Founded by Gleason Archer as a law school open to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, the Suffolk Law School began as an all-male institution and became coeducational in 1937. Today the school remains loyal to its roots and runs an academic support program for students having difficulty adjusting to the rigors of law school, as well as a peer-mentoring program that connects nontraditional 1L students with upper-level student advisers.

In addition to the usual slate of required first-year classes, Suffolk Law students must take courses from required areas of law. Students are required to enroll in classes that satisfy three out of five "base" areas, as well as a "skills" area course that focuses on a particular legal specialty, and a "perspectives" class that concentrates on legal analysis. Suffolk Law offers concentrations in five areas, including civil litigation, finance law and health law, as well as five formal joint degree programs. The school works closely with the university's Sawyer Business School, and together they run a number of different programs. These include an accelerated MBA program for law school graduates and three- and four-year joint JD/MBA programs.

The alumni base for Suffolk Law is strong in the state and Boston metropolitan area, but graduates have to compete with other area law grads for top spots in law firms. Suffolk Law is primarily a commuter school, and students live scattered throughout the metropolitan area.