The University of Wisconsin Law School occupies a special place in legal education. We are known for our law-in-action approach to teaching and studying the law and also for the Wisconsin Idea, a philosophy that is at the core of the university of which we are a part.
We have a strong tradition that has served us well throughout the years and that will be relevant for tomorrow’s leaders. Service to the state, nation, and increasingly the world not only allows our faculty to use their expertise in solving the problems of others, but also creates an invaluable learning experience for faculty and students.
Wisconsin law faculty members have for generations drafted statutes and regulations and consulted with legislators and administrators about how to use legal means to get where they wanted to go. We’ve helped lawyers deal with novel legal questions, and we’ve helped make the adversary system work by supplying representation in under-served areas of the law, taking test cases, and studying how the legal system works. For decades the school has had a remarkable international presence, and we are well-known and respected in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Our rich tradition is an important part of who we are, and it will remain an important part of who we become. If you’d like to learn more about our legal tradition, the articles listed below will give you a place to start.
- Kenneth B. Davis, Jr., Law in Action:
A Dean's View, 30 Gargoyle 2-5 (2004)
- Paul D. Carrington and Erika King, Law and the Wisconsin Idea, 47
J. Legal Ed. 297 (1997) [ pdf ]
- W. Scott van Alystyne, Jr., The University of Wisconsin Law School 1868-1968: An Outline History, 1968 Wis. L. Rev. 321 [ pdf ]
- John E. Conway, The Law School: Service to the State and Nation,
1968 Wis. L. Rev. 345 [ pdf ]
- Willard Hurst, Changing Responsibilities of the Law School 1868-1968, 1968 Wis. L. Rev. 336 [ pdf ]
- Stewart Macaulay, Wisconsin's Legal Tradition, 24 Gargoyle 6-10 (1994) [ pdf ]
