The Back to School and Fall 2025 preLaw magazine issues recognize New York Law School (NYLS) for our exceptional programs in several key areas.
Best School for Public Service (Government – No. 5 and Criminal Law – No. 9)
preLaw featured New York Law School among their best schools for public service, noting the School’s stellar academic programs and alumni employment in government and criminal law. NYLS has a proud tradition of civic leadership, and our prime location, steps from local, state, and federal courts and government centers, enables the School to create programs and opportunities that continue to propel new generations of law students to meaningful public service careers.
NYLS fosters close relationships with government offices, allowing the School to host meaningful public programs like the recent Constitution and Citizenship Day Summit, which brought together judges, attorneys, educators, students, and civic leaders to examine the rule of law and ways to revitalize civics education. The event opened with a conversation featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit Judge Joseph Bianco, U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York Judge Victor Marrero, and New York State Court of Appeals Judge Anthony Cannataro ’96.
NYLS academic centers like the Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law and Center for New York City and State Law house many of our nationally-recognized programs that enable students to pursue meaningful public service careers. We offer a broad array of public service-related programming, coursework, and clinics, and students have a number of prestigious externship opportunities such as the Gotham Honors Externship and the D.C. Honors Externship Program. A variety of clinics also give students practical experience with real-world cases. With the hands-on training they gain and the connections they make from NYLS’s robust public service network, graduates go on to lead the way in public service positions in all levels of government, from prestigious public service fellowships to serving as mayors, governors, U.S. Senators, and judges.
Family Law (A+)
preLaw awarded NYLS high marks for our history of leadership in child and family law and outstanding programming which promotes greater access to justice, contributes to meaningful legal scholarship, and supports a pipeline of skilled, compassionate family law lawyers. The long-respected Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families, part of the Wilf Impact Center, provides ample opportunities for students interested in family law issues to engage in policy research and advocacy, individual client representation, and scholarship. The Education Law and Policy Institute also enables law students to help New York City’s most vulnerable children by working to advance education equity and access through direct representation, advocacy, and policy reform. Through our family law-related institutes as well as through exceptional clinics like the Family Law Clinic or the Education Law Clinic, students work with faculty and practitioners to serve children and families in need in a variety of pro bono settings. Several Education Law Clinic students recently shared their experiences working with children and families to represent juveniles in education matters.
This year, the School is also celebrating five years of collaboration with the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association to publish Family Law Quarterly, which was ranked first in the the category of Family and Juvenile Law in the Washington and Lee Law Journal rankings. Law students participating in Family Law Quarterly have the opportunity to contribute on a national level to family law scholarship.
Business Law (A)
NYLS has a long and exceptional record of launching graduates into careers at the world’s leading businesses, financial institutions, law firms, and regulatory agencies, so it’s no surprise preLaw noted us among the top schools for business law. Students can deepen their involvement in business law activities through NYLS academic centers and institutes including the Center for Business and Financial Law, Tricarico Institute for the Business of Law and In-House Counsel, and Filler Institute for Financial Services Law. Through the centers and institutes, students can attend special events, do original research, and network with successful business leaders.
Students can also gain real-world skills training in clinics and externships, like the Nonprofit and Small Business Clinic and the Patent Law Clinic, offered through The Plumeri Center for Small Business Empowerment. The Plumeri Center provides substantial and meaningful legal and business assistance to strengthen New York’s small business and innovator/entrepreneur community through the power and breadth of the Law School’s clinics, faculty, students, alumni, and civic profile. Initiatives by The Plumeri Center also strengthen ties with businesses in our Tribecca neighborhood and provide students with opportunities to build deeper engagement with both the Tribeca community and the broader business community.
In addition, we offer a Graduate Tax Program, and readers of the New York Law Journal have frequently ranked our Tax LL.M. No. 1 in New York City in the Best Banking/Bankruptcy/Tax LL.M. category.
Criminal Law (A)
As a top school for public service careers in criminal law, it’s no surprise that preLaw has also given high marks to our academic and practical training offerings in criminal law. At NYLS, students can explore criminal law from every angle while sharpening practical legal skills.
The School partners with both the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorney’s Offices for the two Criminal Prosecution Clinics to give students experience working with law enforcement, victims, and witnesses to prosecute misdemeanor cases. The Criminal Defense Clinic partners with The Legal Aid Society, enabling students to represent low-income defendants in misdemeanor cases from arraignment through trial. The Post-Conviction Innocence Clinic have had recent successes while working with their clients on wrongful conviction claims. NYLS has been growing its activities related to restorative justice through a new Restorative Justice Project, which introduces new courses and externships, collaborates with existing courses on transitional justice, and offers students additional opportunities to engage with restorative justice in practice.
Human Rights Law (A)
preLaw magazine also notes that human rights law is an area where NYLS excels. NYLS clinics and programs engage students directly with a range of human rights issues. The Asylum Clinic works with international refugees fleeing to the United States and has achieved remarkable successes for its clients. The School’s Center for International Law organizes lectures, forums, and student projects on current events in human rights law and international law, including recent events with prominent figures in conflict mediation and transitional justice and panels on cross-border data transfers, enforcement priorities, and emerging AI regulations. NYLS also regularly hosts important conferences addressing human rights issues such as the Annual Asylum and Immigration Law Conference, which partnered with leading asylum and immigration to conduct trainings on best practices in the field and panels addressing current issues.