Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School is a private, non-profit graduate school of Columbia University delivering J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D. degree programs to roughly 1,500 students annually from its New York City campus, funded through tuition, alumni giving, and executive education.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1858
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Columbia Law School does
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858 as one of the oldest law schools in the United States, operates as a private, non-profit professional graduate school of Columbia University from its campus at 435 West 116th Street in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City. The institution delivers legal education through four degree programs: a three-year J.D. program admitting approximately 300-350 students per entering class, a one-year customizable LL.M. program, a six-month Executive LL.M. in Global Business Law, and a J.S.D. doctoral program for legal academia. Academic delivery is organized across fifteen specialized Areas of Study (including Corporate/Business/Transactional Law, Constitutional Law, Climate/Environmental/Energy Law, and International and Comparative Law) and supported by experiential learning through clinics, externships, simulations, and the Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court competition. The school holds approval from the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association and, in 2024-2026, completed a $220 million settlement with the U.S. federal government that mandated reduction in reliance on international tuition.
The school's operational technology stack centers on three integrated platforms: LawNet, a Law School-specific web portal for registration, grades, and course evaluations using separate credentials from the University UNI; CourseWorks (Canvas LMS), the university-wide learning management system for course materials and class communications; and LionMail, the official email and calendaring system built on Google Workspace for Education. These are augmented by Zoom for hybrid instruction (faculty receive free Zoom Pro accounts supporting up to 300 attendees), Echo360 for lecture capture and video management, CALI for computer-assisted legal instruction across 30 legal topic areas, and Cisco AnyConnect VPN with SFTP for secure remote access. The school explicitly does not offer a public or partner-facing API, developer portal, or SDK.
Revenue is generated through tuition and mandatory fees for J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D. programs, supplemented by alumni giving and donations through the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, and revenue from executive education, continuing legal education (CLE), and specialized training for legal professionals. Distribution is conducted through direct admissions channels for domestic and international students, on-campus academic delivery, hybrid and intensive components for select executive programs, and Career Services that connects students to legal employers across private sector, public interest, judicial, and academic positions through on-campus recruiting.
Columbia Law School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Columbia Law School
- Legal name
- Columbia Law School (The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York)
- Website
- https://law.columbia.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1858
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Columbia Law School is a private, non-profit graduate school of Columbia University delivering J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D. degree programs to roughly 1,500 students annually from its New York City campus, funded through tuition, alumni giving, and executive education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Columbia Law School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Legal Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools (EDAHAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs (EDAHAIAC), Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)
Keywords
Where Columbia Law School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Columbia Law School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue from J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D. programs through tuition and mandatory fees charged to enrolled students.
- Alumni Giving and Donations: Charitable contributions from alumni and donors through the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, supporting scholarships, programs, and institutional priorities.
- Executive Education and Professional Development: Revenue from executive education programs, continuing legal education (CLE), and specialized training for legal professionals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Irell & Manella Prize Award: $4,773 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Columbia Law School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Columbia Law School offers graduate-level professional legal education through its J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D. degree programs, supported by 15 Areas of Study, experiential learning (clinics, externships, moot court), and executive education/CLE for practicing lawyers. The institution delivers this instruction in-person at its Morningside Heights campus with hybrid components and uses its LawNet portal, CourseWorks on Canvas, and LionMail as supporting administrative platforms. Career Services places graduates in private sector, public interest, judicial, and academic roles.
Product overview
Columbia Law School offers a portfolio of legal education products centered around its degree programs (J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D.) and administrative platforms (LawNet, CourseWorks, LionMail). The academic programs are organized into 15 specialized Areas of Study and supported by experiential learning opportunities including clinics, externships, and moot court competitions. Technology platforms include LawNet for registration and grades, CourseWorks (Canvas LMS) for course materials, and LionMail for communications. Research centers such as the Ira M. Millstein Center and Sabin Center produce scholarship on corporate governance and climate law respectively.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- J.D. Program Three-year professional Juris Doctor degree program at Columbia Law School preparing college graduates for legal careers and bar admission, with approximately 300–350 students per entering class.
- LL.M. Program One-year graduate Master of Laws program that is fully customizable, allowing lawyers with J.D. or foreign law degrees to tailor studies to specific areas of legal specialization.
- Executive LL.M. Program in Global Business Law Six-month intensive Executive Master of Laws program designed to develop global business lawyers, delivered in a hybrid format for experienced attorneys and corporate legal professionals.
- J.S.D. Program Doctoral research degree in law for students seeking careers in legal academia, leveraging Columbia Law School's faculty, library, and research resources.
- Experiential Learning Programs Hands-on legal training through clinics, externships, and simulations that provide practical experience alongside the academic J.D., LL.M., and Executive LL.M. curricula.
- Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Program Annual moot court competition giving Columbia Law School students experience in appellate advocacy and courtroom skills, culminating in the Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court finals.
- Areas of Study Fifteen specialized legal concentration areas offered across Columbia Law School's degree programs: Administrative Law and Public Policy; Climate, Environmental, and Energy Law; Constitutional Law; Corporate, Business, and Transactional Law; Criminal Justice; Family, Gender, and Sexuality; Intellectual Property and Technology; International and Comparative Law; Law and Philosophy; Law of the Workplace; Leadership; Legal History; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; National Security and Privacy; and Social Justice and Human Rights.
- Executive Education and Continuing Legal Education Executive education programs, continuing legal education (CLE), and specialized training for practicing legal professionals seeking advanced or recurring professional development.
- Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership Columbia Law School research center focused on corporate governance, capital markets, and private equity scholarship and programming, including annual conferences such as the Ira M. Millstein Memorial Conference.
- Sabin Center for Climate Change Law Columbia Law School research center dedicated to developing and disseminating legal scholarship on climate change, including work on alternative proteins and sustainable proteins market analysis.
- Center on Corporate Governance Columbia Law School research center focused on corporate governance scholarship and policy, often co-hosting conferences with the Millstein Center on shareholder activism, Delaware corporate law, and regulatory changes.
- Office of Career Services and Employer Relations Career placement office that connects Columbia Law School students and alumni with employers through on-campus recruiting, job postings, and employer events across private sector, public interest, judicial, and academic careers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Graduates pursue careers at top law firms, federal courts, government agencies, and leading corporations
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Columbia Law School
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Columbia Law School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Columbia Law School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- The Capitol ForumminorThe Capitol Forum hosted a conference call with Andy Fitch and Cynthia Hanawalt from Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law to discuss their study on alternative proteins and market bottlenecks.
- Paul Hastings (Law Firm)minorPaul Hastings served as a sponsor for the 2026 Ira M. Millstein Memorial Conference on private equity and corporate governance. The conference brought together legal scholars, business experts, and corporate law practitioners.
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (Law Firm)minorWachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz served as a sponsor for the 2026 Ira M. Millstein Memorial Conference. Lecturer in Law Igor Kirman '96, a partner at the firm, delivered welcome remarks.
- Gladstone Place PartnersminorGladstone Place Partners, a financial communications firm, co-sponsored the 2026 Ira M. Millstein Memorial Conference on corporate governance and M&A.
- Paul Hastings (Law Firm)minorPaul Hastings co-sponsored the annual M&A and corporate governance conference along with other law firms and organizations.
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (Law Firm)minorWachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz co-sponsored the annual M&A conference focusing on corporate governance topics.
- Center on Corporate GovernancecoreThe Center on Corporate Governance is a Columbia Law School research center that co-hosts the annual M&A conference with the Millstein Center, featuring panels on shareholder activism, Delaware corporate law, and regulatory changes.
- Gladstone Place PartnersminorGladstone Place Partners co-sponsored the 2025 M&A conference on corporate governance.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Columbia Law School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Harvard Law School: Harvard Law School is the most direct peer to Columbia Law School: an elite, ABA-accredited private research university law school offering J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. programs with overlapping admissions, faculty, and Big Law recruiting pipelines. Both compete for the same top-decile applicants and top-tier faculty.
- Yale Law School: Yale Law School is a top-three ABA-accredited JD-granting law school offering J.D., LL.M., J.S.D., and M.S.L. programs. Like Columbia, it is small, intensely selective, and competes for the same applicant and faculty pool.
- Stanford Law School: Stanford Law School is an ABA-accredited private research university law school offering J.D., LL.M., J.S.M., and J.S.D. programs with similar J.D. class sizes, corporate-law emphasis, and tech-adjacent programming. It directly competes with Columbia for applicants, faculty, and tech-sector employer placement.
- NYU School of Law: NYU School of Law is Columbia's most direct geographic peer in New York City, offering J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. programs plus a strong tax LLM. It competes head-to-head for NYC-based applicants, faculty, and Big Law placement.
- University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School: Penn Carey Law is an ABA-accredited Ivy League law school offering J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. programs with similar corporate-law and interdisciplinary strengths. It is a direct applicant-pool and employer-recruiting competitor.
- University of Chicago Law School: University of Chicago Law School is an ABA-accredited private research university law school offering J.D. and LL.M. programs. It is a top-five peer with a similarly small, selective J.D. cohort and is Columbia's direct competitor for law-and-economics faculty and applicants.
- Georgetown University Law Center: Georgetown Law is one of the largest ABA-accredited JD-granting law schools in the U.S., with substantial LL.M. and international-law programs. It directly competes with Columbia for applicants interested in international, regulatory, and public-interest law.
- Northwestern Pritzker School of Law: Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is an ABA-accredited private research university law school offering J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. programs. It is a top-15 peer competing with Columbia for applicants and corporate-law employer relationships.
- University of Michigan Law School: University of Michigan Law School is a leading public research university law school offering J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. programs. It is a top-10 peer competing with Columbia for applicants across corporate, judicial, and academic career tracks.
- Duke University School of Law: Duke Law School is an ABA-accredited private research university law school offering J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. programs with strong corporate and international-law offerings. It is a top-15 peer competing with Columbia for applicants and North Carolina-based recruiting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Columbia Law School social profiles
Digital presenceColumbia Law School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Columbia Law School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Columbia Law School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Columbia Law School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Columbia Law School
What does Columbia Law School do?
Columbia Law School offers graduate-level professional legal education through its J.D., LL.M., Executive LL.M., and J.S.D. degree programs, supported by 15 Areas of Study, experiential learning (clinics, externships, moot court), and executive education/CLE for practicing lawyers. The institution delivers this instruction in-person at its Morningside Heights campus with hybrid components and uses its LawNet portal, CourseWorks on Canvas, and LionMail as supporting administrative platforms. Career Services places graduates in private sector, public interest, judicial, and academic roles.
Is Columbia Law School a public or private company?
Columbia Law School is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Columbia Law School founded?
Columbia Law School was founded in 1858.
Where is Columbia Law School based?
Columbia Law School is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Columbia Law School make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are alumni Giving and Donations and executive Education and Professional Development.
Who are Columbia Law School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, NYU School of Law, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, University of Chicago Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, University of Michigan Law School and Duke University School of Law.
Does Columbia Law School have an API?
No public API is recorded for Columbia Law School.
What industry is Columbia Law School in?
Columbia Law School's product category is Professional Legal Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAIAA, ABA-Accredited JD-Granting Law Schools, with a secondary code of EDAHAIAC, LLM & Post-JD Graduate Law Programs. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.