New York Law School

About the University

Given that it is an independent, stand-alone law school, New York Law School is not a department or a division of any individual university. Instead, the law school is a subject-specific school based in Manhattan. Additional details about the law school are set forth below.

About the Law School

Founded in 1891, New York Law School is an independent law school located in Lower Manhattan near the city’s centers of law, government, and finance. New York Law School’s renowned faculty of prolific scholars has built the School’s strength in such areas as constitutional law, civil and human rights, labor and employment law, media and information law, tax law, real estate and urban legal studies, international law, financial services and regulation, and a number of interdisciplinary fields.

The School is noted for its nine academic centers: Center on Business Law & Policy, Center on Financial Services Law, Center for International Law, Center for New York City Law, Center for Professional Values and Practice, Center for Real Estate Studies, Diane Abbey Law Center for Children and Families, Institute for Information Law & Policy, and Justice Action Center.

New York Law School has more than 13,000 graduates and currently enrolls some 1,350 full-time students and 400 part-time students in its J.D. program and its four advanced degree programs in financial services law, real estate, tax, and mental disability law studies.

About the Program

New York Law School offers four advanced degree programs that provide the specialized skills and knowledge needed to stand out in today’s job market and in the years ahead. Our graduate programs share a common goal: to provide advanced training so graduates have a thorough knowledge of the laws, regulations, policies, and transactions that their future clients will expect, as well as the skills to put that knowledge into practice. Each program is taught by an outstanding faculty of leading academics and practitioners, with courses held in the School’s brand-new, state-of-the-art academic building and online in a robust learning environment. And New York Law School’s prime location in Lower Manhattan—in the center of the city’s legal, financial, government, and corporate headquarters—provides students with unparalleled opportunities for hands-on learning.

LL.M./Certificate in Financial Services Law

The Graduate Program in Financial Services Law provides the LL.M. candidate with the opportunity to acquire a thorough knowledge and expertise in the law, business, and regulation of the global financial services industry and hands-on, skilled-related practices regarding transactions, finance, agreement negotiation, and structure. Through this comprehensive program, students develop a rich understanding of the financial, business, and regulatory policy concerns that impact financial institutions globally. The program specializes in courses that teach recent legislative and regulatory developments in the U.S., such as the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations, as well as those taking place outside the U.S., thus giving LL.M. candidates a broad understanding of these new changes.

The LL.M. comprises a rigorous core curriculum that provides a comprehensive foundation in financial services law and business, and a broad array of electives that permit candidates to examine in depth various areas of particular interest. The 24-credit program offers more than 40 different courses, many of which involve advanced discussion and skills-related practices. Students select one of four available concentrations: Asset Management, Banking, Capital Markets, and International Regulation. The LL.M. program is also open to non-lawyers, such as compliance specialists, analysts, and auditors, who can receive a Certificate in Financial Services Law if they complete five of the LL.M. courses. And through the Center on Financial Services Law, the School offers a variety of continuing legal education courses, seminars, and programs that provide a forum for industry leaders to debate important new laws, regulatory policies and structure, cases, best practices, and other important issues facing the field.

For further information, contact Professor Ronald H. Filler at 212.431.2812 or e-mail FinanceLLM@nyls.edu.

LL.M. in Real Estate

The Graduate Real Estate Program provides LL.M. candidates with a thorough grounding in the law, business, and regulation of real estate transactions, finance, and development. Through a comprehensive program of study—available either in traditional classrooms or online—students develop a rich understanding of the financial, business, legal, and policy concerns that are an inseparable part of sophisticated real estate practice.

The 27-credit LL.M. program begins with a rigorous core curriculum that ensures a comprehensive foundation in real estate law and business, including deal structuring, economic and financial analysis, negotiation and drafting skills, and continues with a broad array of advanced offerings that permit candidates to examine fields of particular interest in depth. LL.M. students may elect one of three concentrations: Transactional Practice; Public Policy and Regulation; and Real Estate Development. Whether online or in the classroom, the program emphasizes close interaction with leading figures in the New York and national real estate bar who provide individualized feedback on student projects. Each program also offers opportunities for placements at private firms (legal and business) and public offices dealing with real estate issues.

For further information, contact Professor Marshall Tracht at 212.431.2139 or e-mail RealEstateLLM@nyls.edu.

LL.M. in Taxation

The Graduate Tax Program provides the LL.M in Taxation candidate with the opportunity to acquire a thorough grounding in tax law as well as the skills and disciplines needed to work at the most challenging levels of tax practice, tax administration, and tax policy making. The Law School launched the program in 2003, becoming one of only two law schools in the New York City area to offer this advanced training to tax attorneys.

The 24-credit LL.M. program comprises a rigorous core curriculum that presents the fundamental concepts of federal income tax law in depth and a broad array of elective courses which build upon that foundation. Course work emphasizes problem solving as well as the professional responsibilities of the tax advisor. The capstone of the program is a series of advanced tax planning seminars designed to refine analytical, research, and communication skills and to enhance professional judgment and competence in chosen areas of concentration, which include: Corporate Taxation; Estate Planning; General Taxation; International Taxation; Planning for Entrepreneurs and Closely Held Businesses; State and Local Taxation and Finance; Tax Litigation.

For further information, contact Professor Ann F. Thomas at 212.431.2305 or e-mail TaxLLM@nyls.edu.

M.A./Certificate in Mental Disability Law Studies

The Online Mental Disability Law Program is open to recent J.D. graduates and practicing attorneys as well as current J.D. students interested in mastering the complexities of mental disability law. The program offers extensive knowledge and skills training to professionals already working with, or on behalf of, people with disabilities, including but not limited to, psychologists, psychiatrists, disability advocates, court officers or administrators, and individuals working in community facilities or group homes. This diverse student body provides an enhanced learning environment with rich discourse of many perspectives. It is the only program of its kind presented by an ABA-approved law school, and each of the 13 courses in the curriculum is offered through distance learning, comprising of weekly chat sessions, asynchronous discussion boards, and two in-house live seminars. Students can earn either a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Mental Disability Law Studies (30 credits) or a Certificate in Advanced Mental Disability Law Studies (15 credits) or enroll in individual courses.

For further information, contact Professor Heather Cucolo at 212.431.2100, ext. 4487 or e-mail MDL@nyls.edu.

The Programs

About the Tuition & fees

The tuition for the LL.M./Certificate in Financial Services Law is $1,750 per credit hour.

The tuition for the LL.M. in Real Estate is $1,500 per credit.

The tuition for the LL.M. in Taxation is $1,500 per credit hour.

The tuition for the Online Mental Disability Law (MDL) Program is $2,400 per course. For students who work for nonprofit organizations or government agencies, the tuition for the MDL program is $1500 per course.