Labor & Employment

Overview
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 76th 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.
Business productivity and employee quality of life are both shaped by developments in labor and employment law. NYU Law’s centers engage on paramount issues in this field by hosting various events, inviting highly-regarded speakers to campus to address the community, and training federal judges in annual workshops:
The Center for Labor and Employment Law is a non-partisan forum for the debate and study of the policy and legal issues involving the employment relationship; the center hosts the Annual Conference on Labor.
The Institute of Judicial Administration (IJA) is one of the finest non-partisan judicial education and administration organizations in the country. Among its programs, the institute sponsors annual appellate judges training seminars, workshops on special topics in the law, and the William J. Brennan Jr. Lecture series honoring the state judiciary.
At NYU Law, students are encouraged to take advantage of all the Law School has to offer, from working directly with faculty on their research, to getting involved with our centers, to participating in clinics and student organizations. Students can also participate in regular activities and counseling provided by the Office of Career Services and the Public Interest Law Center. Here are some opportunities for those interested in labor and employment law:
The Center for Labor and Employment Law is a non-partisan forum for the debate and study of the policy and legal issues involving the employment relationship; the center hosts the annual conference on labor. It also hosts programs that give students additional opportunities to meet and learn from leading advocates, agency heads, and judges in the field. Students have the opportunity to attend and occasionally give presentations during these programs.
The Unemployment Action Center, a student-led organization, is one of the leading 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.
Clinics include the Civil Litigation - Employment Law Clinic, the Community Development and Economic Justice Clinic, the Litigation, Organizing, and Systemic Change Clinic, and the Legislative and Regulatory Process Clinic.
The Masters of Laws LLM is designed for students who wish to take full advantage of NYU’s extraordinarily wide range of course offerings and the diverse research interests of our faculty. Unlike students in the specialized LLM programs, candidates pursuing the traditional LLM degree are not limited to a specific number of classes in one field, and they have the freedom to choose courses that match their interests.
Faculty
Professor of Law
Professor of Law Emerita
Crystal Eastman Professor of Law
Dwight D. Opperman Professor of Public Law
Director, Center for Labor and Employment Law
Director, Institute of Judicial Administration
Clinical Professor of Law Emerita
Clinical Professor of Law
Featured News

Organizing Principles
Samuel Estreicher and Jack Samuel ’23 argue that century-old federal labor laws give gig workers the right to engage in collective action, including union campaigns, without fear of antitrust liability
Areas of Study

- Antitrust, Intellectual Property, & Information
- Cities and Land Use
- Constitutional, Civil Rights, & Democracy
- Corporate & Commercial Law
- Criminal Justice
- Environmental
- Family, Gender, & Sexuality
- Global & International
- Human Rights
- Immigration
- Labor & Employment
- Law and Security
- Legal Theory, History, & the Social Sciences
- Litigation & Procedure
- Regulation & Public Policy
- Tax Area of Study