University of Michigan Law School

Ann Arbor's University of Michigan Law School is a top-ranked institution of legal education. The Law School, located on the University of Michigan's main campus in the Cook Quadrangle, is unrivaled for its beauty and superbly functional for its residential community and scholarly community. The University of Michigan was established in 1817. It has a rich and distinguished history. The Northwest Territorial Ordinance, which provided public land for the University of Michigan and other Midwestern universities in 1787, established a tradition for excellence in higher education. Three Native American nations--the Ojibwa (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewadini (Potawatomi)--subsequently granted certain lands for use by the University of Michigan, and by the end of the 19th century, Michigan was the largest and most generously supported public university in America and already a leader in graduate education. The University of Michigan Law School was established in 1859. It is one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. Contrary to other selective law schools of that time, admission was not restricted to thetheyalthy. Gabriel Hargo was the first African American to earn a law degree at Michigan's Law School, which was the nation's largest.