| Stanford Law School is a graduate school at
Stanford University located near Palo Alto, California in
Silicon Valley. The Law School was established in 1893
when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the
faculty as the first professor of law. It employs about
50 faculty and deans, and hosts over 500 students who are
working towards their Juris Doctor. Stanford Law School
is considered one of the most prestigious law schools in
the United States. In 2006, and for seven of the last
nine years, US News & World Report has ranked
Stanford Law School second in its annual rankings of law
schools. Along with Harvard and Yale, Stanford typically
places among the top three law schools in the reputation
scores attributed to it by law professors and by lawyers
and judges.
Academics and Admissions
Kathleen Sullivan, the former Dean, remarked at her
appointment, "Who could resist a world class law
school in paradise?" With beautiful surroundings, a
small student body, and a very low student to faculty
ratio, the school has an intimate and collegial
environment. The academic program is flexible and
includes a diverse array of courses and clinics. Students
also publish top legal journals, such as the Stanford Law
Review.
As many as 5,000 students apply for admission each
year. Selection is intense: most students are ranked in
the top 5% of their graduating class, scored in the top
5% on the LSAT, and have considerable additional
accomplishments. Stanford may place more weight on
experience beyond academic numbers than almost any other
law school. In 2005, Stanford Law School's acceptance
rate was 7.8%, higher only than that of Yale Law School.
The Law School has a distinguished history of
producing leaders in the judiciary and academia, in
addition to corporate law, government, and the public
interest. Upon graduation, about 60% of students join law
firms and 30% accept clerkships, most with federal
judges. Despite its small size, recently, Stanford has
produced the third most professors of law in the country
and the fourth most clerks to the Supreme Court.
The late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist
and former Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor are both
Stanford alumni, as is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of California Ronald M. George.
Notable alumni
- Max Baucus (1967), U.S. Senator (1979–present)
- Carlos Bea (1958), Judge of the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals
- Riley Bechtel {1977}, Chairman and CEO, Bechtel
Group
- Jeff Bingaman (1968), U.S. Senator (1983–present)
- Joshua B. Bolten (1980), Director of the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget (2003-2006),
White House Chief of Staff (2006–present)
- Warren Christopher (1949), U.S. Secretary of
State (1993–1997)
- Frank Church (1950), U.S. Senator (1957–1981)
- William Donlon Edwards (1939), U.S. Congressman
(1963–1995)
- John Ehrlichman (1951), infamous figure in the
Watergate scandal
- Raymond C. Fisher (1966), Judge of the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals
- Ronald M. George (1964), Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of California (1996–present)
- Matt Gonzalez (1990), first Green Party candidate
elected to local office, garnered 47% of votes
for mayor of San Francisco
- Dahlia Lithwick (1995), Senior Editor at Slate
- Cheryl Mills {1990}, Deputy Counsel to President
Clinton
- William Neukom (1967), first General Counsel at
Microsoft
- Sandra Day O'Connor (1952), first female U.S.
Supreme Court Justice (1981–2006; retired)
- Penny Pritzker {1984}, CEO of Pritzker Realty and
Chairman, Hyatt Classic Residence
- William Rehnquist (1952), Chief Justice of the
United States (1986–2005); died while
serving
- Anthony Romero (1990), Executive Director of the
ACLU (2001–present)
- Peter Thiel (1992), founder of Paypal
- John Van de Kamp (1959), Attorney General of
California (1982–1991)
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