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Albany Law School

Coordinates: 42°39′08.51″N 73°46′38.40″W / 42.6523639°N 73.7773333°W / 42.6523639; -73.7773333
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Albany Law School
Parent schoolUnion University
Established1851
School typePrivate law school
DeanCinnamon Carlarne
LocationAlbany, New York, United States
Enrollment581
Faculty44 full-time, 47 part-time
USNWR ranking105th (2024)[1]
Bar pass rate83% (July 2023 first-time takers)[2]
Websitewww.albanylaw.edu
logo

Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association as well as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education[3] and has an affiliation agreement with University at Albany that includes shared programs. The school is located near New York's highest court, federal courts, the executive branch, and the state legislature.[4]

It officially goes by the name Albany Law School of Union University with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[5]

History

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Albany Law School is the oldest independent law school in the United States. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean (its dean until 1868), Amasa J. Parker, Ira Harris, and others.[6]

Beginning in 1878, the Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School, Albany Medical College, Dudley Observatory and Union College created the loose association today known as Union University. Each member institution has its own governing board, is fiscally independent, and is responsible for its own programs.[7] As of 2021, there were discussions about "the continued viability of the Union University relationship."[8]

Albany Law School has a historically close relationship with the New York Court of Appeals.[9] One of the original members of the court, Greene C. Bronson, helped to found the law school.[10][11] Since that time, Albany Law School alumni have been members of the court nine times with two serving as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.[9] In addition, the school hosts the Fund for Modern Courts' Hugh R. Jones Memorial Lecture, which is typically given by a current or former member of the court.

Leadership

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President & Dean

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  1. Amos Dean (1851–1868)
  2. Issac Edwards (1868–1879)
  3. Horace E. Smith (1879–1889)
  4. George W. Kirchway (1889–1891)
  5. Lewis B. Hall (1891–1895)
  6. J. Newton Fiero (1895–1924)
  7. Harold D. Alexander (1924–1945)
  8. Andrew V. Clements (1945–1965)
    • J. Vanderbilt Straub (Acting) (1965)
  9. Samuel M. Hesson (1965–1975)
    • John C. Welsh (Acting) (1975)[12]
  10. Ralph D. Semerad (1975–1977)
    • John C. Welsh (Acting) (1977–1979)[12]
  11. Richard J. Bartlett (1979–1985)[13]
  12. Martin Belsky (1986–1995)[14]
  13. John Baker (1991–1993)
    • John C. Welsh (Acting) (1993–1995)[12]
  14. Thomas Sponsler (1995–2002)
  15. Thomas Guernsey (2002–2011)[15]
  16. Penelope Andrews (2012–2015)
  17. Alicia Ouellette (2015–2023)
  18. Cinnamon P. Carlarne (2023-present)

Location

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Albany Law is the only law school located within 90 miles of New York's Capital District. It is within two miles of the New York State Legislature, New York Court of Appeals, the Appellate Division 3rd Department, the Federal District Court for the Northern District of New York, the New York State Bar Association, several state agencies, and a number of private law firms.

Admissions

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For the class entering in the fall of 2022, class, 50.2% of applicants were accepted with 29.2% of those accepted enrolling, the 50th Percentile LSAT score of enrollees being 155 and the 50th Percentile GPA being 3.48.[16]

Programs and centers

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Albany Law School offers 14 concentrations for J.D. candidates,[17] as well as an L.L.M program,[18] and joint J.D./M.B.A, J.D./M.P.A., J.D./M.R.P., J.D./M.S., and J.D./M.S.W. programs.[19]

Albany Law School is home to several centers of legal study: The Government Law Center, The Center for Excellence in Law Teaching, The Institute of Legal Studies, The Institute for Financial Market Regulation, and The Center for Judicial Process.

In addition, under the auspices of its Law Clinic and Justice Center, Albany Law School operates several public interest clinics. Some of the clinics available include the Health Law Clinic, Community Development Clinic, Domestic Violence Prosecution, and Family Violence Litigation.

Albany Law School's Schaffer Law Library holds a collection of more than 730,000 volumes and equivalents,[20] including videotapes of oral arguments before the New York State Court of Appeals dating back to 1989.

Academics

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Albany Law School offers courses and concentrations for the following degree programs: J.D., LL.M., and M.S. It offers joint degrees with the College of Saint Rose, Union Graduate College, The Sage Colleges, University at Albany, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Albany Law School also has an affiliation agreement with University at Albany that includes shared programs and access for students and faculty to learn from one another.[21]

Law journals

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In 1875, Albany Law published the nation's first student-edited legal periodical, the Albany Law School Journal, which existed for only one academic year before being discontinued.[22] Currently, the school publishes three journals, which are listed in order of their founding:

Ranking

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For 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Albany Law School #105 out of 196 ranked schools.[1]

Athletics

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Albany Law School has one of the oldest law school rugby clubs in the nation. The Albany Law School Rugby Football Club annually hosts the William Watkins tournament in the spring to honor its club founder, Professor William Watkins ("The Wat"), who was a faculty member, player, coach, mentor, and friend to all ruggers and students alike. The Wat established the first Albany Law School Rugby Football Team in 1966. Incredibly, since its inception, Albany Law is undefeated in inter-league law school rugby competition.

Notable faculty

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Full-time faculty:

Adjunct faculty:

Former faculty:

Notable alumni

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Main article: List of Albany Law School Alumni

Albany Law School has numerous notable alumni. It is one of only twelve law schools in the United States to have graduated two or more justices of the United States Supreme Court: Robert H. Jackson[25] and David Josiah Brewer.[26] Nine judges of the New York State Court of Appeals, United States President William McKinley, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, and over a dozen members of the United States Congress also attended Albany Law School. The first woman admitted to the New York State Bar, Kate Stoneman, and the first African American man to graduate from law school in New York State, James Campbell Matthews, also both attended Albany Law School.[27]

Other notable alumni include: Richard D. Parsons '71, Former Chairman, Citigroup, Lawrence H. Cooke '39, Former Chief Judge of New York State, Victoria A. Graffeo '77, Former Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals, Leslie Stein '81, Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals, and Thomas J. Vilsack '75, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa.[28]

Employment and rankings

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Albany Law School was ranked 106th in U.S. News & World Report's 2018 ranking of law schools.[29] The winter 2016 issue of preLaw magazine ranked Albany Law number 1 for government careers, citing its "A" grades in curriculum and employment, and number 6 for public defender and prosecutor jobs.[30]

According to Albany Law School's 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 81% of the class of 2016 [31] obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment ten months after graduation.[32] 126 of 151 graduates obtained full-time, long-term work and 4 graduates obtained either part-time short-term, part-time long-term or full-time short-term positions.[33] Albany Law School's 2016 Law School Transparency under-employment score is 18%, indicating the percentage of the Class of 2015 unemployed, pursuing an additional degree, or working in a non-professional, short-term, or part-time job nine months after graduation.[31]

Status Full time long term Full time short term Part time long term Part time short term Number
Employed bar passage required 106 0 1 0 107
Employed J.D. advantage 17 7 2 1 27
Employed professional position 1 0 0 0 1
Employed non-professional position 1 0 0 0 1
Employed law school/university funded 1 0 0 0 1
Employed indeterminable 0 0 0 0 0
Graduate degree full time 2
Unemployed start date deferred 0
Unemployed not seeking 0
Unemployed seeking 12
Employment status unknown 0
Total graduates 151

Employment summary for 2016 graduates [33]

Costs

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The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Albany Law School for the 2014–2015 academic year is $59,728.[34] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $234,466.[35] Tuition is $43,248. In 2015, the school awarded $7 million in financial aid, and over 60% of first-year students received merit scholarships.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Albany Law School". U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Schools. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Albany Law School has 83% First-Time Passage Rate on July 2023 Bar Exam (July 2023)". 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Albany Law School of Union University". Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  4. ^ "LLM - Albany Law School". www.lsac.org. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Albany Law School of Union University". Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ^ Elizabeth K. Allen; Diana S. Waite (2000). Albany Law School 1851–2001: A Tradition of change. Albany Law School. pp. 3, 14–16.
  7. ^ "Union University - Union College". www.union.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2015-06-08.
  8. ^ "FAQ - The University at Albany Affiliation | Albany Law School". www.albanylaw.edu. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  9. ^ a b Jonathan Lippman, The New York Court of Appeals, Albany Law School, and The Albany Law Review: Institutions Dedicated to the Evolution of the Law in New York State, 75 Alb. L. Rev. 9, 10 (2011/2012)
  10. ^ Kevin T. Bezio, Greene C. Bronson, in The Judges of the New York Court of Appeals: A Biographical History 11–15 (Albert M. Rosenblatt ed. 2007)
  11. ^ Elizabeth K. Allen; Diana S. Waite (2000). Albany Law School 1851–2001: A Tradition of change. Albany Law School. p. 3.
  12. ^ a b c "Albany Law School mourns loss of John "Jack" C. Welsh '55 | Albany Law School". www.albanylaw.edu. 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  13. ^ "Albany Law School Mourns Passing of Former Dean and Trustee Emeritus Richard Bartlett | Albany Law School". www.albanylaw.edu. 2015-05-07. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  14. ^ Ohio, The University of Akron. "Portrait unveiling to be held in honor of former Akron Law dean Martin Belsky". The University of Akron, Ohio. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  15. ^ "Media Kit - Dean Biography" (PDF).
  16. ^ "Albany Law School Standard 509 Information Report". abarequireddisclosures.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Concentrations". Albany Law School. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Master of Laws". Albany Law School. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Joint Degree Programs". Albany Law School. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  20. ^ "Schaffer Law Library". Albany Law School. Archived from the original on 2012-08-19. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  21. ^ "Degrees - Albany Law School". www.albanylaw.edu. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  22. ^ Jonathan Lippman, The New York Court of Appeals, Albany Law School, and The Albany Law Review: Institutions Dedicated to the Evolution of the Law in New York State, 75 Alb. L. Rev. 9, 10 (2011/2012); Spencer M. Ritchie, The Journal's Journey: a History of the Mississippi Law Journal, 81 Miss. L. J. 1527, 1528 n.7 (2012); Whit Pierce & Anne Reuben, The Law Review is Dead; Long Live the Law Review: A Closer Look at the Declining Judicial Citation of Legal Scholarship, 45 Wake Forest L. Rev. 1185, 1188 n.17 (2010); Michael Closen & Robert Dzielak, The History and Influence of the Law Review Institution, 30 Akron L. Rev. 15, 34 (1996); Michael Swygert & Jon Bruce, The Historical Origins, Founding, and Early Development of Student-Edited Law Reviews, 36 Hastings L. J. 739, 764 (1986).
  23. ^ "Law school leader is Cape Town-bound". The Albany Times Union. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  24. ^ Gunther, Gerald (1994), Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge 61, New York: Knopf, ISBN 978-0-394-58807-0.
  25. ^ Barrett, John Q. (2005). "Albany in the Life Trajectory of Robert H. Jackson". Albany Law Review. 68: 529.
  26. ^ "David J. Brewer, 1890-1910". The Supreme Court Historical Society. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  27. ^ Smith, Jr., J. Clay (1999). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer 1841–1914. p. 421.
  28. ^ "Fact Sheet - Albany Law School". www.albanylaw.edu. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Albany Law School". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  30. ^ preLaw magazine http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cypress/prelaw_2016winter/#/28 Archived 2016-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ a b "Employment Outcomes | Albany Law School". www.albanylaw.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  32. ^ "Employment Summary for 2016 Graduates" (PDF). Albany Law School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  33. ^ a b Singer, David. "Employment Outcomes". Albany Law School. Archived from the original on 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  34. ^ "Cost of Attendance". Archived from the original on 2014-06-22.
  35. ^ "Albany Law School Profile". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  36. ^ "Class of 2017 Profile". Albany Law School. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11.
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42°39′08.51″N 73°46′38.40″W / 42.6523639°N 73.7773333°W / 42.6523639; -73.7773333

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