Syracuse University College of Law

Syracuse University College of Law (SUCOL) is a Juris Doctor degree-granting law school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. It is one of only four law schools in upstate New York. Syracuse was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1923 and is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools. Syracuse's College of Law is a leader in the emerging field of National Security law through the Institute for Security Policy and Law. The College of Law is home to the New York State Science & Technology Law Center. It maintains a chapter of the Order of the Coif law honor society, of which only 86 of the more than 204 ABA-accredited law schools are a member. In February 2018, the College of Law announced its formation of the first "real-time, ABA-approved online juris doctor program in the United States." The online J.D. program, titled JDinteractive was launched in 2019. History The school began operating in September 1895. William Henry Hornblower, a Presbyterian minister, gave the opening address at the initiatory session of the new Syracuse Law school. It was admitted to the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity in 1898. Classes were held in various downtown area facilities until a move to the E.I. White Hall on the SU campus in 1954. In 1903, William Herbert Johnson became the first African American graduate of the law school, but was barred by the New York State Bar from the profession because of his race. He was posthumously admitted to the New York State Bar in October 2019.