Yale Law School records

Collection

Call Number: RU 449

Scope and Contents

The records consist of correspondence, subject files, finance records, lists, certificates, and miscellaneous papers documenting the activities and operations of the Yale Law School. Topics include admissions, legal societies and associations, publications and journals, bar examinations, commencement, curriculum, faculty, scholarships, and student affairs

Dates

1820-1961

Creator

Yale Law School

Conditions Governing Access

Access to the records is partially restricted. See inventory for details

Some records in this finding aid have been redacted, as they include student names, donor names, and other restricted data. These records will not appear in the published finding aid.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of Yale University is retained by Yale University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user

Arrangement

The records are arranged by accession

Extent

38 Linear Feet (93 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ru.0449

Additional Description

Overview

Biographical / Historical

In the first decade of the nineteenth century, Seth P. Staples (Yale 1797) opened a school for law students in New Haven. In 1824 the school became affiliated with Yale College. The college conferred its first law degrees in 1843. The course of study originally extended for two years, and in 1896 it was lengthened to three years. Subsequently a college degree became a prerequisite for the Bachelor of Laws degree. Graduate courses leading to advanced degrees began in 1876. In 1926 honors courses appeared and the school adopted a selective admission process. In 1971, the Yale Corporation authorized the Juris Doctor degree; all candidates for the first professional law degree were awarded the J.D. degree rather than the L.L.B. in 1971. The first Master of Studies in Law degrees were awarded in 1974. The School is housed in its own Gothic-style quadrangle, the Sterling Law Buildings. Completed in 1931, the quadrangle was the g

General note

Forms part of Yale Record Group 26-A (YRG 26-A), Central records and records of the dean of the Yale Law School

Processing Information

Yale University records are arranged and described at the accession level by the creating office. The University Archives creates collection level descriptive records, but typically does no further arrangement and description at the accession level