William & Mary has many things to offer its students--among them its unique place in American history. Chartered in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, the College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in America. William & Mary has endured the ravages of two wars--the War of Independence and the Civil War--and played a substantial role in each. The Sir Christopher Wren Building, the oldest academic structure in America in continuous classroom use, was constructed in 1695. Partially destroyed by fire three times, occupied by invaders twice, it stands today as a lasting landmark to the enduring spirit of the College.

Several of America's greatest early leaders studied in the Wren Building. They include three American presidents--Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler. George Washington received his surveyor's license at William & Mary and returned after his presidency to serve as its Chancellor. The list of patriots who attended William & Mary is long and distinguished: 16 members of the Continental Congress; four signers of the Declaration of Independence; four Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, including John Marshall; more than 30 United States Senators; over 60 members of the House of Representatives; eight members of Presidential cabinets; 18 ministers to foreign countries; and 27 Governors of 10 states.

Thomas Jefferson effected widespread changes at the College while serving as Governor of Virginia and as a member of the Board of Visitors. Thanks to Jefferson's reorganization, the College adopted America's first elective system of study and introduced the Honor System, which remains an integral part of the College today. In 1776, William & Mary established Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's first scholastic fraternity.

The Chair of Law at William & Mary, created in 1779 by the Board of Visitors at the urging of Thomas Jefferson, was the first established in the United States. The first occupant of the Chair was George Wythe, in whose offices studied Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, James Monroe and Henry Clay. Wythe, a leader in the struggle for independence, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the Federal Constitutional Convention. He became a powerful force in the development of American legal education. During the decade of his professorship, he developed a comprehensive course of law study which emphasized the acquisition of practical skills in such areas as legislative drafting and oral advocacy.

Wythe's successor was one of his pre-Revolutionary students, St. George Tucker, who proved to be a pioneer in legal education. Tucker drafted a formal description of the requirements for a law degree at the College, which included an exacting schedule of qualifying examinations in history, government and related pre-law subjects. Tucker's course material was soon published as the first American edition of Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England. This work was the earliest treatise on the common law adapted to the needs of the legal profession in the United States. For a generation, Tucker's volume was considered the leading authority on American law.

Tucker's successors as Professor of Law at William & Mary included the brothers William and Robert Nelson, James Semple and St. George Tucker's son, Nathaniel Beverley Tucker. The younger Tucker was the author of Principles of Pleading, which became a leading authority of its day. Beverley Tucker is perhaps best remembered as one of the ablest exponents of the states' rights school of Southern constitutional law.

The growth of the Law School at William & Mary was abruptly halted by the beginning of the Civil War. The commencement of military campaigns on the Virginia Peninsula compelled the College to close its doors. It would be another 60 years before the historical priority in law could be revived in a modern program that is now more than a half-century old.

Today, the College of William & Mary is a public university supported by the Commonwealth of Virginia and supervised by a Board of Visitors appointed by the Governor. It is nationally recognized for its rigorous curriculum and excellent faculty. The Law School attracts students from all regions of the nation. Its alumni practice law throughout the United States, in Canada and in several foreign countries.

As William & Mary observed its Tercentennial in 1993, its development from a small colonial college to a modern university is cause for celebration. Through times of trial and tragedy, William & Mary has not only endured, but has sustained its spirit of excellence in teaching and learning.

Each year the Law School awards the Marshall-Wythe Medallion to distinguished leaders of the legal profession. The 2005-2006 recipient of the Medallion was the Honorable Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge, State of New York Court of Appeals.

Courtroom 21, a part of the College of William & Mary Law School and a joint project with the National Center for State Courts, is the most technologically advanced courtroom in the world. It has been featured on the Discovery Channel, CNN and CBS News. Recently, the Executone voicemail system was added to the courtroom in an effort to provide a sophisticated communications tool for students, faculty and administration at the Law School.

The annual Institute of Bill of Rights Law's Supreme Court Preview brings together court-watching journalists and academics for a lively analysis of key cases on the Court's docket for the new term. The Preview provides in-depth education for journalists on the underlying constitutional issues involved in the cases.

The College of William & Mary Law School's Legal Skills Program was honored as the first recipient of the ABA Gambrell Award for Professionalism.

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