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Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center

Academics

In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. in U.S. legal studies for foreign law graduates, and the LL.M. in General Studies. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (with Long), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration in health care), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work (with State University of New York at Stony Brook).

The Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, family law, international law, litigation, torts and insurance, public interest and civil rights, intellectual property, real estate, health law, and immigration law. In addition, clinical offerings include Family Law (6 credits), Criminal Law, (5 credits); and International Human Rights/ Immigration Litigation (4 credits). Seminars are open to all students who have satisfied the prerequisites: Law and Medicine: Selected Topics in Law, Medicine, and Ethics; Patent Practice Seminar; and Selected Topics in Corporate Law. Internships are arranged through the Career Planning Office for positions during the semester and in the summer. Externships are also available in-house, at the Law Center’s Domestic Violence Project and at the Housing Rights Project. Second- and third-year students may apply to be paid research assistants for a faculty member. Also, students may take Independent Research for 1 to 3 credits. Field work may be done through Career Planning externships, through the pro bono requirement, and through clinical offerings. Annually, the Law Center hosts the 3 lecture series: Distinguished Jurist in Residence; Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence; and the Bruce K. Gould Book Award. Any student in good academic standing may take up to 6 credits at an ABA-approved summer program. Such programs are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The Office of Student Affairs arranges summer placements abroad in London, Paris, Lisbon, Brussels, Cork, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Moscow. The Writing Resources Clinic provides writing specialists to assist students. The Professional Development Program, designed to help first-year students adapt to the rigors of law school, provides teaching assistants in most required courses, as well as TA mentors and TA tutors for writing skills. Minority students may take advantage of the Legal Education Access Program (LEAP), which offers an orientation program, a lecture series, discussion groups, mentor program, and individual counseling. Special interest groups include the Institute for Jewish Law and the Institute for Business Law and Technology. The most widely taken electives are New York Practice, Family Law, and Criminal Procedure.

To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 87 total credits, of which 51 to 52 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law I, Legal Methods I and II, Property I, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Advanced Writing Requirement, Business Organizations I, Constitutional Law I and II, Evidence, Perspective Requirement, Professional Responsibility, Property II, Public Interest Requirement, and Trusts and Estates. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 5-day program that deals mostly with legal methods and provides an introduction to law; case assignments are given in advance for students to read, brief, and discuss.

In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and have successfully completed 87 credits, including all the required courses and additional requirements (Perspective Requirement, Public Interest Requirement, and Advanced Writing Requirement).

Admissions

In the fall 2007 first-year class, 2075 applied, 711 were accepted, and 286 enrolled. Figures in the above capsule and in this profile are approximate. Thirteen transfers enrolled in a recent year. The median GPA of the most recent first-year class was 3.04. The lowest LSAT percentile accepted was 15; the highest was 88.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and take the LSAT. The most important admission factors include academic achievement, LSAT results, and general background. No specific undergraduate courses are required. Candidates are not interviewed.

The application deadline for fall entry is rolling. Applicants should submit an application form, LSAT results, transcripts, a nonrefundable application fee, optional letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Notification of the admissions decision is on a rolling basis. The law school uses the LSDAS. Check with the school for current application deadlines.

Financial Aid

In a recent year about 80% of current law students received some form of aid. The average annual amount of aid from all sources combined, including scholarships, loans, and work contracts, was $18,500; maximum, $45,111. Awards are based on need and merit. Required financial statement is the FAFSA. Check with the school for current application deadlines. Special funds for minority or disadvantaged students consist of the Touro Grant, awarded based on financial need; Perkins Loan and College Work Study, awarded based on need; and incentive awards, based on need and merit. First-year students are notified about their financial aid application after acceptance but before enrollment.

Students

About 45% of the student body are women; 23%, minorities; 11%, African American; 6%, Asian American; and 7%, Hispanic. The majority of students come from New York (79%). The average age of entering students is 26; age range is 20 to 63. About 60% of students enter directly from undergraduate school, 25% have a graduate degree, and 64% have worked full-time prior to entering law school. About 5% drop out after the first year for academic or personal reasons; 90% remain to receive a law degree.

Students edit the Touro Law Review, the newspaper The Restatement, and the yearbook Res Ipsa. Students compete in the Albany Law School Family Law Moot Court Competition, Benjamin N. Cardozo National Moot Court in Entertainment Law, and Brooklyn Law School’s Jerome Prince Invitational Evidence Competition. Other competitions include the New York State Bar Association Legal Ethics Writing Competition, the Nathan Burkan Copyright Law, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and ABA Negotiation and Counseling competitions. Law student organizations include the Student Bar Association, Delta Theta Phi International Law Fraternity, and Women’s Bar Association. There are local chapters of ABA-Law Student Division, National Jewish Students Network, and American Civil Liberties Union. Other organizations include BLSA, Jewish Law Students Association and PILOT (public interest student organization).

The law school operates on a traditional semester basis. Courses for full-time students are offered days only and must be completed within 6 years. For part-time students, courses are offered both day and evening and must be completed within 6 years. New full- and part-time students are admitted in the fall. There is a 4- and 7-week summer session. Transferable summer courses are offered.

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