Strong New York City Roots
St. John’s University School of Law is a New York City institution, and our Law School community reflects the richness and diversity of our dynamic metropolitan home.
St. John’s Law first opened its doors in the heart of downtown Brooklyn in 1925, and for over 90 years our graduates have gone on to use their law degree to achieve in every corner of the legal profession and the business world. Our alumni include state governors and other influential politicians; distinguished judges—including New York’s current Chief Judge, Janet DiFiore; leaders of preeminent international law firms and corporations; and pioneering global entrepreneurs.
The Law School sits on the main campus of St. John’s University in a residential neighborhood of Queens, New York City’s most diverse borough and one of the world’s most diverse urban spaces. The 100-acre campus has a park-like feel with green lawns, flowers and fountains, and majestic views of the Manhattan skyline. Public transportation is convenient to campus and quickly takes you to Manhattan, the hub of international legal practice and commerce.
Our modern facilities are regularly upgraded to promote learning and to provide inviting gathering spaces. Our Belson Moot Court Room has won acclaim for its design and hosts marquee Law School events—including recent visits by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, and the late Antonin Scalia, as well as official sessions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Appellate Division, Second Department.
Walk through our doors and you’ll find a student body that hails from 25 different countries. Many of our students are multi-lingual, and all feel at home in an environment that celebrates the diversity that’s been a hallmark of St. John’s Law from the start.
Balanced Legal Education
St. John’s takes a balanced approach to legal education, starting with a rigorous grounding in the fundamentals of legal analysis, legal doctrine, and legal writing, and moving on to experiential learning opportunities where our students learn by doing.
We organize our upper-level curriculum around different career pathways, enabling our students to build on their required foundational courses with advanced courses, drafting courses, clinic work, field placements, and extra-curricular activities—all focused on developing practical skills and targeted expertise so our students graduate practice-ready.
In the classroom, our faculty of dedicated teachers and accomplished scholars fosters our students’ analytical abilities and lawyering skills. Outside the classroom, many of our professors are thought leaders who have written the book in their areas of interest and expertise. Whether exploring educational challenges faced by immigrant children, the history of Wall Street, or consumer rights, our faculty members bring legal theory alive in ways that make a real impact in the world.
The engaging programs and initiatives sponsored by our nine academic centers are helping to make St. John’s Law a national leader in civil rights, dispute resolution, intellectual property law, labor and employment law, law and religion, and international and comparative law.
In addition to these academic offerings, the Law School’s student organizations provide students with valuable opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the law and to build networks of advisors, mentors, and colleagues. There are student organizations devoted to a wide range of interests, from legal practice areas, to background heritage affinities, to issues advocacy and awareness. They host events and gatherings throughout the school year where students network with alumni and practitioners.
Global Reach
Our students gain an expansive view of the law as participants in school-sponsored global programs that include study abroad, international practica, and skills-based courses. Through these offerings, students experience legal systems different from their own, deepening their understanding of the rule and role of law around the world.
The Law School’s global reach is also evident in our three LL.M. programs administered by our Office of Graduate Studies: The LL.M. in U.S. Legal Studies for Foreign Law School Graduates; the LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice; and the LL.M. in Bankruptcy. Our graduate curriculum includes courses in English for American Law School, American Law: Discourse and Analysis, and Bar Exam Language Support. All are designed to help non-native English speakers build their legal English proficiency.
Students interested in international and transnational legal practice find the St. John’s Center for International and Comparative Law (CICL) an excellent resource. CICL hosts a number of formal and informal programs during the academic year where students hear from and meet leaders in the field.
Hands-On Learning
Experiential learning permeates the curriculum in our vibrant externship program, in our rigorous writing program, in our first-rate trial and appellate advocacy programs, and in our growing dispute resolution program. With ample opportunity to experience the real world of law—to successfully join thinking and acting—our students are able to carry forward St. John’s tradition of exceptional leadership and service.
In the Law School’s 10 in-house and partner clinics, students receive invaluable training in practical skills by representing elderly victims of mortgage fraud, by prosecuting defendants accused of domestic violence, by serving as guardians for abused and neglected children, by seeking asylum for refugees, and by providing a wide array of legal assistance to the poor and underserved in New York City. Animating the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul,
St. John’s Law students working in the clinics see how their hard work and selfless service uplift people and strengthen communities.
Students who staff and lead any one of the Law School’s 10 academic journals, including the prestigious St. John’s Law Review, gain vital legal research and writing skills that help them stand out in a crowded professional marketplace as outstanding scholars and communicators.
Focus on Success
With guidance from our Career Development Office and with the support of our alumni network that’s 16,500 strong, St. John’s Law students thrive. Their success, and the ongoing success of the Law school, is reflected in the following statistics:
• The graduating class of 2016 had a 92% overall employment rate
• Top 40 among all law schools nationwide for placing graduates in the 100 biggest law firms
• Tops for graduates starting their careers in New York District Attorney’s offices (#1 in Bronx and Queens)
• U.S. News ranks St. John’s:
> #5 among New York State law schools
> #72 among all U.S. law schools (the 3rd consecutive year with an increase)
Whatever path our graduates pursue, they carry with them the Vincentian values of St. John’s, understanding that law is a vocation through which they can live justly and better the world.