Drake University Law School is a professional graduate law school of Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has over 330 full-time students. The school is led by Dean Jerry Anderson. Founded in 1865, Drake Law School is one of the 25 oldest law schools in the country. The Law School was established by Iowa Supreme Court justices George Wright and Chester Cole, who aimed to teach law in proximity to the courts so students could witness the law in action. Drake Law School's curriculum includes the nation's only First-Year Trial Practicum. In 2020, the American Bar Association ranked Drake University the 7th best competition school in the nation. In 2020, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Drake Law School as the 105th best overall law school in the nation. History Established in 1865 by Chester C. Cole, a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, Drake Law School is one of the 25 oldest law schools in the country and the second law school founded west of the Mississippi River after the University of Iowa, which Justice Cole co-founded with Justice George G. Wright. Justice Cole felt that having a law school located in the state capital would be advantageous. In time, Drake Law alumni would fill the ranks of all branches of Iowa local and state government. Programs In addition to the full-scale, three-year, Juris Doctor program, the law school features the following special programs: Drake Law Review Drake Journal of Agricultural Law 5 Research Centers: Agricultural Law, Children's Rights, Constitutional Law, Intellectual Property, and Legislative Practice Certificate programs in several fields Civil and Criminal Clinical Programs Multiple Moot Court and Mock Trial teams Summer in France Program Summer Institute in Constitutional Law (for entering 1L's) LL.M./M.J. Program in Intellectual Property M.J. Program in Health Law LL.M./M.J. Program in Individualized Legal Studies (Concentrations in: Business Law, Criminal Law, Estate Planning, Family Counseling and the Law, Human Rights and Global Citizenship, Legislative Practice and Government Relations, Sustainable Development) Opperman Lecture Series The Dwight D. Opperman Lecture series, endowed by the former CEO of West Publishing and Drake Alumnus, is an annual event of national importance in constitutional law. Several Supreme Court Justices have visited campus to deliver lectures on American jurisprudence. Drake Law Review As of 2014, the Drake Law Review is nationally ranked among the top 40 law journals for the number of times courts have