History/Legacy
A LEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENTEstablished in 1847, Cumberland School of Law is one of the oldest law schools in the country. Originally located in Lebanon, Tennessee, the school was founded by Judge Abraham Caruthers, an innovator in legal education. In a time when legal study was conducted by apprenticeship or through lectures, the law school pioneered an instructional method based on intensive trial practice. This laid the foundation for what is widely acclaimed as the nation's finest program in trial advocacy.
Over the next six decades, Cumberland School of Law would produce a long list of distinguished graduates, including two Supreme Court justices (Howell Edmunds Jackson and Horace Harmon Lurton), several governors (including the most recent past Florida Governor Charlie Crist '81) and U.S. secretary of state, Cordell Hull (known as the Father of the United Nations). Photo compliments the "Cordell Hull Foundation." As innovative as ever, the curriculum continues to break new ground in law study, including the usage of technology in the courtroom; one of the first centers in the country for Biotechnology, Law, and Ethics; many regional and national law school competition wins and the South's only Community Mediation Center. With approximately 7,600 accomplished alumni in 48 states and abroad, Cumberland School of Law continues to make a name for itself in legal education. View a timeline of events.
Helpful Cumberland Navigator: Related Pages Page last updated: Fri, 02/22/2013 - 09:28 |
In 1865, during the Civil War, the law school’s buildings were burned to the ground; yet, through sheer determination, the school continued its programs. 
attracting a faculty with significant practical experience and a diverse student body whose shared interest in the law creates a true sense of community.