Biography
B.A., Fordham University
J.D., Yale Law School
Professor Brescia combines his experience as a public interest attorney in New York City with his scholarly interests to address economic and social inequality, the legal and policy implications of financial crises, how innovative legal and regulatory approaches can improve economic and community development efforts, and the need to expand access to justice for people of low and moderate income. He is the author of “The Future of Change: How Technology Shapes Social Revolutions” (Cornell University Press, 2020), which examines the intersection of technology and social movements, from the American Revolution, to the present day. He is also the co-editor of two books: Crisis Lawyering: Effective Legal Advocacy in Emergency Situations” (New York University Press, 2021); and “How Cities Will Save the World: Urban Innovation in the Face of Population Flows, Climate Change, and Economic Inequality (Routledge 2016).
Before coming to Albany Law, he was the Associate Director of the Urban Justice Center in New York, N.Y., where he coordinated legal representation for community-based institutions in areas such as housing, economic justice, workers' rights, civil rights and environmental justice. He also served as an adjunct professor at New York Law School from 1997 through 2006. Prior to his work at the Urban Justice Center, he was a staff attorney at New Haven Legal Assistance and the Legal Aid Society of New York, where he was a recipient of a Skadden Fellowship after graduation from law school.
Professor Brescia also served as Law Clerk to the pathbreaking Civil Rights attorney-turned-federal judge, the Honorable Constance Baker Motley, Senior U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. While a student Yale Law School, Professor Brescia was co-recipient of the Charles Albom Prize for Appellate Advocacy; was a student director of several clinics, including the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Law Clinic and the Homelessness Clinic; and was Visiting Lecturer in Yale College.
Professor Brescia is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.
Follow him on Twitter to receive notice of his new posts.
Read his blog: the Future of Change.
View Professor Brescia’s TEDx Talk on Creativity in the Law.
Blog: the Future of Change
Read his blog: the Future of Change.
Opinion Pieces
The Hill : A Better Way to Investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Feb. 18, 2021
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Washington Post, The USPS Is a Crucial Tool for Democracy — Helping the Left and the Right Organize , August 17, 2020
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The Hill : Preventing a Public Health Crisis from Turning into a Homelessness Crisis , July 16, 2021
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Next City: Saving Homes to Save the Nation , June 24, 2020
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The Hill: It's Not the Technology, It's the Movement , June 8, 2020
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In the News
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology; Professor of Law Ray Brescia authored the Truthout.org article, “With Warnock’s Win, Senate Dems Could Establish a Jan. 6 Committee of Their Own,” on December 8, 2022.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia was quoted in the Bloomberg Law webstory, “Law School Ethics Becomes ‘Real,’ Tackles Covid, Social Justice,” on Jan.25, 2022.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia authored, “Viewpoint: Shield New Yorkers from predatory debt collectors,” on Dec. 20, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia wrote, “Cases this term will shape the Supreme Court far more than Biden’s commission,” in the Washington Post on Dec. 3, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia was featured in the Bloomberg Law analysis, “Should Legal Tech Knowledge Be Tested on the Bar Exam?” on August 6, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia was featured on the ABA Journal podcast, “Are you good in a crisis? There may be a growing practice area for you,” on May 12, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia wrote the Op-Ed, “Corporations can – and must – fight for voting rights,” for The Hill on April 26, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia was featured in the WAMC radio story, "New Book From NYU Press About Effective Legal Advocacy In Emergency Situations," on March 25, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia was quoted in the Albany Times-Union article, "Hurricanes, riots, pandemics, other disasters? Call a lawyer," on March 8, 2021.
Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law Ray Brescia was quoted in the Queens Eagle news article, "NYC Bar explores new 'humanitarian exception' for lawyers providing cash assistance," on Feb. 28, 2021.
Selected Achievements
Professor Ray Brescia was named a 2019 academic fellow of the Pound Civil Justice Institute, a national legal think tank that works to ensure access to justice for citizens and provide a balanced view of the issues affecting the U.S. civil justice system.
Professor Ray Brescia was named a 2019 academic fellow of the Pound Civil Justice Institute, a national legal think tank that works to ensure access to justice for citizens and provide a balanced view of the issues affecting the U.S. civil justice system.
Professor Ray Brescia was named to the transition committee for incoming New York Attorney General Letitia James in November 2018.
Professor Ray Brescia,with assistance from six first-year students, co-authored amicus briefs recently filed in two U.S. Courts of Appeals on behalf of 165 members of Congress. The briefs argued that the Trump administration's executive order limiting travel from six predominantly Muslim countries was “vastly overbroad.”
Professor Ray Brescia,with assistance from six first-year students, co-authored an amicus brief filed on behalf of 167 members of Congress opposing the Trump administration’s immigration executive order.
Professor Brescia was appointed to Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan's blue ribbon panel on rail oil safety.
Professor Brescia has been appointed director of the law school’s Government Law Center.
