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Brooklyn Law SchoolWritten by Hadi Sedigh
Admissions and Tuition: Each year, Brooklyn Law School receives nearly 5,000 total applications for its full-time and part-time programs, and as a result, the school must be highly selective in its admissions process. Typically, the school receives approximately 4,000 applications for its full-time program, admits about 1,000 of those applicants, of whom about 300 accept admissions offers and matriculate each year. For the entering class of 2007, the median LSAT score was 163, while the median undergraduate GPA was 3.43. Generally speaking, applicants with numbers near or above these medians should be competitive in future admissions cycles of Brooklyn Law School. Applicants with numbers well above these medians, on the other hand, will likely be considered for scholarships, which Brooklyn Law provides in varying amounts annually to nearly 60% of its student body. Applicants with numbers significantly below these medians, meanwhile, should submit their applications as early as possible, due to the fact that Brooklyn Law decides on applications on a rolling basis. Also, because Brooklyn Law, like most reputable law schools, aims to put together a diverse student body, applicants who can effectively highlight in their applications any relevant form of diversity that they could bring to the school will likely increase their chances of admission. Of course, applicants with relatively low numbers who are interested in Brooklyn Law School can look to its part-time program, which will allow them to enroll with a lower LSAT and GPA and will enable them to later transfer to the full-time program with solid academic performance. In terms of tuition, Brooklyn Law School is similar to other reputable New York City law schools in that its tuition is approaching the $40,000. For the 2007-2008 academic year, tuition for the full-time program of Brooklyn Law was $39,600, while tuition for the part-time program was $29,782. Academics and Curriculum:
Quality of Life: For students of Brooklyn Law School, quality of life is tremendous. The school has recently finished building Fiel Hall, an impressive 21-story high-rise with room for 360 students, and guarantees housing to all first-year students. The school’s location near the hip and historic Brooklyn Heights area provides students with access to countless eateries, shops and cafes, while the famously efficient subway system of New York City ensures that the endless number of bars, clubs, and restaurants of the Big Apple are but a short ride away for Brooklyn Law students. Student organizations of Brooklyn Law also do their part to ensure that students have plenty of opportunities to meet and socialize by hosting various events throughout the year. Of course, all of this comes at a high price, as the cost of living in New York City is among the highest in the nation, and students will likely have to take out larger “living expenses” loans than students in smaller cities. That said, living in one of the greatest cities in the world is worth this extra cost to most students, who are more than willing to take on the cost of living in New York City in exchange for all of the cultural and social opportunities that the city offers. Employment Prospects and Bar Passage:
On the New York bar exam, Brooklyn Law School students usually pass at a higher rate than the overall state passage rate. For the summer 2005 and winter 2006 administrations of the exam in New York, 84% of Brooklyn Law grads passed, while 74% of all test-takers in the state passed. Synopsis: For applicants interested in joining the massively influential legal market of New York City, Brooklyn Law School is a great place to earn a legal education. The school has a solid reputation among firms in the city, and offers students the opportunity to enter this legal market while still in law school through its many internship and externship programs. Contact Information: 250 Joralemon Street Quick Reference: U.S. News 2008 ranking: 60th |
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Brooklyn Law School offers its students great academic, internship, social, and employment prospects. Students at the school enjoy access to a tremendous number of elective courses and clinical programs, while the school’s location near various courts and law firms of New York City makes for an impressive amount of internship opportunities. At the same time, students are given the chance to study and live in one of the most historic and improved areas of New York City, in close proximity to Manhattan and all that the island has to offer. Finally, Brooklyn Law School students can take advantage of the school’s huge alumni family, and enjoy great employment prospects in the legal capital of the world - New York City. 
As is standard practice, first-year students at Brooklyn Law School enroll in a required set of foundational courses such as Contracts, Property, and Legal Writing. The school attempts to ease the law school transition for 1Ls through its Academic Success Program, which provides them with access to a summer-start program as well as support workshops throughout the year. For second and third-year students, up to 240 elective courses are available in 19 concentration areas, with the vast majority of these courses seating less than 25 students. The star attraction of Brooklyn Law School’s curriculum, however, is the numerous clinical internships and externships in which a large majority of the school’s students participate. As previously mentioned, Brooklyn Law School is located in close proximity to many important courts and offices, including the US District Court, US Attorney’s Office, New York State Supreme Court, and the US Bankruptcy Court, among others, allowing students of the school close and convenient access to many clinical opportunities in these and other courts and offices. Furthermore, various joint-degree programs are available to students, as are study-abroad opportunities in China, Germany, and Italy. 
Like students of most similarly regarded law schools, Brooklyn Law School students have mostly regional employment prospects. Fortunately for students of Brooklyn Law, the region in which they study is home to New York City, one of the largest legal markets in the world. Each year, many of the top law firms from throughout the city visit the school’s campus to interview students, approximately 90% of whom stay in the state of New York to begin their practice of the law. Students who hope to work outside of the Empire State will likely have a tougher job search, and will have to take more initiative in searching for opportunities. Of course, the school’s career services office assists students regardless of where they wish to work, and the school’s impressively large alumni family, which numbers over 18,000 alums, is an invaluable resource. In all, 95% or more of graduates are usually either employed or continuing educational pursuits within 9 months of graduation, about half of whom begin their practice of the law in the private sector. For graduates of the Class of 2006 of Brooklyn Law School who entered the private sector, the median first-year salary was about $115,000.