“People who end up being ‘first’ don’t actually set out to be first. They set out to do something they love.” – Condoleezza Rice
We are a law school that opens doors, shatters ceilings, and charts new paths.
We are a law school that not only makes great lawyers; we make great leaders.
Most importantly, for the past 120 years, we have been- and continue to be - “A Law School of Firsts.”
C|M|LAW
- First law school in Ohio to admit women
- One of first law schools in the nation to admit minorities
- First advanced technology, full-size Trial Courtroom in an Ohio law school
- First Solo Incubator in an Ohio law school and one of the first in the nation
- First Learning Commons in an Ohio law school and one of the first in the nation
- First Master of Legal Studies program in Northeast Ohio and one of the first in the nation
- First Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection in an Ohio law school and one of the first in the nation
- First and only Global Space Law Center in the nation
- First Hall of Fame in an Ohio law school and one of the few in the nation
Judiciary
“The Hall of Fame is a vivid reminder of how important Cleveland Marshall has been, and continues to be, to the realization of the hopes and dreams of so many.” Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- First woman Municipal Judge in the nation
- First and only woman Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- First African-American woman to serve as a Judge in Ohio
- First woman to serve as a Judge on a Federal District Court in Ohio
- First African-American woman to serve as a Judge on a Federal District Court in Ohio
- First African-American to serve as a Judge and the first African-American to serve as Chief Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- First African-American woman to serve as a Judge on a State Appeals Court in Ohio
Legal Profession
“The history of our law school’s graduates is truly inspiring” -Elizabeth Pugh ’78, General Counsel, Library of Congress
- First African-American lawyers to appear in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court representing both the appellant and appellee before an African-American Supreme Court Justice
- First President of the national Women’s Equity Action League
- Co-founders of the Women’s Law fund, the first law firm in the nation to specialize in sex discriminations cases
- Co-founders of the largest women-owned law firm in Ohio
- First African-American woman lawyer in Cleveland
- First Syrian-Lebanese woman lawyer in Cleveland
- First African-American Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor
- First African-American Cleveland Assistant Police Prosecutor
- First woman elected to the American Bar Association House of Delegates
- First woman officer of the Ohio Bar Association
- First woman to serve on the Executive Committee of the Cleveland Bar Association
- Founder of the Norman S. Minor Bar Association
- First regional attorney for the Cleveland Social Security office
Public Service
"The only way people could help themselves was through the laws they passed. I wanted to be part of the profession where the laws were made." -Judge Jean Murrell Capers’45
- First African-American Mayor of a major city in the nation
- First African-American member of Congress in Ohio
- First and only African-American member of Congress in Ohio on the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee
- First and only four-term Mayor of Cleveland
- First and only person to serve as Judge, Cleveland Municipal Court; Judge, Cuyahoga Court of Commons Pleas; Mayor of Cleveland; Ohio Governor; and U.S. Senator from Ohio
- First and only person to serve as Ohio Governor for 5 terms
- First and only person to serve as Ohio Secretary of State and Ohio Attorney General
- First African-American woman elected to Cleveland City Council
- First African-American President of Cleveland City Council
- First and only African-American and woman Mayor of Warrensville Hts., Ohio
- First woman Democrat elected to the Ohio Senate
- First woman Majority Leader and Senate President Pro Tem of the Ohio Senate
- First African-American Democrat elected to the Ohio House of Representatives
- First woman to serve as a Deputy Sheriff in Ohio
- First African-American woman school principal in Cleveland
Business / Media
“The law school has brought together so many people from such different backgrounds and circumstances to do well and to advance a common purpose.” – Carl Stern ’66, former NBC News Law Correspondent
- First full-time national broadcast network legal affairs reporter
- First Co-founders of a savings bank run by and for women in the nation
- First African-American television news anchor in New York City
- First weekend national Legal Analyst for CNN
Can you name each of the above C|M|LAW graduates who made history? I’ll publish the answers in next week’s Monday Morning Message.
I’m sure I’ve missed some of our firsts, so please be the first to send them to me, and I’ll also publish them next Monday.
Have a great week.
My best,
Lee
For copies of past messages, please go to this link: Monday Morning Messages.