About New England Law Boston | New England Law

About New England Law Boston | New England Law
About New England Law Boston
About
Your Success Is Our Mission
At New England Law Boston, we’re dedicated to preparing students to be successful lawyers and leaders in the public and private sectors.
We are committed to:
Excellence in legal education
Our esteemed, supportive faculty delivers integrated practical, theoretical, and ethical legal education of the highest caliber.
Elevating our profession
We work to improve the American and international legal systems to further the interests of justice.
Fostering community
Our tight-knit environment is characterized by mutual respect between all students, faculty, and staff.
Expanding access
We promote diversity in our law school, focusing on qualified members of groups that have suffered discrimination.
Stories of Success
“Choosing a law school with a part-time program enabled me to pursue my dream of becoming an attorney and provided the flexibility to build my Résumé through full-time internships, clinics, and employment.”
Christopher Hughes, Graduate
“I was able to experience what life is really like as counsel for an international corporation.”
Katie Milligan, Graduate
“Our graduates stay, grow their careers, and help build our communities. We’re woven into the fabric of New England.”
Karyn Polito, Graduate
“There are hundreds of law schools to choose from, but very few of them leave the impression New England Law does on its students.”
Czara Venegas, Graduate
Why New England Law | Boston
Real-world skills
New England Law students graduates are practice-ready thanks to ample real-world legal experience that starts in their first year.
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Exceptional academics
In-demand concentrations and certificates, with more than 100 electives, enable you to explore your interests and thrive in diverse settings.
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Supportive Professors
Learn from distinguished scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to mentoring your success.
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Flexible Degree Programs
Choose a law degree that fits your needs and your schedule with one of the only part-time offerings in the country.
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A Message from our Dean
Learn how New England Law creates amazing opportunities for students from James H. Kennedy III, our CEO and Dean.
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A Message from our Dean
Learn how New England Law creates amazing opportunities for students from James H. Kennedy III, our CEO and Dean.
WELCOME TO NEW ENGLAND LAW | BOSTON!
For over 100 years, New England Law has opened its doors to new possibilities, created new opportunities, and expanded access to the legal profession. We’re eager to do the same for you.
Speak to our students and alumni, and you’ll learn that New England Law is an extraordinary place to study law. It’s not just the combination of rigorous academics, welcoming community, and access to practical legal experience. It’s also the exceptional experiences and perspectives our students, professors, and staff members bring to the institution each day, creating a uniquely dynamic environment encompassing a full spectrum of legal interests and backgrounds.
We do it all from the heart of downtown Boston, with access to the city’s robust legal marketplace and courthouses and a multitude of opportunities to expand skills and impact the community. These include multiple clinic and externship options, summer fellowship programs, pro bono and public service opportunities, judicial internships, international programs, and more.
Through these offerings, New England Law students are empowered to lean into their career development, leverage the deep wealth of experience across the campus and the city, and pursue their legal passions with confidence and purpose.
Above all, you will find the entire New England Law community is invested in your success—from the moment you walk in the door and throughout your career.
James H. Kennedy III
CEO and Dean
Legacy of Access and Opportunity
Founded in 1908 as the nation’s first and only law school for women, we continue to provide an excellent foundation for a legal career to those who seek opportunity for themselves and are willing to work for it.
1908
Portia Law School is founded as the only law school in the country exclusively for women.
1923
Blanche Braxton ’21 becomes the first African American woman admitted to the Massachusetts Bar.
1938
Portia Law School becomes coeducational as men begin attending.
1952
Margaret H. Bauer, a graduate of Portia Law School, becomes its first female dean.
1965
The first edition of the Portia Law Journal launches. Today, the journal is the New England Law Review.
1969
The American Bar Association grants accreditation to Portia Law School (renamed New England School of Law).
1973
William O. Douglas is the first of eight Supreme Court justices to visit New England School of Law.
1980
New England School of Law moves to expanded facilities.
1990
The Charles Hamilton Houston Enrichment Program is established to address racial bias, promote law school diversity, and provide a supportive community for minority students.
1997
New England School of Law is a founding member of the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education, Inc.
1998
New England School of Law becomes a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
2008
Our second century begins with a new name: New England Law | Boston.
2014
New England Law | Boston launches concentrations in two growing fields—Immigration Law and Intellectual Property (IP) Law.
2018
The First Generation Students Program is established to provide additional support and resources for students who are the first in their families to attend law school.
2019
New England Law | Boston expands its certificate offerings to include Criminal Practice and Procedure, and Compliance and Risk Management.
2021
The school establishes a specialized Tax Law certificate program.
Honored leadership
John O’Brien served as Dean of New England Law Boston from 1988 to 2019 and president until 2021. He is now a special advisor to the board of trustees and a member of the faculty. Before his time as dean, O’Brien held the position of associate dean. He had the longest continuous service at a single institution of any law school dean in the country. In 2012, he was named one of the most influential people in legal education in a nationwide survey conducted by the National Jurist. His classes included Personal Income Tax, Taxation of Business Entities, Constitutional Law, and Legal Research and Writing.
From 1977 to 1985, O’Brien was a senior attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, heading the northeast region’s tax shelter program. He joined the faculty of New England Law in 1985.
O’Brien served as chair of the Council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in 2011–2012 and on the Council’s Executive Committee as immediate past chair in 2012–2013. He previously served as chair of the ABA’s Accreditation Committee and its Independent Law Schools Committee. In 2014, the Section of Legal Education recognized him with its highest award, the Robert J. Kutak Award, for his work on behalf of legal education and the profession. He is a founding member and former president of the Consortium for Innovative Legal Education, Inc., a group of four independent law schools that offers joint study abroad programs, visit-in programs to provide geographic flexibility for students, and other creative programming and services for the four schools. He is also a former member of the civilian police review board, formally known as the Community Ombudsman Oversight Program, which was established in 2007 by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to review accusations of serious misconduct against Boston police officers.
O’Brien has brought widespread recognition to the law school by attracting a broad range of distinguished visitors, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices Harry Blackmun, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony M. Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas; Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.; Dr. Hans Blix; Attorney General Janet Reno; and U.S. Senator John F. Kerry.
See Yourself at New England Law
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