Albany Law School - Law Program

Students come to Albany Law School for a variety of reasons, and in particular they praise the potential for great “internship opportunities,” “recreational opportunities,” and the “availability of joint degree programs.” In addition to access to “clinical experience and pro bono work,” a lot of students chose to attend Albany because of the scholarships, “merit-based aid” and the opportunity to attend part-time. Law students can expect a “great experience, and pretty good facilities,” staffed with “faculty and administration [who] want people to succeed.” Being in Albany is also huge asset: “As a small private school in New York, its biggest advantage is prepar[ing] students to become New York lawyers and pass the New York State bar.” Another student echoes that Albany is “an ideal location for a legal education.” Albany emphasizes a “small-school feel” with “excellent,” “knowledgeable professors.” Students can rely on the breadth of “practical experience, [and the] availability of local alumni and employers. Students have a range of mentorship and internship opportunities at “various federal and state courts, as well as various state agencies, attorney generals’ offices, and [the] legislature.”
In response to restructuring in faculty and administration, the school has been rather receptive to student comments: “The administration is undergoing some changes, and it is reflected in the response to student concerns such as bar passage, availability of courses, and job searching.” The change has only been for the better, as the students remark, “leadership seems much better equipped to run the school” and the “accessibility of professors has dramatically increased.” The students also praise the new Dean, who “is very involved, committed and energetic, and I look forward to seeing the changes with her in charge.”
Albany Law students are also proud of their professors, “who are ready to offer all kinds of outside help and assistance to students in writing, job interviews and opportunities, help in course work, independent studies. . . . [They are] a very personable bunch, and generally helpful and enthusiastic.”

Proximity to the main legislative buildings and a center of the judicial process is a big part in Albany’s success in finding great applicants, or as students will attest: “Location, location, location.” The program is mostly made up of New York residents, who account for 82 percent of the study body. There’s a huge benefit to being “in the center of the state government of one of the most influential and progressive state governments in the country.”
Students take classes in two buildings. One student laments the lack of “central area” for all the students to congregate, but others point out that Albany Law is in a rigorous environment in a thriving city filled with other schools and activities. One student pointed out that “areas around the capital are really beautiful, clean and fun.”
New students will find that if they live downtown, near campus, “there is always something going on.” Even so, another student cautions future applicants: “If coming from New York City, this may seem like a small city. . . . There are multiple graduate schools in the area, creating an atmosphere where there are a lot of social young adults.” Students bond in an “environment . . . that is it competitive, but not cutthroat. Students are interested to help others out, but at the same time work to be the best they can be.”
As for experiences after graduation, students point out, “if you come to this school and do really well, the opportunities are endless, the alumni network is expansive, and you will not have to worry about getting a job.” The professors and administrators go out of their way to remain open and available to students: “Their doors are always open and they are quick to respond to phone calls.” The school has taken a lot of student comments to heart and has made a huge effort to refocus on helping their students prepare for the future, with a “big concentration on training students to enter the job market.”
Another student is grateful for the real-life experience, as they would “draft court memos, interview witnesses, and represent multiple clients in family court and administrative proceedings through the school’s clinic program.” “For practical experience,” they said, “It doesn’t get much better than that.”