Scholarly Commons @ IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law

IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law was honored to celebrate 125 Years of Distinctive Legal Education in 2013.

More than 800 alumni and friends joined us for the 125th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, February 23. One of the largest events in law school history, the Gala was a great way to kick off a year of celebrations, followed by a block party on Saturday, September 28 and the 125 Alumni of Distinction Dinner Ceremony on November 21.

History
From the law school's founding in 1888 as the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois, Chicago-Kent has a history marked by innovation and excellence.

Recognizing that equal justice before the law could only be attained through equal access to legal education, Judge Thomas Moran and Judge Joseph Bailey founded the Chicago Evening Law Classes to offer evening instruction to working men and women. Originally held in the judges' chambers, the classes quickly moved to a more formal setting. A year later, in 1888, Chicago College of Law was incorporated.

In 1900, Chicago College of Law merged with Kent College of Law, which was founded by former Northwestern Law dean Marshall D. Ewell and named after Chancellor James Kent, author of Commentaries on American Law. The merger of Chicago-Kent with Illinois Institute of Technology in 1969 gave recognition to the need for a partnership between legal education and science and technology to prepare students properly to face the challenges of a complex society.