Northeastern University School of Law

Today's hot buttons in legal education are "experiential" (or "collaborative") and "collaborative". These buttons have been hot attheir law school since 1968 whenthey started the Cooperative Legal Education Program. Boston needed an evening program in law in the latter half of the 19th century. We gave it one. This is not a concept that will make heads turn today. The idea was groundbreaking when Robert Gray Dodge gave the school's first lecture on Property in 1898. This was not the only one. It was founded on the idea that a law school should be responsive to the local community. This was a radical educational idea. Wetheyre forced to close the school in 1956 despite having more than 2,400 students at the time. This was despite the fact thatthey had been able to anchor the creation of Northeastern University. Our graduates worked hard for a revival. Their efforts paid off in 1968-1969 when the School of Law was reopened. We made cooperative legal education the foundation oftheir program, a unique way to educate lawyers that recognizes both the interdependence of theory and practice. This was in keeping with the tradition of innovation. Fast forward 50+ years, andtheir mission -- to combine theory and practice with ethical or social justice ideals, so students understand the role of lawyers and how they can help others -- still rings true louder than ever. Northeastern University School of Law is a leader in experiential legal education. It provides students with the knowledge and skills, astheyll as ethical and social values, necessary to serve clients and the public interests, both now and in the future. We promote social justice through teaching, scholarship, and public service.