The Law School is located at the junction of Downtown Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Civic Center, and the Brooklyn Heights Historic District--across the street from Borough Hall, a few blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge and one or two train stops from Lower Manhattan. View our interactive map and find directions to the Law School.

Our target enrollment each year is approximately 400 full-time students and 85 part-time students. This past year, they were selected from among nearly 5,900 applicants, approximately twelve applicants vying for each seat.

Brooklyn Law School strives to admit a diverse group of people in its entering classes. Thus, the Admissions Committee will consider a history of surmounting obstacles (whether economic, societal or educational) or overcoming disabilities (whether physical, communicative or learning), in addition to any special contribution an applicant may be able to make to the diversity of interest, background and experience among members of its entering class. Applicants who wish any of these factors to be considered for admission or financial aid should be sure to indicate them in their application materials. Minorities comprise 24.9 percent of our 2010 entering class, as well as the current school-wide enrollment.

45.7 percent of the 2010 first-year class are women.

92.2 percent of the Class of 2008 were employed within nine months of graduation. This figure includes 38 graduates in contract positions and 26 graduates not seeking employment. The average nine-month employment rate for Brooklyn Law School graduates for the last five years is 97 percent. For more, see Employment Statistics.

Our bar pass rate for first-time test takers on the July 2008 New York State bar examination was 91 percent. For the July 2009 examination, it was 90 percent.

BLS enjoys a student-faculty ratio of 18.4:1. Our 72 full-time faculty and approximately 125 part-time / adjunct professors who teach over the year are, as a group, superb teachers who pride themselves on their availability. Our “open door policy” is a hallmark of student-faculty relations here.

25 percent of our 2009 class came to us within a year of college graduation; 64 percent had been out of college one-to-five years; 9 percent out of college six-to-ten years, and 2 percent completed college more than ten years ago.

Classes offered during the day typically feature at least one substantive course taught in sections of about 40 students. Legal Writing classes are generally half that number. Other day-time classes have about 80 students. Most first-year evening courses have about 90 students. Evening Legal Writing classes have about fifteen students in each section.

Some applicants are certain as to the area of practice they are headed for, some think they know, and many are, as yet, undecided or open-minded. You may already have professional experience in a particular area that will be enhanced by a legal degree; this may be to your advantage in the job market. If you do not have such experience or you are not sure what area of law you wish to pursue, the Career Center is available, as are faculty advisors, to assist you while you pursue your studies.

Our extensive curriculum will expose you to practically any area of law that interests you. In addition to your classroom experience, the metropolitan area’s legal community provides ample opportunity for practical experience. Exposure to different areas of practice through your courses, guest speaker programs, conferences, work with professors, clinics and other professional experiences will help guide your interests and increase your contacts locally and nationally.

The nature of a candidate’s college work, as well as the quality of academic performance, is taken into account in the selection process. However, Brooklyn Law School does not require applicants for admission to present college credit in any specialized subjects or any particular academic major. A broad, general education that includes a reasonable mastery of some chosen field of concentration is more valuable than specialized study in subject areas closely related to law. Such an education should include study in literature; in humanities, such as philosophy and logic; in social studies, such as economics, political thought and history; in science and mathematics; in foreign languages; and in creative expression and communication such as English composition and speech. 

We strive to enroll a talented, diverse student body at BLS and you will find that philosophy reflected in the range of educational backgrounds represented in each class - typically some 55-60 academic concentrations are represented. The current student body includes a number of former teachers, journalists, engineers, scientists, doctors, nurses, accountants and business professionals.