President and Dean
Albany Law School
Albany, New York

Albany Law School invites applications and nominations for the position of President and Dean. The Law School seeks an inspiring, collaborative and strategic leader to articulate and implement a compelling vision for the School’s future. This vision will reflect the School’s strong commitment to excellence in scholarship and teaching, and increase the School’s regional and national prominence, positioning it for future competitive success.

Founded in 1851, Albany Law School is the oldest private independent law school in the United States. The School benefits from its unique location, in the heart of New York's capital, giving students unique access to the New York State Court system (including New York’s highest Court), the federal court system, the state legislature, state agencies, non-profit organizations, industry, and a vibrant community of 13 academic institutions.

Albany Law School has a proud history of blending theory and practice to produce broadly educated lawyers.  The School offers an innovative curriculum and valuable experiential learning opportunities that help to prepare graduates for careers in private law firms, corporations, government and academia. Many of these programs also reflect the School’s commitment to public interest law and community service.  It houses six clinical programs and one of the largest Field Placement Programs in the nation, placing more than 200 students each year in internships.  In the past year, the law school has expanded its Pro Bono Program to more than 150 volunteers, offering substantial opportunities for students to provide legal services to the community, while gaining valuable experience. 

The President and Dean reports to the Board of Trustees. The new Presidentand Dean will join Albany Law at an exciting time in the School’s history. There are numerous challenges facing the future of legal education as students confront high tuition, increased levels of student debt and a changing job market; however, as one of the few independent law schools in the country, Albany Law School has the flexibility to respond quickly and creatively to these challenges.

The School has 53 full-time faculty and an adjunct faculty of skilled practitioners. The Albany Law faculty produce approximately 90 articles per year.  The School enrolls approximately 700 students. Degrees offered include: J.D. (full-time only); LL.M.; LL.M. for International Students; and several joint degrees in partnership with area universities. The School also has academic centers of excellence including the Clinic & Justice Center, the Government Law Center—the nation’s first law school-sponsored research center for government regulation and administration—and a new Center for Excellence in Law Teaching. 
Albany Law has an active alumni network of 9,500 and a committed Board of Trustees who enthusiastically support the work of the School, including fundraising efforts. Career Services has been successful in keeping the graduate employment rate above the national average for law schools for the past 27 years.

Albany Law School has retained the services of Isaacson, Miller to assist with this search. Confidential nominations, applications (including resume and cover letter) and inquiries should be forwarded to: 

Gale Merseth, Vice President & Director, Kathryn Barry, Senior Associate
Isaacson Miller, Inc.
263 Summer Street, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02210
Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged to 4369@imsearch.com.

Albany Law School is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications and nominations from women and minorities.