Earn Your J.D.
in the Heart of New York City

Earn Your J.D.
in the Heart of New York City

A LEADER IN

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intellectual property
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criminal justice
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business and innovation
Cardozo-Family Law
family law
Cardozo-Dispute resolution
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cyber security, data law and technology
people
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clinical education
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Justice for All

At Cardozo School of Law, we believe in Justice for All.
We don’t just believe it. We practice it.

Under the supervision of top clinical professors, our students are involved in life-changing cases across all aspects of the legal system. In its Fall 2024 issue, preLaw Magazine ranked Cardozo #7 on its Top Law Schools for Racial Justice list.

Cardozo Law helps
launch your career

#32

Go-To Law Schools for Big Law

National Law Journal

#6

Best Intellectual Property Programs

U.S. News

#1

Leading Law Schools of the Top Music Lawyers

Billboard

A+

Dispute Resolution & Business Law

preLaw Magazine

A Snapshot of Recent Graduate Jobs

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Nigel Pura-Bryant

Cerberus Capital Management

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Leah Newman

NBC Universal

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Bryan Carr Olert

NYC Law Department

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Cleopatra S. Gray

Milbank LLP

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Jenna Dunton

Manhattan District Attorney's Office

YOUR JD from Cardozo positions you for success

Our graduates get jobs at the biggest firms and companies in the world.

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Colette Reiner Mayer

Class of '03
Head of IP Litigation, Apple
Mayer is responsible for managing Apple’s global IP litigation docket. She previously was a Partner in Morrison and Forester’s Palo Alto office, specializing in intellectual property litigation, primarily patent and trade secret litigation in the semiconductor industry. Prior to that, she was an associate at Darby & Darby litigating patent, copyright and trademark cases.
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Amol Sinha

Class of '10
Executive Director, ACLU of New Jersey
As Executive Director of the ACLU of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ), Sinha leads a team of dedicated professionals and guides the organization's innovative integrated advocacy work, utilizing litigation, policy, public education, and strategic communications to build a more equitable society.
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Julie Swidler

Class of '82
Executive Vice President, Sony Music
As EVP at Sony Music, Swidler oversees business, legal and governmental affairs for the company globally and is one of the most powerful dealmakers in the music industry. 
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Parvin Aminolroaya

Class of '08
Partner at Seeger Weiss LLP
Aminolroaya is an emerging leader within the Plaintiff’s bar, representing plaintiffs in mass tort and class action cases. Aminolroaya litigates product liability and class action cases and prepares them for trial. In 2021, she was appointed co-lead counsel in the Elmiron Products Liability litigation, a nationwide multi-district litigation against numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Janssen, alleging that the companies failed to tell doctors and patients about the risk of permanent vision injury with the drug Elmiron.
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Hon. Tanya Kennedy

Class of '92
Associate Justice Appellate Division, First Department of the New York Supreme Court
Justice Kennedy was appointed in July 2020 as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Prior to her appointment, Justice Kennedy served as a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County. A frequent speaker at various conferences, she has received numerous professional awards, including the 2022 Award of Recognition from the New York Women’s Bar Association, Justice Kennedy is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York City Bar Association and past chair of the organization’s Special Committee to Encourage Judicial Service.
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Jonathan Lenzner

Class of '04
Chief of Staff, FBI
Lenzner was named chief of staff to the Director in December 2021. Prior to his appointment, Lenzner served as the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland. As the chief federal law enforcement official in Maryland, he oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought in Maryland on behalf of the United States. He previously served as the first assistant U.S. attorney and also created the office’s first-ever Civil Rights Unit.

Impactful, real-world learning opportunities

Get practice ready and sharpen your skills with the power of hands-on experience in the center of the legal industry.

A COMMUNITY THAT IS WELCOMING TO ALL STUDENTS

At Cardozo, we cultivate a welcoming and diverse community dedicated to the welfare of society. We understand that a rich law school environment includes a broad range of viewpoints and perspectives. Over 35% of the members of the Class of 2026 identify themselves as being an underrepresented minority. We offer an educational curriculum that teaches students to understand a diverse array of views and teaches them to collaborate effectively with co-workers and clients of differing backgrounds.

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Professors Committed to Impact and Excellence

Our faculty are #22 in the country for scholarly impact by Heald & Sichelman's academic impact rankings of 100 American law schools. You will be learning from the very best who are committed to your success.

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Jessica Roth

Professor of Law
Co-Director, Jacob Burns Center for Ethics in the Practice of Law

Professor Roth, a frequent commentator on CNN and PBS, teaches criminal law, evidence, and legal ethics. A prolific scholar, her work has appeared in the UCLA Law Review, the Northwestern Law Review, the Washington University Law Review, among others.

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Felix Wu

Vice Dean, Professor of Law
Faculty Director, Cardozo Data Law Initiative (CDLI)

Professor Wu’s doctorate studies in computer Science are foundational to his information law scholarship, which spans freedom of speech, privacy law, and intellectual property law.

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Alexander A. Reinert

Max Freund Professor of Litigation & Advocacy Director, Center for Rights and Justice

Alex Reinert, a former Supreme Court Clerk, has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Iqbal and is a leading lawyer in the case that overturned the use of solitary confinement in New York prisons.

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Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

Professor of Law
Director, Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic

Faculty Director, Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights

Professor Kestenbaum is an international human rights expert whose scholarship focuses on public health and atrocity prevention, especially related to preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based crimes, slavery and the slave trade, genocide, Indigenous rights, and human rights violations against other minority groups.

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Wilfred Codrington III

Professor of Law
Walter Floersheimer Professor of Constitutional Law

Professor Codrington is an expert in constitutional law, election law, race and the law and civil rights and civil liberties. He received his A.B. from Brown University, his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his M.P.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Cardozo Law Advantage

Our students improve the world by fighting for those who need legal protection. At Cardozo, students are trained to become the next generation of reformers and legal problem solvers. Our programs offer real-world experience through clinical practice, internships and externships in New York City where they put their education into practice.

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Resources to finance your education

Merit Scholarships, Grants and Need-Based Financial Aid Available

All admitted students are considered for the following scholarships, which are not linked to future academic performance.

  • The Dean’s Merit Scholarship
  • The E. Nathaniel Gates Scholarship
  • The David Martinidez Scholarship
  • Need-Based Grants
  • External Scholarship Opportunities
  • Yellow Ribbon Program

In Greenwich Village, a historic neighborhood and a prime location

Study and practice in proximity to the best and biggest companies in one of the largest and most dynamic job markets in the world.

FROM THE DEAN

“At Cardozo Law, you will have the opportunity to be at the forefront of legal changes in many critical areas, including criminal justice reform, data privacy and technology and intellectual property innovation.”

Diversity, equity and inclusion are central values at Cardozo. We strive to create a welcoming environment for everyone. Your Cardozo education will prepare you for success.”

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Dean Melanie Leslie ‘91
Cardozo School of Law
Dean Leslie

Alumni Prove the Value of a Cardozo Law Degree

Cardozo graduates land prestigious positions and develop impactful careers with top organizations.