Albany Law School is the oldest independent law school in the United States. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean (its dean until 1868), Amasa J. Parker, Ira Harris, and others.[6]
Beginning in 1878, the Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School, Albany Medical College, Dudley Observatory and Union College created the loose association today known as Union University. Each member institution has its own governing board, is fiscally independent, and is responsible for its own programs.[7] As of 2021, there were discussions about "the continued viability of the Union University relationship."[8]
Albany Law School has a historically close relationship with the New York Court of Appeals.[9] One of the original members of the court, Greene C. Bronson, helped to found the law school.[10][11] Since that time, Albany Law School alumni have been members of the court nine times with two serving as Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.[9] In addition, the school hosts the Fund for Modern Courts' Hugh R. Jones Memorial Lecture, which is typically given by a current or former member of the court.
Albany Law School offers 14 concentrations for J.D. candidates,[12] as well as an L.L.M program,[13] and joint J.D./M.B.A, J.D./M.P.A., J.D./M.R.P., J.D./M.S., and J.D./M.S.W. programs.[14]
Albany Law School is home to several centers of legal study: The Government Law Center, The Center for Excellence in Law Teaching, The Institute of Legal Studies, The Institute for Financial Market Regulation, and The Center for Judicial Process.
In addition, under the auspices of its Law Clinic and Justice Center, Albany Law School operates several public interest clinics. Some of the clinics available include the Health Law Clinic, Community Development Clinic, Domestic Violence Prosecution, and Family Violence Litigation.
Albany Law School's Schaffer Law Library holds a collection of more than 730,000 volumes and equivalents,[15] including videotapes of oral arguments before the New York State Court of Appeals dating back to 1989.
Other notable alumni include: Richard D. Parsons '71, Former Chairman, Citigroup, Lawrence H. Cooke '39, Former Chief Judge of New York State, Victoria A. Graffeo '77, Former Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals, Leslie Stein '81, Associate Judge, New York State Court of Appeals, and Thomas J. Vilsack '75, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa.[19]
Admissions
For the class entering in the fall of 2024, 47.62% of 1,892 applicants received offers of admission, with 24.53% of those accepted enrolling. The 50th Percentile LSAT score of enrollees was 156, and the 50th Percentile undergraduate GPA was 3.47. 4 transfer students enrolled. There was an attrition rate of 0%, meaning no students discontinued their education at Albany Law due to poor academic standing.[20]
In 2025, The National Jurist’s preLaw Magazine ranked Albany Law School #1 in preparing students for careers in government, and #5 in Public Service (Criminal Law).[22] It was one of 57 law schools placed on the "honor roll" for top law schools for health law[23] and one of 36 schools for family law.[24]
Albany Law School is known for preparing students for law careers in public service.[25] In 2024, 86.3% of graduates attained long-term full-time bar passage required jobs.[26] Over half of these were employed in the public service sector at non-profits or public defenders offices.[27] The most recently reported median earnings for graduates in the first full calendar year after graduation was a salary of $65,381 per year.[28]
Official ABA Employment Summary for 2024 Graduates:[29]
Status
Full time long term
Full time short term
Part time long term
Part time short term
Number
Employed bar passage required
177
0
0
0
177
Employed J.D. advantage
11
0
0
1
12
Employed professional position
1
0
0
0
1
Employed law school/university funded
0
0
0
0
0
Employed – undeterminable
0
0
0
0
0
Enrolled in graduate studies
0
Unemployed start date deferred/start date after March 17, 2025
1
Unemployed not seeking
1
Unemployed seeking
11
Employment status unknown
2
Total graduates
205
Costs
The total annual cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, and cost of living at Albany Law School is $85,805 for the 2025–2026 academic year. The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $326,239.[30] Tuition is $61,186 per academic year. In 2024, Albany Law awarded $22.1 million in financial aid, and over 70% of first-year students received scholarships.[31]
In 1875, Albany Law published the nation's first student-edited legal periodical, the Albany Law School Journal, which existed for only one academic year before being discontinued.[38] Currently, the school publishes three journals, which are listed in order of their founding:
Albany Law School has one of the oldest law school rugby clubs in the nation. The Albany Law School Rugby Football Club annually hosts the William Watkins tournament in the spring to honor its club founder, Professor William Watkins ("The Wat"), who was a faculty member, player, coach, mentor, and friend to all ruggers and students alike. The Wat established the first Albany Law School Rugby Football Team in 1966. Incredibly, since its inception, Albany Law is undefeated in inter-league law school rugby competition.
1 2 Jonathan Lippman, The New York Court of Appeals, Albany Law School, and The Albany Law Review: Institutions Dedicated to the Evolution of the Law in New York State, 75 Alb. L. Rev. 9, 10 (2011/2012)
↑ Kevin T. Bezio, Greene C. Bronson, in The Judges of the New York Court of Appeals: A Biographical History 11–15 (Albert M. Rosenblatt ed. 2007)
↑ Elizabeth K. Allen; Diana S. Waite (2000). Albany Law School 1851–2001: A Tradition of change. Albany Law School. p.3.
↑ Gunther, Gerald (1994), Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge 61, New York: Knopf, ISBN978-0-394-58807-0.
↑ Jonathan Lippman, The New York Court of Appeals, Albany Law School, and The Albany Law Review: Institutions Dedicated to the Evolution of the Law in New York State, 75 Alb. L. Rev. 9, 10 (2011/2012); Spencer M. Ritchie, The Journal's Journey: a History of the Mississippi Law Journal, 81 Miss. L. J. 1527, 1528 n.7 (2012); Whit Pierce & Anne Reuben, The Law Review is Dead; Long Live the Law Review: A Closer Look at the Declining Judicial Citation of Legal Scholarship, 45 Wake Forest L. Rev. 1185, 1188 n.17 (2010); Michael Closen & Robert Dzielak, The History and Influence of the Law Review Institution, 30 Akron L. Rev. 15, 34 (1996); Michael Swygert & Jon Bruce, The Historical Origins, Founding, and Early Development of Student-Edited Law Reviews, 36 Hastings L. J. 739, 764 (1986).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
