Our History

The Sterling Law Building includes wood carvings, stone gargoyles, and stained-glass windows.

But the ceilings and “wooden” beams above the main entrance and the Grove Street door are actually made of papier mache painted to look like wood.

In addition to the thousands of alumni Yale Law School takes pride in, we can also boast about fictional graduates, including Batman, as revealed in Detective Comics #439 by a diploma on Bruce Wayne's wall.

In 1961, the diploma of Bill Frost ’51 was used as a prop in the movie Butterfield 8, starring Elizabeth Taylor. Here is a letter of thanks to Frost from the manager of the production department of MGM.

In 1966, Yale Law School created a Film Society that hosted film screenings and invited directors to campus.

The 1949 movie Adam's Rib featured a fictional Yale Law School graduate, Amanda Bonner, played by Katharine Hepburn.

And in 2007, Steven Spielberg filmed scenes for the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in Sterling Law Building.

A painting from the Indiana Jones shoot remains in the Faculty Dining Room.

Athletics is another interest of the Yale Law School community. In 1874, the Law School had its own athletic teams. In 1894, the School’s baseball team won the World’s Fair Intercollegiate Baseball Tournament.

Some of our alumni had careers as professional athletes, including Hall of Famer James O’Rourke (Class of 1887), who got the first hit in the history of Major League Baseball in 1876.

In 1940, Byron White led the National Football League in rushing yards while enrolled at Yale Law School. He went on to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Lillian Goldman Law Library is one of the largest law libraries in the United States with over a million print volumes. It is also where Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham first met.

On a lower level of the law library, students can enjoy a beautiful tank of freshwater fish.

If inanimate animals are more your thing, check out the giant rabbit sculpture in the lower level of the library. It was damaged in the bombing of 2003 but is still standing.

In 2011, the library instituted a therapy dog program (pioneered by the legendary terrier Monty) that inspires worldwide attention. After Monty, Jozy became the cuddly unofficial mascot of the School.