Labor & Employment

Studying Workers and the Workplace

Disputes between employees and employers are pervasive in our society; collectively, they represent more than 20 percent of the caseload of the federal and state courts. With globalization, American lawyers also increasingly deal with treaties and other sources of international law as well as foreign nations’ labor and employment laws. 

NYU Law is unusual among the very top law schools in the size and quality of its full-time faculty in this important area, with specialists in comparative labor and employment law, employment discrimination, and workplace governance, to name a few. The core of the program includes Employment Law, Labor Law, Employment Discrimination, and Employee Benefits Law, but several advanced courses and related clinics are also offered.  

The Law School also boasts the Center for Labor and Employment Law, which sponsors programs showcasing advocates, agency heads, and judges in the field, including an annual labor conference, now going on its 69th year. 

Students are encouraged to get hands-on experience outside the classroom through the student-led Unemployment Action Center, one of the top providers of legal services for unemployment hearings in New York City. Countless opportunities for term-time volunteer and paid employment in the labor and employment field exist in New York’s rich practice environment.