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New York Law SchoolIntroduction New York Law School (NYLS) is conveniently located in downtown New York City (NYC) near city hall and the major courthouses. NYLS is a top choice for many students, particularly those who want to live and practice in NYC. Founded in 1891, New York Law School is not affiliated with any college or university and is the second oldest independent law school in the country. It is an exciting time at NYLS because it recently spent $190 million on a new 200,000-square-foot building (See website www.nyls.edu for more details). The new nine-story building is expected to be completed in 2010. As the school is located a mere 10 minute walk to Wall Street it has a strong business law curriculum and attracts a fair number of Wall Street analysts to the part-time program. More than 100 sitting judges and many prominent law firm partners have graduated from New York Law School. From the school’s website: “Drawing on its location near the centers of law, government, and finance in New York City, its faculty of noted and prolific scholars has built the school’s curricular strength in the areas of tax law, labor and employment law, civil and human rights law, media and information law, urban legal studies, international and comparative law, and interdisciplinary fields such as legal history and legal ethics. New York Law School has more than 11,000 graduates and enrolls some 1500 students in its full- and part-time J.D. program. It is one of only two law schools in the metropolitan area to offer the Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation.” Law School Admissions & Tuition Last year, there were 5,614 applicants for approximately 400 full-time and 130 part-time spots. 4,606 of these were full-time applicants of which, 1,782 were accepted, an acceptance rate of about 39% for the full-time program. The remaining 1,008 were part-time applicants and 331 were accepted, which is about a 33% acceptance rate. The median GPAs were 3.40 for full-time and 3.20 for part-time with the median LSAT scores being 156 full-time and 153 part-time. The part-time program is offered as day and evening programs. The tuition is about $38,600 for full-time and $29,680 for part-time. The estimated living expenses are about $19,240, which seems a bit conservative if one wants to rent a decent place in Manhattan. Students who live in the city are advised to save an extra $2,000-$3,000 for use as an emergency/safety fund. Student Body New York Law School part-time program attracts a fair number of working professionals, particularly those from Wall Street. There are a number of MBAs and PhDs in the part-time evening program. Not surprisingly, the average age at the school is a bit older at 27; the range being 21 - 67 years old. NYLS is one of the most diverse law schools in the country, attracting students from all over the country and the world. There are 340 undergraduate schools and 13 foreign institutions represented. Minorities make up 25% of the class (About 8% Asian, 6% Black, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Puerto Rican). The Law School Facility and Campus The law school is comprised of four adjoining buildings on the corner of Church Street and Worth Street in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan (For your information, Tribeca means the Triangle Below Canal Street and is the 12th most expensive zip code (10013) in America according to Forbes magazine in 2006). As mentioned above, New York Law School recently invested $190 million on a new 200,000-square-foot building as the current building is merely adequate. The law school opened its first residence hall in 2005. The new 13-story building houses a total of 99 students in two and three-bedroom apartments. Building amenities include balconies or terraces with some apartments, a central courtyard for socializing and outdoor study, a laundry room, and 24-hour, seven-day-a-week on-site security. It is located at 81 East Third Street in the East Village, which is one of the most socially active neighborhoods in New York City. The East Village is home to many restaurants, boutiques, bars and clubs. It also features Thompson Square Park and has large Polish and Ukrainian communities. It is a 20-minute subway ride to the law school from the residence hall. Academics/Legal Specialties New York, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, or so goes the song. As such, the student body is competitive and the school has a B- curve. The competition is fueled by those are the bottom of the class being weeded out and grades determining employment prospects after graduation. New York Law School focuses on practical rather than theoretical law. The school encourages practicality by offering many judicial externship opportunities, moot courts, and mock trials. Capitalizing on its proximity to Wall Street, the financial capital of the world, the evening program tends to attract those who are already highly successful professionals who are seeking to further their careers. This being the case, the evening program’s curriculum focuses on corporate, finance, securities, and real estate. The full-time day program has a more general focus and is much more like any other law school. New York Law School is comprised of six outstanding centers for learning: 1. The Center for Business Law and Policy Special Programs include: • The Labor & Employment Law Program New York Law School also offers a joint JD/MBA degree with Baruch College City University of New York (CUNY). Quality of Life Although the new residence hall will provide some degree of community, New York Law School is primarily a commuter school. That’s to be expected in New York City due to the high cost of living. In terms of the quality of life, it is hard to find another place better than NYC. It is the city that never sleeps and the nightlife/social scene is one of the many reasons why students want to study and live in the city. The subway allows one to travel to almost any part of the city at anytime day or night. The New York Metropolitan Area’s public transportation system also makes it very easy to travel in and out of Manhattan from the surrounding suburbs in New Jersey, Connecticut and other areas of New York State. Bar Passage/ Employment Prospects The passage rate for first-time bar exam takers is about 65%. Within 9 months of graduation 93% of graduates are employed. Those who graduate at the top of the class have the opportunity to work in many prestigious firms in the New York City area. About 71% of graduates are employed in New York. 55% work in private practice, 18% in business and industry, 11% accept governmental executive and prosecutorial positions, 7% are employed as judicial law clerks, 2% work in the public service sector, and 2% chose to work in academia. Conclusion: Students at New York Law School benefit from a large, local alumni base when they begin looking for employment. Another unique benefit is the ability to network with the large number of successful working professionals that attend the school. NYLS is perfectly located for younger students who want the thrill of living and studying in Manhattan and for the older students who already live and work in the city. Ultimately, New York Law School is a great choice for those who want to live and practice in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. Contact Information: New York Law School U.S. News Ranking: Tier 3 |
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