The school was first installed in a monastery building from the Franciscan order, which has been rebuilt several times since, for instance, after a fire.

A number of Brazilian politicians and famous writers have studied at Largo de São Francisco since its foundation, such as Castro Alves, Álvares de Azevedo, Fagundes Varela, Ruy Barbosa, Monteiro Lobato.

There is a statue of Álvares de Azevedo in front of the building with this quote: "Foi poeta, sonhou e amou na vida", which translates to "He was a poet, dreamed and loved in life".

There is a gravestone in its patio, where Julius Frank, a German professor dear to students[citation needed], was buried in 1841.

Consistently ranked as the best[1] Law School in Brazil, São Francisco Law School has been the alma mater to 13 Brazilian presidents and many outstanding public officers, diplomats, scholars, writers, politicians and businessmen.