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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.  His forthcoming work, “Lawyer Nation: The Past, Present, and Future of the American Legal Profession,” due out in late 2023, will be published by New York University Press.

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).  He has also published over fifty law review articles in such publications as the Ohio State Law Journal, the Florida State University Law Review, and the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.

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.

​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

Washington Post: Cases this term will shape the Supreme Court far more than Biden’s commission:, Dec. 3, 2021.
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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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Slate: Eat the Loan Sharks!: Let’s solve the subprime mess by going after lawbreaking lenders, Nov. 24, 2008
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In the News

​Professor Ray Brescia wrote the Op-Ed, "Preventing homelessness in a pandemic," on The Hill website on August 7, 2020.

​Professor Ray Brescia wrote the article, "It's not the technology, it's the movement," on The Hill website on June 8, 2020.

​Professor Ray Brescia was featured in the Spectrum TV news story, "How Social Movements Might Adapt During Pandemic," on May 26, 2020.

​Professor Ray Brescia was quoted in the Buzzfeed News article, "Social Distancing Made May Day Protests Look A Lot Different This Year," on May 1, 2020.

​Professor Ray Brescia was a guest on a Medium.com podcast titled, "How Technology Shapes Social Revolutions," on April 24, 2020.

Professor Ray Brescia was quoted in the Legaltech News article "Albany Law Students Create Tech Tool for Businesses to Obtain Nonprofit Status" on February 13, 2019.

​Professor Ray Brescia was listed in the New York Law Journal as a member of incoming New York Attorney General Letitia James' transition committee on November 29, 2018.

Professor Ray Brescia's op-ed "Rage Against the (Eviction) Machine: With a Possible Solution" was published by the New York Law Journal on July 27, 2018.

Professor Ray Brescia was quoted in the University at Albany article "Tackling Urban Blight: Students from Rockefeller College, Albany Law Share Ideas for Vacant Properties"​ on May 17, 2018.

Professor Ray Brescia was interviewed on WAMC radio for the segment "Exploring Legal Ethics during the Trump Presidency." on April 17, 2018.