The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, commonly referred to as The University of Louisville School of Law or the Brandeis School of Law, is the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

of the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

. Established in 1846, it is the oldest law school in Kentucky and the fifth oldest in the country in continuous operation. The law school is named after Justice Louis Dembitz Brandeis, who served on the

Supreme Court of the United States 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 Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

and was the school's patron. Following the example of Brandeis, who eventually stopped accepting payment for "public interest" cases, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law was one of the first law schools in the nation to require students to complete public service before graduation. The school offers six dual-degree programs that allow students to earn an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

MSW MSW may stand for: Businesses and organisations * Manatawny Still Works, a craft distillery in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United States * Massawa International Airport, Eritrea (by IATA code) * Ministry of Interior (Poland) () * Muslim Society of Was ...

, MA in humanities,

M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

(with the

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, also referred to as Louisville Seminary, is a seminary affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Louisville, Kentucky. It is one of 12 PC(USA) seminaries and it identifies as an e ...

), MA in political science, and MUP in urban planning while attaining their J.D. These classes are offered in conjunction with other University of Louisville departments. The school's law library contains 400,000 volumes as well as the papers of

Louis D. Brandeis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also * ...

and

John Marshall Harlan John Marshall Harlan (June 1, 1833 – October 14, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1877 until his death in 1911. He is often called "The Great Disse ...

, both Supreme Court Justices and native Kentuckians. It is one of only thirteen Supreme Court repositories in the nation. The law school's flagship law review is the '' University of Louisville Law Review''. According to University of Louisville's 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 92% of the Class of 2018 was employed within ten months of graduation. This includes 76% who obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment ten months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.

History

19th and early 20th century history

Louis D. Brandeis School of Law began in 1846 as the Law Department of the University of Louisville. For most of the nineteenth century the Law Department remained small and focused on practical education. "As late as the 1870s the school still supported a faculty of only three professors, each of whom met classes two days per week for four hours."Cox, Dwayne D., and William J. Morrison, ''The University of Louisville'' (2000) Classes were held in the late afternoon to allow students to keep daytime jobs as law clerks. The faculty ignored the

casebook method A casebook is a type of textbook used primarily by students in law schools.Wayne L. Anderson and Marilyn J. Headrick, The Legal Profession: Is it for you?' (Cincinnati: Thomson Executive Press, 1996), 83. Rather than simply laying out the legal do ...

of instruction that was being developed at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

at the time, instead encouraging students to visit local courts and offering optional mock court sessions. The "school literature even boasted that the faculty consisted of 'practical lawyers' and not professional educators." As a result, prominent faculty members such as

James Speed James Speed (March 11, 1812 – June 25, 1887) was an American lawyer, politician, and professor who was in 1864 appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States Attorney General. Speed previously served in the Kentucky legislature and in l ...

and Peter B. Muir often eschewed their part-time positions in favor of politics or private practice. The turn of the twentieth century saw the Law Department finally begin to accept emerging national standards in legal education. In 1909, the school adopted

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

. In 1911, the school graduated its first female student, N. Almee Courtright. In 1923, the Law Department officially became the School of Law and hired a full-time professor. The following year University of Louisville President Arthur Younger Ford insisted that students must take some college courses before being admitted to the law school.

The UofL School of Law and the Jefferson School of Law

Despite these efforts at reform, the students and professors of the School of Law continued to prefer part-time practical education over the national trend towards more formal legal education. This partly reflected the success of and competition from the Jefferson School of Law, which opened in 1905 and offered night classes. Organized by several prominent local attorneys, the part-time professors at the Jefferson School of Law received tuition directly from the students and were responsible for renting classroom space. With students wishing to clerk and part-time professors continuing to practice, both schools were located within walking distance of the courthouse. As the national trend continued towards formal legal education, the Jefferson School of Law found it difficult to manage as a part-time law school. In 1950 the Jefferson School of Law merged with the University of Louisville School of Law.

Louis D. Brandeis and the UofL School of Law

Supreme Court Justice

was a great supporter of the University of Louisville. A native Louisvillian, Brandeis planned to make the university a "major center of academic research by creating specialized library and archival collections in such areas as sociology, art, music, and labor." In addition to time and money, Brandeis also donated his personal papers, books, and pamphlets, numbering over 250,000 items. He was also instrumental in getting Supreme Court briefs and a collection of Justice

's papers deposited in the law school library.

Louis Brandeis Louis Dembitz Brandeis ( ; November 13, 1856 – October 5, 1941) was an American lawyer who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to ...

In honor of Brandeis, the University of Louisville School of Law changed its name to the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in 1997. The school's Louis D. Brandeis Society, established in 1976, awards the

Brandeis Medal The Brandeis Medal is awarded to individuals whose lives reflect United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis' commitment to the ideals of individual liberty, concern for the disadvantaged and public service. The medal is awarded by the Uni ...

to individuals whose lives reflect Louis Brandeis' commitment to the ideals of individual liberty, concern for the disadvantaged and public service. The Brandeis Law Library owns a limited edition print of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

's portrait of Brandeis which is on display in the library's main reading room. The ashes of Brandeis and his wife Alice Goldmark Brandeis are buried underneath the law school portico. His ashes are buried approximately fifty yards away from

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

's ''

The Thinker ''The Thinker'' (), by Auguste Rodin, is a bronze sculpture depicting a Heroic nudity, nude male figure of heroic size, seated on a large rock, leaning forward, right elbow placed upon the left thigh, back of the right hand supporting the chin ...

''.

Today

True to its history, the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law has retained a strong focus on practical legal education. The school offers students a chance to gain experience at its

law clinic A legal clinic (also law clinic or law-school clinic) is a legal aid or law-school program providing services to various clients and often hands-on legal experience to law students. Clinics are usually directed by clinical professors. Legal cl ...

, on

moot court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In many countries, the phrase ...

teams, in skills competitions, and on three student-edited law journals. As part of the Samuel L. Greenebaum Public Service Program, the school also requires all students to complete 30 hours of law-related public service. The school has several pre-professional student-run organizations, including the Student Trial Lawyers Association, International Law Society, Student Health Law Association, Environmental Law Society, and The Brand (intellectual property). In addition to pre-professional student organizations, there are also a number of student-run social and political organizations on campus. A partial list of these includes the

Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (FedSoc) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian legal organization that advocates for a Textualism, textualist an ...

, the

American Constitution Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, Lambda Law Caucus, Black Students Association, Asian-Pacific Law Students Association, Jewish Law Students Association, Christian Legal Society, and Woman's Law Caucus. The Law Library supports the curriculum and research needs of the school's faculty and students, and is open to the university community, practicing bar, and the general public.

Deans of Louis D. Brandeis School of Law

#1846–1873: Henry Pirtle #1881–1886: William Chenault #1886–1890: Rozel Weissinger #1890–1911: Willis Overton Harris #1911–1919, 1922–1925: Charles B. Seymour #1919–1921: Edward W. Hines #1925–1930: Leon P. Lewis #1930–1933: Neville Miller #1933–1934: Wendell Carnahan (interim) #1934–1936: Joseph A. McClain Jr. #1936–1946: Jack Neal Lott Jr. #1946–1957: Absalom C. Russell #1957–1958: William B. Peden #1958–1965: Marlin M. Volz #1965–1974, 1975–1976: James R. Merritt #1974–1975: Steven R. Smith (interim) #1976–1980: Harold Wren #1980–1981: Norvie L. Lay (interim) #1981–1990: Barbara B. Lewis #1990–2000: Donald L. Burnett Jr. #2000–2005: Laura Rothstein #2005–2006: David Ensign (interim) #2007–2012:

Jim Chen Jim Chen is an American legal scholar known for his expertise in constitutional law. He holds the Justin Smith Morrill Chair in Law at Michigan State University College of Law. From 2007 to 2012, he served as the dean of the University of Louis ...

#2012–2017: Susan H. Duncan (interim) #2017–2018, 2021–2022: Lars Smith (interim) #2018–2021: Colin Crawford #2022–present: Melanie B. Jacobs

Employment

According to University of Louisville's 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 92% of the Class of 2018 was employed within ten months of graduation. This includes 76% who obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment ten months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners. University of Louisville'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 ...

under-employment score is 6.7%, 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.

Costs

The tuition at University of Louisville for the 2021–2022 academic year is $23,798 for residents and $28,798 out-of-state students.

Notable alumni

Jon Ackerson Jon Winston Ackerson (born 1943) is a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and the Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elect ...

(1943– ), former member of both houses of the

Kentucky Legislature The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in the ...

, former member of the

Louisville Metro Council The Louisville Metro Council is the city council of Louisville, Kentucky (Louisville Metro). It was formally established in January 2003 upon the merger of the former City of Louisville with Jefferson County and replaced the city's Board o ...

, and Louisville lawyer * David Armstrong (1941–2017), mayor of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

* Nick Baker (1937–), former Kentucky state senator from the 38th district, passed 1974 "girls' basketball" bill *

Jeremy Beck Jeremy Beck (born 1960) is an American composer who "knows the importance of embracing the past while also going his own way." The critic Mark Sebastian Jordan has said that "Beck was committed to tonality and a recognizable musical vernacular lo ...

(1960–), composer * Charles Booker, former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and candidate for U.S. Senate in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

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William Campbell Preston Breckinridge William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (August 28, 1837 – November 18, 1904) was a lawyer and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from Kentucky; a U.S. Representative from 1885 to 1895. He was a scion of the Breckinridge fam ...

(1837–1901) (class of 1857), former United States House of Representatives member from the Seventh District of Kentucky * William Marshall Bullitt (1873–1957) (class of 1895), served as

Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States (USSG or SG), is the fourth-highest-ranking official within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and represents the federal government in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. ...

1912–1913 * Daniel Cameron (politician), first African-American Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. *

John Breckinridge Castleman John Breckinridge Castleman (June 30, 1841 – May 23, 1918) was a Confederate officer and later a United States Army brigadier general as well as a prominent landowner and businessman in Louisville, Kentucky. Early life John B. Castleman was ...

(1841–1918) (class of 1868), Confederate brigadier general *

Luke Clippinger Luke H. Clippinger (born September 24, 1972) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the state's Maryland Legislative District 46, 46th district in Baltimore, since 2011. Ea ...

(1972–), member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

Marlow Cook Marlow Webster Cook (July 27, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American politician from Kentucky who served as a member of the United States Senate from his appointment in December 1968 to his resignation in December 1974. He was a moderate Re ...

(1926–2016) (class of 1950), former

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

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(1944–) (class of 1972), United States Senator from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 1981–2011 * Charles R. Farnsley (1907–1990) (class of 1930), former United States House of Representatives member from the Third District of Kentucky *

Howard Fineman Howard David Fineman (November 17, 1948 – June 11, 2024) was an American journalist and television commentator. In a career that spanned nearly five decades, Fineman covered nine presidential campaigns as a reporter, writer, and analyst. For ...

(1948–) (class of 1979), former ''

Newsweek Magazine ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev ...

'' editor and chief Washington correspondent; ''

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'' editor * Fuller Harding (1915–2010), former member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

(1942) and Taylor County

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for twenty-four years * Bob Heleringer (1951–) (class of 1976), former member of the

and Louisville lawyer *

Todd Hollenbach Louis J. Hollenbach, IV, known as Todd Hollenbach (born July 21, 1960), is an American former judge and politician who served as the 40th Kentucky State Treasurer. A Democrat, he was elected as treasurer in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Because ...

(1960–), judge and

Kentucky State Treasurer The Kentucky State Treasurer is elected every four years along with the governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, g ...

* Michael C. Kerr (1827–1876) (class of 1851), former United States House of Representatives member from Indiana and 28th

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. * Joseph Koenig (1858–1929) (class of 1884), co-founder of Metal Ware Corporation *

Gerald Neal Gerald Anthony Neal (born September 22, 1945) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Kentucky Senate since 1989. He has been the longest-serving member of the senate since the resignation of David Williams in 2012. Early l ...

(1945–) (class of 1972), member of the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...

1989–present, first black person elected as party leadership in the Kentucky House or Senate *

Louie B. Nunn Louie Broady Nunn (March 8, 1924 – January 29, 2004) was an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the only Republican to hold the office between the end of Simeon Willis's term in 1947 and ...

(1924–2004) (class of 1950), 52nd governor of Kentucky *

Emmet O'Neal Emmet O'Neal (September 23, 1853 – September 7, 1922) was an American Democratic politician and lawyer who was the 34th Governor of Alabama from 1911 to 1915. He was a reformer in the progressive mold and is best known for securing the com ...

(1887–1967) (class of 1910), former United States House of Representatives member from the Third District of Kentucky *

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(1966–) (class of 1993), former member of the

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(1945–present), anchor of ABC News's nightly flagship program

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, a co-anchor of ABC News's morning news program

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and Primetime newsmagazine. *

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(1951–), former Kentucky Attorney General and former

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* David A. Tapp (1962–) (class of 1993), Judge on

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, former judge of Kentucky Circuit Court * Oscar Turner (1867–1902), member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Lawrence Wetherby Lawrence Winchester Wetherby (January 2, 1908 – March 27, 1994) was an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first of only two Kentucky governors born in Jefferson County, despite the fact ...

(1908–1994), 48th

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

Publications

* '' University of Louisville Law Review'' * ''Journal of Law and Education'' * ''Journal of Animal and Environmental Law''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Louisville Law, University of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

Law schools in Kentucky Universities and colleges established in 1846 1846 establishments in Kentucky Louis Brandeis