A History of Law Schools: A Battle Between Law as a Science and Law as a Product of Society

The history of law schools is a battle of ideas. Ideas over what the law is, how it should be taught and the kinds of students a law school should produce. Frequently, law schools have been the battleground of fierce intellectual rivalries, with rival schools of thought battling for supremacy and control over the curriculum. The major battle has been between those who saw law as a liberal art (a product of society and social forces) and those who saw law as a science or trade. Over time, the latter group has largely prevailed, creating the modern legal education system that dominates most common law countries.

How have we got here and what have we lost along the way?