Howard University School of Law

What Howard University School of Law does

Howard University School of Law is a private, nonprofit ABA-accredited law school founded in 1869 and operating as a constituent college of Howard University, a historically Black university headquartered at 2900 Van Ness Street NW in Washington, D.C. The institution delivers a residential Juris Doctor program, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) program, international exchange programs, and a clinical curriculum anchored by named centers including the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, Clinical Law Center, Education Rights Center, Environmental and Climate Justice Center, and the AI Law Initiative. It supports a co-curricular ecosystem spanning moot court and trial advocacy teams, the Howard Law Journal, the Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review, the Pro Bono Pledge program, and the Pathways to Success professionalism curriculum.

The school's business model combines tuition and fees from JD and LL.M. enrollment with charitable contributions, including the Dean's Innovation Fund and alumni giving programs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; financial aid is administered through the Office of Financial Aid. Student acquisition is conducted through admissions events such as Admitted Students Day, named lecture series (Charles Hamilton Houston, James M. Nabrit Jr., C. Clyde Ferguson Jr., Wiley A. Branton), and digital channels operated under the broader Howard University brand. Distribution is direct via the Washington, D.C. campus, with international reach through exchange programs and global moot court competitions.

The institution serves prospective law students as the primary customer segment, with secondary engagement from alumni and the broader legal academic community. Its competitive position rests on intangible assets: a 150+ year civil rights heritage, alumni outcomes including U.S. Supreme Court clerks and law school deans, and an ABA-accredited pathway into the legal profession. As a nonprofit educational institution, financial performance is reported at the Howard University consolidated level rather than separately for the law school, and standalone revenue, fundraising totals, and operating margin are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Howard University School of Law

Legal name

Howard University School of Law

Website

https://law.howard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Howard University School of Law is a private, ABA-accredited historically Black law school in Washington, D.C., founded in 1869. It delivers JD and LL.M. programs, clinical and moot court training, and a civil rights–focused curriculum to over 400 enrolled students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

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), Clinical Legal Education & Legal Aid Clinics (Law School–Run) (EDAHAIAG)

Keywords

• Legal education services
• Law degree programs
• Bar exam preparation
• Moot court competitions
• Clinical legal training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from JD and LL.M. program tuition and associated fees for enrolled students
2. Donations and Endowments: Charitable contributions to the Dean's Innovation Fund and other institutional funds; alumni giving programs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Howard University School of Law provides ABA-accredited legal education through its Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree programs on its Washington, D.C. campus. The school offers clinical training via centers such as the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center and the Clinical Law Center, co-curricular moot court and trial advocacy competitions, academic journals, and named lecture series, all oriented toward producing legal professionals committed to social justice.

Product overview

Howard University School of Law operates as an educational institution offering law degree programs and related student services through its digital platform. The school's primary offerings include its JD and LL.M. programs, academic journals (Howard Law Journal and Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review), co-curricular moot court and trial advocacy programs, professional development programs (Pathways to Success and Pro Bono Pledge), and named lecture series. The school's website serves as a portal for academic information, student resources, and institutional communications rather than a standalone technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Howard Law Journal: Academic journal published three times per year, founded in 1955
• Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review
• The Barrister
• Vernon E. Jordan Law Library

Products and services

• Juris Doctor (JD) Program Full-time residential ABA-accredited Juris Doctor degree program at the 2900 Van Ness Street NW Washington D.C. campus with comprehensive academic calendar, course scheduling, and bar preparation support, designed for college graduates seeking legal education.
• Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program Master of Laws program designed for international and domestic law graduates pursuing advanced legal education at Howard University School of Law.
• Howard Law Journal Student-managed, faculty-supervised academic journal founded in 1955 and published three times yearly; the principal scholarly publication of Howard University School of Law, dedicated to promoting civil and human rights.
• Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review Academic journal providing cogent scholarship in human and civil rights since 1993 (formerly Howard Scroll and Human Rights & Globalization Law Review); publishes articles and awards the annual Pauli Murray Prize for the best student Note on human and civil rights.
• Named Lecture Series Annual lecture series honoring past deans: Charles Hamilton Houston Lecture, James M. Nabrit Jr. Lecture, C. Clyde Ferguson Jr. Lecture, and Wiley A. Branton/Howard Law Journal Symposium.
• Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team Trial advocacy team founded in 1995 assisting students in developing trial/litigation advocacy skills and analytical ability, with a record of success in national competitions including Capitol City Challenge, National Trial Competition, and South Texas Challenge.
• Goler Teal Butcher International Moot Court Team International moot court team that competes in prestigious global competitions including the Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Competition, D.M. Harish International Moot Court Competition, and U.S.-Nepal International Moot Court Competition.
• HUSL Pro Bono Pledge Program Voluntary program encouraging students to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work while at Howard, with recognition levels including Friend of Justice (50-149 hours), Social Engineer (150-249 hours), Elite Pro Bono (250-349 hours), and Future Houstonian Lawyer (350+ hours).
• Pathways to Success Professionalism Program Professionalism and leadership program helping students prepare for their careers through six competency categories: Financial Empowerment, Expanding Industry Knowledge, Building Your Personal Brand, Developing Personal Health & Emotional Intelligence, Strengthening Professional Judgement, and Giving Back to Community; requires 200 points to complete.
• Exchange Programs International exchange programs expanding educational reach beyond the domestic Washington D.C. campus, allowing students to study law in foreign institutions.
• Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center Clinical and research center at Howard University School of Law supporting civil rights advocacy, scholarship, and student training, named after alumnus Thurgood Marshall.
• Clinical Law Center Clinical center providing hands-on legal training for students, with scholarship focus on housing justice, criminal background checks, and Big Data issues.
• Education Rights Center Institute and center at Howard University School of Law focused on education rights advocacy and scholarship.
• AL LAWER AI Law Initiative AI-focused curriculum initiative at Howard University School of Law supporting student learning and scholarship on the intersection of artificial intelligence and law.
• Environmental and Climate Justice Center Institute and center at Howard University School of Law focused on environmental and climate justice scholarship, advocacy, and student training.
• Charles Hamilton Houston National Moot Court Team National moot court team at Howard University School of Law named after former Dean Charles Hamilton Houston, competing in domestic moot court competitions.
• Greene Public Service Scholars Program Scholars program supporting Howard Law students pursuing public service legal careers.
• Vernon E. Jordan Law Library The law library named after civil rights attorney Vernon E. Jordan, providing legal research resources for law students, faculty, and the legal community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 students represented by Student Bar Association
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Brewer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026New Howard University Speech and Debate Team partnership with Brewer Foundation for International Public Policy Forum. Howard debaters serve as judges for written rounds and HUSDT Director joins IPPF Symposium panel. The 25th anniversary tournament drew record 332 teams from 39 countries debating global education tax policy.
• Sidley Austin LLPflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Wiley A. Branton Symposium supported by Sidley Austin LLP, honoring former Howard Law Dean and civil rights activist Wiley A. Branton who was a Sidley partner.
• Debevoise & Plimpton LLPflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Wiley A. Branton Symposium supported by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, honoring former Howard Law Dean and civil rights activist Wiley A. Branton.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Georgetown University Law Center: Premier ABA-accredited law school also located in Washington, D.C., competing for the same JD applicant pool, faculty talent, and federal clerkship placements. Most direct geographic and product peer.
• The George Washington University Law School: ABA-accredited law school in Washington, D.C. with strong government and regulatory law focus. Direct competitor for D.C.-bound JD applicants and government-law placement outcomes.
• American University Washington College of Law: ABA-accredited law school in Washington, D.C. that hosted the Capitol City Challenge competition where Howard Law competed. Direct peer in the same metro market with overlapping international law and public interest offerings.
• Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law: ABA-accredited law school in Washington, D.C. competing for the same local applicant pool and faculty. Comparable in scale and program mix to Howard Law.
• University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law: Public ABA-accredited law school located in Washington, D.C. with a mission emphasizing access to legal education for underrepresented students — making it a mission-aligned direct peer in the same metro market.
• Thurgood Marshall School of Law (Texas Southern University): HBCU law school named after Howard Law alumnus Thurgood Marshall. Most direct mission-aligned peer as a fellow HBCU law school serving similar student populations and emphasizing civil rights.
• North Carolina Central University School of Law: Historically Black law school in the Southeast with comparable ABA-accredited JD program and public-interest emphasis. Direct peer for HBCU law school comparison.
• Florida A&M University College of Law: HBCU law school with an ABA-accredited JD program and similar mission around producing Black lawyers and serving underrepresented communities. Direct peer in the HBCU law school ecosystem.
• Southern University Law Center: HBCU ABA-accredited law school in Louisiana serving a similar demographic and producing alumni who enter public service and civil rights-focused legal careers. Direct peer for HBCU comparison.

Others

• Howard University (parent institution): Parent institution of Howard University School of Law. While not a direct competitor, it is the structural and governance peer defining the law school's strategic direction, branding, and resource allocation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/howardlawschool
• Facebookfacebook.com/18
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howard-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/howard186

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Howard University School of Law