Northern Illinois University College of Law Information

Welcome to the NIU College of Law's new educational institution page. If you were previously connected to the College of Law's personal account, please follow us at this page to continue receiving news from us and don't forget to update your LinkedIn profile to say you attended Northern Illinois University College of Law. NIU College of Law has a rich history of excellence in legal education, cutting edge research, and public service. We are at the heart of a diverse and active university campus of over 20,000 students in DeKalb, Illinois, on the western edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is home to over 10 million residents and one of the world’s largest and most diversified economies – with more than 400 major corporate headquarters, including 31 in the Fortune 500. NIU Law is linked to the city and the region, and the largest percentage of our graduates go on to practice in Chicago and surrounding communities. We prepare students for the practice of law with a core curriculum that emphasizes required bar courses, and allows specialization in fields including civil rights, constitutional law, business and commercial law, labor and employment law, family and juvenile law, immigration, and environmental law. NIU Law is a leader in experiential education. We take our courses outside the classroom – offering a range of live client clinics, trial advocacy, and externship placements with law firms, government agencies, civil and criminal courts, prosecutors, and other legal employers. Our faculty of distinguished legal scholars put teaching first. Small class sizes and student-faculty ratios allow students to engage faculty directly, and our alumni network of NIU Law graduates as well as NIU alums in a wide variety of fields stands ready to help network, identify employment opportunities, and become a member of the legal profession following graduation.