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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University

Written by Hadi Sedigh

Cardozo School of LawLocated in the heart of ultra-hip Greenwich Village in New York City, the Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University is a relatively young yet increasingly prestigious law school. The school’s setting in New York City, a city considered by many to be the legal capital of the world, provides students with an incredible amount of resources as well as great employment prospects.  Accordingly, for the many applicants hoping to find employment in one of the many prestigious law firms of Manhattan, Cardozo Law would be a great place to pursue a legal education.

Admissions and Tuition:

In part due to its desirable location, Cardozo School of Law receives many more applications than similarly ranked law schools, and in turn, is more selective in its admissions process.  In the 2006-2007 application cycle, Cardozo received 4,734 applications, handed out acceptances to about 1,500 applicants, of whom 372 matriculated to form the entering class of 2007 (stats for full-time and part-time divisions combined). For the full-time division of the entering class of 2007, LSAT scores at the 25th and 75th percentiles were 162 and 166, respectively, while undergraduate GPAs at the same percentiles were 3.30 and 3.70, respectively.  Generally speaking, applicants with numbers that fall within these ranges should be competitive in future application cycles at Cardozo Law School. That said, there are no absolute cutoffs in law school admissions, and applicants who can offer diversity to the student body of Cardozo Law may gain admission with lower numbers.  The part-time division of Cardozo Law represents another opportunity for students to enter the law school with relatively low numbers, as about 75 students matriculate part-time at Cardozo Law School in a typical year, many of whom later enroll in the full-time program.

Like most other things in New York City, a law education at Cardozo Law is not cheap.  For the 2007-2008 academic year, tuition at the school was $39,100, a figure comparable to the tuition of many of the top-ranked schools in the nation. This high rate of tuition, combined with the extremely high cost of living in and around Manhattan, will likely lead to greater debt for Cardozo Law graduates than for grads of similarly ranked law schools.

Academics and Curriculum:

Cardozo Law of YeshivaAs is standard practice, Cardozo Law School requires students to enroll in core courses such as Property, Torts, and Legal Writing during their first year.  Thereafter, students are mostly free to choose their own path of legal education by selecting from the school’s 130 elective courses to round out their 84-credit JD degrees. Aside from requirements and electives, Cardozo School of Law offers an impressive array of clinical opportunities and special programs, through which nearly 400 students per year help represent clients in real cases under the supervision of professional attorneys.  One such program is the Holocaust Claims Restitution Practicum, in which students aim to assist Holocaust survivors and their heirs in legal proceedings.  Other clinical opportunities include the Human Rights and Genocide Clinic, the Family Court Clinic, and the Immigration Law Clinic. Students interested in working on law journals will also have plenty of opportunity to do so at Cardozo School of Law through the school’s six student-edited journals.

Quality of Life:

Given Cardozo Law’s location in Manhattan’s hip Greenwich Village, students of the school are likely to enjoy a high quality of life. The area is home to an endless array of bars, clubs, and restaurants that keep students entertained at night, and also houses popular parks and coffee shops that serve as hang-out spots for students before and after classes. Cardozo Law also provides social opportunities for its students through annual formal events and monthly bar reviews, among other activities.  At the same time, the school gives its students the option to skip a strenuous New York City apartment search by providing Cardozo housing for law students, although many students choose to cut costs by living outside of the extremely expensive Greenwich Village area.  Automobiles, of course, are not necessary and perhaps not practical for Cardozo Law students, who can save time and money by taking advantage of the efficient New York City subway system.  In all, Cardozo Law students enjoy access to all that New York City offers and are likely to experience and enjoyable, if not inexpensive, three years of law school.

It should be noted that Cardozo Law School is part of Yeshiva University, a traditionally Jewish university.  Cardozo Law School is secular, but as a result of its heritage many of its students are Jewish. 

Employment Prospects and Bar Passage:

Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva UniversityWithout a doubt, one of the major advantages of Cardozo Law is its access to the prestigious New York City legal market. For students who graduate near the top of their class at Cardozo, most top law firms in Manhattan are within reach, many of which visit the school’s campus to interview select students each year. As is usually the case, students outside of the top 10 or 15 percent of their class have less luck with on-campus interviews and depend more on the school’s career services office and alumni network.  For all students, employment prospects are fairly regional, although this is much less of a problem for Cardozo Law students than for students of similarly regarded law schools, as the region in which Cardozo Law is located happens to include the largest legal market in America. In all, more than 90% of Cardozo Law grads are typically employed within several months of graduation, with about 60% of those employed beginning their careers in the private sector with a median salary of approximately $105,000 (class of 2006). For students that choose to enter the public sector, Cardozo Law offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program that helps students with their sizable legal debts, as the name of the program would suggest.

In terms of bar passage, Cardozo Law graduates generally post impressive passage rates.  In recent administrations of the exam in the state of New York, 84% of first-time test takers from Cardozo passed the exam, while the overall state passage rate was about 74%.

Synopsis:

Applicants with hopes of securing employment in New York City should give the Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University serious consideration, as the school provides its students with great job prospects in the city and is a “rising star” amongst law schools. The opportunity to live and study in Greenwich Village, one of the chicest neighborhoods of Manhattan, is but icing on the cake for Cardozo Law students. 

Contact Information:

55 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
212.790.0274
lawinfo@yu.edu

http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/

Quick Reference:

U.S. News 2008 ranking: 52nd
Application deadline: 4/1
Application fee: $65
Entering class size: 371 (full-time and part-time combined) (2007)
LSAT scores at 25th and 75th percentiles: 162, 166 (2007)
Undergraduate GPAs at 25th and 75th percentiles: 3.3, 3.7 (2007)
Yearly tuition: $39,100 (2007-2008)
Average private sector first-year salary: $105,000 (Class of 2006)




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