J.D. Orientation

Dates    

Tuesday, August 13 - Thursday, August 15

Kindly plan to arrive at Albany Law School no later than 3:15pm on Tuesday, August 13 to register and receive your Orientation packet. Upon registration you will be officially confirmed as a first-year law student (1L).

The main program and introductions (including a welcome from Dean Carlarne), will begin at 3:45pm in the Dean Alexander Moot Court Room (DAMC). Current Albany Law students who are serving as Albany Law Student Section Advisors will guide you to the DAMC, which is on the 4th floor.
 

SUGGESTED ATTIRE

Appropriate dress during Orientation is business casual (not-shirts, jeans, or sneakers, please). We suggest busi­ness attire on Thursday, August 15, as there will be lunch with alumni, a swearing-in ceremony and your class photo.

Food Accommodations   

If you have any special dietary needs, please email the Stu­dent Affairs Office no later than Thursday, August 1 at studentaffairs@albanylaw.edu so that we can ensure there is a menu option available for you. Please be sure to notify us in advance so we can make these arrangements.

Parking

You may park in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the law school off of Holland Avenue. This lot is reserved for 3L students, but as an exception, you may use it during Orientation.

For the school year, you will need a parking permit, which you may apply for via the link on the Orientation page. Permits will be issued beginning  Tuesday,  August  6.  After completing  the Permit Application on Canvas, please stop by the Business Office Suite on the second floor of the 2000 building to pay for your permit and pick up your parking hang tag. You will need to present  a picture ID and current vehicle  registration.  Only  vehicles  registered in the name of the applying student, the student’s  parent, guardian, or spouse are eligible for a permit.

Student IDs

All members of the Albany Law School Community must have a valid law school photo identification card. You are encouraged to stop by the Business Office Suite (2nd floor of the 2000 building) between August 6 and August 12 to have your photo taken for your identification card. The office will be open daily from 9am-3:30pm. All incoming students are required to complete this process no later than Thursday, August 15.

Housing

If you are still looking for housing, please note that the Student Affairs Office maintains a Housing Listserv that is open to all faculty, staff and students. The listserv can be used to advertise an apartment, to find a roommate, or to look for a sublet or an apartment. The Student Affairs Office will email housing information from local landlords as it becomes available. If you would like to be added to the Housing Listserv, please email studentaffairs@albanylaw.edu from your law school email address. Once you have been added to the Listserv, you can email the group at housing@albanylaw.edu.

Preparing for Orientation 2024

As you begin to prepare for Orientation 2024, please keep in mind that it is important that you check your Albany Law School email frequently as updates will be sent to this email.

Schedule

The Orientation Schedule can be found on this page and on the Fall 2024 Res. JD New Student Orientation Canvas course.

Task List and Required Presentations

The Task List identifies important documents and presentations that will provide essential information on a wide range of administrative matters, including parking, accessing your email, and student policies for all incoming students. Please use the task list to be sure you have completed all necessary items to make the start of law school easier. Some of the tasks will be in person, on canvas or on the Self-Service for Students Menu on the portal landing page.

As an incoming student, you are required to view each presentation and complete each required agreement prior to the start of Orientation/classes.

Orientation Assignments and Reading

You must read and prepare several assignments in preparation for Orientation. You will find these assignments on the Fall 2024 Res. JD New Student Orientation Canvas course in mid-July.

Preparing for Week 1 of Law School

On the law school portal, you will also find information about the various law school departments/offices, and forms you may need throughout your time at Albany Law School.

Course Schedule & 1L Academic Section

As a first-year student, your course schedule is preset. You will receive an email in July once the Registrar's Office registers you for classes. At that time, you will be able to access  your  schedule  through the portal (https://my.albanylaw.edu) under "Student Planning" on the Student-Self Service Menu. Your 1L Academic Section will be listed in the subject line of the email from the Registrar’s Office. The Academic Section will also be your section for Orientation.

Bookstore

To welcome you, the Bookstore, is offering you a 30% coupon for a one (1) time use on certain full-price clothing, supplies or gift items. You must sign-up using link below in order to obtain the 30% discount. The 30% discount cannot be combined with other offers and expires 30 days from the date of activation.

To activate the coupon code, visit www.dayonewelcome.com.

Access Code: 0728
After clicking submit, click Ready To Shop which triggers the coupon.

To order your textbooks for home delivery, go to The Bookstore's website at  www.thebookstorealbanyny.com. You will need your course schedule to locate your textbooks. We also ask that you have your on line order confirmation number (72800000) which can locate your order.

Name Coach

All students are required to record the pronunciation of their names using Name Coach. To do so, you can click Name Coach Roster on the left sidebar of a Canvas course and click record.

Qwickly

Attendance will be taken for all classes using either Qwickly or a passed sign in sheet. For classes where Qwickly is used, you will be required to manually sign in and should aim to do so within the first five minutes of class.

First Week of Classes-Assignments

The first day of classes is Monday, August 19 during Orienta­tion. During Orientation, you will have the opportunity to have in-person classes with your first-year professors. To prepare for class the first day, read and brief each case in the assigned readings. Your professor will also expect you to have your assigned text books by August 22. Your reading assign­ments for the first week will be posted to each Canvas course by August 12.

Academic Accommodations

Please contact academicaffairs@albanylaw.edu at your earliest opportunity if you intend to request accommoda­tions during the academic year. Our law school community is inclusive of all our students and provides appropriate support to them. You can start the accommodation process now by submitting a Request for Academic Accommodations Form and/or English as a Second Language Form, which can be found on the Portal (Student Affairs page). If you would like your accommodations in place by the first day of classes, you must return your documentation to the Academic and Student Affairs Office or email no later than  Friday, August 9 to academicaffairs@albanylaw.edu.

Seating Accommodations

You will have assigned seats for all of your 1L classes. If you have a documented disability or a physical impairment that requires a special seating accommodation, please email studentaffairs@albanylaw.edu with Seating Accommodation in the subject line no later than Thursday, August 1. You  will  receive  an  email  with  directions  to access the seating assignments in preparation for classes on Friday, August 16.

Faculty Advisor

At Albany Law School, Faculty Advisors assist students throughout their academic careers. On the second in-person day of Orientation, you will have the opportunity to have lunch with your assigned Faculty Advisor. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to work directly with a faculty mentor in planning the rest of your law school experience.

First Year Seminar Course

You will have the option to choose one, 1-credit hour first year seminar class. The Registrar's Office will contact you over the summer to make your selection.

• Climate Change
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg & the Quest for Sex Equality in the Law