Best Law colleges in New York When you think of powerful lawyers guiding businesses through complicated contracts or sentinels of justice protecting the weak, New York is the first place that comes to mind. Unsurprisingly, some of the most exciting and well-known law schools in the country are in the Big Apple. There are also a number of other equally impressive schools in the area.

Law colleges in New York

In fact, anyone who wants to study law in New York may quickly feel like they have too many options. Not only does each institution have access to world leaders, multinational corporations, and important social needs, but they also all have a long list of successful graduates and a lot of resources. These schools teach students about everything from traditional subjects like family law and civil litigation to niche topics like the fashion industry and film law and even cutting-edge technologies like data mining and blockchain. No matter what kind of law you want to practice, there is a school in New York that can give you the tools you need.

1. Columbia Law School (New York, NY)

Law colleges in New York of Since U.S. News & World Report started ranking colleges in 1983, colleges have come and gone from their lists. But one school has not only never dropped off the list, it has never dropped out of the top five either. Columbia Law School has always been one of the five best law schools in the country and is thought to be one of the best law schools in the world.

The Columbia Law Review, which is the third-most-cited law journal in the world, has helped build its reputation. The specialization centers at Columbia add to the school’s reputation by giving students the chance to work on some of the most important issues of our time. The Center for Gender and Sexuality Law helps students understand how gender norms are changing, while the Center for Japanese Legal Studies is the only other place in the U.S. that does the same thing.

With these unbeatable tools, Columbia Law has always produced some of the best lawyers and public servants the United States has ever seen.

2. New York University School of Law (New York, NY)

NYU Law is the oldest law school in New York and one of the oldest in the country. It opened in 1835. In its 185 years, the school has always been near the top of lists of the best schools, not just from U.S. News & World Report but also from international sources like the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the QS World University Rankings.

The quality of their graduates shows that they care about the world. The International Court of Justice has more graduates from NYU Law than from any other school. Some of the most famous legal philosophers, like Jeremy Waldron and Thomas Nagel, teach at NYU Law. Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, and Vanita Gupta, a leader in the fight for civil rights, are both alumni.

Students get ready for the world stage by studying at one of the school’s well-known legal centers, such as the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy and the Institute for International Law and Justice.

3. Cornell Law School (Ithaca, NY)

Cornell Law is one of the five Ivy League law schools. It is one of the smaller top programs in the country, with only 200 graduates each year. But these graduates are now in the same group as several attorneys general, members of the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, and law professors.

Even if you don’t become a legend, a Cornell Law degree will help you get a job that is important to you. 92.1% of the class of 2018 got full-time jobs in the legal field, and only 2.1% said they were out of work.

Cornell Law keeps making new steps forward in the field. The American Association of Law Libraries recently gave them praise for their work, and the team they sent to the World Justice Challenge won.

4. Fordham University School of Law (New York, NY)

Law journals are an important part of any law school program because they are where some of the most important legal discussions happen. Even though most schools put out at least one journal, students at Fordham University School of Law put out six. Not only that, but these journals are always near the top of their fields. The Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law is cited more than any other publication.

With experience working on such well-known publications, it’s no surprise that Fordham Law graduates often find jobs in the 100 largest firms in the country. But they can reach these high goals if they start with smart students. Some of the best colleges and universities in the country, like NYU, University of Michigan, and Columbia University, send their students to Fordham Law.

5. Yeshiva University Cardozo School of Law (New York, NY)

Yeshiva University Cardozo School of Law is one of the country’s younger law schools. It was founded in 1976. But in the 45 years that the school has been open, it has already made a name for itself as one of the best.

The school has a center for fashion and entertainment law called the FAME Center. It also has a cutting-edge Data Law program and a project called the Blockchain. But the Innocence Project, which uses DNA testing and changes to the law to free people who were wrongly convicted, is YU Law’s best work. Since it began in 1992, the Innocence Project has been able to get 375 wrong convictions overturned Law colleges in New York .

Students can get hands-on experience in a wide range of clinics at YU Law, such as the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, the Tech Startup Clinic, and even the Indie Film Clinic.

6. St. John’s University School of Law (Queens, NY)

St. John’s University School of Law, which is in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, has the only LL.M. in bankruptcy law in the country. The program is what makes the school famous. In partnership with the American Bankruptcy Institution, St. Johns Law hosts the Conrad B. Duberstein Moot Court Competition every year. About 60 law schools have teams that compete in the competition, which is judged by lawyers from all over the country.

No matter what area of law they choose to focus on, St. Johns Law graduates are well-prepared for their next steps. In 2019, 89% of the school’s first-time bar exam takers passed. Within nine months of graduating, 82.3% of the class of 2018 had full-time jobs that required a JD.

No matter what concentration they choose, these numbers show that St. Johns Law gives students the basic skills they’ll need to become lawyers.

7. Brooklyn Law School (Brooklyn, NY)

All of the schools in this article rank high on general lists. For example, the Leiter Report ranked the school’s faculty #30 for scholarly excellence in 2017 and the New York Law Journal ranked it the #2 Best Overall Law School in 2017 and 2018. But Billboard Magazine and the Hollywood Reporter both give Brooklyn Law high marks for the work it does in the entertainment business.

The work of some of Brooklyn Law’s best-known graduates in the news and entertainment industries, like Fox News anchor Geraldo Riviera and attorney Allen Grubman, who has worked with Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey, has helped the school get such high marks.

But Brooklyn Law has done more than just look good. The school also has some of the best science-based programs in the country, such as the Center for Health, Science, and Public Policy and the Center for Law and Language Cognition.

8. University at Buffalo School of Law (Buffalo, NY)

All of the schools in this article rank high on general lists. For example, the Leiter Report ranked the school’s faculty #30 for scholarly excellence in 2017 and the New York Law Journal ranked it the #2 Best Overall Law School in 2017 and 2018. But Billboard Magazine and the Hollywood Reporter both give Brooklyn Law high marks for the work it does in the entertainment business.

The work of some of Brooklyn Law’s best-known graduates in the news and entertainment industries, like Fox News anchor Geraldo Riviera and attorney Allen Grubman, who has worked with Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey, has helped the school get such high marks.

But Brooklyn Law has done more than just look good. The school also has some of the best science-based programs in the country, such as the Center for Health, Science, and Public Policy and the Center for Law and Language Cognition.

9. CUNY School of Law (Queens, NY)

As part of the well-known public interest university in New York City, the CUNY School of Law works hard to live up to its motto: “Law in the Service of Human Needs.” Since it opened in 1983, CUNY Law has given its students the real-world skills they need to work as lawyers in a wide range of areas. CUNY Law has a number of practice clinics that give students rigorous training in areas like economic justice, justice for people with disabilities and the elderly, and worker’s rights.

The school is especially proud of its justice initiatives, which give students the chance to do community service work for free. The Community Legal Resource Network and the Center for Latinx Rights and Equality are two of these programs. The Community Legal Resource Network helps alumni and recent graduates get courtroom training so they can help people who can’t afford lawyers. The Center for Latinx Rights and Equality works to solve problems facing the city’s Latinx population.

10. Syracuse University College of Law (Syracuse, NY)

Most of the schools on this list have sent out some great people. But the most famous person who went to Syracuse University College of Law, U.S. President Joe Biden, may beat all of them. The President is just one of many judges, representatives, and civil defenders who went to SUCL. The school also has a lot of other lawmakers who went there.

But SUCL has no plans to rest on the success of its most well-known graduates. Through SU’s Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, the school’s well-known national security law program keeps getting better.

SUCL also has certifications in corporate law, real estate law, family law, and estate planning for people who aren’t interested in public service. Students will be well-prepared for success no matter which path they choose. In 2017, 81.57% of those who took the bar exam passed on their first try, and 95.59% of those who took the exam passed.