Beasley School of Law, Temple University

The Temple University Beasley School of Law has a commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, scholarship, research, and service. Faculty members are committed to helping students achieve the highest possible level of skill and to preparing them to enter and remain in the legal profession. They also have a strong commitment to professional responsibility principles and a personal obligation to help the communities where they live and work. Our foundational goal is to make legal education available to all talent, regardless of their race, creed or sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, age, socioeconomic background, or any other characteristics. We strive to build and sustain a law school community that's diverse, inclusive and committed to equal justice under the law. In 1895, Temple College's Department of Law opened the Law School. Henry S. Borneman was the school's first Dean. He proposed to Russell Conwell to organize evening classes in law study for students who wanted to prepare for the bar exam. Dr. Conwell replied carefully: "[Y]u go ahead. Borneman was elected Dean and began to recruit faculty. Borneman had intended to create a day and an evening division. However, 46 students enrolled initially in the evening section. In 1901, the Law School graduated its 16th class. The Pennsylvania State Board of Bar Examiners granted it accreditation in 1907. Classestheyre originally held at College Hall on Temple's main campus. The school moved to Center City Philadelphia in 1910. It had several homes throughout the years. One was above a shoe repair shop; another was above the loud printing presses of the Philadelphia Ledger. Another was in Gimbel's Department Store. Students had to walk through the retail merchandise floors for their classes. The University's Law School moved to Klein Hall in its current main campus building in 1954.