New York University School of Law

New York University School of Law. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States, consistently ranked among the top institutions globally. Founded in 1835, it was the first law school established at New York University and has been a pioneer in modern legal education. The school is renowned for its strength in areas like international law, tax law, and public interest law, and for its influential faculty and distinguished alumni.

History

The school was founded in 1835 by Benjamin F. Butler, who was then the United States Attorney General under President Andrew Jackson. Its establishment in Greenwich Village made it a contemporary of other early American law schools like Harvard Law School. A significant early figure was Professor John Norton Pomeroy, a leading scholar of equity and code pleading whose work shaped American legal thought. In the 20th century, under deans like Arthur T. Vanderbilt and later John Sexton, the school dramatically expanded its academic profile and physical footprint. It became a national leader in clinical education with the founding of its legal clinic program and later cemented its global reputation through initiatives like the Hauser Global Law School Program.

Academics

The school offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), and Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D.) degrees. Its curriculum is noted for its breadth and flexibility, featuring renowned programs in taxation, international law, and criminal law. The Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship program is one of the nation's most prestigious public service scholarships. The law school is also a pioneer in law and economics, housing the Center for Law, Economics and Organization. Its clinical legal education program is consistently top-ranked, offering hands-on experience in areas such as immigration law, environmental law, and the Brennan Center for Justice's voting rights projects.

Centers and institutes

The school hosts numerous interdisciplinary research centers that influence global policy and scholarship. The Straus Institute for the Advanced Study of Law & Justice brings leading scholars from around the world to its Washington Square Park campus. The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice engages in impactful advocacy and litigation. Other prominent centers include the Institute for Corporate Governance & Finance, the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, and the Pound Institute for Law and Philosophy. The U.S.-Asia Law Institute and the Center for Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Commercial Law underscore its global reach.

Notable faculty and alumni

The faculty includes prominent legal scholars such as constitutional law expert Noah Feldman, former United States Solicitor General Neal Katyal, and critical race theory pioneer Derrick Bell. Past faculty have included figures like Ronald Dworkin and Burt Neuborne. Its alumni network is vast and influential, including former Chief Justice John Marshall Harlan, former Prime Minister of Canada John Turner, and civil rights lawyer Michele Roberts. Other distinguished graduates are New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, American Civil Liberties Union director Anthony Romero, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Campus and facilities

The law school's main complex is located in Greenwich Village, centered around Vanderbilt Hall, a historic building named for Dean Arthur T. Vanderbilt. The modern Furman Hall houses state-of-the-art classrooms and the Legal Research and Writing program. The Wilf Hall for Clinical and Advocacy Programs and the adjacent D'Agostino Hall contain moot courtrooms, the Lawyering Program, and faculty offices. The school's library, the Bobst Library system, provides extensive legal resources. Its proximity to key legal institutions like the New York County Courthouse and major law firms in Midtown Manhattan provides unparalleled professional opportunities.

Category:New York University Category:Law schools in New York (state)