Welcome to the University of Pennsylvania Law School's website in celebration of our Sesquicentennial Year.

As we mark this momentous occasion - 150 years of legal education - we look back on a truly rich and distinguished history, one that actually extends further back than 150 years - back to the founding of the Republic. Most lawyers know of the important contributions our founder, James Wilson, made to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. To learn more about Wilson and the law lectures he delivered beginning in 1790, "Scroll through History" where you can read about the evolution of the Law School from the 18th Centruy to the present.

In "Buildings of a Great Law School" view the odyssey taken by the original leaders of Penn Law in their quest to establish a home for legal education. From 1790 to the present you can witness the physical evolution of our Law School from a lecture hall in downtown Philadelphia in the 18th century to our Law School complex of Silverman, Roberts, Pepper, and Tanenbaum Halls today in the 21st century.

Read about symbolic details in the architectural design of the Law School's original home in the site "Architecture and Legal Education." In this article, Professor Sarah Barringer Gordon writes about how the designers in 1900 memorialized legal giants in the "medallions" that ornament the perimeter of this remarkable Cope & Stewardson building.

Make a point to return regularly to the "Calendar of Events" to keep up-to-date with the events scheduled for our Sesquicentennial Year. Penn Law School will offer a panoply of lectures, symposia, and conferences which we welcome you attend.

By visiting our Sesquicentennial Website you join in the celebration of both our historic past and our promising future. We hope you will visit the Law School during this special year to witness Penn Law's ongoing evolution through history for yourself.