List of New York University School of Law alumni

New York University School of Law has produced many influential alumni in law, government, business, academia, and society. Following is a list of notable NYU Law School alumni.

Academia

Name Degree Notability References
Michael Broyde J.D. 1988 Professor of law and academic director of the Law and Religion Program at Emory University School of Law.
John C. Coffee LLM, 1976 Adolf A. Berle Professor at Columbia Law School
Yoram Dinstein J.D. President of Tel Aviv University
Deborah Epstein J.D. 1988 Professor at Georgetown Law School
Richard Joel J.D. 1975 President, Yeshiva University
Roberta Karmel LLB, 1962 Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School; first female Commissioner of the SEC.
Raymond Lisle J.D. 1936 Dean of the Brooklyn Law School
Troy A. McKenzie J.D. 2000 Dean of New York University School of Law
Bridget McCormack J.D. 1991 Professor University of Michigan Law School and founder and co-director of its Michigan Innocence Clinic
James J. Reynolds J.D. Assistant Superintendent, New York City Board of Education [1][2]
Abbe Smith J.D. 1982 Professor at Georgetown University Law Center

Advocacy and nonprofit

Name Degree Notability References
Debo Adegbile J.D. 1994 Director of litigation of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Crystal Eastman J.D. 1907 Co-founder and co-editor of The Liberator, co-founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Abraham Foxman J.D. 1965 Chairman and national director of the Anti-Defamation League
Sherrilyn Ifill J.D. 1987 President and director-counsel of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Helene L. Kaplan J.D. 1967 former chairman of the Carnegie Corporation of New York

Business

Name Degree Notability References
John J. Creedon J.D. 1957 Former CEO and chairman of MetLife
Michael Karlan LL.M. 1993 Founder of Professionals in the City
Herb Kelleher LL.B. 1955 CEO and founder of Southwest Airlines
Robert A. Kindler J.D. 1980 Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley
Paul Moore Sr. LL.B. 1911 Founder of Republic Aviation
Barry Salzberg LL.M. CEO of Deloitte
Stuart Subotnick J.D. President of Metromedia Company, Inc.

Entertainment

Name Degree Notability References
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong J.D. Writer and co-producer of Family Guy
Nancy Grace LL.M. Court TV host
Sally Kohn J.D. 2002 Political commentator and contributor to Fox News
Kenny Lucas Non-degreed Academy Award-nominated writer and producer of Judas and the Black Messiah
Demetri Martin Non-degreed Comedian known for Important Things with Demetri Martin and The Daily Show
Gerald Schoenfeld LL.B. 1949 Chairman of The Shubert Organization from 1972 to 2008
Matthew Ahn J.D. 2014 Holds the Guinness World Record for fastest time to travel to all New York City Subway stations [3]

Judiciary

Name Degree Notability References
Adam B. Abelson J.D. 2010 Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
G. Steven Agee LL.M. Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Florence E. Allen LL.B. 1913 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Nancy Atlas J.D. 1974 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Richard M. Berman J.D. 1967 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
J. Sidney Bernstein LL.B. 1900 Judge, New York Supreme Court
Pasco Bowman II J.D. 1958 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Thomas Buergenthal J.D. 1960 Judge, International Court of Justice
Victoria Calvert J.D. 2006 Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
Raymond T. Chen J.D. 1994 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Albert Diaz J.D. 1988 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Todd E. Edelman J.D. 1994 Judge, Superior Court, District of Columbia
Nabil Elaraby LL.M. 1969;

J.S.D. 1971

Judge, International Court of Justice
Katherine B. Forrest J.D. 1990 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Cynthia Holcomb Hall LL.M. 1960 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Janet C. Hall J.D. 1973 Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
David Hittner J.D. 1964 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Dennis G. Jacobs J.D. 1973 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Judith Kaye LL.B. 1958 Chief Judge, New York Court of Appeals
Samuel D. Levy LL. B., 1880 Judge, New York Domestic Relations Court
Tana Lin J.D. 1991 Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
Sheryl Lipman J.D. 1987 United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Raymond Lohier J.D. 1991 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Wauhope Lynn 1882 Justice, New York Municipal Court J
Bridget McCormack J.D. 1991 Associate Justice, Michigan Supreme Court
Joseph M. McLaughlin LL.M. 1964 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Roy W. McLeese III J.D. 1985 Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Kevin McNulty J.D. 1983 Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
Katherine M. Menendez J.D. 1997 Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
Natasha C. Merle J.D. 2008 Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
M. Blane Michael J.D. 1968 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Nina Morrison J.D. 1998 Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Lynn Nakamoto J.D. 1985 Associate Justice, Oregon Supreme Court
Pauline Newman LL.B. 1958 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Alan Eugene Norris LL.B. 1960 Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Jinsook Ohta J.D. 2001 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
Solomon Oliver Jr. J.D. 1972 Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
M. Warley Platzek LL.B. 1876 Judge, New York Supreme Court
Leo F. Rayfiel LL.B. 1908 Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Jennifer H. Rearden J.D. 1996 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Jenny Rivera J.D. 1985 Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals
Burton B. Roberts 1949 Judge who inspired the character of Myron Kovitsky in Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities [4]
Jennifer L. Rochon J.D. 1997 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Berle M. Schiller J.D. 1968 Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Lorna G. Schofield J.D. 1981 Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Margaret Strickland J.D. 2006 Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico
Theodore Trautwein 1953 New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division judge known for the"Dr. X" trial of Mario Jascalevich [5]
Eric N. Vitaliano J.D. 1971 Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

Law

Name Degree Notability References
David Boies LL.M. 1967 Lawyer known for United States v. Microsoft, Bush v. Gore
Emilie Bullowa 1900 Lawyer and president of the National Association of Women Lawyers
Fanny Hallock Carpenter 1896 Lawyer and the first woman to win a case before the New York Court of Appeals [6]
Evan Chesler J.D. 1975 Lawyer and chairman of Cravath, Swaine & Moore law firm
Amal Clooney LL.M. 2001 Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London, UK
Bernard G. Ehrlich LL.B. 1951 National Guard major general, convicted in Wedtech scandal [7][8]
Bob Ferguson J.D. Washington State Attorney General
Martin Lipton J.D. 1955 Founding partner of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz who invented the "poison pill"
Mimi Rocah J.D. 1997 District Attorney of Westchester County
Joseph Russoniello J.D. 1966 U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
M. Patricia Smith J.D. Solicitor for the United States Department of Labor
Joel Steinberg Non-degreed Attorney convicted of manslaughter
Charles Tetzlaff LLM, 1964 United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, 1993–2001
Benjamin B. Wagner J.D. United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Phil Weiser J.D. 1994 Attorney General of Colorado
Tsion Gurmu J.D.2015 Legal Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration

Literature and journalism

Name Degree Notability References
Deborah Coonts LL.M. 2006 Romantic mystery novelist
Crystal Eastman J.D. 1907 Co-founder and co-editor of The Liberator and co-founder of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Philip Friedman J.D. 1969 Author of bestselling nonfiction books
Michael Gartner J.D. 1972 Journalist who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing
John F. Kennedy Jr. J.D. 1989 Publisher and founder of George magazine, son of President John F. Kennedy
Shana Knizhnik J.D. 2015 Bestselling nonfiction author
Francis M. Nevins J.D. 1967 Edgar Award-winning mystery writer, biographer, film historian [9]
Charles Reznikoff LL.B. 1916 Objectivist poet

Politics and government

Name Degree Notability References
Lamar Alexander J.D. 1965 United States Senate
William Bernard Barry LL.B. 1925 United States House of Representatives
Carol Bellamy J.D. 1968 Director of the Peace Corps, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund, executive director of UNICEF, and President of the New York City Council,
Rudy Boschwitz J.D. 1953 United States Senate
Charles Robin Britt LL.M. 1976 United States House of Representatives
Roberto de Oliveira Campos Graduate work Brazilian legislator and Ambassador to the United States and United Kingdom
Peter Angelo Cavicchia LL.B. 1908 United States House of Representatives (1931–1937)
Maurice Connolly LL.B. 1898 United States House of Representatives
Clay Constantinou LL.M. 1986 U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg
Irwin Delmore Davidson LL.B. 1928 United States House of Representatives
Diana DeGette J.D. 1982 United States House of Representatives
Fred J. Eckert Non-degreed United States House of Representatives and U.S. Ambassador
Edward Irving Edwards LL.B. United States Senate (1923–1929), Governor of New Jersey
Mohamed ElBaradei LL.M. 1971;

J.S.D. 1974

Vice President of Egypt and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency
Smith Ely LL.B. 1846 United States House of Representatives
Guillermo Endara LL.M. 1963 President of Panama
Leonard Farbstein LL.B. 1924 United States House of Representatives (1957–1971)
Hamilton Fish IV LL.B. 1957 United States House of Representatives (1969–1995)
Louis Freeh LL.M. 1984 Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1993–2001)
Jacob Augustus Geissenhainer LL.B. 1862 United States House of Representatives
Nathan Goff Jr. LL.B. 1866 United States Senate
Anthony Jerome Griffin LL.B. 1892 United States House of Representatives (1918–1935)
Frank Joseph Guarini J.D. 1950,

LL.M. 1955

United States House of Representatives (1979–1993)
Vanita Gupta J.D. 2001 United States Associate Attorney General (2021-2024)
Rudy Giuliani J.D. 1968 Mayor of New York City (1994–2001); Presidential candidate (2008)
Jacob Javits LL.B. 1926 United States Senate
Hakeem Jeffries J.D. 1997 House Minority Leader, United States House of Representatives
Mitchell Jenkins LL.B. 1926 United States House of Representatives
Lazarus Joseph LLB, 1911 New York State Senator and New York City Comptroller
Edward Aloysius Kenney LL.B. 1908 United States House of Representatives (1933–1938)
Arthur George Klein LL.B. 1926 United States House of Representatives (1946–1956)
Edward I. Koch LL.B. 1948 United States House of Representatives (1969–1977) and Mayor of New York City (1978–1989)
Fiorello La Guardia LL.B. 1908 United States House of Representatives (1916–1934) and Mayor of New York City (1934–1945)
Jon Leibowitz J.D. 1984 Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission
Jefferson Monroe Levy LL.B. 1873 United States House of Representatives (1911–1915)
Stanley Nelson Lundine LL.B. 1964 United States House of Representatives (1976–1987)
John MacCrate LL.B. 1906 United States House of Representatives
Allan Langdon McDermott LL.B. 1877 United States House of Representatives (1900–1907)
Thomas Joseph Meskill LL.B. 1955 United States House of Representatives
James Edward Murray J.D. 1900 United States Senate (1934–1961)
Yaakov Neeman LL.M. J.S.D. Finance Minister of Israel and chair of the Neeman Committee
Edward T. O'Connor, Jr. LL.M. New Jersey State Senator [10]
Tasker Lowndes Oddie LL.B. 1895 United States Senate (1921–1933) [11]
James Aloysius O`Gorman J.D. 1887 United States Senate (1911–1917)
Denis O`Leary LL.B. 1890 United States House of Representatives
Bob Packwood J.D. 1957 United States Senate (1969–1995)
Nathan David Perlman LL.B. 1907 United States House of Representatives (1920–1927)
Scott Peters (politician) J.D. 1984 United States House of Representatives
Anning Smith Prall LL.B:, 1908 United States House of Representatives (1923–1935)
Benjamin Rabin LL.B. 1917 United States House of Representatives
Leo Frederick Rayfiel LL.B. 1908 United States House of Representatives
Charles P. Rettig LL.M. 1982 Commissioner of Internal Revenue
Elihu Root LL.B. 1867 Secretary of War (1899–1903), Secretary of State (1905–1909); and United States Senate (1912)
Benjamin Stanley Rosenthal LL.M. 1952 United States House of Representatives (1962–1983)
Thomas P. Salmon LL.M. 1958 Governor of Vermont
Daniel Edgar Sickles LL.B. 1846 United States House of Representatives
Isaac Siegel LL.B. 1901 United States House of Representatives
Vaughn Stewart J.D. 2014 Maryland House of Delegates
Louis W. Stotesbury LL.B., 1892 New York City attorney, Adjutant General of New York [12][13]
Ludwig Teller LL.B. 1935 United States House of Representatives (1957–1961)
Herbert Tenzer LL.B. 1927 United States House of Representatives
Samuel J. Tilden LL.B. 1841 United States Senate and Governor of New York
Martha M. Walz J.D. 1987 Massachusetts House of Representatives
Elijah Ward LL.B. 1943 United States House of Representatives
Ma Ying-Jeou LL.M. 1976 President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Sports

Name Degree Notability References
Norman C. Armitage LL.M. 1937,

J.D. 1939

Olympic bronze medalist for fencing
Gary Bettman J.D. 1977 National Hockey League commissioner
Robert Blum Olympic fencer
Howard Cosell J.D. 1941 Sportscaster
Bill Daly J.D. 1990 National Hockey League chief legal officer and executive vice president
Lou Silver LL.M. Professional basketball player
Paul Tagliabue J.D. 1969 National Football League commissioner
Jamila Wideman J.D. Professional basketball player
Mark Wilf J.D. 1987 Minnesota Vikings president and co-owner

Fictional alumni

Name Media References
Will Truman Fictional lawyer (Will & Grace, 1998–2006)

References

  1. ^ "J.J. Reynolds Dies; City Educator 50 Years". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 27, 1945. p. 27. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Dr. J.J. Reynolds, educator, 71, Dead – Ex-Assistant Superintendent in Kings – Warned U.S. of Nazi Program of Hate in '33". The New York Times. May 27, 1945. p. 25. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "Law student breaks New York City subway all-stations speed record". Guinness World Records. May 20, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  4. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (October 24, 2010). "Tom Wolfe's Model Justice Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  5. ^ Corcoran, David (September 2, 2000). "Theodore Trautwein, Judge in Landmark Press Case, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  6. ^ McArthur, Judith N. (1998). Creating the New Woman: The Rise of Southern Women's Progressive Culture in Texas, 1893-1918. University of Illinois Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-252-06679-5.
  7. ^ National Guard Bureau (1956). Official National Guard Register. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 255. Retrieved July 21, 2015 – via Ancestry.com.
  8. ^ Gressin, Seena D. (January 10, 1989). "Ehrlich sentenced to six years in prison for racketeering and other crimes". United Press International. Miami, Florida. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  9. ^ "Francis M. Nevins". St. Louis University School of Law. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "Edward T. O'Connor, Jr". New Jersey Legislature. Archived from the original on February 25, 1998. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  11. ^ "Nevada Governor Tasker Lowndes Oddie". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  12. ^ "Degrees Conferred: For the Degree of Bachelor of Laws". New York University of Bulletin. New York: New York University. February 1917. p. 317 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Marquis, Albert N. (1928). Who's Who In America. Vol. 15. Chicago: A. N. Marquis. p. 1999 – via Google Books.
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