225 Eastview Drive
Central Islip, NY 11722
Phone: 631.761.7010; Fax: 631.761.7019
E-mail: admissions@tourolaw.edu; Website: www.tourolaw.edu
Established in 1980, Touro Law Center is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The Law Center occupies a dynamic 185,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building in Central Islip on the south shore of Long Island. Touro Law is at the center of what is arguably the nation's first integrated "law campus," comprising a United States courthouse and federal building and a New York State court center, with supreme, family, and district courts.
Located about one hour by car or train east of New York City on Long Island, Central Islip boasts a wide variety of affordable housing options. Students may also use the Office of Admissions' Housing Information Network, which provides current listings of accommodations, as well as information regarding car pools and shared living arrangements. On-campus parking is free of charge.
Touro is a leader in bridging the gap between law school and legal practice, between the classroom and the courtroom. Taking advantage of its unique location as part of a law campus, adjacent to and working with both a federal courthouse and a state courthouse, Touro Law offers an innovative Collaborative Court Program that enables students to experience the workings of the judicial system from the very first days of their legal education. Beginning in their first semester, students are exposed to true legal practice through simulations in both litigation and nonlitigation settings and through faculty-supervised small-group visits to courts in session, court-related agencies, and court administration. In an effort to facilitate experiential learning, Touro Law invites students not only to observe live proceedings, but also to discuss with the participants (judges, attorneys, and sometimes the parties themselves) their perspectives on law in action.
Practice Modules: A central feature of the upper-level curriculum is the linkage of substantive law with practice modules in Business Organizations, Criminal Procedure, Family Law, Trusts and Estates, and International Sales Law and Arbitration. Using the rules they have learned in the classroom, students solve practical problems, such as helping investors select an appropriate business entity, drawing up a criminal indictment, structuring a marital separation agreement, or drafting a will that satisfies an individual's personal and financial interests.
Clinics: Touro Law offers seven in-house clinics where clients bring real cases to law students working in on-campus offices: Advanced Bankruptcy, Civil Rights Litigation, Elder Law, Family Law, Mortgage Foreclosure and Bankruptcy, Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, and Veterans' and Servicemembers' Rights. Some clinics are arranged to accommodate the scheduling needs of part-time evening students.
Field Placement Externships: There are six field placement externship areas in which students work off campus: Advanced Criminal Prosecution (Suffolk County District Court); Business and Technology Law (Internet and high-tech companies, corporate law departments, and law firms); Civil Practice (law firms, corporations, and private and public agencies); Criminal Law (district attorneys' and legal aid/public defenders' offices); Judicial Clerkship (state and federal judges' chambers); and the US Attorney's Office Externship (Eastern District of New York). In addition, students can elect to gain experiences through a variety of independent externships.
Public Advocacy Center (PAC) and Public Service Projects: In a unique concept, Touro Law's William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center (PAC) houses 15 independent public interest agencies at the law school where students can gain practical experience in Immigration Law, Housing Law, Employment Law, Rights of Children, Education Law, Constitutional Law, Poverty Law, Disability Law, and Not-for-Profit Law. The center is also the focal point for student pro bono activities, including the Student Disaster Relief Network, Street Law, Foreclosure Project, Domestic Violence Project, unemployment representation, and a tax assistance program. Students can work for academic credit, for financial compensation, or on a pro bono basis for these agencies. Touro also provides a broad selection of externship placements in public interest organizations.
Institutes: Touro Law hosts the Institute for Business, Law, and Technology; the Jewish Law Institute; and the Institute for Holocaust Law and International Human Rights.
Summer Programs: In addition to the Law Center's on-site summer program, which features special programs on New York law, there are opportunities for work and study abroad in Croatia, Germany, India, Israel, and Vietnam. Touro Law also offers summer internships in law firms, courts, and government offices in Europe and Israel.
The Law Center's students, coming from diverse backgrounds and experiences, represent more than 101 undergraduate institutions and a broad mix of majors. Women make up 46 percent of the total enrollment; minorities, 27 percent.
Touro Law is proud to offer two honor societies: the Touro Law Review and the Moot Court Board. There are also almost 40 student organizations devoted to specialized professional and social concerns.
Of Touro Law's 50 full-time faculty members, many have advanced degrees in other disciplines, including medicine, philosophy, business, and finance. Almost all have extensive practice backgrounds, ranging from the judicial bench, major law firms, and criminal prosecution and defense to government agencies and public interest organizations.
The faculty shares one common characteristic: accessibility to students. Every entering student is assigned a faculty advisor, matched by background or interest area, for discussions on any aspect of the law school experience, including study strategy, course selection, and career goals. With an open-door policy and a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, everyone reaps the benefits of a personal and dynamic educational experience.
Juris Doctor (JD): Touro Law offers a three-year full-time JD degree program as well as a four-year, part-time day program. Touro also offers four-year and five-year part-time evening programs. Students wishing to accelerate their academic progress toward graduation may attend summer sessions.
Dual Degrees: The JD may be combined with a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Health Care, or a Master of Social Work (MSW), allowing students to complete the two degrees with significant time and cost savings.
Master of Laws (LLM): The Law Center also offers a 24-credit general LLM, full time or part time, and a 27-credit LLM in US Legal Studies (for foreign law graduates), full time or part time.
The Law Center provides a unique program of outside-the-classroom assistance. Teaching assistants (TAs) review material covered in class and conduct small group sessions on effective study methods and test-taking techniques. The Writing Center offers students an opportunity for intensive, individual work to develop their professional writing skills. Assistance is available in all facets of writing—from reviewing the basics to polishing an article for publication. In addition, the Legal Education Access Program (LEAP) enhances the experience of students of color through a four-week summer program for new students and mentoring during the academic year.
The Touro Law Center Honors Program offers approximately 20 to 25 exceptional students per class year an enriched, comprehensive law school experience. Students in the Honors Program will participate in enhanced academic, experiential, and social opportunities as part of a community of student scholars.
The Career Services Office offers students and graduates valuable hands-on assistance in their search for part-time, full-time, and summer employment. Graduates work in national, regional, and local law firms as well as federal, state, and local government agencies; not-for-profit organizations; and in the legal departments of corporations and municipalities.
Touro Law Center does not provide an applicant profile grid for its entering class because such data fails to reflect the complexity of the selection process.
At no point on a purely objective scale is an applicant assured of a particular decision. Among the most important criteria are the LSAT score and UGPA. However, evaluation is based on a variety of factors that may be indicative of potential for success—college major and course selection, graduate study, work experience, community involvement, and character.
In order to finance law school, Touro provides access to federal loans and work study, New York State loan and assistance programs, and need-based Touro Grants.
Most students receive some form of financial aid, and about 65 percent of entering students receive scholarships. Institutional aid is available to entering students (based on LSAT/UGPA) and to continuing law students (based on law school academic performance). Assistance includes dean's fellowships (full-tuition remission), merit scholarships (up to 90 percent tuition remission), and incentive awards (up to $9,000 per year). In addition, the Law Center offers stipends for public interest law fellowships, judicial clerkships, and federal work-study placements during the summer.
Please refer to the section on Admission and Financial Aid.