LAW SCHOOL PROFILE

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The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York, NY[By Heather Jung]

Founded in 1976, Yeshiva University’s school of law is named for Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo, who served on

the Supreme Court from 1932 to 1938. Cardozo was the second Jewish justice to be appointed to the Supreme Court and was

renowned for, according to the school’s website, his “integrity, social consciousness, and elegant opinions.”

Since opening its doors a little more than 20

years ago, the school has quickly risen through

the ranks to become one of the most well-

respected law schools in the country. U.S. News & World Report has listed Cardozo as

number 52 on its list of the top �00 law schools.

“Cardozo has always been progressive, yet

now it is evolving at an unprecedented rate,

keeping pace with the world’s changes-from

the legal implications of new medical and

communications technology to the shifting

dynamics of global business and politics-while

deepening its commitment to social justice and

ethical practice,” Dean David Rudenstine said

in his state of the law school letter.

During the 2006-2007 school year, Cardozo

had a total (J.D. and LL.M.) enrollment of

�,�08. This year’s first-year class (the class

of 2009) enrolled 352 students from a pool

of more than 4,500 applicants. There are 50

full-time faculty members, ensuring a low

student-to-faculty ratio.

Students pursuing their J.D.s at Cardozo

are allowed to choose from a variety of

concentrations and pathways (which are not

formal concentrations). According to the

school’s 2005 course guide, concentrations

are “akin to an undergraduate major” but are

completely optional.

A student can graduate with one

concentration or two. In order to qualify for

a concentration, a student must take at least

five courses in that subject area, including

all of the basic courses. Each concentration

includes “associated courses,” which are

optional classes that enhance the student’s

learning experience but do not count toward

the concentration itself. The concentrations

offered by Cardozo are:

Commercial Law

Constitutional Law and Rights

Corporate Law

Criminal Law and Procedure

Family and Matrimonial Law

Intellectual Property and

Communications Law

International and Comparative Law

Litigation

Property and Real Estate

Taxation

In addition to concentrations, students with

particular avenues of interest can further

their educations through Cardozo’s LL.M.

degree programs. These programs are open

to both domestic and international students,

who may enroll on either a part-time or

full-time basis. In order to earn their LL.M.

degrees, students must complete 24 credit

hours if they are enrolled full-time or three

years of study if they are attending part-time.

There are currently three LL.M. degrees

available: General Studies, Comparative

Legal Thought, and Intellectual Property.

Bringing its commitment to social

consciousness into play, the school is home

to the renowned Innocence Project. The

Project was founded in �992 by professors

Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. The

nonprofit legal clinic seeks to exonerate

those who are wrongfully held in America’s

prisons. Other clinics available to students

include the Family Court Clinic, Holocaust

Restitution Claims Practicum, Human Rights

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and Genocide Clinic, Securities Arbitration

Clinic, and Telecommunications Workshop.

Cardozo’s educational quality is evidenced

by graduates’ employment statistics. The

class of 2006 reported a 98.4% employment

rate within nine months of graduation, and

graduates entered a wide array of sectors.

60.36% went into private practice, �6.57%

entered the corporate/business field, �3.9�%

went into government, 4.73% began working

for public-interest organizations, 3.25%

began judicial clerkships, 0.59% entered

the military, and 0.59% entered academia.

Average starting salaries ranged from

$49,000 to $�03,422 per year.

Dean of Admissions David Martinidez sums

up Cardozo’s location best: “Cardozo is

located in vibrant and historically rich

Greenwich Village, which makes for a

comfortable and welcoming neighborhood

for its students. New York is also home to

many multinational corporations, prestigious

law firms, excellent academic institutions

and libraries, and some of the world’s best

restaurants, night life, theater, and art.

Cardozo students have the world’s greatest

city at their fingertips.”

On the net

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

www.cardozo.yu.edu/index.asp

The Innocence Project

www.innocenceproject.org

Greenwich Village

www.nycgv.com