The Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center (Tuoro Law Center) was originally founded in 1980 in Manhattan but moved to Suffolk County, Long Island in 2007 adjacent to the region’s federal courthouse. Touro College was founded under Jewish auspices and named for Jewish philanthropist Judah and Abraham Touro. In 1986, the law school was renamed to honor Judge Jacob Fuchsberg, a distinguished New York judge. The school’s campus in one-of-a-kind both in its use of technology and collaboration with the surrounding court systems. The school has graduated a number of future New York state senators as well as notable media figures including Bradley Blakeman, a Fox News contributor, and Sal Iacono, a regular on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Academics
Touro Law’s Juris Doctor program may be earned through a number of programs that allow students to pick a schedule that best fits their life. Touro Law offers a traditional full-time program as well as a part-time program, an accelerated two-year program, and a FlexTime program where students combine online learning with some residential coursework. Regardless of the path to earning a Juris Doctor degree, all students must complete the same slate of courses and experiential learning requirements. The J.D. requires 88 hours of coursework including a first-year curriculum that includes five core academic courses: civil procedure, contracts, criminal law, property, and torts. Part-time and FlexTime students complete these courses over their first four semesters. In their second year, students must also complete another semester of property law, two semesters covering constitutional law, a course in business organizations, and a course in evidence. Prior to graduation, all students complete a two-semester course in advanced legal studies, courses in trusts and estates as well as professional responsibility, and satisfy the writings and experiential education requirements.
Regardless of their path, all J.D. students also choose approximately 32 hours of elective courses from Touro Law’s extensive catalog. Students may pursue one of Touro Law’s designated concentrations in either criminal law or land use and sustainable development law. Concentrations are intended to provide students with advanced training in a specific practice area in order to prepare them for a career in these areas.
Additional Programs
Touro Law also offers additional graduate programs for both U.S. and foreign educated attorneys. For attorneys who have already earned their Juris Doctor, Touro Law offers a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree that requires 24 hours of additional coursework. LL.M students can choose from almost the entire course catalog as they hone in on subject matter to fit their professional and academic goals. All LL.M students also complete a substantial research paper on a topic of their choice.
For students who earned their law degree at an international law school, Touro Law offers an LL.M focused on the American legal system or an accelerated two-year J.D. program. The accelerated J.D. gives foreign students advanced standing which allows them to complete the J.D. program in four full-time semesters. The LL.M program, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive look at the legal structure in the United States. While some jurisdictions allow LL.M students to sit for a bar exam, the J.D. degree is accepted in all U.S. jurisdictions.
J.D. candidates at Touro Law may also earn a second professional degree through the law school’s joint degree program. Law students can either pair their law degree with an M.B.A. from Touro’s graduate school of business or earn a concurrent Master of Social Work degree from The State University of New York at Stony Brook. The program shortens the total amount of time to earn both degrees. Students also gain a unique perspective on the law and distinguish themselves as they transition into their professional careers.
Career and Career Placement
Based on the most recent employment data, over 91% of all graduates of Touro Law are employed within 10 months of graduation. Of those employed, over 90% find long-term, full-time careers most of which (92%) either requires a law license or prefer a Juris Doctor degree. In terms of career choices, over 61% of all employed graduates found work in law firms with smaller law firms (less than 25 attorneys) being–by far–the most popular career choice. Over a quarter of graduates opted for careers in either government offices or the public interest sector while just under 10% chose careers in the business sector. Almost 95% of all employed graduates remained in New York to begin their professional careers.
The Touro Law Career Services Office (CSO) provides its students with a host of career-related services that help them successfully transition from their academics to their professional careers. The CSO staff works to prepare students for professional interviews and prepare their professional documents such as a resume or cover letter. The CSO hosts several career fairs each year that introduce prospective employers to students while also broadening students’ career options. All students have access to a wide range of web resources including Touro Law’s job database.
Experiential Learning/Distance Education
All law students at Touro Law are guaranteed the opportunity to work in the school’s clinical program or in an external field placement. These hands-on experiences are the most direct way for students to learn to apply their coursework to the actual practice of law. The clinical program allows students to work with real-clients in a range of legal issues. The clinic also builds students’ professionalism as they learn to advocate for their clients. Touro Law offers ten different clinical programs that cover an impressive array of practice areas.
Externships provide students an additional avenue to gain real-world skills by working in a legal office while earning credit towards their degree. Students work in local courts, public interest offices, government legal offices, and private law offices. The externship not only builds skills, but it also introduces students to the professional life of attorneys and builds their professional network.
As previously discussed, Touro Law’s FlexTime options allows students to earn their Juris Doctor degree through a combination of online and in-person classes. During their first-year curriculum, students attends classes on Sundays on campus but spend the rest of their time in distance based learning. In the elective phase of their program, students may complete their degree through just online courses or attend some classes in person as necessary. The program is a unique and flexible program that provides students the opportunity to earn a law degree with little residential learning.
Student Life
With a stunning campus building on Long Island and an active student body, Touro Law is a campus on the move. The school’s Student Bar Association organizes dozen of student groups, plans academic and social programs, and plays an important role in faculty decisions. Touro Law students compete across the country on their competitive Moot Court teams and select students write for the school’s law review. Each year, Touro Law also plays host to a number of distinguished legal scholars and visitors who broaden students’ understanding of the law’s impact in society.
With its stunning, modern campus, Touro Law students are immersed in one of the most technologically advanced law schools in the country. The campus is also located across the street from state and federal courts creating a unique partnership between the law school and the court system. Suffolk County is on the heart of Long Island which offers students quick access to the best of the island–the famed beaches, the Hamptons, and island’s beautiful state parks. Manhattan and Brooklyn are a short train ride away.