Development / LAW SCHOOLS ALBANY The school moved to its current home DEVELOPMENT in 1928, adding its Schaffer Law Library LAW SCHOOL in 1986 and a 45,000-square-foot annex in WHEN THE NEW YORK LAW JOURNAL 2000. A year later, Albany Law celebrated printed its first edition in 1888, there its 100th birthday. OF LAW were five law schools in the state. Today, It is the oldest independent law school New York is home to 15 ABA-accredited in the U.S. law schools that span from Buffalo to Long SCHOOLS Island, with eight in New York City. Last year DEAN/PRESIDENT: they graduated 4,697 newly minted J.D.s. ALBANY LAW, , the state’s first institute PENELOPE ANDREWS Legal education has changed dra- for legal education, was founded in 1851 matically in the past 125 years. Lengthy by three prominent public affairs law- PROMINENT ALUMNI: apprenticeships and clerkships with law yers: Amos Dean, Ira Harris and Amasa L AWRENCE COOKE, former chief judge offices—not classroom study—were the Parker, who wanted an alternative to of New York most common paths to practice until the admitting attorneys to the state bar GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO mid-19th century. And until 1911, when solely on the basis of clerkships. JUDGE VICTORIA GRAFFEO, Court of the United States the New York Court of Appeals strength- By 1873, the Capital Region’s law Appeals RICHARD PARSONS, former CEO of Time ened its requirements for bar admission, school had partnered with Albany Medi- ROBERT JACKSON, former U.S. Supreme Warner; former chair of Citigroup aspiring lawyers who had graduated from cal College and Union College to form a Court justice and chief prosecutor at KATE STONEMAN, first woman admitted college needed to complete only two years loose alliance known as Union Univer- the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials to New York bar (1898) of law school to sit for the bar exam. sity that endures today, though each JAMES CAMPBELL MATTHEWS, first Teaching methods evolved too. The late- school governs itself. The nation’s first black man to graduate from law 1800s “Dwight method” of treatise memori- student-edited law review, the Albany school in New York state (1870) and 617 50 zation and moot court exercises was widely Law School Journal, was published in New York’s first black judge adopted for a time. It eventually gave way 1875. WILLIAM MCKINLEY, 25th president of $43,248 to the Harvard Law “case law” method. The clinical legal education programs so popular today were verboten for much of the early 1900s. In a 1953 article for the New York State Bulletin, Albany Law dean Andrew Clements wrote, “an over-emphasis BROOKLYN PROMINENT ALUMNI: upon practical training, or know-how, could DAVID DINKINS, former New York City dull our sense of moral values and make LAW SCHOOL Mayor the law schools little more than vocational J EFFREY GEWIRTZ, senior vice presi- institutions.” But today’s emphasis on dent/general counsel, Brooklyn Nets practical skills would not be so foreign to F RIEDA HENNOCK, first woman com- apprenticeship proponents 125 years ago missioner of the Federal Communica- as “experiential learning” offerings such tions Commission as externships and clinics are now main- JUST 18 STUDENTS enrolled in Brooklyn E . LEO MILONAS, partner, Pillsbury stays of law school campuses nationwide. Law’s first class in September 1901, the Winthrop Shaw Pittman; former chief Even with a plethora of learning oppor- year 26-year-old William Payson Rich- administrative judge; former New tunities, however, law school insiders and ardson cofounded it with Norman Hef- York City Bar president KOPSTEIN outsiders alike have recently called on K fley. Unlike most other law schools at Fox News corre- G ERALDO RIVERA, IC schools to explain and enhance the value ; R the time, it educated women and blacks spondent; host of “Geraldo at Large” of a J.D. In New York, long considered a from its earliest days. J UDGE NELSON ROMAN, U.S. District bellwether for the nation’s law schools, SCHOOLS Classes were held in the basement But faculty and alumni bought it Court, Southern District of New York STUDENTS just six in 10 of last year’s graduates were of a business school owned by Heffley, back—a bargain at $167,000—rendering L ARRY SILVERSTEIN, president/CEO, IDUAL able to find full-time, permanent employ- V and in 1903 the school affiliated itself the school independent. It opened its Silverstein Properties INDI FULL-TIME FACULTY ment requiring bar exam passage within with St. Lawrence University in Canton, current 250 Joralemon St. in downtown L T COO/general counsel, ONN ROST, OF nine months of graduation. N.Y. Brooklyn in 1969, adding a major addi- New York Yankees TUITION Whatever the legal landscape of tomor- That partnership would last until tion in 1994. row, New York’s law schools can take credit ourtesy 1943, when St. Lawrence shut the law Its 21-story, award-winning student : C for shaping U.S. legal education from its ear- school down due to debt woes and plung- residence, Feil Hall, opened in 2005. 1,260 79 HOTOS liest days. Following are snapshots of New P ing enrollment as young men served in York’s 15 schools. —TANIA KARAS World War II. DEAN: NICHOLAS ALLARD $53,606 2 October 2013 October 2013 3 LAW SCHOOLS / Development Development / LAW SCHOOLS BU FFALO States in 1850, and the school finally JUDGE PAUL FRIEDMAN, U.S. District CITY UNIVERSITY Justice, another first-of-its-kind program opened its doors in 1887 when 12 promi- Court, District of Columbia supporting alumni as they set up solo LAW SCHOOL nent Buffalo lawyers and judges estab- JUDGE JULIO FUENTES, U.S. Court of OF NEW YORK or small firms devoted to serving low- lished it to be housed within Niagara Appeals, Third Circuit SCHOOL OF LAW income communities. University, a Roman Catholic institution. SAMUEL GREEN, retired justice, Appellate In May 2012, CUNY Law moved to a It became part of the University of Buf- Division, Fourth Department new building in Long Island City from falo in 1891, and by 1899 it had gradu- BRIGADIER GENERAL THEODORE Flushing, Queens. ated two women, Helen Rogers and Cecil HESS, retired staff judge advocate Weiner. Its student-edited Buffalo Law of U.S. Marine Corps DEAN: MICHELLE ANDERSON Review was first published in 1950, and CAROL MCCORMICK SmITH, first woman its first legal clinic, the Indigent Prisoner lawyer to serve on the United Nations FOUNDED IN 1983 with the motto “law PROMINENT ALUMNI: Defense Organization, soon followed. Buf- legal staff; former director of psycho- in the service of human needs,” CUNY T ONYA GONNELLA FRICHNER, presi- falo Law and the University of Buffalo logical warfare for the Central Intel- Law has consistently ranked highest dent/founder, American Indian Law can Civil Liberties Union of Michigan joined the public state system in 1962. ligence Agency among U.S. law schools in the share of Alliance KAREN SIMMONS, executive director, The school named its building for class WILLIAM NIESE, former vice president/ graduates it sends into public interest HARLENE KATZMAN, pro bono counsel Children’s Law Center of 1889 alumnus John Lord O’Brian in general counsel, Times Mirror Co. and public service law. and director, Simpson Thacher & SHARON STAPEL, executive director, 1974. Last year, Buffalo Law celebrated DENISE O’DONNELL, director of justice It is also one of the nation’s most di- Bartlett; former dean, Center for Pub- New York City Anti-Violence Project its 125th anniversary. assistance, U.S. Department of Justice; verse law schools. In 2006, it launched lic Interest Law, Columbia Law School TRACY WELSH, executive director, HIV first female Western District U.S. attorney Pipeline to Justice, a first-of-its-kind ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE EDWINA Law Project B UFFALO LAW’S start was almost a non- DEAN: MAKAU MUTUA program offering a second chance at RICHARDSOn-MendELSON, New starter: In 1846, Millard Fillmore, then admission to students from communities York City Family Court 636 58 430 48 a Buffalo lawyer, lobbied the private PROMINENT ALUMNI: underrepresented in the legal profession FREDERICK ROONEY, director, Touro Law University of Buffalo to establish a law MICHAEL BATTLE, senior partner, $21,970 IN-STATE by better preparing them for the LSAT Center International Center for Post- $12,090 IN-STATE school but it refused. Fillmore would go Schlam Stone & Dolan; first black and the rigors of law school. A year later, Graduate Development & Justice on to become president of the United Western District U.S. attorney $38,040 OUT OF STATE the school launched its Incubator for KARY ROSS, executive director, Ameri- $20,090 OUT OF STATE BENJAMIN N. DEAN: MATTHEW DILLER COLUMBIA York Court of Appeals THOMAS DEWEY, New York governor, CARDOZO PROMINENT ALUMNI: LAW SCHOOL Republican U.S. president nominee SCHOOL OF LAW JUD GE SANDRA FEUERSTEIN, U.S. in 1944 and 1948 District Court, Eastern District of U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH New York BADER GINSBURG JEFF MARX, Tony Award-winning play- U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER wright of “Avenue Q” CHARLES EVANS HUGHES, U.S. Supreme CONGRESSWOMAN GRACE MENG, WHEN IT WAS founded in 1858, Colum- Court chief justice; U.S. secretary of D-N.Y. bia Law was the tenth school for legal state; governor of New York CARDOZO LAW’S parent institution, JASON POMERANC, hotelier and education in the nation, though the first rations to feminist and critical race legal GOVERNOR GEORGE PATAKI Yeshiva University, traces its roots to cofounder, Thompson Hotels and Do professor of law at its parent institution, theory. In 1993, responding to a student PRESIDENTS FRANKLIN DELANO Yeshiva Etz Chaim, founded in 1886 on Not Disturb Restaurant Group Columbia University, had been teaching initiative, Columbia Law became the first ROOSEVELT AND THEODORE ROO- Manhattan’s Lower East Side as the JUSTICE DIANNE RENWICK, Appellate since 1793.