Incoming 1Ls Begin Their NYLS Journey at 2026 Orientation
New York Law School (NYLS) recently welcomed the Classes of 2029 and 2030 to campus for 2026 Orientation, a week of programs introducing students to the NYLS community, the study of law, and the tools they need to step into their law school journey.
The incoming class of 432 students includes 387 Day Division students and 45 NYLS Pro Evening Division students*. Together, they bring a wide range of professional experiences to the NYLS community and arrive with the highest median credentials in the Law School’s 135-year history. Learn more about the 2026 entering class.
Orientation Week began on August 17 with welcome remarks from Dean and President Anthony W. Crowell and Ella Mae S. Estrada, Associate Dean and Vice President for Enrollment Management, Student Financial Services, and Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Their individual remarks shared a theme: they challenged students to embrace the opportunities ahead while drawing strength from the community they’re beginning to build.
Dean Crowell reflected on the responsibility that comes with a legal education and the vital role lawyers play in the lives and liberty of people. Highlighting the diverse perspectives represented in the entering class, he noted that students would learn as much from one another as they would from their coursework. “The hallmark of the NYLS experience is a wraparound opportunity,” he said. “We give you every advantage to learn how to be a law student first and then how to succeed as a law student.” In a now-familiar Orientation tradition, Dean Crowell then asked everyone to pull out their phones and connect with him on LinkedIn, embodying NYLS’s emphasis on building relationships from day one.
Dean Anthony W. Crowell gives welcome remarks at NYLS's 2026 Orientation.
Dean Ella Mae S. Estrada greeting the Classes of 2027 and 2028.
The incoming class was then treated to a surprise visit from Judge Judy Sheindlin ’65, who arrived to greet them alongside her daughter, Nicole Sheindlin ’93, and granddaughter, Sarah Rose Levy ’22. In her remarks, Judge Judy reflected on presiding over very early family court cases involving in vitro fertilization (IVF), surrogacy, and same-sex couples at a time when the law hadn’t yet addressed those emerging realities. She connected those experiences to the challenges today's students will face, as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence the legal profession and laws around it are actively being written. Judge Judy encouraged students to approach that responsibility with confidence and curiosity. “It's the beginning of a journey. Hopefully the best journey you'll take in your whole life. It was for me," she said.
That evening, NYLS Pro Evening Division students gathered for the Dean’s Welcome Dinner, where Deans Crowell and Estrada spoke to the significance of working professionals balancing careers, families, and law school. “Believe in yourself the way we believe in you,” Dean Crowell said. “All the things you've done up to this point are going to be able to push you forward.”
Students spent the rest of Orientation Week exploring the academic opportunities and support resources available at NYLS. Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Institutional Strategy Matt Gewolb moderated a faculty panel on introducing students to the Law School’s signature areas of study: Business and financial services; Intellectual property, media, and technology; and Government and public interest law. The panel discussed the interconnectedness of these areas, highlighting the many pathways available through the NYLS curriculum.
Judge Judy Sheindlin ’65 greeting the incoming class.
(L to R) Dean Anthony W. Crowell, Dean Kim Hawkins, Dean Kirk D. Burkhalter, Professor Richard Marsico, Dean Michael Pastor, Professor Howard Meyers, Interim Associate Dean Swati Parikh, and Dean Matt Gewolb at the Think BIG Curriculum panel.
This year’s Orientation also featured new programs surrounding developments in legal education and practice, reflecting NYLS’s broader effort to prepare students for a changing profession. In an Introduction to AI in Law School and the Legal Profession session, Dean Kim Hawkins, Dean Michael Pastor, and Professor Catharine Du Bois explained NYLS’s mission to teach students strong discernment skills and technological fluency. Students were also introduced to another emerging area of legal practice—restorative justice—during an interactive introductory session with Professor Susan Abraham.
Programs focused on student success and well-being remained a central part of Orientation Week. At the Well-Being and Resiliency in Law School panel, Dean Lynn Boepple Su and Isabella Poloes, Counselor and Associate Director for Community Wellness and Support, shared strategies for maintaining balance, building support systems, and making use of the many wellness resources available to NYLS students.
A cornerstone of Orientation Week is Community Days: Law in Context, NYLS’s longstanding program examining the historical, cultural, and societal contexts that shape the legal system. Through faculty and alumni panels, students explored topics including race, citizenship, constitutional law, access to justice, and the role lawyers play in advancing their communities.
Later in the week, Evening Division students participated in the NYLS Pro Courthouse Experience led by Dean for Evening Student Engagement Kirk D. Burkhalter ’04. Students walked a few minutes from campus to tour the New York County Criminal Court building, and a subsequent debrief session allowed them to connect the experience to their future studies. Evening students also attended a Navigating the Evening Division panel, during which current NYLS Pro students and alumni shared advice about time management, communicating with their support network, and balancing competing responsibilities. “You are all lawyers who just haven't graduated and passed the bar yet,” Dean Burkhalter told students, encouraging them to approach law school with the same professionalism and dedication they will bring to their future clients.
Dean of Faculty William P. LaPiana teaching Foundations for the Study of Law.
Incoming evening students with Dean Kirk D. Burkhalter ’04 participating in the NYLS Pro Courthouse Experience.
Additional Orientation programming included campus safety and emergency preparedness training; Title IX training; library and campus tours; a workshop on legal research; lunch with student leaders, faculty, and staff; and students’ first Foundations for the Study of Law classes, including a section taught by Dean of Faculty William P. LaPiana.
Incoming students left Orientation Week with a stronger understanding of the journey ahead, the resources available to support them, and new connections with classmates and future professors. As they begin their legal education during NYLS’s 135th anniversary year, they bring their own dynamic experiences and perspectives to the Law School’s long history. Welcome, Classes of 2029 and 2030!
*Incoming class statistics updated as of August 27, 2026.
