Case method, in law schools, is a system of learning the law through the study of actual cases. Law students read these decisions and discuss the reasoning by which they were reached. For nearly a hundred years before 1870, law schools in the United States had taught by lectures and individual reading of the few law books available. In that year, Christopher C. Langdell, a professor at the Harvard Law School, introduced the case method of study. Langdell collected decisions, or cases decided by appellate courts, in a case book. Law students studied these decisions and discussed the cases in class. By the early 1900’s, most law schools had adopted the case method. Students now study statutes and administrative regulations in addition to cases. The case method is also used in other social sciences. See also Law (Common law systems) .
