The mixture of interests and experiences found in the Columbia J.D. student body is enriched further by the presence of foreign-trained lawyers, drawn to Columbia from around the world, from both civil and common law traditions. Many of these candidates for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree have held important positions in their countries' governments, corporations, or in political or human rights organizations. They provide an intellectual cross-fertilization with J.D. students that adds an international dimension to a Columbia Law School education.
Faculty members, including the most senior professors, are accessible to students within and beyond the classroom. And a considerable portion of a student's learning at Columbia takes place on a small scale. At least one substantive course in the first semester is limited to approximately 28 students. During their upperclass years, students choose from a broad array of small seminars (numbering about 140), averaging 13 students. The student-faculty ratio is even lower in the Law School's clinics, with one faculty member for every eight to twelve students. Beyond the classroom, students work with professors as research assistants, participating in theoretical and practical endeavors that advance legal scholarship and the practice of law.
The Law School also makes special efforts to bring its first-year students (1Ls) together socially. In addition to orientation activities, the academic year begins with a dinner for 1Ls and faculty members. Faculty advisors take first-year students out to dinner or lunch in the fall. And throughout the year, students gather in small groups with faculty for receptions and for breakfasts with prominent alumni/ae through the popular Dean's Luncheon Series.
Columbia also supports the development of community within the student body. Students work in teams on classroom and extracurricular projects. There is a wide variety of publications, clubs, and interest groups to join, and students organize study groups for mutual support and learning. And, while celebrating individual achievement, the School does not issue class rankings; all graduates of Columbia are considered highly qualified to enter the legal profession.
Unlike the legal profession of just a generation or two ago, the world in which lawyers now practice is a professional global village. Some of the major changes in the past decade include increased internationalization, technological progress, and the continuing movement in value creation toward intellectual property. Columbia Law School's response to such societal changes springs from its long-standing commitment to constant evolution and responsible innovation -- to offering educational opportunities and producing important scholarship in fields of interest to every person with a passionate intellectual interest in the law, and in how law affects our society.
The men and women of Columbia Law School do not see themselves as detached observers of events or as caretakers of the status quo. Fired by a sense of pride and a spirit of service, they consider themselves to be hands-on participants in building legal systems and social organizations that protect justice and promote opportunity for all. Throughout its history, Columbia has encouraged its students and faculty to mold the law, not merely convey it. The convictions of our graduates are reflected in the contributions they have made -- not only to the legal profession, but also to government and politics, business, education, philanthropy, and the arts -- shaping culture and human progress throughout the world.
