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.