Christopher Columbus Langdell

Christopher columbus langdell may 22 1826 july 6 1906 was an american jurist and legal academic who was dean of harvard law school from 1870 to 1895.

Christopher columbus langdell. Dean langdell s legacy lies in the educational and administrative reforms he made to harvard law school a task he was entrusted with by president charles eliot before langdell s tenure the study of law was a rather technical pursuit in. For instance christopher columbus langdell s push to make legal education more scientific was different from holmes s use of darwinism to describe the common law. Christopher columbus langdell devised the case method the formalistic science of discovering law from appellate court opinions through the process of legal reasoning as dean of harvard law school in the late nineteenth century langdell institutionalized the case method during the eras of reconstruction. Christopher columbus langdell 1826 1906 altered the way that students of the law were educated with his development of the case law method and the treatment of law as a science.

Christopher columbus langdell and legal formalism law is a rational logical system. Christopher columbus langdell the son of john langdell was born in new boston a small farming town of new hampshire. No less than columbus namesake founded u s. Langdell studied law at harvard 1851 54 and practiced in new york city until 1870 when he accepted a professorship and then the deanship of the harvard law school.

Fox will you state the facts in the case of payne v cave that simple question marked the beginning of a revolution in legal education in 1870 professor christopher columbus langdell in the first contracts class he taught at harvard law school put the question to a student and forever changed the way lawyers learned their craft. Langdell christopher columbus mr. Before langdell s tenure the study of law was a wikipedia. Rather than teasing out the distinctions between various scientific approaches to the law during the late 19 th and early 20 th century america.

His paternal ancestors were english but it was from the family of his scotch irish mother lydia beard that he inherited his intellectual power. Langdell s core legacy is his influence on the legal education. Christopher columbus langdell born may 22 1826 new boston n h u s died july 6 1906 cambridge mass american educator dean of the harvard law school 1870 95 who originated the case method of teaching law. A formalist judge makes decisions deductively that is by drawing conclusions from premises according to formal rules of reasoning p 24.

In 1870 professor christopher columbus langdell in the first contracts class he taught at harvard law school put the question to a student and forever changed the way lawyers learned their craft. His practices were considered controversial at the time of introduction but eventually langdell s technique would become the basic foundation for the study of law.