The Order of the Coif is a legal honor society for outstanding lawyers. Exceptionally talented legal students, practicing lawyers, judges, and law instructors are eligible for membership. It, like other honor societies, has a charter that spells out the requirements for membership, as well as a staff of officers to enforce the rules and keep the peace. In the legal community, being invited to join this order is regarded as a mark of high distinction.
Participating law schools usually nominate the top 10% of each graduating class for the Order of the Coif, though some students may be left off a nomination list due to concerns about their character or fitness. Contemporaries can nominate lawyers, judges, and instructors for the order. The University of Chicago, Duke University, the University of California, Berkeley, Yale, Stanford University, and Loyola Marymount University are just a few of the schools that have active chapters.
In the United States, Theta Kappa Nu was founded in 1902 the University of Illinois to establish an honor society for law students. By 1908, Theta Kappa Nu had risen to the status of Order of the Coif, and a large number of schools had applied for charters. An inductee must have a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree in order to be included in the order.
The society’s history is actually much older. It all started with a medieval tradition in which only the most distinguished lawyers were allowed to wear the coif. Members of the medieval order were the only people appointed to prestigious legal positions, and in some cases, the only people allowed to practice in specific courts. Although the full privileges were not revoked until the 1800s, they left an enduring legacy of distinction associated with membership.
The order’s goal is to promote and recognize legal distinction. When someone is inducted, they are given a certificate, a badge, a key, and occasionally a coif for formal occasions. For a school to be admitted, at least 80% of current members must agree, and the school must typically receive high ratings and praise. Chapter membership can be a major coup for law schools, as it indicates that they are among the best in the country.