The history of New York Law School can be summed up in a single sentence: A year ago, a seemingly daring venture; today the largest law school, with one exception, in these United States.
— The Counsellor, The New York Law School Law Journal, 1892

The year was 1891. Leading scholars and practitioners of the day saw the need for a school to teach law in a distinctive style—and in a setting close to New York City’s legal, financial, government, and corporate headquarters. To meet that need, Columbia Law School faculty, alumni, and students, led by their former dean, Theodore Dwight, broke away and established New York Law School, a totally independent institution. It was a bold experiment.

The School was an immediate success, quickly gaining recognition for the excellence of its students and faculty. For more than a century, New York Law School has been an independent law school committed to keeping the doors of the legal profession open to a diverse population of students. From the beginning, the Law School welcomed students of all races and, in 1904, created the Evening Division to give those who need it the opportunity to work and attend classes.

From its auspicious start to the present day, New York Law School has graduated some of this country’s most innovative leaders, who continue to change the world through careers in public service, business, the arts, and other fields.

Some of our most distinguished graduates include:

Judges & Justices 

• Hon. John Marshall Harlan ’24, United States Supreme Court Justice
• Hon. Nicholas Tsoucalas ’51, Senior Judge, United States Court of International Trade
• Hon. Roger J. Miner ’56, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Hon. Judith Sheindlin ’65 (“Judge Judy”), New York family court judge, author, and television personality
• Hon. Faviola A. Soto ’78, Judge, New York State Court of Claims

Founders of Prominent Law Firms

• Henry Hurlbut Abbott, Class of 1895, of Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLC
• Albert Milbank, Class of 1898, of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
• William Parke, Class of 1902, of Chadbourne & Parke LLP
• Alfred Mudge, Class of 1905, of Mudge, Rose, Guthrie & Alexander
• Alfred Rose, Class of 1910, of Proskauer Rose LLP
• Jacob Scholer, Class of 1910, of Kaye Scholer LLP
• Edwin Sunderland ’13 of Davis, Polk, Wardwell, Sunderland & Kiendl
• Arthur N. Abbey ’59 of Abbey Spanier Rodd & Abrams, LLP
• Steven E. Pegalis ’65 of Pegalis & Erickson, LLC

Government Leaders

• Bainbridge Colby, Class of 1892, Secretary of State under President Wilson
• Mayors of New York City: John F. Hylan, Class of 1897; John Purroy Mitchel, Class of 1901; James J. Walker, Class of 1905
• Robert F. Wagner, Class of 1900, U.S. Senator from New York, 1927–49; author of the National Labor Relations Act
• Kathleen Grimm ’80, Deputy Chancellor for Finance and Administration, New York City Department of Education

Corporate Leaders

• Zygmunt Wilf ’74, principal owner of the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL
• Kenneth D. Werner ’78, President of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
• Charles E. Phillips Jr. ’93, CEO of Infor; former President of Oracle, the world’s largest enterprise software company

Pioneers

• Conrad A. Johnson ’13, an immigrant from Barbados who became the first black Republican alderman in New York City
• Hon. James S. Watson ’13, a judge and the first African American admitted to membership in the American Bar Association
• Hon. Emilio Nuñez ’27, the first Latino judge in New York City
• Barbara M. Watson ’62, daughter of James S. Watson (above), U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, the first female assistant secretary of state of the United States

Pulitzer Prize Winners

• Wallace Stevens, Class of 1903, Poet
• Elmer Rice ’12, Playwright

Inventors

• Chester Carlson ’39, inventor of the xerography photocopy process
• Richard E. LaMotta ’75, inventor of the Chipwich ice-cream sandwich; Founder, myStudentBiz Inc.

New York Law School’s core values focus our approach to legal education and are reflected in our curriculum, our teaching, the services we provide to our students, and our conduct as an institution of higher learning.

Embrace innovation. A recognition that our times demand the ability to adapt to change and to new situations as they arise and that doing so successfully requires a commitment to lifelong learning. At New York Law School, change is driven by the need to respond to the emerging needs of our society and a commitment to help our students develop real-world skills that will be demanded of lawyers in the years to come.

Foster integrity and professionalism. A commitment to pursue the ongoing improvement of the legal profession by embracing ethics and professionalism as a way of life. Law is probably more explicitly challenged to define questions of professionalism and integrity than any other field, and at New York Law School, we deeply explore how lawyers meet this challenge.

Advance justice for a diverse society. An explicit reminder that law ultimately is about justice, fairness, and morality. At New York Law School, we advance justice by bringing real-life experience to bear on scholarship, teaching students theory, equipping them to change the world for the better, and urging them out into that world to test their skills.

In keeping with our values, New York Law School trains students to become active lawyer-citizens who use their skills and knowledge to enhance the lives of others.

Under the leadership of renowned scholar Dean Richard A. Matasar, the School has sharpened the focus of its curriculum in the last several years to develop a program called “Learn law. Take action.” This program combines traditional legal theory with a strong dose of applied learning through skills courses and innovative programs, giving students multiple opportunities to work on projects that have a real-world impact.

To further these goals, the Law School has developed a second thematic approach: “The Right Program for Each Student,” which acknowledges and accommodates our students’ differing expectations, ambitions, and levels of ability. The School has developed several individualized programs to meet the needs of each segment of the student body, including:

The John Marshall Harlan Scholars Program
This rigorous academic honors program is designed for students who have performed at the top of their law school class. It gives students the opportunity to focus their law school studies, gaining depth and substantive expertise beyond a broad understanding of the law. Eligible students are offered scholarship funding, a position on the New York Law School Law Review, and an affiliation with one of the Law School’s nine academic centers.

The Comprehensive Curriculum Program
The Comprehensive Curriculum Program is a unique program that provides intensive support for students who perform in the bottom quarter of their class after the first year, helping them turn a weak start into a powerful finish. Professors work closely with participating students to help them get the skills and knowledge they need to succeed on the bar exam, in law school, and in the workforce.

A Focus on Collaborative Learning
New York Law School offers several project-based learning courses aimed at combining attention to legal theory and practice. These courses challenge students to develop both their legal knowledge and important skills such as project planning and collaboration. Classes are small, and participating students work together with close guidance from a faculty member on projects with concrete, real-world significance.

Areas of Concentration

• Civil Liberties
• Constitutional Law
• Corporate and Securities Law
• Criminal Law
• Family Law
• Financial Services law
• Information and Media Law
• International Law
• Labor and Employment Law
• Law and Journalism
• Professional Values and
• Practice
• Real Estate Law
• Taxation

Divisions

• Full-Time Day
• Part-Time Evening

Faculty

• 95 full-time faculty and instructional staff
• 4 hold an S.J.D., the highest degree in law
• 11 hold a Ph.D.
• 13 hold an LL.M.
• 19 hold a master’s degree in various fields of study
• 200 adjunct faculty

Total Enrollment
1,765 students

• 30% self-identified minority*
• 52% women*
• 19% part-time evening*
• 254 undergraduate schools represented from 36 states and territories and 15 foreign countries*

* Entering class, 2010

Degrees

• Juris Doctor
• LL.M. in Financial Services Law
• LL.M. in Real Estate
• LL.M. in Taxation
• M.A. in Mental Disability Law Studies
• Joint J.D./M.B.A. with Baruch College, City University of New York
• J.D./M.A. in Forensic Psychology and Law, with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
• Joint Bachelor’s/J.D. with Stevens Institute of Technology

New York Law School gives each student a solid foundation in the law—the substantive knowledge and professional skills necessary to represent clients responsibly, effectively, and creatively.

We offer students a wealth of intellectual opportunities to actively engage in the profession through experiences in and out of the classroom. Our curriculum emphasizes broad-based advocacy and skills training and allows students to build course concentrations in numerous areas.

Beginning with the first-year required course called Legal Practice, every student is given the opportunity to apply his or her legal reasoning and analysis skills in the context of a simulated interview of a client, then in an interview of a witness and, finally, in a session in which they counsel a client. They also engage in legal research and writing with extensive, close supervision by their professors. This course is a groundbreaking and innovative way of introducing students to the tasks that lawyers are asked to perform.

Building on the Legal Practice course, students have multiple opportunities in their upper-level studies to gain hands-on experience in a real-world setting:

• An extensive externship program places students in the offices of practicing attorneys or in judicial chambers.
• A rich array of clinics allows students to represent or work with actual clients under the direct supervision of full-time faculty or attorneys. Clinics are offered in Civil Rights, Criminal Defense, Criminal Prosecution, Elder Law, Mediation, and Securities Arbitration.
• Advanced simulation courses enable students to interact with actors or others in a variety of lawyering situations. These courses include: Advanced Appellate Advocacy; Advocacy of Criminal Cases; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Deposition Skills; Negotiating, Counseling, and Interviewing (NCI); Trial Advocacy; and The Role of the Government Attorney. 

This foundational training is augmented by a wide array of specialized courses. More than half of a student’s credit hours are devoted to elective courses.

Law students begin their professional lives on the day they enter law school. And at New York Law School, they get the support, guidance, and resources they need to shape their own paths to success.

The Office of Professional Development—which encompasses the Office of Career Services, the Office of Student Life, and the Office of Public Interest and Community Service—helps students develop professional portfolios that link their passions and interests to the job market. Among the programs available are a liaison program linking students to senior administrators and upper-division students; a faculty advising system encouraging faculty-to-student mentoring; and an alumni mentor program that engages hundreds of graduates in career counseling of current students.

Career Services
Staffed by attorneys and counseling professionals who have held positions in large, midsize, and boutique law firms, government offices, academic institutions, and public interest organizations, the Office of Career Services offers career counseling, job listings, job-hunting skills workshops, networking opportunities, and an extensive library of career resources. Career Services also hosts both a fall and a spring On-Campus Interview Program for employers who wish to recruit students on-site.

Public Interest and Community Service
The Office of Public Interest and Community Service sponsors a variety of programs and opportunities for students to engage in pro bono activities. The office works closely with several of the Law School’s centers: the Justice Action Center, with its focus on issues of civil rights and liberties and international human rights; the Center for Professional Values and Practice, with its emphasis on professionalism and ethics as well as appropriate methods for effecting dispute resolution; and the Center for New York City Law, with its focus on addressing legal issues in an urban setting. Students who perform at least 40 hours of voluntary service while at the Law School receive a Public Service Certificate, which is noted on their transcripts.

Student Life
The Office of Student Life strives to make each student’s time at the Law School meaningful and productive by providing support for extracurricular opportunities that enhance a student’s professional development. These include the Student Bar Association (SBA), the Moot Court Association, and more than 40 New York Law School student organizations.

Work-Study Opportunities
Students also build professional experience through participation in the Federal Work-Study Program, which provides more than 350 paid jobs to participating New York Law School students every year. These include positions at law firms, district attorneys’ and U.S. attorneys’ offices, public defender firms, public interest law organizations, on-campus offices, and with the School’s nine academic centers.

Employment Statistics for the Class of 2010
New York Law School collected post-graduate employment information for 457 of the 481 members of the Class of 2010 (95 percent reporting) nine months after graduation.

• 407 of our graduates were employed
• 13 were seeking a post-graduate degree
• 14 were not seeking employment (e.g., starting a family)
• 23 were seeking employment
• 24 employment status unknown

The press has been covering law graduate employment statistics with great attention and controversy recently. Some of the confusion stems from the various methods used to calculate “employment rates.” There are several approaches to calculating the single number that blends all the things law graduates do in their first year after graduation, whether it is working, pursuing another degree, not seeking employment for personal reasons (such as starting a family), or continuing to search for a job. Post-graduate activities are varied. For instance, New York Law School’s employment rate could be calculated based on four different formulas:

New York Law School graduates are employed in a range of fields, with the majority in private practice.

For more information about employment statistics, please click here

Representative Employers for the Class of 2010

National and International Law Firms

• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
• Jones Day LLP
• Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
• Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
• Shearman & Sterling LLP
• Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Metro Area Firms

• Davidoff Malito & Hutcher LLP
• Holm & O’Hara LLP
• Horwitz Horwitz & Paradis
• London Fischer LLP
• Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP

Business and Industry

• CBS
• Citigroup
• Deutsche Bank AG
• HarperCollins
• JPMorgan Chase
• T-Systems

Government

• District Attorney Offices in numerous New York-metro counties
• NYC Administration for Children’s Services
• NYC Law Department
• Internal Revenue Service
• U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review
• U.S. Department  of Labor

Public Interest

• American Civil Liberties Union – Women’s Rights Project
• Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund
• Catholic Charities
• Legal Aid Society

Clerkships

• New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 2nd Dept. (staff attorney)
• Superior Courts in most New Jersey counties
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Student Organizations at New York Law School

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU/NYLS)
• American Constitution Society (ACS)
• Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
• Asian American Law Student Association (AALSA)
• Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
• Corporate and Business Law Society
• Criminal Law Society
• Domestic Violence Project
• De Novo (student newspaper)
• Environmental Law Society
• Evening Students Association
• Federalist Society
• Financial Securities Law Association
• Gaelic Law Students Association
• Immigration Law Students Association
• Intellectual Property Law Society
• International Law Society
• Intramural Sports Club
• Italian Law Students Association (ILSA)
• Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA)
• Labor and Employment Law Students Association
• Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA)
• Law Students for Reproductive Justice
• Lawyers Without Borders NYLS Student Division
• Legal Association for Women (LAW)
• Media Law & Policy
• Media, Entertainment, & Fashion Law Association (MEFLA)
• Muslim Law Students Association
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
• National Lawyer Guild
• NYLS Coalition for the Homeless
• NYLS Democrats
• NYLS Dispute Resolution Team
• NYLS Republicans
• Phi Alpha Delta (PAD)
• Public Interest Coalition (PIC)
• Real Estate Law Association
• South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA)
• Sports Law Society
• Stonewall Law Students Association
• Student Bar Association (SBA)
• Students for Children and Families
• Tax and Estate Planning Society
• Unemployment Action Center

You’ll find abundant opportunities to “learn law and take action” at New York Law School’s nine academic centers. Established by the Law School faculty, these nine centers are hubs of specialized study that enable invaluable exchange between students and expert practitioners. Students in the Harlan Scholars Program are invited to affiliate with one of the centers make it their intellectual home on campus.

The Center on Business Law & Policy is designed to provide students with an enriched educational experience in the business, securities, and commercial law areas and train them to excel as planners and counselors in general advising, litigation, and especially, deal-making situations where businesses and other commercial entities are clients. Center graduates have a firm grounding in the fundamentals needed to enter business-oriented law firms, law departments in corporations, investment banks, financial services and brokerage firms, institutional investors, as well as regulators and other commercially oriented governmental offices, and are exposed to the areas of law that are relevant to these types of practices.

The Center on Financial Services Law began offering programs in fall 2008. The Center expands the number of specialized financial services law courses offered to J.D. students and develops hiring and recruitment opportunities for students and alumni who have an interest in financial services law. It also provides a forum for discussing regulatory reforms and current issues facing this global industry and creates new educational programs for industry legal and business professionals. For example, the Center now offers an LL.M. in Financial Services Law.

The Center for International Law provides students and faculty with in-depth support for instruction in many areas of international law. Founded in 1996 with major funding from The Starr Foundation, the Center maintains close ties with New York City’s business, financial, and legal communities. The Center’s activities include sponsoring the prestigious C.V. Starr Lectures and the Otto L. Walter Lecture Series, which regularly bring world-renowned speakers to the Law School; and producing The International Review, the Center’s award-winning newsletter.

Established in 1993, the Center for New York City Law is the only program of its kind in the country. Its objectives are to gather and disseminate information about New York City’s laws, rules, and procedures; to sponsor publications, symposia, and conferences on topics related to governing the city; and to suggest reforms to make city government more effective and efficient. The Center produces several publications, including CityLaw, which tracks New York City’s rules and regulations, how they are enforced, and court challenges to them; and CityLand, which reports decisions from the New York City land use agencies.

The Law School’s Center for Professional Values and Practice provides a vehicle through which to examine the role of the legal profession and approaches to law practice. The Center’s work supports the development of lawyering skills and reflective professionalism, including consideration of how these have evolved over the decades, even as business and ethical pressures have intensified and become more complex, and the roles of lawyers in society have multiplied.

The Center for Real Estate Studies provides students with a unique educational opportunity to study both the private practice and public regulation of real estate. Launched in 2007, the Center offers an extensive selection of classroom courses, advanced seminars, and independent study projects, as well as externships in governmental offices and real estate firms. It also sponsors conferences, symposia, and continuing legal education programs on a broad spectrum of issues. The Center aims to bridge the existing gap between the private practice and academic study of real estate, and is one of the premier research centers in the country for the study of real estate. In January 2009, the Center began offering the LL.M. in Real Estate.

The Diane Abbey Law Center for Children and Families exists to ensure that children and the families who care for them receive the legal assistance they need to remain safe and secure, and to thrive. Founded in 2009, the Center combines a comprehensive curriculum aimed at creating excellent practitioners able to represent children and families in all aspects of family law. The Center approach is holistic and interdisciplinary, recognizing that assisting families requires a basic understanding not merely of law, but also social work, psychology, and other fields. Center members engage in volunteer externships, work with alumni mentors, and complete capstone projects that make concrete contributions to the lives of families in need. The Center not only prepares graduates for successful careers, but also helps give New York’s children and families the support they need.

The Institute for Information Law & Policy is New York Law School’s home for the study of law, technology, and civil liberties. The goal of the Institute is to develop and apply theories of information and communication to analyze law and policy. It also seeks to design new technologies and systems that will best serve democratic values in the digital age. The Institute administers the innovative program that leads to the Certificate of Mastery in Law Practice Technology for students who attain substantial expertise in how technology changes law practice and legal institutions. The Institute also offers a Patent Law Program that helps students develop expertise in patent law and prepare for the patent bar exam.

The Justice Action Center brings together New York Law School faculty and students in an ongoing critical evaluation of public interest lawyering. Through scholarship and fieldwork, the Center seeks to evaluate the efficacy of law as an agent of change and social betterment, particularly in the fields of anti-discrimination law and economic justice, civil liberties, criminal law and death penalty, environmental law, family law, immigration law, labor and employment law, and mental disability law. In addition to availing themselves of a focused curriculum, symposia, and research opportunities, participating students can gain direct exposure to the field of cause lawyering through externships, clinics, and workshops.

You should expect outstanding intellectual leadership and scholarship from a law school faculty. At New York Law School, you’ll enjoy something more: a dynamic group of nationally renowned scholars with extensive professional and public policy accomplishments.

Most faculty members have had significant prior experience in legal practice: as public defenders, corporate lawyers, jurists, government officials, and advocates for the public interest. They have collectively authored more than 100 books and hundreds of articles in prominent scholarly law reviews and journals.

Through their scholarship, research, and advocacy, they are engaged in some of society’s most pressing concerns—developing programs on economic literacy, advocating for civil liberties, testifying before congressional committees, and advancing constitutional democracy around the world.

Above all, our faculty members are committed to students’ success. They collaborate with students on real-world projects, engage them in intellectual discussions, provide guidance on professional development goals, and serve as advisors to student-run publications and organizations. They are dedicated to creating ever-expanding opportunities for New York Law School students to make a difference in the world long before graduation.

Click here to see a list of our faculty and to read their profiles.