History
Founded in 1901 by William Payson Richardson and Norman P. Heffley, Brooklyn Law School was the first law school on Long Island. Using space provided by Heffley’s business school, the law school opened 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. 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 through the Council of its Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. The Law School’s curriculum is registered with and approved by the New York State Education Department.
From its earliest days, 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 on Pearl Street in downtown Brooklyn. Though the school lacked a campus, dormitories, and a cafeteria, students could engage in a wide range of extracurricular activities.
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. Prominent alumni were galvanized into action and negotiated the repurchase of the school’s assets, ensuring that Brooklyn Law School would operate as an independent institution.
Read more about this topic: Brooklyn Law School
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