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Student Support

At Albany Law School, we understand the substantial commitment our students make to study in our programs, and we continually strive to provide strong academic and career support. In addition, we have a financial support program for any students struggling to maintain their tuition fees. We encourage students to ask for help when they need it. If you don’t know where to start, please contact the Office of Student Affairs to be matched with resources that meet your individual needs.

Academic Counseling & Support

Albany Law School is committed to providing the opportunity for all students to succeed academically here through multi-faceted programs.

Aspects of the Academic and Professional Success program are available to students throughout law school to provide academic and writing resources for class, upper-level papers, and career and professional documents.

The Bar Success Program provides specialized bar preparation courses and a bar mentoring program for third-year student.

The Academic and Professional Success Program brings professional support with an alumni mentoring program meant to connect law students from the outset with alumni mentors who can provide an added perspective and be a link for students through law school into the profession. Academic support starts in the first-year with workshops, writing assistance, individual tutoring, courses, and academic counseling.

The Writing Specialist and Peer Writing Assistance Program includes: a Writing Specialist who can work individually with students and a legal writing development program.

Courses are also provided for Advanced Legal Analysis.

There is also academic support available throughout law school from the Bar Success Program with specialized bar preparation courses and a bar mentoring program for third-year students.

The academic success aspect of the program is designed to assist students in identifying and developing analytic and critical skills necessary for academic success in the context of substantive coursework.

First-Year Workshops and Courses

The Lewis A. Swyer Lectures and Workshops focus on skill development primarily for first-year students. The first-year Workshops are meant to help students recognize how law school work is different from other higher education work and to focus students on streamlining their reading; understanding and using terms of art; synthesizing; outlining in preparation for exams; reading, analyzing, and writing essay exams using IRAC format; and transferring those reading and analyzing skills to multiple choice questions.

The Legal Methods Course is designed to go into greater depth than the workshops and more directly assist students in developing analytic skills including critical reading – especially in the context of our common law system; understanding the import of a case’s procedural posture; distinguishing holding from dicta; identifying legally relevant facts; understanding and using rule-based and analogical reasoning; considering specific audience expectation, and writing an organized essay response to exams. Time management and stress reduction techniques are also covered. Individual feedback is provided on all written work.

Teaching Assistants

Teaching Assistants work with students assigned to first-year doctrinal courses and upper-level required courses and assist the students in working through problems and understanding the doctrinal coursework, as well as developing their skills.

Teaching Assistants-Lawyering work with students in Introduction to Lawyering to assist students with learning basic citations, practicing legal research, reinforcing IRAC format, and other areas at the request of professors who teach Introduction to Lawyering.

Sponsler Fellows

This is an Honors Teaching Fellowship program in which eligible second-year students are assigned to a section of a required course as a teaching fellow. The fellows attend the regularly scheduled classes, conduct or assist in conducting small group review sessions, provide individual tutoring and assist faculty in critiquing individual students' responses to sample questions and problems. To be eligible, students must be ranked in the top 20 of the class according to first-year class rank, and must have earned a grade of B+ or better in Federal Civil Procedure or Contracts are invited to participate. Students in the four-year program are eligible. There are 12 Fellowships. The highest-ranked eligible students are invited to participate, and if a student declines, the next eligible ranked student is invited.

Accessibility for Students with Disabilities

It is the policy of Albany Law School to comply with all relevant legal obligations—including those imposed by Section 504 0f the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990—regarding individuals with disabilities in the academic program. All decisions regarding accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis and are based on the individual student's documented disability. It is the policy of Albany Law School to preserve the privacy of all persons seeking or receiving an accommodation or adjustment because of their disability. 

Any student needing services relating to a disability or impairment contact the Office of Student Affairs at 518-445-3235 or email studentaffairs@albanylaw.edu.      

Deaf or Hard of Hearing Students

DeafAttorneys.com is a community of more than 135 attorneys and law students who are deaf or hard of hearing. This Web site's chief objective is to mentor and provide guidance to new lawyers and law students who are deaf and hard of hearing, so that they will be better equipped to deal with access, accommodation and practice issues that have confronted those who have gone before them. To learn more, visit www.deafattorneys.com.  

Academic Accommodations​

Students applying for ​academic accommodations need to complete the Academic Accommodation Form​ found on the portal. The form must be completed by both the students as well as the treating physician with supporting documentation. Completed forms are submitted to the Academic and Student Affairs Office for processing. Once complete, the Academic Accommodations Committee will review the file and make a determination as promptly as possible. If you have any questions, please email academicaffairs@albanylaw.edu.   

Test Accommodations on the New York State Bar Examination 

It is the policy of the New York State Board of Law Examiners to provide accommodations in testing conditions to applicants with disabilities during the administration of the bar examination, to the extent such accommodations are reasonable, consistent with the nature and purpose of the examination, and necessitated by the applicant's disability. The Board's objective is to provide effective and necessary accommodations to qualified applicants as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, without substantially altering the nature of the examination process. Each applicant's request for test accommodations is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Click here for more information.​

Students with Families

Albany Law School considers the spouses, partners and children of students to be an important part of the law school community. Each year many students enter the law school who may not consider themselves as "typical" law students. They may have changed careers, are veterans, are married, have children, and even have a full-time job. Seeking to define and meet the challenges arising from the law school experience, the Office of Student Affairs will organize an event each semester where non-traditional students will have the opportunity to meet each other and to network with alumni and faculty who shared their experiences.

To learn more, please contact the Office of Student Affairs at 518-445-3235 or email studentaffairs@albanylaw.edu.​

International Students

A sense of belonging and community are important for student success, and we want to ensure all students regardless of their background feel welcome and supported.
We provide help to assimilate international students into our community. Please visit the University at Albany Center for International Education and Global Strategy to learn more about the program. We collaborate on programs such as these with UAlbany.

Financial Support

Students who find themselves struggling financially can apply for support through our Wilkinson Student Emergency Relief Fund. We also encourage all incoming students to apply for scholarships and bursaries through our Financial Aid page.

Information Technology Services

The Office of Information Technology Service is responsible for managing academic and administrative computing for Albany Law School and for maintaining network and Internet operations. Read more here.

 

Housing

The Capital Region is comprised of the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy. Albany is a city of approximately 100,000 people. The area near the law school is considered residential. Housing is readily available, with the majority of apartments within walking distance of the school. The law school does not screen or investigate any listing, however; a Certificate of Occupancy is required of all landlords listing properties located in the City of Albany.

For tips on apartment hunting, check out these straight-from-the-source tips from several current students and recent graduates.

A student residential facility—available to students enrolled at Albany Law School, Sage College of Albany, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Albany Medical College—is adjacent to the law school. The building features 94 four-bedroom/two-bath apartments and 25 two-bedroom/one-bath apartments. The apartment floor plans include single occupancy bedrooms, full-service kitchens, large living rooms, bathrooms and high-quality furnishings.

For more information visit UH College Suites.

Please contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@albanylaw.edu if you would like copies of the Albany Renters Guide.

Dining

Albany Law's central location within the Capital District makes finding great meals easy and refreshing. The law school shares its campus and dining facilities with the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Students have access to the pharmacy school's dining facilities, including sushi, pizza, and deli sandwiches, making it easy for everyone to find something they enjoy. 

The choices are not limited to on campus options because so much is within walking distance of the school. Across the street, Bellini's Counter, Chipotle, Starbucks, Recovery Sports Grill, Panera Bread, and many others.

Check out the top ten restaurants near Albany Law School, including local food from small businesses. There are a number of grocery stores within a short drive of campus.

Transportation and Security

Students have access to several options for their transportation needs including a car sharing program, a taxi service voucher program, free UAlbany bus service, CDTA Bus Service, and CDPHP bike service.

Security services on campus are provided by a consortium of three colleges - Albany Law School, The Albany College of Pharmacy and The Sage Colleges which share contiguous campuses and a variety of services. Read More