Brooklyn Law School

The origins of Brooklyn Law School can be traced back to the Pratt Institute in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn , when, in the 1890s, the school established its Department of Commerce. [ 6 ] Because of its overwhelming popularity, the Department of Commerce broke off from the main Institute and formed its own school under the guidance of Norman P. Heffley, personal secretary to Charles Pratt . [ 7 ] [ 8 ] The Heffley School of Commerce originally shared facilities with Pratt. [ 9 ] In 1901, William Payson Richardson and Norman P. Heffley reorganized the Heffley School to become Brooklyn Law School, the first law school on Long Island . [ 10 ] Using space provided by Heffley's business school, the law school opened on September 30, 1901, with five faculty members (including Richardson as dean and Heffley as president), and two special lecturers. The year began with five students and ended with 28. [ 10 ] In late 1901, the Board of Regents of the State of New York granted a charter to the law school. The law school became fully accredited by the American Bar Association in 1937, [ 11 ] and became a member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1973. [ 12 ] The law school's curriculum is registered with and approved by the New York State Education Department . [ 10 ] From its opening, Brooklyn Law School opened its door to minorities, women, and immigrants, and it offered night classes for those with full-time jobs. Dean Richardson also allowed students who had difficulty paying tuition to remain enrolled on credit. The school moved twice between 1901 and 1928, when it finally moved into the first building designed and built specifically for it at 375 Pearl Street in downtown Brooklyn. The school was affiliated with St. Lawrence University from 1903 to 1943. World War II struck Brooklyn Law School especially hard, and by 1943 enrollment was down to 174 students. St.

Lawrence University, which until then operated Brooklyn Law School and conferred its degrees, decided to shut down the school. Alumni organized and negotiated the repurchase of the school's assets, ensuring that Brooklyn Law School would operate as an independent institution. [ 10 ] In 1969, the repurchased school moved to its current location at 250 Joralemon Street, selling its old Pearl Street location to Brooklyn Friends School , who still occupies the building.

Admissions For 2023, Brooklyn Law School accepted 50% of applicants with 20.12% of those accepted enrolling. For those enrolling full time, the average LSAT score was 160 and the average undergraduate GPA was 3.56. For part time enrollees, the average LSAT score was 158 and the average undergraduate GPA was 3.45. [ 13 ]

Brooklyn Law School offers students over 190 courses and seminars in the law.