Strategic Plan

In 1998 we issued a visionary plan to “build the great law school for the changing world.” The Strategic Plan grew out of a two-year planning process chaired by faculty members and involved students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It represented a realistic assessment of trends in the legal profession, a critical analysis of the Law School’s strengths and weaknesses, and a blueprint for leveraging the strengths to distinguish Northwestern from the competition.

Bold and ambitious, the plan’s overarching goal is to “empower our graduates to adapt to and master the challenges of the changing world better than those of any other law school.” As the world continues to change, we, in response, continue to sharpen our analysis of the market and alter or expand our strategic initiatives.

We expect members of our extended community to hold us accountable for the decisions we have made in formulating and implementing the plan, and we expect to benefit from criticism and advice, as we have in the past. The plan as well as the progress report and related articles that can be found here demonstrate our commitment to accountability. Review our Annual Reports for details on our progress year to year.

The Strategic Plan: Building the Great Law School (pdf)