footballer who played as a full-back. Born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, he began his career with Pendlebury, before joining Manchester United as an amateur in September 1905. He ...
(Law 1926), judge of the (1959–1976), chief judge (1960–1971)
* Powhatan Ellis
Powhatan Ellis (January 17, 1790 – March 18, 1863) was a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, United States senator from Mississippi, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Mississippi.
...
(Law 1814), 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 Mississippi; Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Mississippi
The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...
* Matt Gaetz (Law 2007), U.S. House of Representatives, Florida (2017–present)
* Gurbir Grewal (Law 1999), Attorney General of New Jersey
* D. Arthur Kelsey (Law 1985), justice, Supreme Court of Virginia
* Jerry W. Kilgore
Jerry Walter Kilgore (born August 23, 1961) is an American attorney, politician and member of the Republican Party. He served as the Attorney General of Virginia from 2002 to 2005 and was the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2005, ...
(Law 1986), Attorney General of Virginia (2001–2005)
* Larry W. Lockwood, Jr. (Law 1995), Personal injury Attorney.
* James Murray Mason (Law 1820), member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1837–1839); United States Senator from Virginia (1847–1861)
* John Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
, 4th Chief Justice of the United States
* Haldane Robert Mayer
Haldane Robert Mayer (born February 21, 1941) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Education and military service
Mayer was born in Buffalo, New York, to Haldane and Myrtle Ma ...
(Law 1971), judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (1987–present; chief judge of the Federal Circuit, 1997–2004)
* Tommy Miller
Thomas William Miller (born 8 January 1979) is an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was most recently the manager of National League North club Spennymoor Town.
He has previously played for Hartlepool United, Ipswi ...
(Law 1973), magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (1987; announced his retirement in 2014)
* Doug Miller (Law 1995), magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2009–present )
* LeRoy Francis Millette, Jr. (William & Mary 1971, Law 1974), justice Supreme Court of Virginia (2009–present )
*Jason Miyares
Jason Stuart Miyares (born February 11, 1976) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 48th Attorney General of Virginia since January 15, 2022. A Republican, he was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates on November 3, ...
(Law 2005), Attorney General of Virginia.
* Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr.
Lewis Burwell Puller Jr. (August 18, 1945 – May 11, 1994) was an attorney and a United States Marine Corps officer who was severely wounded in the Vietnam War. He won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for his autobiograph ...
(William & Mary 1967, Law 1974), Vietnam veteran (Lt., USMC (Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
, two Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
s, the Navy Commendation Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal wa ...
) and Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
winning author. The William & Mary Law School's Veteran's Benefit Clinic is named after him.
*Steve Salbu
Steve Salbu is an American academic. He served as the Cecil B. Day Chair in Business Ethics and dean emeritus of the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Early life
Salbu was born in New York. He graduated from Hof ...
(JD), dean emeritus of the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
(2006–2014).
* Robert E. Scott
Robert E. Scott (born 25 February 1944 in Nagpur, India) is a Law Professor at Columbia Law School. Scott graduated from Oberlin College ('' cum laude'') and received his J.D. degree in 1968 from William and Mary Law School where he was edit ...
(Law 1968), law professor at Columbia Law School, dean of University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
Law School (1991–2001), and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
.
* Rebecca Beach Smith
Rebecca Beach Smith (born 1949) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and a civic leader. Among her many decisions is the 2011 ruling that decided the title to and restri ...
, (William & Mary 1971, Law 1979), Chief District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2011–2018)
* Henry St. George Tucker Henry St. George Tucker may refer to:
* Henry St George Tucker (financier) (1771–1851), Bermudian financier and official of the East India Company
* Henry St. George Tucker Sr. (1780–1848), U.S. representative from Virginia
* Henry St. George ...
(William & Mary 1798, Law 1801), professor of law at William & Mary (1801–1804), justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia (1824–1831), remembered for editing the American edition of Blackstone's ''Commentaries''.
* Jessica Aber, (Law 2006), U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Virginia.
* Jennifer Wexton, (Law 1995), U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia (2019–present)
* Susan Davis Wigenton, (Law 1987), District Judge, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...
, (2006–present)
* Henry C. Wolf
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
(William & Mary 1964, Law 1966), former chief financial officer and vice chairman of Norfolk Southern Corporation, former William & Mary rector, benefactor of the Henry C. Wolf Law Library
The Wolf Law Library is located at the College of William & Mary's School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It contains a 380,000 volume collection and is a member of the Consortium of Southeastern Law Libraries.
In 2008, The Prin ...
at the Law School.
Notable faculty members (past and present)
* Angela M. Banks
* Allison Orr Larsen
* Mitchell Reiss
Mitchell B. Reiss (born June 12, 1957) is an American diplomat, academic, and business leader who served as the 8th President and CEO of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the 27th president of Washington College and in the United States Depa ...
* W. Taylor Reveley III
Walter Taylor Reveley III (born January 6, 1943) is an American legal scholar and former lawyer. He served as the twenty-seventh president of the College of William & Mary.
* Lan Cao
* George Wythe
* St. George Tucker
St. George Tucker (July 10, 1752 – November 10, 1827) was a Bermudian-born American lawyer, military officer and professor who taught law at the College of William & Mary. He strengthened the requirements for a law degree at the college, as he ...
* William Spong Jr.
William Belser Spong Jr. (September 29, 1920October 8, 1997) was an American Democratic Party politician and a United States Senator who represented the state of Virginia from 1966 to 1973.
Biography Early life and education
Spong was born in P ...
* William W. Van Alstyne
William Warner Van Alstyne (February 8, 1934 – January 29, 2019) was an American attorney, law professor, and constitutional law scholar. Prior to retiring in 2012, he held the named position of Lee Professor of Law at William and Mary Law S ...
* Davison M. Douglas
Davison McDowell Douglas (born September 16, 1956) is an American historian and jurist. From 2009 to 2020, he served as Dean (education), dean of the oldest law school in the United States, William & Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia, whe ...
Law journals
* ''William & Mary Law Review
A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also pro ...
'', twenty-fourth-ranked general law journal in the United States, based on citations.
* ''William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal'', third-ranked constitutional law
Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a State (polity), state, namely, the executive (government), executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as th ...
journal in the United States, based on citations.
* ''William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review'', thirteenth-ranked law journal in the United States in energy law based on citations.
* ''William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice'' (previously titled the ''William & Mary Journal of Women and the Law''), fifth-ranked law journal in the United States among gender, women, and sexuality law journals.
* ''William & Mary Business Law Review'', sixth-ranked law journal in the United States among corporate law journals.
See also
* '' I Am the College of William and Mary''
References
Notes
External links
William and Mary Law School
{{DEFAULTSORT:William and Mary
Law schools in Virginia
Law
Educational institutions established in 1779
1779 establishments in Virginia