Northeastern University School of Law


Northeastern University School of Law is the law school of Northeastern University in Boston. The School of Law is nationally recognized for its public interest law and cooperative legal education programs.

History

Northeastern University School of Law was founded by YMCA of Greater Boston in 1898 as the first evening law program in the city. The program was incorporated as an LL.B.-granting law school, the Evening School of Law of Boston YMCA, in 1904. Additional campuses of YMCA Law School were opened in Worcester, Massachusetts by 1917, in Springfield, Massachusetts by 1919, and Providence, Rhode Island by 1921. The Worcester and Providence branches were closed by 1942, but the Springfield branch eventually became the Western New England University School of Law. In its early days, the school "saw itself as the working man's alternative to the elite schools" and "boasted of being 'An Evening Law School with Day School Standards,'" using the case method of teaching, according to legal historian Robert Stevens.
The school was renamed Northeastern University School of Law in 1922 and began admitting women that year. NUSL was accredited by the University of the State of New York in 1943 and became a member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1945. It was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1969.

Notable features

The School of Law is named as one of the top public interest law schools in the nation. All students are required to complete a public interest co-op, and many students participate in the school's clinics and institutes, such as the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project. In addition, all students are required to complete a year-long social justice project during their first year.
Northeastern is #1 for "Practical Training," according to The National Jurist.
The Princeton Review's "The Best 172 Law Schools" ranks Northeastern #2 among all the law schools for both providing the "best environment" for minority students and for having the "most liberal" students.

Alumni