Welcome to Yale Law School!
During this virtual tour, we hope you will discover the rich academic environment available at the Law School, gain an insight into student life, and get a glimpse of the many academic and professional opportunities available here. A virtual tour with 360-degree views is also available.
Yale Law School’s distinctive approach to legal education is rooted in a commitment to academic excellence, a restless desire to innovate, and a passion for service. Here in New Haven, our remarkable students are taught by world-class faculty and backed by a wide-ranging curriculum that affords extraordinary opportunities to think deeply, practice, and serve.
Setting and Approach
The Law School occupies a full city block in the heart of Yale University in downtown New Haven, a lively, urban center. Near Yale Law School, Wall Street becomes Alexander Walk, a landscaped, stone-paved pedestrian path that cuts through the Yale campus.
Located on the Connecticut shoreline and between New York and Boston, New Haven is home to vibrant neighborhoods, a tantalizing variety of restaurants for all tastes and budgets, and a bountiful arts and culture scene.
Front Entrance
This is the Sterling Law Building, constructed from 1929 to 1931 and modeled on the English Inns of Court. Two Gothic arches frame the main entrance. Past stone steps and a ramp are two oak doors leading to the main hallway.
Main Hallway
During the academic year, the main hallway buzzes with activity as students travel between classes or head to events and talks. At the base of the main staircase is “The Table,” a central meeting place for the YLS community and a great place to talk to students about their Law School experience. A video monitor above the Table displays the day's events.
Yale Law School students are at the center of a dynamic community. Whether attending classes, organizing conferences and events, or volunteering to work for myriad organizations, our students are campus and community leaders who bring idealism and passion into every aspect of their lives.
Main Staircase
Leaded glass windows on the first and second floor landings reproduce famous caricatures of English judges and chancellors. Portraits of former deans and prominent alumni line the stone walls of the staircase.
Lillian Goldman Law Library Class of 1964 Reading Room
The Lillian Goldman Law Library holds nearly 1 million print volumes as well as unparalleled access to domestic, foreign, and international law databases.
Enter from the second-floor hallway to the Class of 1964 Reading Room, an expansive space that stretches 212 feet long and rises 39 feet from floor to ceiling. Symbolic limestone carving, oak woodwork, and elaborately painted vaulted ceilings all contribute to this impressive interior. Running along High Street are 11 large stained glass windows with medallions depicting circumstances of life that involve the law.
Books aren’t the only thing you can check out — the Library offers board games, bike tire pumps, soccer balls, and Frisbees, among other items. Even phone chargers and umbrellas are available.
Yale Law School provides significant support to students interested in pursuing independent academic and research projects, as well as other student-led initiatives. In addition, the Law School provides generous funding for summer and post-graduate public interest work, as well as a generous loan repayment program.
The Library, Continued
Many students have study carrels, located one floor above the main reading room. Quiet spaces for study can also be found in the lower level, which is also home to the Paskus-Danzinger Rare Book Room. One of the outstanding collections of historical law books and manuscripts in North America, it contains some 50,000 volumes. The lower levels are also home to an unusual library feature, an aquarium of colorful fish.
Room 127
The Sterling Law Building houses classrooms of all sizes, scaled for large lectures and small seminars. Room 127 is the largest lecture hall in the Sterling Law Building and hosts larger classes as well as special events.
Our world-renowned faculty members teach a wide array of courses, both highly theoretical and intensely practical. There are also countless opportunities for independent research, writing, and student-organized reading groups. Students are encouraged to learn deeply and investigate their own ideas about the law. Every student works closely with the faculty to complete two major research papers, and many students go on to publish their work.
The Law School’s graduate programs are truly global — both in the breadth of resources available through Yale Law School and in the composition of our student body. Our graduate students enjoy the intimacy of a small program and a close relationship with our faculty. The Law School offers LL.M., J.S.D., M.S.L., and Ph.D. in Law graduate programs.
Seminar Room 109
Clinics, small classes, and student groups often meet in seminar rooms like this one to work on collaborative projects. During their first semester, students are assigned to a “small group” of 16–18 people for one of their four classes and take all of their first semester classes together. This cohort is a formative experience that helps students develop community bonds with their peers and strong connections to faculty
Yale Law School has a large and varied clinical program. Law students write briefs, prepare witnesses, try cases, negotiate settlements, argue appeals, draft legislation, and engage in transactional and policy work. Our clinical faculty members are highly skilled lawyers and teachers, as well as leading scholars.
More than 90% of students participate in at least one clinic, and more than one-third participate in more than one during their time at the Law School. Read more about the impactful work of Law School clinics on our clinic news page.
Student Lounge and Alumni Reading Room
The Student Lounge, found at the midpoint of the main hallway, is a central gathering place where students hang out and relax between classes.
Next to the Student Lounge is the Alumni Reading Room, a quiet space to read and study. Stairs from this room lead to the lower level of the Lillian Goldman Law Library.
With more than 50 official student organizations and eight different journals , there are many ways for students to get involved outside of the classroom.
The Office of Student Affairs assists students and student organizations during their time at the Law School.
Levinson Auditorium
The auditorium is host to guest speakers and to convocation, the ceremonial welcome to new students at the start of the fall term. Alumni also gather here during Reunion Weekend for the Dean's state-of-the-school address.
Ruttenberg Dining Hall
The Ruttenberg Dining Hall is where students to gather to eat, but it's also used for meetings and study. Ruttenberg serves meals, snacks, and beverages throughout the day, starting with morning coffee. Events and receptions have also been held here, including some alumni weddings and a visit by the Red Sox World Series trophy!
Calabresi Faculty Lounge
Named for Judge and former YLS Dean Guido Calabresi ’58 LLB, the Lounge hosts events with speakers from around the world, workshops in which cutting-edge scholarship is discussed, and faculty meetings.
The curriculum at Yale Law School is augmented by events that enrich legal education and scholarship. Distinguished speakers — lawyers, judges, government officials, scholars, and other prominent figures — are invited by faculty members, student organizations, and a thriving network of centers and workshops to give talks or participate in panel discussions on a wide variety of topics.
Sol Goldman Courtyard
The Sol Goldman Courtyard is the heart of the Sterling Law Building. Students study and share meals here, and even play whiffle ball or have a snowball fight. In the spring, a beautiful magnolia tree blooms and marks the change of seasons.
Carol and Gene Ludwig Hall
From the Courtyard, you can enter Ludwig Hall, dedicated in 2022. Ludwig Hall is home to the Tsai Leadership Program and its two pillars, The Michael S. and Alexa B. Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership and the Carol and Gene Ludwig Program in Public Sector Leadership. The program builds upon Yale Law School's history while helping create a law school curriculum for the next century.
Baker Hall and Joseph and Marie Field Courtyard
In 2018, Yale Law School dedicated Robert C. and Christina Baker Hall, the School’s first permanent physical expansion since 1931.
Baker Hall is a modern extension of the Law School campus, and includes 61 apartments for Law School and other Yale graduate students. The building holds a number of smaller classrooms for seminars, a student lounge and other common spaces, as well as conference rooms where students can study, meet, and make calls. The Joseph and Marie Field Courtyard features great outdoor spaces to study and socialize.
Baker Hall Interior
Bright, modern finishes — white marble and light wood paneling — distinguish Baker Hall's interior. The ground floor public spaces feature works of art that reference themes of social justice. Just past the lobby is a hallway of glass-walled conference rooms for meeting and study.
Notably, Baker Hall returned residential living to the Law School campus for the first time in decades. The 61 apartments, mostly two-bedroom units, offer modern design and flexible spaces for students to live and learn.
Baker Hall also includes nine lounges and 13 quiet study workspaces located throughout the building.
Paul Tsai Lecture Theater
The Paul Tsai Lecture Theater is located on the ground floor of Baker Hall and is the building’s largest teaching space. It provides cutting-edge technology in elegant, modern surroundings.
Yale Law students and graduates are among the most sought after in the nation by employers of all types, and each one has the choice to follow the career path that is right for them. Our graduates find multiple and meaningful ways to contribute to their communities. A degree from Yale Law School opens doors across the United States and around the world, including in public interest careers of all kinds; at law firms big and small; in business as founders, lawyers, and executives; in the judiciary as clerks and judges; and in the academy as scholars and teachers.
Our Career Development Office provides a variety of resources to help students and alumni develop an effective career plan. The counselors can identify helpful resources, support the job search, and forge connections among students, faculty, and alumni.