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The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey 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, ...
of the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
, a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. It is among the most selective and oldest
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 ...
, and it is currently ranked sixth overall by '' U.S. News & World Report''. It offers the degrees of
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 l ...
(J.D.),
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 mo ...
(LL.M.), Master of Comparative Laws (LL.C.M.), Master in Law (M.L.), and
Doctor of the Science of Law A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate in law equivalent to the more commonly awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree. Australia The S.J.D. is offered by the Australian National Univ ...
(S.J.D.). The entering class typically consists of approximately 250 students, and admission is highly competitive.Admissions: Entering Class Profile • Penn Law
/ref> Penn Law's 2020 weighted first-time bar passage rate was 98.5 percent. The school has consistently ranked among top 14 ("T14") law schools identified by ''U.S. News & World Report'', since it began publishing its rankings. For the class of 2024, 49 percent of students were women, 40 percent identified as persons of color, and 12 percent of students enrolled with an advanced degree. The school offers an extensive curriculum and hosts various student groups, research centers, and activities. Students publish the '' University of Pennsylvania Law Review'', the oldest law journal in the United States."University of Pennsylvania Law School Sesquicentennial History"
University of Pennsylvania Almanac, accessed 15 Sep 2011
Students also publish '' The Regulatory Review'', a regulatory news, analysis, and commentary that publishes daily. Penn Law students have the option to earn certificates of specialization in fields such as East Asian Studies or Gender and Sexuality Studies. Prior to graduation, each student must complete at least 70 hours of pro bono service. Among the school's alumni are a US Supreme Court Justice, at least 76 judges of United States court system, nine state Supreme Court Justices, and three supreme court justices of foreign countries, at least 46 members of
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
as well as nine olympians, five of whom won thirteen medals, several founders of law firms, university presidents and deans, business entrepreneurs, leaders in the public sector, and government officials. Based on student survey responses, ABA and NALP data; 99.6 percent of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time employment after graduation. The median salary for the Class of 2019 was $190,000, as 75.2 percent of students joined law firms and 11.6 percent obtained judicial clerkships.Careers: Employment Statistics • Penn Law
/ref> The law school was ranked #2 of all law schools nationwide by 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 newspap ...
'', for sending the highest percentage of 2019 graduates to join the 100 largest law firms in the U.S., constituting 58.4 percent."Ranking The Go-To Law Schools," ''National Law Journal''
/ref>


History

The University of Pennsylvania Law School traces its origins to a series of ''Lectures on Law'' delivered in 1790 through 1792 by James Wilson, one of only six signers of the
United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
and the
United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
. Wilson is credited with being one of the two primary authors (the other being
James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
) of the first draft of such constitution due to his membership on the Committee of Detail established by the
United States Constitutional 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 f ...
on July 24, 1787 to draft a text reflecting the agreements made by the Convention up to that point. Wilson gave these "lectures on law" to President
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
and Vice President
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
and rest of the cabinet including Secretary of State
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 ...
as a Penn Professor and during Wilson's time as one of the original five Associate Justices nominated by George Washington (and approved by
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...
via unanimous voice vote on September 26, 1789, with Wilson's term commencing October 5, 1789 and the terms of the other four at various dates in 1790) to the initial panel of
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 1792, Associate Justice of United States Supreme Court of the United States, James Wilson, was appointed as Penn's first "full professor of law". In 1817, Penn Trustees appointed Charles Wilson Hare as the second professor of law. Hare apparently only taught for one year as he then became "afflicted with loss of reason". Penn began offering a full-time program in law in 1850, under the leadership of the third professor of law at the Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania, George Sharswood. Sharswood was also named Dean of Penn's Law School in 1852 and served through 1867, and was later appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (1879 - 1882). In 1852, Penn was the first law school in the nation to publish a law journal. Then called ''The American Law Register'', the '' University of Pennsylvania Law Review'' is the nation's oldest law review and one of the most-cited law journals in the world. In 1881,
Carrie Burnham Kilgore Caroline Burnham Kilgore (January 20, 1838 – June 29, 1909) was the first woman admitted to the bar in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Kilgore was the first woman lawyer in Philadelphia. She was a school teacher and began to study law in 1 ...
became the first woman admitted to Penn Law, and in 1888, Aaron Albert Mossell became the first African-American man to graduate from the school. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, Mossell's daughter, was awarded the Frances Sergeant Pepper fellowship in 1921 and subsequently became the first African-American to receive a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
in economics in the United States, a degree she earned at the 
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
. In 1927, Alexander became the first African-American woman to graduate from Penn Law and in 1929, she became the first African-American woman to be admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
William Draper Lewis William Draper Lewis (1867–1949) was the first full-time dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1896–1914), and the founding director (1923–1947) of the American Law Institute. Personal life and education William Draper ...
was named dean of Penn Law in 1896. In 1900, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania approved his and others' request to move the law school to the core of campus and to its current location at the intersection of 34th and Chestnut Streets.Owen Roberts, William Draper Lewis, 98 ''U. Pa. L. Rev.'' 1 (1949) Under Lewis' deanship, the law school was one of the first schools to emphasize legal teaching by full-time professors instead of practitioners, a system that is still followed today. As legal education became more formalized, the school initiated a three-year curriculum and instituted stringent admissions requirements. After 30 years with the law school, Lewis founded the American Law Institute (ALI) in 1925, which was seated in the Law School and was chaired by Lewis himself. The ALI was later chaired by another Penn Law Dean,
Herbert Funk Goodrich Herbert Funk Goodrich (July 29, 1889 – June 25, 1962) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was also Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Education and career Born on J ...
and Penn Law Professors
George Wharton Pepper George Wharton Pepper (March 16, 1867May 24, 1961) was an American lawyer, law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Christian activist, and Republican politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in ...
and Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr. Except for the period of time during which Penn Law's policy prohibited military recruiters from recruiting on the law school campus, when the military openly refused to hire gays, bisexuals and lesbians, Penn Law has actively supported the armed forces. The Harold Cramer Memorial Scholarship Program was established in June 2021 to ensure that all veterans admitted to Penn Law will be able to afford to attend Penn Law. In 1969, Martha Field became the first woman to join the Penn Law faculty; she is now a professor at
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 c ...
. Other notable women who have been or are presently professors at Penn Law include Lani Guinier,
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...
, and
Anita L. Allen Anita LaFrance Allen (also Allen-Castellitto; born March 24, 1953) is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She was formerly Vice Provost for Faculty from 2013 to 2020. ...
. From 1974 to 1978 the Dean of the law school was Louis Pollak, who later became a federal judge. Since Judge Pollak ascended to the bench, Penn Law has attracted a noteworthy number of deans including James O. Freedman, the former president of
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, Colin Diver, the former president of Reed College, and Michael Fitts, the current president of
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...
. In November 2019, Penn Law received a $125 million donation from the W.P. Carey Foundation, the largest single donation to any law school to date; the school was renamed University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, in honor of the foundation's first president, Penn Law alumnus Francis J. Carey (1926–2014), who was the brother of William Polk Carey (1930 - 2012), founder of the W. P. Carey Inc.
REIT A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping c ...
, and of the charitable foundation. The change was met by some controversy, and a petition to quash the abbreviated "Carey Law", in favor of the traditional "Penn Law", was circulated and it was agreed that the official short form name for the next few years could remain "Penn Law" and/or "Penn Carey Law". Osagie O. Imasogie, a 1985 graduate of Penn Law, is the current Chair of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Board of Overseers, having replaced Perry Golkin on January 1, 2021. Imasogie has been a member of Penn Law School Board of Overseers since 2006 and more recently a Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
. Imasogie, a graduate of two law schools in Nigeria and London School of Economics and Political Science, has held senior positions with a diverse group of professional services and bio-tech companies such as GSK,
DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
, Merck, Price Waterhouse,
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP is a U.S. law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in Philadelphia in 1935 by former Pennsylvania Attorney General William A. Schnader, Bernard G. Segal, a former Deputy Attorney General serving ...
and is presently an adjunct professor at Penn Law, where he teaches a seminar on “Intellectual Property and National Economic Value Creation”. He is the first African-born chair of an American law school.


Campus

The University of Pennsylvania campus covers over 269 acres (~1 km²) in a contiguous area of West Philadelphia's University City district. All of Penn's schools, including the law school, and most of its research institutes are located on this campus. Much of Penn's architecture was designed by the architecture firm of
Cope & Stewardson Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...
, whose principal architects combined the
Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
of the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
and the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
with the local landscape to establish the
Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...
style. The Law School consists of four interconnecting buildings around a central
courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...
. At the east end of the courtyard is Silverman Hall, built in 1900, housing the Levy Conference Center, classrooms, faculty offices, the Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies, and administrative and student offices. Directly opposite is Tanenbaum Hall, home to the Biddle Law Library several law journals, administrative offices, and student spaces. The law library houses 1,053,824 volumes and volume equivalents making it the 4th-largest law library in the country. Gittis Hall sits on the north side and has new classrooms (renovated in 2006) and new and expanded faculty offices. Opposite is Golkin Hall, which contains and includes a state-of-the-art court room, 350-seat auditorium, seminar rooms, faculty and administrative offices, a two-story entry hall, and a roof-top garden. A small row of restaurants and shops faces the law school on Sansom Street. Nearby are the Penn Bookstore, the Pottruck Center (a multi-purpose sports activity area), the Institute of Contemporary Art, a performing arts center, and area shops.


Academics


Admissions

For the J.D. class entering in the fall of 2023, 14.6 percent out of 6,146 applicants were offered admission, with 249 matriculating. The class boasted 25th and 75th LSAT percentiles of 164 and 171, respectively, with a median of 170.Admissions: Entering Class Profile • Penn Law
/ref> The 25th and 75th undergraduate GPA percentiles were 3.57 and 3.95, respectively, with a median of 3.89. 13 percent of matriculating students identified as first-generation college students, and 29 percent identified as first-generation professional school students. Over 1,250 students from 70 countries applied to Penn's LLM program for the fall of 2019. The incoming class consisted of 126 students from more than 30 countries. The entering class typically consists of approximately 250 students, and admission is highly competitive.Admissions: Entering Class Profile • Penn Law
/ref> Penn Law's July 2018 weighted first-time bar passage rate was 92.09%. The law school is one of the "T14" law schools, that is, schools that have consistently ranked within the top 14 law schools since ''U.S. News & World Report'' began publishing rankings. In the class entering in 2018, over half of students were women, over a third identified as persons of color, and 10% of students enrolled with an advanced degree.


Multidisciplinary Focus

Throughout its modern history, Penn has been known for its strong focus on inter-disciplinary studies, a character that was shaped early on by Dean
William Draper Lewis William Draper Lewis (1867–1949) was the first full-time dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1896–1914), and the founding director (1923–1947) of the American Law Institute. Personal life and education William Draper ...
. Its medium-size student body and the tight integration with the rest of Penn's schools (the "One University Policy") have been instrumental in achieving that aim. More than 50 percent of the Law School's courses are interdisciplinary, and it offers more than 20 joint and dual degree programs, including a JD/MBA (
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
), a JD/PhD in Communication (
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania :''There are multiple Annenberg Schools. For the communications school at USC, see USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. See also Annenberg (disambiguation).'' The Annenberg School for Communication is the communication school ...
), and a JD/MD ( Perelman School of Medicine). Various certificate programs that can be completed within the three-year JD program, e.g. in Business and Public Policy, in conjunction with the
Wharton School The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
), in Cross-Sector Innovation with the School of Social Policy & Practice, in International Business and Law with the Themis Joint Certificate with ESADE Law School in Barcelona, Spain, and in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN). 19 percent of the Class of 2007 earned a certificate. 57 percent of the Class of 2020 and 52 percent of the Class of 2021 pursued a Certifiate. Penn Law also offers joint degrees with international affiliates, such as
Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university'' Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...
(France),
ESADE Esade (Escola Superior d'Administració i Direcció d'Empreses) is a prestigious international private educational institution based in Barcelona, Spain. Esade runs two schools of the university, Esade Business School and Esade Law School, as we ...
(Spain), and the
University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law (commonly known as HKU Law) is one of the 11 faculties and schools at the University of Hong Kong. Founded in 1969 as the Department of Law, it is the oldest law school in Hong Kong. HKU Law is consistentl ...
. The School has further expanded its international programs with the addition of the International Internship Program, the International Summer Human Rights Program, and the Global Research Seminar, all under the umbrella of the Penn Law Global Initiative. Penn Law takes part in a number of international annual events, such as the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
and the Waseda Transnational Program at the Waseda Law School in Tokyo.


Clinics and externships

For more than 40 years, students in Penn Law’s Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies have had the opportunity to learn valuable practical legal skills and put theory into practice while helping many clients in the community. The Law School offers in-house clinics, including: civil practice, criminal defense, the Detkin intellectual property and technology legal clinic, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary child advocacy, legislative, mediation, and transnational. Students can also receive credit for completing externships with non-profit and government institutes such as the ACLU of Pennsylvania or the City of Philadelphia Law Department.


Toll Public Interest Center and related activities

Penn was the first national law school to establish a mandatory
pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...
program, and the first law school to win the
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 aca ...
's Pro Bono Publico Award. The public interest center was founded in 1989 and was renamed the Toll Public Interest Center in 2006 in acknowledgement of a $10 million gift from Robert Toll (Executive Chairman of the Board of
Toll Brothers Toll Brothers is a company which designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges financing for residential and commercial properties in the United States. In 2020, the company was the fifth largest home builder in the United States, based on home ...
) and Jane Toll. In 2011, the Tolls donated an additional $2.5 million. In October 2020, The Robert and Jane Toll Foundation announced that it was donating fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) to Penn Law, which is the largest gift in history to be devoted entirely to the training and support of public interest lawyers, and among the ten (10) largest gifts ever to a law school in the United States of America. The gift expands the Toll Public Interest Scholars and Fellows Program by doubling the number of public interest graduates in the coming decade through a combination of full and partial tuition scholarships. The Toll Public Interest Center has supported many students who have pursued public interest fellowships and work following graduation. Students complete 70 hours of pro bono service as a condition of graduation. More than half of the Class of 2021 substantially exceeded the requirement. Students can create their own placements, or work through over 30 student-led organizations that focus their pro bono service in a variety of substantive areas. The Law School awards Toll Public Interest Scholarships to accomplished public interest matriculants, and has a generous Public Interest Loan Repayment Program for graduates pursuing careers in public interest. Students interested in public interest work receive funding for summer positions through money from the student-run Equal Justice Foundation or via funding from Penn Law. Additionally, the Law School funds students interested in working internationally through the International Human Rights Fellowship.


Centers and Institutes

Penn Law hosts eleven different academic centers, institutes, programs, and research groups wherein students and faculty work together on interdisciplinary scholarship. Notable among them are the Penn Program on Regulation, directed by professor of law and political science Cary Coglianese; the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, directed by Faculty Director Paul Heaton. Other Centers and Institutes include: Center for Asian Law; Center for Technology, Innovation, and Competition; Institute for Law and Economics; Institute for Law and Philosophy; Criminal Law Research Group; Legal History Consortium; Center for Tax Law and Policy; and Penn Program on Documentaries and the Law.


Biddle Law Library

Penn’s Law library holds over one million volumes, mostly consisting of American primary and secondary materials. Approximately one-third of the Library’s collection is composed of foreign, international, and comparative legal texts. The Library also holds subscriptions for digital resources such as LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law, which provide students and faculty with access to wide breadth of journal articles, treatises, and case texts. Biddle is also home to archives from both the American Law Institute and the American College of Bankruptcy. Biddle also holds Penn Law’s own archival collection, which consists of manuscripts, rare books, oral histories, and certain Penn Law school records.


Journals

Students at the law school publish several legal journals. The flagship publication is the '' University of Pennsylvania Law Review'', the oldest
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 p ...
in the United States. The University of Pennsylvania Law Review started in 1852 as the ''American Law Register'', and was renamed to its current title in 1908. It is one of the most frequently cited law journals in the world, and one of the four journals that are responsible for '' The Bluebook'', along with the Harvard, Yale, and Columbia law journals. ''Penn Law Review'' articles have captured seminal historical moments in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the passage of the 19th Amendment; the lawlessness of the first and second World Wars; the rise of the civil rights movement; and the war in Vietnam. Other law journals include: *''
University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law The ''University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law'' is a scholarly journal covering the interdisciplinary study and analysis of constitutional law. The ''Journal'' is published in print and electronically by an organization of second- ...
'', one of the top 50 law journals in the United States based on citations and impact. *''
University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law The ''University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law'' is a scholarly journal focusing on issues of international law, international relations, transnational law and comparative law. The ''Journal'' is published quarterly by an organizat ...
'', formerly known as ''Journal of International Economic Law'', formerly known as ''Journal of International Business Law'', formerly known as ''Journal of Comparative Business and Capital Market Law'' *'' University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law'', formerly known as ''Journal of Business and Employment Law'' *'' University of Pennsylvania Journal of Law and Social Change'' *'' Asian Law Review'', formerly known as ''East Asian Law Review,'' formerly known as ''Chinese Law and Policy Review'' *''Journal of Law & Public Affairs''


U.S. Supreme Court clerkships

Since 2000, Penn has had seven alumni serve as judicial clerks at 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 ...
. This record gives Penn a ranking of 10th among all law schools for supplying such law clerks for the period 2000-2019. Penn has placed 48 clerks at the U.S. Supreme Court in its history, ranked 11th among law schools; this group includes Curtis R. Reitz, who is the
Algernon Sydney Biddle Algernon Sydney Biddle (October 11, 1847 – April 8, 1891) was an American lawyer and law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. An endowed chair was established at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in his name. Biograph ...
Professor of Law, Emeritus at Penn.


Employment

According to ABA and NALP data, 99.6 percent of the Class of 2020 obtained full-time employment after graduation. The median salary for the Class of 2019 was $190,000, as 75.2 percent of students joined law firms and 11.6 percent obtained a judicial clerkship.Careers: Employment Statistics • Penn Law
/ref> Penn combines a strong tradition in public service with being one of the top feeders of law students to the most prestigious law firms. Penn Law was the first top-ranked law school to establish a mandatory pro bono requirement, and the first law school to win American Bar Association's Pro Bono Publico Award. Many students pursue public interest careers with the support of fellowship grants such as the Skadden Fellowship, called by ''The Los Angeles Times'' "a legal Peace Corps." About 75 percent of each graduating class enters private practice, bringing with them the ethos of pro bono service. In 2020, the Law School placed more than 70 percent of its graduates into the United States' top law firms, maintaining Penn's rank as the number one law school in the nation for the percentage of students securing employment at these top law firms. The Law School was ranked #4 of all law schools nationwide by Law.com in terms of sending the highest percentage of 2021 graduates to the largest 100 law firms in the U.S. (55 percent). Based on student survey responses, ABA, and NALP data, 99.2% of the Class of 2018 obtained full-time employment after graduation, with a median salary of $180,000, as 76% of students joined law firms and 11% obtained judicial clerkships.Careers: Employment Statistics • Penn Law
/ref> The law school was ranked # 2 of all law schools nationwide by 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 newspap ...
'' in terms of sending the highest percentage of 2018 graduates to the 100 largest law firms in the US (60%).">"Ranking The Go-To Law Schools," ''National Law Journal''
/ref>


Costs

The total cost of attendance (including tuition of $63,610, fees, and living expenses), for J.D. students for the 2020-2021 academic year was $94,052.


Notable alumni


Judiciary

* Owen Roberts, U.S. Supreme Court Justice *
James Harry Covington James Harry Covington (May 3, 1870 – February 4, 1942) was a United States representative from Maryland and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. He founded the major law firm of Covington & Burling. Education and c ...
, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia *
Daniel John Layton Daniel John Layton (August 1, 1879 – May 13, 1960) served on the Delaware Supreme Court as Chief Justice from 1933 to 1945 and earlier as attorney general of Delaware from late 1932 until his nomination. He was a native of Sussex County, Delaw ...
, Chief Justice of the
Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decisio ...
* Robert Nelson Cornelius Nix, Jr., Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court *
Horace Stern Horace Stern (August 7, 1878 – April 15, 1969) was the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1 November 1952 to 29 December 1956. He became chief justice after serving on the court from 6 January 1936. Biography Stern was ...
, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court * George Sharswood, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court * Deborah Tobias Poritz, Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court * Ayala Procaccia, Justice of the
Supreme Court of Israel ar, المحكمة العليا , image = Emblem of Israel dark blue full.svg , imagesize = 100px , caption = Emblem of Israel , motto = , established = , location = Givat Ram, Jerusalem , coordina ...
*
Ronald Wilson Sir Ronald Darling Wilson, (23 August 192215 July 2005) was a distinguished Australian lawyer, judge and social activist serving on the High Court of Australia between 1979 and 1989 and as the President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportun ...
, Justice of the
High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the '' Judiciary Act 1903''. ...
*
Yvonne Mokgoro Yvonne Mokgoro (born 19 October 1950) is a former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and wife to Job Mokgoro. Career Mokgoro was appointed to the bench in 1994 by Nelson Mandela. Mokgoro is a board member of the Centre for Huma ...
, Justice of the
Constitutional Court of South Africa The Constitutional Court of South Africa is a supreme court, supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general jurisdiction. The Court was fi ...
*
Abdul Kallon Abdul Karim Kallon (born April 5, 1969) is an American lawyer who is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. He is a former nominee to be a United States circuit judge of t ...
, District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama *
Rudolph Contreras Rudolph Contreras (born December 6, 1962) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He also serves as Presiding Judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. In D ...
, District Judge on the
U.S. 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 o ...
*
Arlin Adams Arlin Marvin Adams (April 16, 1921 – December 22, 2015) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. As late as 2013 he served as counsel to Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, anwas listedas a ...
, Circuit Judge on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Eas ...
*
Max Rosenn Max Rosenn (February 4, 1910 – February 7, 2006) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Education and career Born to a Jewish family in Plains, Pennsylvania, Rosenn received a Bachelor o ...
, Circuit Judge on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Eas ...
*
Dolores Sloviter Dolores Korman Sloviter (September 5, 1932 – October 12, 2022) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Beginning in April 2016, she stopped hearing cases or matters before the court.https:/ ...
, Circuit Judge on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Eas ...
* James Hunter III, Circuit Judge on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Eas ...
*
Patty Shwartz Patty Shwartz (born July 24, 1961) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Early life and education Shwartz was born in Paterson, New Jersey. She grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, where ...
, Circuit Judge of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Eas ...
*
Phyllis Kravitch Phyllis Adele Kravitch (August 23, 1920 – June 15, 2017) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and later the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Cir ...
, Senior Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit *
Helene N. White Helene N. White (born December 2, 1954) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Previously, she was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. Background Born in Jackson Heights, Qu ...
, Circuit judge on the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...
*
Gerard Hogan Gerard William Augustine Hogan, (born 13 August 1958) is an Irish judge, lawyer and academic who has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland since October 2021. He previously served as Advocate General of the European Court of Justice ...
, Justice of the Court of Appeal of Ireland * Jasper Yeates Brinton, the architect of the Egyptian court system, Justice of the Egyptian Supreme Court, and former U.S. Legal Advisor to Egypt * Mike Fain, Judge on the
Ohio Court of Appeals The Ohio District Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the U.S. state of Ohio. The Ohio Constitution The Constitution of the State of Ohio is the basic governing document of the State of Ohio, which in 1803 became the 17t ...
*
Richard L. Gabriel Richard L. Gabriel (born March 3, 1962) is an American lawyer and judge, who is an associate justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. He previously served on the Colorado Court of Appeals from 2008 to 2015. Education and early career Gabriel was b ...
, Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court * Gordon Goodman, Judge on the Texas 1st District Court of Appeals * James S. Halpern, Judge on the U.S. Tax Court * Raymond Headen, Judge on the 8th District Court of Appeals of Ohio * Randy J. Holland, Justice on the
Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decisio ...
* Lucinda E. Jesson, Judge on the
Minnesota Court of Appeals The Minnesota Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It began operating on November 1, 1983. Jurisdiction The Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over most appeals from the state trial courts, inc ...
* Peter Brunswick Krauser, Judge on the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland * Leo Strine, Chief Justice on the
Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decisio ...
* Karen Valihura, Justice of the
Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decisio ...
* Lori W. Will, Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery


Government

*
Philip Werner Amram Philip Werner Amram (1900 – 1990) was an American lawyer and legal scholar. Education Amram received a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 1920, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from Pennsylv ...
, Asst. Attorney General of the United States, 1939–42 *
Louis A. Bloom Louis A. Bloom (August 15, 1900 – December 18, 1988) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1947 to 1952. He was a judge in the Penn ...
, Pennsylvania State Representative (1947–1952) * William H. Brown, III, chairman,
EEOC The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...
* Gilbert F. Casellas, chairman,
EEOC The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...
and General Counsel of the Air Force *
Joseph Sill Clark Joseph Sill Clark Jr. (October 21, 1901January 12, 1990) was an American writer, lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 90th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1952 to 1956 and as a United States Senator from Pennsylvani ...
, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and Mayor of Philadelphia * Walter J. "Jay" Clayton III, chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2017–present. * Josiah E. DuBois Jr., U.S. State Department official, instrumental in Holocaust rescue * Thomas K. Finletter, U.S Secretary of the Air Force, 1950–1953; Ambassador to NATO, 1961–65 *
Shirley Franklin Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party who served as the 58th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2002 to 2010. She currently serves as a member on the board of directors for both Delta ...
, Mayor of Atlanta, 2002–10 *
Lindley Miller Garrison Lindley Miller Garrison (November 28, 1864 – October 19, 1932) was an American lawyer from New Jersey who served as Secretary of War under U.S. President Woodrow Wilson between 1913 and 1916. Biography Early years Lindley Miller Garrison ...
, U.S. Secretary of War, 1913–16 * Oscar Goodman, Mayor of
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
*
William B. Gray William B. Gray (February 14, 1942 – March 22, 1994) was an American attorney and political figure from Vermont. He is best known for his service as United States Attorney for the District of Vermont from 1977 to 1981, managing the successful ...
, United States Attorney for Vermont, 1977-1981 * E. Grey Lewis, general counsel of the U.S. Navy *
Jena Griswold Jena Marie Griswold (born October 2, 1984) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Colorado. A Democrat, she is the 39th Colorado Secretary of State, serving since January 8, 2019. Early life and career Griswold was born in T ...
, Colorado Secretary of State * Henry G. Hager, Pennsylvania State Senator (1973–1984), President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate (1981–1984) *
Earl G. Harrison Earl Grant Harrison (April 27, 1899 – July 28, 1955) was an American attorney, academician, and public servant. He worked on behalf of displaced persons in the aftermath of the Second World War, when he brought attention to the plight of Jewish ...
, Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1942–44 *
Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Charles A. Heimbold Jr. (born May 27, 1933) is an American businessman and diplomat, who was Chairman and CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and as U.S. Ambassador to Sweden. His son is American musician Pete Francis Heimbold, of Dispatch fam ...
, Penn Law Class of 1960, U.S. Ambassador to
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
and former chairman and CEO of
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the l ...
* Henry Martyn Hoyt, Jr., Solicitor General of the United States * Robert F. Kent, Pennsylvania State Representative (1947–1956) and Pennsylvania State Treasurer (1957–1961) * Conor Lamb, US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District * Andrew Lelling, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. *
Albert Dutton MacDade Albert Dutton MacDade (September 23, 1871 – October 4, 1954) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as district attorney for Delaware County from 1906 to 1912, as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 9 ...
, Pennsylvania State Senator and Judge in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas * Harry Arista Mackey, Mayor of Philadelphia * Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, member of the U.S. House of Representatives and women's rights activist * William M. Meredith, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, 1849–50 * Charles Robert Miller, Governor of Delaware *
Raul Roco Raul Sagarbarria Roco (October 26, 1941 – August 5, 2005) was a political figure in the Philippines. He was the standard-bearer of '' Aksyon Demokratiko'', which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential bids in 1998 and 2004. He was ...
, former presidential candidate and Secretary of Education in the Philippines * Mary Gay Scanlon, US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District *
Martin J. Silverstein Martin J. Silverstein (born 1954) is an American attorney and diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Uruguay under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. Biography Martin J. Silverstein served as a senior member of the pre ...
, U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay * Heath Tarbert, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Markets and Development in the U.S. (2017) * Robert J. Walker, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, 1840–45 * Charles A. Waters,
Pennsylvania State Treasurer The Pennsylvania State Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of state government. The state treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two consecutive terms. The Pennsylva ...
, Pennsylvania Auditor General, and judge in the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas * George W. Wickersham, Attorney General of the United States, 1909–1913; instrumental in the breakup of
Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co- ...
; President of the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...
(1933–36) * George Washington Woodruff, Acting U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Theodore Roosevelt * Faith Whittlesey, United States Ambassador to Switzerland


Academia

* Regina Austin, William A. Schnader Professor of Law at Penn Law * Robert Butkin, Dean of the University of Tulsa College of Law * Kimberly Kessler Ferzan, Earle Hepburn Professor of Law; co-director, Institute of Law & Philosophy, Penn Law * Douglas Frenkel, Morris Shuster Practice Professor of Law, director of Mediation Clinic, Penn Law * Jennifer Herbst, professor of law and medical sciences at Quinnipiac University School of Law * Kit Kinports, professor of law, Polisher Family Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Penn State Law * Nancy J. Knauer, professor of law, director of the law and public policy program at Temple University Beasley School of Law * Gerald Korngold, professor of law, program chair, Center for Real Estate Studies at New York Law School * Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, Raymond P. Niro Professor of Intellectual Property Law, founding director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology at DePaul University College of Law * Timothy F. Malloy, director of UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law * Carrie Menkel-Meadow, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at UC Irvine School of Law * Beverly I. Moran, professor of law, Vanderbilt Law School * Brian K. Price, clinical professor of law and director of transactional law clinics at Harvard University Law School * Jennifer Rosato Perea, Class of 1987, dean, DePaul University College of LawDePaul University College of Law * Nadia Sawicki, professor of law, academic director of the Beazley Institute for Health Law & Policy at Loyola University Chicago School of Law * Sidney A. Shapiro, Frank U. Fletcher Chair of Administrative Law at Wake Forest School of Law * Omari Scott Simmons, Howard L. Oleck Professor of Business Law, director of Business law Program at Wake Forest School of Law * Amy Sinden, James E. Beasley Professor of Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law *Cynthia Soohoo, director of Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic at CUNY School of Law * Karen Tani, Seaman Family University Professor, Penn Law * Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, professor of law and psychology at Penn Law * Kamille N. Wolff Dean, director of diversity and inclusion at St. John’s University School of Law * Michael J. Yelnosky, Dean and professor of law at Roger Williams University School of Law * John Frederick Zeller III, president of Bucknell University * Mark Yudof, president of the
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, University of Califor ...
system * Peter J. Liacouras, chancellor of
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
* John Frederick Zeller III, president of
Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineerin ...
* Rodney K. Smith, president of
Southern Virginia University Southern Virginia University (SVU) is a private liberal arts college in Buena Vista, Virginia. The college, though not officially affiliated with a particular faith, embraces the values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Ch ...
* Janice R. Bellace, first president of Singapore Management University *
Fred Hilmer Frederick George Hilmer AO (born 2 February 1945) is an Australian academic and business figure. He was the president and eighth vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales, an appointment he held from June 2006 till January 2015. He h ...
, vice-Ccancellor of the
University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...
* Robert Butkin, dean of the
University of Tulsa College of Law The University of Tulsa College of Law is the law school of the private University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For 2021, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the University of Tulsa College of Law at No. 111 among all law schools in the United S ...
* William Schnader, drafter of the Uniform Commercial Code *
William Draper Lewis William Draper Lewis (1867–1949) was the first full-time dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1896–1914), and the founding director (1923–1947) of the American Law Institute. Personal life and education William Draper ...
, founder of the American Law Institute and Dean of Penn Law * Anthony Amsterdam, professor at
New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in ...
* Khaled Abou El Fadl, professor of law at
UCLA School of Law The UCLA School of Law is one of 12 professional schools at the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA Law has been consistently ranked by '' U.S. News & World Report'' as one of the top 20 law schools in the United States since the inception ...
*
Curtis Reitz Curtis Randall Reitz (born November 20, 1929) is the Algernon Sydney Biddle Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Biography Reitz was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. His father was a jeweler, and his mother was a teacher ...
, the Algernon Sydney Biddle Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School * Caroline Burnham Kilgore, Penn Law's first female graduate (1883) * Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in the U.S. and graduated from Penn Law in 1927 * Anna Mastroianni, professor of law at University of Washington, School of Law


Private practice

*
James Harry Covington James Harry Covington (May 3, 1870 – February 4, 1942) was a United States representative from Maryland and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. He founded the major law firm of Covington & Burling. Education and c ...
, co-founder of international law firm
Covington & Burling Covington & Burling LLP is an American multinational law firm. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the firm advises clients on transactional, litigation, regulatory, and public policy matters. In 2021, Vault.com ranked Covington & Burling as ...
* Isabel Darlington, second woman to graduate from Penn Law and first to practice law in Chester County, Pennsylvania *
George Wharton Pepper George Wharton Pepper (March 16, 1867May 24, 1961) was an American lawyer, law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Christian activist, and Republican politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in ...
, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, and founder of national law firm
Pepper Hamilton Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, known as Troutman Pepper, is an American law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys located in 23 U.S. cities. In terms of revenue it placed 47th on The American Lawyer's 2022 AmLaw 100 rankings of U.S. law fi ...
* Russell Duane, co-founder of international law firm
Duane Morris Duane Morris LLP is a law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1904 as Duane, Morris, Heckscher, & Roberts, the firm has offices in the United States, London, Singapore, Vietnam, Oman, Myanmar, Shanghai, and Taiwan. In ad ...
* Stephen Cozen, co-founder of international law firm
Cozen O'Connor Cozen O'Connor P.C. is an international law firm based in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was ranked 74th on the AmLaw 100 Survey in 2021, 92nd on the Global 200, 1st in the nation in ''The American Lawyer'' in its Midlevel As ...
* Kalpana Kotagal, partner at
Cohen Milstein Cohen Milstein is an American plaintiffs' law firm that engages in large-scale class action litigation. The firm filed a number of lawsuits against Donald Trump during and after his presidency, including a lawsuit which successfully blocked the Tr ...
* William Schnader, drafter of the Uniform Commercial Code, co-founder of national law firm
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP is a U.S. law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in Philadelphia in 1935 by former Pennsylvania Attorney General William A. Schnader, Bernard G. Segal, a former Deputy Attorney General serving ...


Business

* Safra Catz, CEO of
Oracle Corporation Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas. In 2020, Oracle was the third-largest software company in the world by revenue and market capitalization. The company sells da ...
*
David L. Cohen David L. Cohen (born 1955) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Canada. He previously served as the senior advisor to the CEO of Comcast Corporation. Until January 1, 2020, he was ...
, executive vice-president of
Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
; former
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
to Philadelphia mayor, Ed Rendell * Peter Detkin, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures; former vice-president and assistant general counsel at
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 ser ...
* Paul Haaga, chairman of Capital Research and Management Company * Sam Hamadeh, founder of
Vault.com Mark Stanford Oldman (born January 5, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, wine expert, and author of several books on wine. He has been described as "one of the wine world's great populizers" and "one of the wine world's great showmen." He regularl ...
*
Scott Mead Scott Mead is an American fine art photographer, philanthropist, and investor currently based in London. After an early career in photography, Mead relocated to London in 1988, where as a partner at Goldman Sachs, he became known for overseeing ...
, partner and managing director of
Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, Ho ...
* Edward Benjamin Shils, professor and founder of the first research center for entrepreneurial studies in the world, at the
Wharton School The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
* Henry Silverman, CEO of
Cendant Corporation Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...
* Gigi Sohn, founder and president of
Public Knowledge Public Knowledge is a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based public interest group. Founded in 2001 by David Bollier and Gigi Sohn, Public Knowledge is primarily involved in the fields of intellectual property law, competition and choice in the dig ...


Media, Sports, and the Arts

*
Irving Baxter Irving Knott Baxter (March 25, 1876 in Utica, New York – June 13, 1957 in Utica, New York) was an American Athletics (sport), athlete, who won the gold medal in both the men's high jump and the pole vault at the 1900 Summer Olympic ...
(1876 - 1957) Penn Law Class of 1901 competed in the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France where he won three silver and two gold medals, winning both the high jump and pole vault competitions and placing second in the standing high jump, the standing triple jump, and the standing long jump; retired from competitive track and field without ever having lost a high jumping contest; admitted to the State Bar of New York, worked at the firm of Nash and Jones on Wall Street, appointed special judge for City of Utica, NY and U.S. Commissioner of the Northern District of New York * John Cromwell Bell, Jr. (Penn College Class of 1914 and Penn Law Class of 1917) a founding partner of law firm Bell, Murdoch, Paxson and Dilworth (now known as Dilworth Paxson LLP), appointed as Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking from 1939 to 1942, elected 18th
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently ...
and Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and for nineteen (19) days in 1947 automatically succeeded (due to resignation of incumbent Governor) to become 33rd
Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
., appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1951, served as Chief Justice from August 1961 until his retirement in January 1972 * John Cromwell (Penn Law Class of 1884) served as District Attorney of Philadelphia (1903–1907), 45th
Attorney General of Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current Attorney General is Democrat Josh Shapiro. On August 15, 2016, then-Attorney General Kat ...
(January 17, 1911 – January 19, 1915), director of Penn's athletic program, chaired Penn Football committee, was a Penn trustee (1911–), helped found the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
, and served on Intercollegiate Football Rules Committee responsible for many of the rule changes made in collegiate football in its early years. *
Renee Chenault-Fattah Renee Chenault-Fattah (born October 12, 1957) is an American journalist and former co-anchor of the WCAU NBC 10 News at 4 and 6 p.m. on weeknights in Philadelphia. She is married to former U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah of the 2nd Congressional D ...
, co-anchor of weekday edition of WCAU NBC 10 News in Philadelphia * Anita DeFrantz, 1976 Olympic bronze medalist in the women's eight-oared shell; first woman and first African-American to represent the United States on the International Olympic Committee (IOC); first female vice president of the IOC; two-time vice president of the International Rowing Federation *
Mark Haines Mark Haines (April 19, 1946 – May 24, 2011) was a host on the CNBC television network. Early life and education Haines grew up in Oyster Bay, New York, and resided in Monmouth County, New Jersey. His ''alma mater'' was Denison Univers ...
, host on
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk s ...
television network * El McMeen, guitarist *
Norman Pearlstine Norman Pearlstine (born October 4, 1942) is an American editor and media executive. He previously held senior positions at the '' Los Angeles Times'', Time Inc, Bloomberg L.P., ''Forbes'' and ''The Wall Street Journal''. Early life and educatio ...
, editor-in-chief of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' * Lisa Scottoline, author of legal thrillers *
Moe Jaffe Moe Jaffe (October 23, 1901 – December 2, 1972) was a songwriter and bandleader who composed more than 250 songs. He is best known for six: "Collegiate" (which was played by Chico Marx in the movie ''Horse Feathers''), " The Gypsy in My Soul", " ...
, (Wharton Undergraduate Class of 1923 and Penn Law Class of 1926) bandleader and songwriter *
John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...
, namesake of the
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
, graduated from the law school in 1892 * Sarah Elizabeth Hughes, Class of 2018, (born May 2, 1985) a former American competitive figure skater who is the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...
Gold Medalist Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles * Michael Smerconish, American television and radio host on CNN and SiriusXM graduated from Penn Law in 1987 * George Washington Woodruff (February 22, 1864 – March 24, 1934) Penn Law Class of 1895, Coach of Penn Crew (1892 through 1896) and Penn Football (1896 through 1901); as football coach (who originated “guards back,” “delayed pass,” and “flying interference” tactics) he compiled 124-15-2 record, including three undefeated seasons in 1894, 1895 and 1897 earning him election to the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...
and his teams being recognized as national champions in 1894, 1895, and 1897; also served on number of government positions, chief law officer in the
National Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
, Acting
United States secretary of the interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...
under President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
,
Pennsylvania Attorney General The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current Attorney General is Democrat Josh Shapiro. On August 15, 2016, then-Attorney General Kat ...
, federal judge for
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...


Notable faculty

The law school's faculty is selected to match its inter-disciplinary orientation. Seventy percent of the standing faculty hold advanced degrees beyond the JD, and more than a third hold secondary appointments in other departments at the university. The law school is well known for its corporate law group, with professors
Jill Fisch Jill E. Fisch is the Saul A. Fox Distinguished Professor of Business Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Co-Director of the Institute for Law & Economics in the Department of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton Schoo ...
, Elizabeth Pollman, and
David Skeel David Arthur Skeel, Jr. (born September 10, 1961) is an American law professor specializing in bankruptcy law and corporate law. He is the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a position he has h ...
being regularly included among the best corporate and securities law scholars in the country."Corporate Practice Commentator's "Top 10" Corporate & Securities Articles for 2010"
/ref> The School has also built a strong reputation for its law and economics group (professors
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...
, Jon Klick, and Natasha Sarin), its criminal law group (professors Stephanos Bibas,  Kim Ferzan, Leo Katz, Stephen J. Morse, Shaun Ossei-Owusu,
Paul H. Robinson Paul H. Robinson (born November 12, 1948) is the Colin S. Diver Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Biography Robinson earned a BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1970, a JD from UCLA Law School in 1974, an LLM ...
, and David Rudovsky) and its legal history group (professors Sally Gordon, Sophia Lee, Serena Mayeri, Karen Tani). Some notable Penn Law faculty members include: *
Anita L. Allen Anita LaFrance Allen (also Allen-Castellitto; born March 24, 1953) is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and professor of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She was formerly Vice Provost for Faculty from 2013 to 2020. ...
, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and professor of philosophy *
Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...
, deputy dean and insurance law * Stephanos Bibas, criminal law scholar, current judge for the
US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Eas ...
*
Stephen B. Burbank Stephen B. Burbank is the David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Education In 1964, Burbank graduated ''cum laude'' from the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he grad ...
, David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice *
Cary Coglianese Cary Coglianese is the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he is also director of the Penn Program on Regulation. Career Coglianese specializes in the study of re ...
, Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and professor of political science; director, Penn Program on Regulation * Jill Fisch, Saul A. Fox distinguished Professor of Business Law; co-director, Institute for Law and Economics * Douglas Frenkel, Morris Shuster Practice Professor of Law, director of Mediation Clinic * Sally Gordon, Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and professor of history * Allison Hoffman, professor of law * Leo Katz, Frank Carano Professor of Law * Jonathan Klick, Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Professor of Law * Michael Knoll, Theodore K. Warner Professor of Law & Professor of Real Estate; Co-Director, Center for Tax Law and Policy * Sophia Lee, professor of law and history * Serena Mayeri, professor of law and history * Charles ("Chuck") Mooney Jr., Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Professor of Law * Curtis R. Reitz, commercial law; Pennsylvania representative to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws * Shaun Ossei-Owusu, Presidential Assistant Professor of Law * Elizabeth Pollman, professor of law and co-director of the Institute of Law and EconomicsWendell Pritchett, Provost; James S. Riepe Presidential Professor of Law and Education * Dorothy E. Roberts, George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology and Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights *
Kermit Roosevelt Kermit Roosevelt Military Cross, MC (October 10, 1889 – June 4, 1943) was an American businessman, soldier, explorer, and writer. A son of Theodore Roosevelt, the List of Presidents of the United States, 26th President of the United States, K ...
, David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice * David Rudovsky, civil rights and criminal defense *
Chris William Sanchirico Chris William Sanchirico is the Samuel A. Blank Professor of Law, Business and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (primary) and the Wharton School (secondary). He is an expert on tax law and policy. Biography Sanc ...
, Samuel A. Blank Professor of Law, Business, and Public Policy; Co-Director, Center for Tax Law and Policy *
Anthony Joseph Scirica Anthony Joseph Scirica (born December 16, 1940) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Education and career Scirica was born on December 16, 1940, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He ...
, current judge, and former chief judge, of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit * Stephanos Bibas, current judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit * Beth Simmons, Andrea Mitchell University Professor in Law, Political Science, and Business Ethics * Karen Tani, Seaman Family University Professor in Law and History *
Amy Wax Amy Laura Wax (born January 19, 1953) is an American lawyer, neurologist, and academic. She is the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Her work addresses issues in social welfare law and policy, as w ...
, Robert Mundheim Professor of Law * Tobias Barrington Wolff, Jefferson B. Fordham Professor of Law; Deputy Dean, Alumni Engagement and Inclusion *
Christopher Yoo Christopher S. Yoo is the John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the founding director of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Competition. H ...
, John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer & Information Science; Director, Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition * David Hoffman, William A. Schnader Professor of Law * Kimberly Kessler Ferzan, Earle Hepburn Professor of Law and professor of philosophy; co-director, Institute of Law & Philosophy. The School's faculty is complemented by renowned international visitors in the frames of the Bok Visiting International Professors Program. Past and present Bok professors include Helena Alviar (Dean of Faculty of Law, University of the Andes), Pratap Bhanu Mehta (President of the Centre for Policy Research in India),  Armin von Bogdandy (Director at the
Max Planck Institute Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
for Comparative Public Law and International Law), Radhika Coomaraswamy (Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Rapporteur for Children and Armed Conflict 2006-2012, Member of the UN Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar), Juan Guzmán Tapia (the first judge who prosecuted former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet), Indira Jaising (Former Additional Solicitor General of India), Maina Kiai (UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2011-2017), Akua Kuenyehia (Former Judge of the International Criminal Court; Former Law Dean of University of Ghana),
Pratap Bhanu Mehta Pratap Bhanu Mehta (born 1967) is an Indian academician. He was the president of the Centre for Policy Research, a New Delhi-based think tank and was the Vice-Chancellor of Ashoka University from July 2017 to July 2019. Early life Pratap was bo ...
(President of the Centre for Policy Research in India), and Michael Trebilcock (Distinguished University Professor at the University of Toronto). Some of Penn's former faculty members have continued their careers at other institutions (''e.g.'',
Bruce Ackerman Bruce Arnold Ackerman (born August 19, 1943) is an American constitutional law scholar. He is a Sterling Professor at Yale Law School. In 2010, he was named by '' Foreign Policy'' magazine to its list of top global thinkers. Ackerman was also a ...
(now at Yale), Lani Guinier (now at Harvard), Michael H. Schill (now at Oregon), Myron T. Steele (now at Virginia), and
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...
(at Harvard until her election to the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...
)).


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Pennsylvania Law School University of Pennsylvania Law School 1790 establishments in Pennsylvania
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, ...
Ivy League law schools