Albany Law School Welcomes Entering Class of 2022

August 19, 2022

Albany Law School welcomed the the entering Class of 2022 - many with a scheduled graduation year of 2025 - with a jam-packed week of learning, connection, and preparation for the first year of law school.

Of the 201 incoming students, 168 are starting the J.D. program in this fall while 33 began in January.

The incoming class:

Age ranges from 20s to 50s
Is self-identified as women: 57 percent; men 42 percent; non-binary: 1 percent
Represents two military branches: U.S. Army and Marine Corps
Has 26 percent who self-identify as diverse
Includes students who speak English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, German, French, Portuguese, Sinhalese, Pushto, Bengali, and Punjabi
Attended 96 different undergraduate institutions
Represent 21 U.S. states and territories
Were born in nine different countries: USA, Puerto Rico, Canada, Republic of South Korea, China, Turkey, Sri Lanka, India and Haiti
Has 28 Students with Legacy connections to the law school including Parent, Grandparent, Great-Grandparent, Great-Great Grandparent; Sibling, Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin
Represent more than 45 undergraduate majors including: Accounting, Art/Design, Anthropology, Biomedical Science, Biology, Business, Civil Engineering, Classics, Computer Science, Communications, Criminal Justice, Economics, English, Education, Finance, German, Industrial Relations, History, Journalism, Legal Studies, Marketing, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, and Speech Pathology/Audiology.

Orientation kicked off on Monday, August 15 with a welcome from Assistant Dean of Admissions Amy Mangione, as well as an address from President and Dean Alicia Ouellette ’94. The first day continued with a presentation from Tai White ’23, who shared her tips for the first year, then a broad strokes overview from Professor Patricia Reyhan—including some of the first cold calls. The day concluded with the Lawyers as Collaborators challenge, where sections had to work together to build the tallest freestanding structure made of spaghetti noodles. Finally, an official welcome from the Student Bar Association (SBA).

Day two brought sample courses on legal methods, case briefs, and professional communications and ended with an introduction to the various student support departments including Student Affairs, DEI, Registrar, the Career and Professional Development Center , the Library, Academic Affairs, and UHA Public Safety.

Day three included presentations from the Government Law Center and The Justice Center, meetings with student leaders, and lessons on implicit bias and interruption. Day three concluded with an Empire State celebration complete with pizza, wings, bagels, and cider donuts.

Day four brought a preview of life as legal professionals. Students enjoyed lunch with alumni and the New York State Bar Association and the Character and Fitness & Admission to the Bar presentation by Rosemary Queenan, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dan Bollana ’16, Director of Bar Success and Assistant Professor of Law, and Amy Mangione, Assistant Dean of Admissions.