[1] Howard University opened its legal department, led by John Mercer Langston, on January 6, 1869.

[1] The founders of Howard Law recognized "a great need to train lawyers who would have a strong commitment to helping black Americans secure and protect their newly established rights" during the country's tumultuous Reconstruction era.

[1] The first class consisted of six students who met three evenings a week in the homes and offices of the department's four teachers.

[9] Charlotte E. Ray was admitted to Howard's law program in 1869 and graduated in 1872, becoming its first black female lawyer.

[10] It is reported that Ray applied for admission to the bar using initials for her given and middle names, in order to disguise her gender, because she was "[a]ware of the school's reluctant commitment to the principle of sexual equality.

"[8][page needed] Mary Ann Shadd Cary was among four women enrolled in the law school in 1880.

Chambers, an early white female graduate of Howard's law program, was admitted in 1885 and successfully completed the three-year course of study, earning two diplomas.

[9] But, "the Law School faculty refused to hand in [Eliza's] name to the examiners, for admission to practice, omitting her from the list of her male classmates whom they recommended, simply because she was a woman."

[9] Howard University School of Law has significant ties to the civil rights movement.

Former HUSL Dean Charles Hamilton Houston's work for the NAACP earned him the title of "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow.

[19] Students must also take courses on evidence and professional responsibility and fulfill the school's scholarly writing requirement.

About 15% identify as multiracial, with small numbers of students who are Hispanic, Asian, White, or another group.

HUSL students may participate in 26 extra-curricular groups, including the moot court team, associations focused on specific areas of law, law fraternities, and political, ethnic, and religious affiliation groups.

It is a few blocks from the University of the District of Columbia, the former headquarters of Intelsat and the Van Ness–UDC station on the Washington Metro.

[3] According to Howard Law's official 2022 ABA-required disclosures, 78% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time, long-term, bar passage-required employment nine months after graduation.

The list ranks the top 50 schools by the percentage of JDs who accept first-year associate positions at the 100 largest firms.