Columbia Law School

Columbia Law School is a law school located on the Columbia University campus in Morningside Heights, Manhattan. Its buildings combine classical limestone facades with modern lecture halls, seminar rooms and a large legal library.

The law school opened in 1858 as part of Columbia University with just 35 enrolled students. Over the following decades it expanded its curriculum and facilities to meet growing demand for legal education.

Students from all fifty states and more than fifty countries attend classes together, bringing different legal traditions into daily discussions and group work. The library serves as a central meeting point where law students prepare cases and debate recent court decisions between lectures.

The buildings sit within the main university campus, which is open to the public but does not offer organized tours of the law school itself. Visitors can walk through the public areas and grounds during regular daytime hours.

The library houses the personal papers and documents of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. These historical records provide insight into the founding period of American justice and early legal history.

Location: Manhattan

Inception: 1858

Part of: Columbia University

Website: https://law.columbia.edu

GPS coordinates: 40.80694,-73.96028

Latest update: December 12, 2025 23:12