Law School as Masculine Competition

In 1899, Christopher Langdell of Harvard Law School famously argued that the law is "entirely unfit for the feminine mind." 1 Even at the time, his staunch opposition to providing legal education to women was a minority view among the Harvard Law faculty, and obviously his opinion has been relegated to the dustbin of history where it belongs. 2Yet year after year, scholars and legal educators question why women law students are not yet equal, either in outcome or their experience of law school. 3And it is not simply a question of gender-students who are members of all sorts of historically excluded groups face greater hurdles in law school. 4 Law students are famously stressed, depressed, and more likely than other graduate or professional students to turn to alcohol or engage in other unhealthy coping mechanisms. 5 This Essay argues that the continued failure of law schools to provide equally rewarding legal education to all students is not merely slower progress than other professions or degree programs.Rather, the American system of legal education is