The Order of the Coif (/ˈkɔɪf/) is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law.[1][2] The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, which came to be represented by a round piece of white lace worn on top of the advocate's wig. A student who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top ten percent of their class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the Order.[3]
Order of the Coif | |
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Founded | 1902 University of Illinois College of Law |
Type | Honor society |
Affiliation | Independent |
Former Affiliation | ACHS |
Status | Active |
Emphasis | law graduates |
Scope | National |
Colors | Maroon and Black |
Symbol | Serjeant-at-law with Wig and Coif |
Chapters | 87 |
Members | 25,000 lifetime |
Headquarters | West Virginia University College of Law 101 Law School Drive Morgantown, West Virginia 26506 United States |
Website | orderofthecoif |
History
editThe University of Illinois College of Law established the Order of the Coif in 1902.[4] According to the organization's constitution, "The purpose of The Order is to encourage excellence in legal education by fostering a spirit of careful study, recognizing those who as law students attained a high grade of scholarship, and honoring those who as lawyers, judges and teachers attained high distinction for their scholarly or professional accomplishments."[5][2]
In the late 19th century, several leading American law schools had established honors fraternities to recognize scholarship and distinction within the ranks of Juris Doctors in the United States. One of these, at the University of Illinois, was originally named Theta Kappa Nu.[6] It inspired several additional chapters in Nebraska, Missouri, and Wisconsin. A local legal honor society had formed in 1907 at Northwestern University, adopting the name Order of the Coif, but three years later, in 1910, would accept a charter from Theta Kappa Nu. Even with this charter the Northwestern group retained use of the earlier name, which was one of the factors which necessitated a discussion and eventual negotiation of a merger, and not just an absorption.
Also, in 1910 chapters at Iowa and Michigan were formed. Rapid expansion and divergent practices at these early schools led to calls for a national convention. At this meeting, in 1911, it was determined to adopt the original name of the Northwestern group, the Order of the Coif, along with a revised constitution that was fully ratified in 1912. Thus the American Order of the Coif dates to its earliest group, in Illinois, from 1902, and adopted its name from both the Northwestern group and its institutional inspiration, the English Order.[1][2][7]
Symbols
editThe symbolism of the Order of the Coif is far older, having evolved from the legal traditions of the Middle Ages in England. The Coif itself originated as a tight-fitting headpiece once used by both men and women. A version of this, in the form a close-fitting hood that covered all but the face, was adopted as a symbol for those barristers who had been recognized as serjeants-at-law and thus formed the narrow pool of legal practitioners who could be appointed judges of the Court of Common Pleas or, later, of the King's Bench. With this distinctive apparel, the serjeants-at-law became known as "serjeants of the coif" and their group within society as the original Order of the Coif; this predecessor inspired the name and markings of the American Order, although beyond inspiration there is no legal connection between the two. White wigs were so often sewn onto the coif that their usage became conjoined.[1]
One of the earliest known (English) serjeants of the coif was a man named Geoffrey Ridel, named so in the year 1117. The early writer, Geoffrey Chaucer made mention of Serjeants at Law in the preface to his novel, The Canterbury Tales. Through the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, important English jurists were so recognized: Bacon, Blackburn, Blackstone, Campbell, Cavendish, Coke, Coleridge, Fortesque, Glanville, and Littleton, these may be the best known. But in the 18th century, rumblings of dissatisfaction with this arrangement grew. The English Order's privileged hold on the court was finally ended when a Crown Warrant was issued in 1839 which commanded Common Pleas to permit “gentlemen of the bar generally” to be allowed to practice before it. Objections were litigated briefly, but by the following year, the matter had been settled with the power of the Order broken. Its last meeting was held in 1877.[1]
The wig and coif remain standard courtroom attire today in England and Commonwealth countries.[1]
Membership
editThe induction process varies by law school, but students are generally notified of their membership after the final class ranks at their schools are announced. A new member receives a certificate of membership, a badge of membership for wear during academic ceremonies, a Coif key, and in some cases an actual coif or a representation of one.
The basic requirement for membership is ranking in the top 10% of a member school's graduating class. If a member law school graduates fewer than 30 students, it may induct its top three students. A school can decide not to allow an otherwise eligible student to receive the honor and may impose additional requirements for membership beyond the organization's national requirement of being in the top 10% of the class.[8]
Each member school may also induct a faculty member and one honorary member each year.[9] The national organization's executive committee may also elect a limited number of honorary members.[10] Those chosen for honorary membership are usually U.S. Supreme Court justices and other preeminent members of the legal profession.[11][7]
Chapters
editAs of December 2022[update], 87 of 203 United States law schools accredited by the American Bar Association to award the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree had Order of the Coif chapters.[12][4] Following is a list of chapters of Order of the Coif.[13]
Notable members
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Gasaway, Laura N. "History". www.orderofthecoif.org. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ a b c Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VI-127-128. ISBN 978-0963715906.
- ^ Order of the Coif Constitution 2003 [cited herein as Constitution]. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
- ^ a b "Member Schools". orderofthecoif.org. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ Constitution § 2.2.
- ^ This name, briefly used by a few early chapters between 1902 and 1911 was retired after the growing fraternity determined in 1911 to adopt the earlier name that was used by its Northwestern chapter. Thus was created the American Order of the Coif. There is no connection between the legal honor society and a later developed national academic fraternity of the same name, Theta Kappa Nu, formed in 1924, which later would merge into Lambda Chi Alpha.
- ^ a b York, Kenneth H. (1952). "Legal Fraternities" (PDF). Michigan Law Review. 50 (7). The Michigan Law Review Association: 1047–56. doi:10.2307/1284939. JSTOR 1284939. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ Constitution §§ 5.1–5.2.
- ^ Constitution §§ 5.3–5.4(a).
- ^ Constitution § 5.4(b).
- ^ Order of the Coif, Honorary Members.
- ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools". americanbar.org.
- ^ "Member Schools". The Order of the Coif. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "Honors and Awards | Order of the Coif". College of Law West Virginia University. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "Order of the Coif and Dean's List". Berkeley Law. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ Renshaw, Grace Renshaw (2023-11-17). "Members of the Class of 2023 Selected for Order of the Coif - Vanderbilt Law". Vanderbilt Law School. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "Order of the Coif". School of Law The University of New Mexico. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "Order of the Coif". William & Mary Law School. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "The Order of the Coif - List of UH Chapter members". University of Houston Law Center. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
Further reading
edit- Michael Herz, Coif Comes to Cardozo, Cardozo Life (Spring 1999) (includes information on the order's history).
- Frank R. Strong, Order of the Coif: English Antecedents and American Adaptation, 63 A.B.A. J. 1725-1727 (1977).
External links
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