About Us

The New York Law School Center on Financial Services Law was launched in 2008 to provide J.D. and graduate students with unparalleled education, training, and professional development in financial services law. Today's financial services marketplace is global, highly complex, and constantly evolving. Legal, compliance, and regulatory issues have never been more important. To succeed as an attorney in the financial services field, one's education and training must go far beyond general courses in corporations, securities, and banking law and extend to the transactions engaged in by global financial institutions including banks, brokerage firms, derivatives traders, and hedge funds.

To meet this need, New York Law School has created a presence in the financial services law field that few, if any, other U.S. law schools can match. The Law School has demonstrated a commitment to teaching financial services law at the highest level, as evidenced by the extraordinary depth and prominence of the faculty, the work of the Center on Financial Services Law, the development of the LL.M. in Financial Services Law, and the offering of more than 40 courses involving all aspects of the global financial services industry, more than any other U.S. law school.

For example, New York Law School offers six courses on derivatives law and products, a similar number of courses on banking law, and individualized courses on such subjects as prime brokerage and securities financing, the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering regulations, global compliance issues, hedge fund structure and regulation, insolvency for financial institutions, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and financial regulatory policy, all taught by some of the leading legal experts in their respective fields. The Center will expand the number of specialized financial services law courses currently offered to J.D. students.  

Students in the J.D. program may affiliate with the Center on Financial Services Law through the Associates Program or as a Harlan Scholar. Affiliating with the Center provides students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills in financial services law by concentrating their course of study, working directly with faculty members and alumni affiliated with the Center, and participating in projects and events sponsored by the Center. These events include forums to discuss regulatory reforms and current issues facing the global financial services industry, and educational programs for industry legal and business professionals.

New York Law School’s commitment to financial services law is supported by a number of other important resources unique to the Law School, including the Center on Business Law & Policy, the Center for International Law, and the Center for Real Estate Studies. In addition, the Law School’s location in downtown Manhattan provides students with incredible opportunities for hands-on experience in the financial services industry, with Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, two major futures exchanges, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the headquarters of several major banks and brokerage firms, and many of leading law and accounting firms only a few blocks away.