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Georgetown Law began modestly in the 19th century when the directors of Georgetown University recommended the establishment of a separate department to train lawyers. It was the first law school created by a Jesuit institution of higher learning in the United States.
In the fall of 1870, with high expectations and a tenuous financial structure, Georgetown’s law school enrolled 25 students from 12 states and Cuba. The course of study required two years of evening classes. The LL.M. program began in 1878 and enrolled its first international student from the Philippines – in 1903. Though the law school weathered heavy financial storms and other worries, the vision of its early leaders, the reputation of the faculty, and the record of the first graduating class helped to build a strong foundation that would see it through the next century and beyond.