| Chicago-Kent College of Law | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent school | Illinois Institute of Technology |
| Established | 1888 |
| School type | Private |
| Dean | Jason J. Czarnezki |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Enrollment | 764 (659 full-time, 105 part-time)[1] |
| Faculty | 74 full-time[2] |
| USNWR ranking | 107th (tie) (2025)[3] |
| Bar pass rate | 90.37%[1] |
| Website | kentlaw |
TheChicago-Kent College of Law is thelaw school of theIllinois Institute of Technology, a private research university inChicago, Illinois. It is the second oldest law school in the state ofIllinois (afterNorthwestern Law).[4]
Chicago-Kent was founded in 1888 byJustice Joseph M. Bailey.[4] Today, it employs more than 140 faculty members and hosts more than 700 students in itsJuris Doctor program,Master of Laws, and joint degree programs.[5] The school is recognized for its three-year legal writing curriculum[6] and offers J.D. concentrations in business law, criminal litigation, environmental and energy law, intellectual property, labor and employment, and privacy law.[7]
Chicago College of Law was founded in 1888 by Appellate JudgeThomas Moran and JudgeJoseph Bailey. The classes started in the judges' chambers to prepare men and women for the newly instituted Illinoisbar examination. A year later, in 1888, the Chicago College of Law was incorporated. In 1891, Emma Baumann became the first woman to graduate from the school.Ida Platt, in 1894, graduated with honors and also became the first black woman admitted to the Illinois bar.[4] From 1889 to 1892 the Chicago College of Law was affiliated withLake Forest University as its legal department.[8][9]
During the same period,Marshall D. Ewell, formerly on the faculty ofUnion College of Law, foundedKent College of Law, which was named after ChancellorJames Kent, author ofCommentaries on American Law, a classic in early American legal scholarship. Within ten years, the Chicago College of Law and Kent College of Law merged to formChicago-Kent College of Law.[4] The law school's chief publication is theChicago-Kent Law Review, which publishes one volume of three issues each year.[10] The law review has received contributions from U.S. Supreme Court JusticeJohn Paul Stevens, Circuit JudgeRichard A. Posner, and authorMichael Crichton.[10] Students at Chicago-Kent publish five other legal journals on an annual basis, including theChicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property and theSeventh Circuit Review.[11]
The law school has a notable history of firsts, including the establishment of the first chapters of Lambda Epsilon, laterPhi Alpha Delta, the world’s largest legal fraternity, and the creation of theChicago-Kent Law Review, which began as theAthenaeum Law Bulletin in 1923, one of the nation's first law reviews.[4]
Chicago-Kent moved several times during its history, including to the 116 NorthMichigan Avenue building in 1912 and the 10 North Franklin Street building in 1924, which served as its home for the next 50 years, prior to its final relocation at 565 West Adams Street in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood. In 1969, Chicago-Kent merged with theIllinois Institute of Technology to prepare students to face the challenges of a complex society.[4]
The law school pioneered the three-yearlegal writing and research program in 1978 and established the first in-house, fee-generatinglaw school clinic in 1976. The law school'strial advocacy program was established in 1971 and theMoot Court Honor Society in 1978. In 1984, it became the first law school to make the computer an integral part of the study of law.[12] Many of the applications of technology now taken for granted in the law school classroom were pioneered at Chicago-Kent.
In 1989, Chicago-Kent established a chapter of theOrder of the Coif, an honorary scholastic society that encourages excellence in legal education by fostering a spirit of careful study and recognizing students, lawyers, judges, and teachers for their outstanding legal scholarship.[4]
In 2019,Anita K. Krug was appointed dean, becoming the first woman to hold the position permanently in the school's history.[13]
The 2023 edition ofU.S. News & World Report[6] ranked Chicago-Kent College of Law:
The law school's trial advocacy teams have a long tradition of excellence at both national and regional competitions, and have won the National Trial Competition, the premier trial advocacy competition in the United States, in 1988, 2007, 2008, and 2015.[14]
Some of Chicago-Kent's past competition wins and accolades include being finalists in Syracuse Law's National Trial League, national quarterfinalists and regional champions in the National Trial Competition, and quarterfinalists in the Queens District Attorney's National Trial Competition. The law school's students have also been regional finalists in the American Association for Justice Student Trial Competition and quarterfinalists in the University of South Carolina Law's Trials and Tribulations National Trial Competition. In addition, Chicago-Kent's students have won the Best Advocate award in several competitions, including the South Texas Mock Trial Challenge and the All-Star Bracket Challenge.[14]
In the 2020-2021 competition year, Chicago-Kent's trial advocacy teams were particularly successful, winning the Top Gun National Mock Trial Competition XII and being regional champions in the National Trial Competition. They also had semifinalists in the National Ethics Trial Competition and the Drexel Battle of the Experts, as well as quarterfinalists in the South Texas Mock Trial Challenge and the Stetson National Pre-Trial Competition.[14]
Chicago-Kent College of law, in conjunction with the Office of International Programs, and the Illinois Institute of Technology'sStuart School of Business, offer the following programs:
According to Chicago-Kent's official ABA-required disclosures, 89.9% of the Class of 2015 obtained employment nine months after graduation.[21] Chicago-Kent's Law School Transparency under-employment score is 20.9%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2013 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[22]
The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Chicago-Kent for the 2013–2014 academic year is $64,867.[23] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $239,727.[24]
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