As published by Boston Globe
More than 34 percent of the student body at The John Marshall Law School is composed of minority students. Of the 1,032 students currently enrolled in the law school’s J.D. program, 353 identify as African American, Asian, Hispanic and other diverse backgrounds. The numbers reflect John Marshall’s longstanding mission to encourage minority and under-represented students to pursue a career in the law.
“Our diversity is one of our many strengths. We are well positioned and prepared to build upon this strength as we train intellectually curious, diverse thinkers to become balanced, well-rounded and skillful attorneys,” said Director for Diversity, Student Development & Outreach Troy Riddle.
The law school, founded in 1899, was an early pioneer in opening its doors and admitting minorities, women and immigrants. John Marshall graduated its first female student in 1903, its first African-American student in 1904 and first Hispanic student in 1912.
These same students went on to become leaders in their communities. In 1915, John Marshall’s first Hispanic alumnus, William Rodriguez, became the first Hispanic alderman in Chicago. In 1950, Edith Sampson, a 1925 graduate, became the first African-American woman to serve as a representative to the United Nations. In 2001, alum Timothy C. Evans became the first African-American to serve as Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 2014, Evelyn Sanguinetti became the first Latina to hold the office of Lieutenant Governor in the United States, when she took the post in Illinois. That same year John Marshall graduate Carla Barnes became the Chief Public Defender for McClean County, Ill., making her the first African-American to lead any office within that county’s criminal justice system. John Marshall offers more than 50 student organizations where students are encouraged to participate based on their interests. Some of these organizations include: Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, Black Law Students Association, Latino Law Student Association and the Middle Eastern Law Students Association.
About The John Marshall Law School
The John Marshall Law School is an independent law school located in the heart of Chicago’s legal district. U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Graduate Schools 2016 edition ranks John Marshall’s Legal Writing Program fifth, its Trial Advocacy program 16th and its Intellectual Property Law program 17th in the nation. The law school was named one of the top-rated schools for practical training in Illinois by National Jurist Magazine in 2015. John Marshall’s innovative distance education offers more online J.D. courses than any other ABA-accredited law school in the country and was ranked second in the nation by The New York Law Journal for its online LLM programs. John Marshall offers several clinical experiences, including the nationally recognized Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic and the Fair Housing Legal Clinic.
