A Tradition of Leadership

Washington and Lee University School of Law has witnessed many changes in the years since its founding in 1849. In the Law School's earliest days, Judge John White Brockenbrough was the sole faculty member, and the course of study was short. Yet the Law School made a difference in the life of the nation almost immediately, educating countless Governors, State Supreme Court Justices across the country, a Supreme Court Justice and Solicitor General of the United States, ambassadors, cabinet members, legislators and distinguished members of the bar.

Though the profession and legal education have changed over the years, the Law School today remains a vital part of the national scene. Our graduates sit on federal and state benches throughout the nation, practice law in large corporate firms and small family practices, prosecute and defend criminal cases, represent the government at the national, state and local levels, lead businesses, advise corporations, advocate on behalf of public interest groups and serve in the myriad of ways that lawyers have served society since the beginning of our nation.