80 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208, USA
Phone: 518.445.2326 | Website: www.albanylaw.edu
Introduction
The only law school in the capital of New York State, Albany Law School is the oldest private, independent law school in North America. Our location, in the center of state government, provides unprecedented opportunities for internships, field placements, clinical experience, and career opportunities. Our world-class faculty is dedicated and
accessible. Students have access to New York's highest court, federal courts, and the state legislature, as well as to a thriving tech-based economy. The employment rate for our graduates has been well above the national average for law schools for over 25 years.
Our Community
The Albany Law School community of approximately 650 students in the JD program, around a dozen in the LLM program, 55 full-time faculty, and 54 part-time faculty is intimate, respectful, and supportive. We welcome students and faculty with diverse backgrounds and talents, and provide an outstanding environment for the pursuit of scholarship, teaching, and public service. The small size of our student body fosters an environment that encourages camaraderie and frequent contacts between students and faculty. Nearly eight percent of our students graduated five or more years before entering law school and had careers in other professions prior to beginning their legal studies. We welcome students in all programs from nearly a dozen countries. Nearly 50 percent of our students are women, over a third are from outside New York State, and 25 percent are members of a minority group.
Our Campus
Albany Law School's facilities honor our 159-year history, while supporting a 21st century legal education. The open design of the 53,000-square-foot Schaffer Law Library—a federal depository library—provides an inviting environment for study and research. Book and microfilm collections number more than half a million
volumes, and the library supplements its collection with online databases and legal research systems, including LexisNexis and Westlaw. The library also houses technological devices for the hearing and visually impaired. The main building of Albany Law School has been recently renovated and houses contemporary lecture halls, seminar-style classrooms, two modern moot courtrooms, and smart classrooms with wireless Internet access and advanced audio, video, computing, and conferencing systems. A 45,000-square-foot building built in 2000 houses the Albany Law School clinic, law centers, and administrative offices, as well as several classrooms, including a high-tech distance learning classroom. Our new bookstore and student center, along with a new state-of-the-art fitness center, opened in 2009.
Housing
The Capital Region is comprised of the cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. Albany is a city of approximately 100,000 people. The area near the Law School is considered residential. Housing is readily available with the majority of apartments within walking distance of the school. Because of the proximity to so many colleges and universities, housing is also very affordable with rent for a two-bedroom apartment around $800 per month. The Law School does not screen or investigate any listing; however, a Certificate of Occupancy is required of all landlords listing properties located in the city of Albany. A student residential facility, College Suites, is located on the University Heights (UHA) campus adjacent to the Law School.
LLM Programs/Areas of Specialization
Advanced Specialization in Law for Graduates of ABA-Approved Law Schools in the US
The LLM program offers several different study options. Candidates may specialize in government administration and regulation, health law, intellectual property law, or international law, or may design a course of study other than those specialized programs.
LLM candidates are required to earn 24 credits in approved courses. Students are strongly encouraged to earn academic credits, up to a limit of six, by engaging in faculty-supervised research and writing projects. A minimum GPA of 2.0, current and cumulative, is required.
Students are expected to complete their degrees within three years and be continuously enrolled (full- or part-time) during fall and spring semesters until all degree requirements are met.
LLM for International Law Graduates
This LLM program is designed for international law graduates and practicing attorneys from countries outside the US who seek an academic program in order to qualify for admission to the New York State or other state bar. An applicant who has studied in a foreign country may qualify to take the New York State bar examination by successfully completing the requirements for and be awarded the LLM degree from Albany Law School.
LLM candidates who plan to take the New York State bar examination are required to take a course in legal research, writing, and analysis; a course in American legal studies; and at least three courses in subjects tested on the New York bar examination. Students are also strongly encouraged to take additional core bar courses to maximize each candidate's ability to pass the bar examination. Albany Law School recognizes that foreign educated lawyers present very different backgrounds and training (e.g., common law versus civil law and actual prior course work and experience) and we seek to build on those individual differences.
Contact Information
Additional information about our LLM programs may be found on the Law School website, or by contacting:
Gail Bensen
Assistant Dean for Admissions
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
USA
Phone: 518.445.2326
Fax: 518.445.2369
E-mail: admissions@albanylaw.edu
Student Life
You have dozens of opportunities to participate in student organizations and activities around specific academic, professional, social, cultural, or athletic interests. The Capital Region is home to 16 colleges and universities and boasts museums, galleries, restaurants, shops, theaters, nightclubs for every taste, venues that host professional
sporting events, and performing arts centers that attract national acts. The Adirondack, Berkshire, and Catskill mountains offer skiing, camping, hiking, and water sports, and the Saratoga Race Course offers thoroughbred and harness racing. Metropolitan centers in New York City, Boston, and Montreal are all within an easy drive and about
10 trains provide daily service to New York City. All major air carriers operate from the Albany International Airport and provide daily nonstop service to most eastern US cities, with connections worldwide.
Career Services
Albany Law's career services system includes flexible, dynamic, and intuitive job search features—and access to a Personal Job Search Agent to find jobs matching your interests and skills. Résumés of students can also be forwarded electronically to employers. In addition to helping you set your goals, we offer a variety of programs and services to make sure you reach them, including:
- Career Counseling: Examine your interests, consider your options, identify possible employers, and plan your studies to match your career objectives.
- Career Education Programs: Learn from workshops, meetings, panel discussions, and other activities with alumni and other practicing professionals.
- Job Search Skills: Get help building a résumé, writing cover letters, networking, and learning other job search essentials. We also provide interview coaching; videotaped and professionally critiqued mock interviews prepare you for the challenges you will face when you do it for real.
- Interviews On and Off Campus: More than 1,200 interviews are held on campus each year with law firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, and businesses. We arrange interview programs in more than 20 cities across the country, including New York; Boston; Washington, DC; and Chicago.
- Job Fairs and Employer Information Sessions: Take advantage of opportunities to meet potential employers from an array of fields and learn what they are looking for.
- Alumni: With more than 10,000 alumni working in every state of the country and alumni working in 47 of the largest 50 law firms, our students benefit from Albany Law's close network of successful graduates.
The Career Center offers an array of interview programs, career education, and career counseling services to assist students with their job searches.
We encourage you to visit Albany Law School—meet our faculty, speak with our students, and tour our beautiful facilities. We look forward to meeting you.
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