The Inn of Court was begun by Col. Edward F. J. Tucker in 1981. It is The Citadel's pre-law society. Its unique feature is that the membership is composed not only of cadets, but also of alumni who practice law. The idea was taken by Col. Tucker from the Inns of Court in Great Britain, the law fraternities in which students learned the law by dining and disputing with established lawyers and judges. Each year in spring term The Citadel Inn of Court holds an alumni-cadet banquet, where awards are presesented and a leader in the legal community gives an address. The organization brings together a group of lawyers who advise cadets who plan on becoming lawyers. The four legal societies in London, which date from the 13th century, are the Inner Temple, Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn. (Source: communication from Professor Scott Lucas, Department of English and Inn of Court Faculty Advisor, February 27, 2005)
