Professor Laurie Shanks

You are entering a profession in which you can make a profound difference.
You can be a voice for those who have been silenced.
You can give hope to those who despair.
You can give life to ideals such as "the right to vote" and "equality under the law."
You can free someone who has been unjustly imprisoned.
You can insure that a child is raised in a loving home. 
You will have the opportunity - and the obligation - through your knowledge and through your training - to improve our world.

Professor Joe Connors

Have fun.  Certainly, you all will take your studies seriously, consistent with the great responsibility you share as future members of the legal profession.  I suspect that there may be times when you  are fatigued, famished, and flustered. You may want to shot-put some of your heavier casebooks across the room.  When this happens, take a break.  A walk through the park? Some hoops in the gym?  Maybe just a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?  And know that you are not alone.  Reach out to your friends, new and old.  Know that every faculty and staff member is in your corner, committed to your success.  Believe, like we do, that your perseverance and work will lead to success and joy.

Professor Paul Finkelman

You will have the opportunity to help leave the world a better place than you found it.

Professor Pamela Armstrong

You will have the opportunity to be more engaged in the world than you have ever been.
You will be challenged, and the decision to rise to that challenge will be yours alone.

Dean Alicia Ouellette

I think it worthwhile to remind you that going to law school is very much like visiting a different country. The new language, customs, and procedures can feel very overwhelming (even crushing) at first.  But, in time, you will each become fluent – and comfortable.  Getting to fluency is an adventure, but a journey well worth taking.  And one on which the faculty will support you.  You are not alone.

Professor Deborah Mann

At Albany Law School, we want to help law students to enter the legal profession by providing a vibrant, demanding, and satisfying legal education.  This will give each student the skills, intellectual knowledge, legal practice experience, and readiness to take advantage of the local and global marketplace of legal opportunities.