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About

Harvard Law School is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world.

Harvard Law School combines genuine excellence and wonderful diversity on a scale that is unmatched anywhere. No law school has done more to shape law or legal education. The unique strength of our community is that it brings together, from around the world, so many exceptionally talented people of different backgrounds, lived experiences, interests, ambitions, approaches, methodologies, and perspectives.

HLS at a Glance

  • The Year HLS was Founded 1817
  • Size of Student Body 1,900+
  • Courses and Seminars 500+
Students walking on campus in the fall

Student Life

Approximately 1,990 students attend HLS each year:

  • 1,750 J.D. students
  • 180 LL.M. students
  • 60 S.J.D. candidates

Student Life

“Our students change the world, and being connected to them and their work—here and after they leave—is incredibly exciting.”

—Andrew Manuel Crespo ’08
Morris Wasserstein Public Interest Professor of Law, HLS

At HLS, a wide variety of extracurricular activities complement and enrich the classroom and clinical experiences. Whether exploring professional interests, serving the public, or merely socializing, students engage in an enormous range of activity on the HLS campus beyond the classroom. At present, there are more than 100 student organizations and journals at HLS. Student organizations based on a range of personal or professional interests plan workshops, panels, concerts, networking opportunities, and conferences.

Harvard Law School offers students a curriculum of unparalleled breadth: more than 500 courses, seminars, and reading groups that together reflect the remarkable range of the faculty’s expertise and interests. Teaching and mentoring take place side by side, as faculty and students learn together and collaborate on meaningful projects.