15 Famous Graduates from Law School

1. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela is renowned worldwide for tackling racism and dismantling the apartheid system in South Africa. For his activism and consistent efforts against institutionalised racism, he served a total of 27 years in prison during his lifetime and has received tons of honours and recognitions, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

He enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts from University of Fort Hare, studying Anthropology, Politics, Native Administration and Roman Dutch Law; however, he did not complete it. Later on, he completed his Bachelor’s from University of South Africa. He was the only black African student at the University of the Witwatersrand from where he studied Law later on.

Born: 18^th July 1918 (died aged 5^th December 2013)

Place of Birth: Mvezo, Cape Province, Union of South Africa

Law School: University of Fort Hare and University of the Witwatersrand

Famous for: dismantling apartheid system and for serving as South Africa’s President from 1994 to 1999

2. Gerard Butler

Scottish actor and producer Gerard Butler managed to get into University of Glasgow owing to his position as a head boy in high school. His father’s death during his law degree had a detrimental effect on his well-being, causing him to move to California and becoming an alcoholic.

However, he later completed his degree. His drinking caused him to be fired as a lawyer, which ultimately drove him to the acting world. Currently he is sober and well-known for his acting roles.

Born: 13^th November 1969 (age 51)

Place of Birth: Paisley, Scotland

Law School: University of Glasgow

Famous for: his roles in 300, The Phantom of the Opera, Reign of Fire and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

3. Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi or ‘Bapu’ as he is known in Gujrati, played a key role in standing up to the British Rule in the subcontinent before the Partition in 1947. His campaign against the British inspired many civil rights movements in the world.

He studied law and jurisprudence at University College London and trained in law at the Inner Temple but later went to the bar in.

Born: 2^nd October 1869 (died aged 78 on 30^th January 1948 by gunshot wounds)

Place of Birth: Porbandar, Kathiawar Agency, Bombay Presidency, British India

Law School: University College London and Inner Temple

Famous for: being the ‘Father of the Nation’ in India

4. Jerry Springer

We know Jerry Springer for being a news presenter, actor, musician and producer but in fact, he is a former lawyer as well who served as a political campaign adviser to Robert F. Kennedy and worked in a few law firms as well. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tulane University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Northwestern University.

Born: 13^th February 1944 (age 76)

Place of Birth: Highgate, Middlesex, England

Law School: Northwestern University

Famous for: hosting ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ and ‘Judge Jerry’

5. Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz or Fidel Castro was the ultimate Cuban revolutionary who turned Cuba into one-party communist state and implemented state socialist reforms throughout the country. While he was born in a wealthy family, he became interested in leftist politics when he was studying law at the University of Cabana.

Born: 13^th August 1926 (died aged 90 on 25^th November 2016)

Place of Birth: Birán, Cuba

Law School: University of Cabana

Famous for: being the President of Cuba and for being a communist revolutionary

6. John Cleese

Kids know him as the Nearly Headless Nick from the Harry Potter series while adults may know him for his roles in A Fish Called Wanda (1989), Fierce Creatures (1997) and the sitcom Fawlty. He managed to win a place at Downing College, Cambridge where joined the Cambridge Footlights as well. John Cleese served as a Rector at the University of St. Andrews from 1970 to 1973 and possesses honorary doctorates from four other universities as well.

Born: 27^th October 1939 (age 80)

Place of Birth: Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, United Kingdom

Law School: Law degree from Downing College, Cambridge

Famous for: portraying comic roles

7. Steve Young

The former American football quarterback played for around 15 seasons in the National Football League and began by playing college football for Brigham Young University (BYU). He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

After his football career, Steve Young enrolled in J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University (BYU) and received in Juris Doctor (JD) degree in 1994. Additionally, he has been involved in a few acting rolls and in philanthropy as well.

Born: 11^th October 1961 (age 59)

Place of Birth: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Law School: Juris Doctor from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School

Famous for: playing in the NFL for 15 seasons

8. Ben Stein

The Republican actor, comedian and commentator is a lawyer as well who has worked as a speechwriter for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He majored in Economics at Columbia College and later went to Yale School of Law. He graduated with honours from Columbia University and as a valedictorian from Yale University. Born: 25^th November 1944 (age 75)

Place of Birth: Washington, D.C., United States

Law School: Juris Doctor from Yale University

Famous for: his deadpan comedy on-screen and for his controversial views in politics

9. Julio Iglesias

Spanish singer and father of Enrique Iglesias, Julio Iglesias is the most successful European singer in the world and his records have sold worldwide in 14 languages. He has many awards to his name, including the Latin Grammy, World Music Award, Billboard Music, Lo Neustro Award and the Grammy of course. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Latin Composers in 2013 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985.

Before joining the music industry, he played football while he was studying law at the CEY San Pablo University. A critical automobile accident led to the destruction of his football career and subsequent entry into the music world. He completed his law degree from the Complutense University of Madrid.

Born: 23^rd September 1943 (age 77)

Place of Birth: Madrid, Spain

Law School: Complutense University of Madrid

Famous for: being one of the finest and most successful Latin singers in the world

10. Geraldo Rivera

Geraldo Rivera is currently known for having hosted several talk shows such as Geraldo and The Mystery of AI Capone’s Vaults. He is a regular at The Five that appears on Fox News and is a well-known Republican journalist.

As far as his academics are concerned, Rivera graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and played on its lacrosse team as well. After this, he enrolled in Brooklyn Law School and worked internships until he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) degree from the same university. Based on the guy’s knowledge and exposure, he may be able to help anyone with some law dissertation topics.

Born: 4^th July 1943 (age 77)

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, United States

Law School: Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School

Famous for: hosting Geraldo, The Mystery of AI Capone’s Vaults, Geraldo at Large and for appearing on Fox News

11. Josh Saviano

Former child actor and current lawyer Josh Saviano achieved fame in the ‘90s for his role as Paul Pfeiffer on The Wonder Years. The child star did not let his acting career get in the way of his education as he eventually stopped acting to pursue his dream of becoming a lawyer.

As such, he studied Political Science from Yale University, worked as a paralegal and finally enrolled in Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University to study for a Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) degree. Later on, he was admitted to New York’s bar and has since then founded two law firms as well.

Born: 31^st March 1976 (age 44)

Place of Birth: White Plains, New York, United States

Law School: Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Famous for: portraying Paul Pfeiffer on The Wonder Years

12. Charlie Korsmo

Charlie Korsmo became famous as a child star when he starred as ‘Kid’ in the 1990 movie Dick Tracy, which was a well-known action crime movie based on the 1930s comic. Korsmo had a few acting roles to his credit but the former child star has done well in his academics.

He completed his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the year 2000 and went on to work for the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Republican Party in the House of Representatives. Later on, he completed his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Yale Law School in the year 2006.

Born: 20^th July 1978 (age 42)

Place of Birth: Fargo, North Dakota, United States

Law School: Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Yale University

Famous for: portraying Kid in Dick Tracy (1990)

13. John Grisham

Writer of legal thrillers, John Grisham’s books have been translated into 42 languages and adapted into 11 feature films and four TV series too. While it is self-explanatory that Grisham has studied from law school, the writer is a practicing attorney, politician and activist as well.

His passion for baseball and football have inspired to write novels based on such themes too. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Mississippi State University in 1977 and later enrolled in University of Mississippi School of Law for a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. While initially he was interested in becoming a tax lawyer, he became interested in general civil litigation later on.

Born: 8^th February 1955 (age 65)

Place of Birth: Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States

Law School: Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Yale University

Famous for: writing legal thrillers

14. Dick Button

Former figure skater and skating analyst Richard Totten ‘Dick’ Button is the only European Figure Skating Champion without a European background. While initially he considered attending Yale University, he had to manage his skating career and eventually dropped the idea of Yale.

However, he was accepted at Harvard College and remained a fulltime student while managing his skating career. He completed his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Harvard Law School in 1956 and was admitted to the bar as well in Washington, DC.

Born: 18^th July 1929 (age 91)

Place of Birth: Englewood, New Jersey, United States

Law School: LLB from Harvard Law School

Famous for: being a former champion skater and skating analyst

15. Ozzie Nelson

Oswald George ‘Ozzie’ Nelson was a renowned actor, director, producer and band leader who not only starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet but also originated it. Besides his success as the band leader of ‘The Ozzie Nelson Band’ and in his sitcom, Ozzie Nelson completed a bachelor’s from Rutgers University and earned a law degree from its Rutgers School of Law as well.

Born: 20^th March 1906 (died aged 69 on 3^rd June 1975)

Place of Birth: Jersey City, New Jersey, United States         

Law School: Rutgers School of Law

Famous for: starring in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet