CUNY Law Makes Its Big Move!
By Lauren Forbes
A piece in The Queens Courier announces an official location change for The City University of New York’s School of Law (CUNY Law) that has been long-awaited. CUNY Law, a school with a public interest mission, is now positioning itself to train even more public servants with an upcoming change of scenery. In an effort to better serve Queens, CUNY Law is gearing up to leave its current Flushing location in favor of the more transportation-friendly Long Island City.
CUNY Law reports that L.I.C.’s central location will allow for an easier commute from all five boroughs and from around the region. Further, the move will enable the School to realize its long-held ambition to establish a part-time program, an innovation that would help make the Law School accessible to a more diverse range of students. With its greater centrality, its mission will be enhanced by its closer proximity to the public interest community and to its clients.
Assemblymember Grace Meng and Councilmember Peter Koo toured the under-construction facility on Thursday, June 30. During the tour, Koo noted that the school will provide more of the kinds of lawyers society needs.
“There are too many lawyers, but not enough working in public interest,” he said. “This school is one of the best public interest law schools in the country and with this move it will serve even more people.”
Meng said that while she was sad to see the school leave Flushing, she knows that it will have an even greater presence in L.I.C.
“As a law school dedicated to public interest, CUNY Law is a great asset to our community, offering pro bono legal assistance through its clinic and supporting new lawyers who are eager to devote themselves to practice law for social justice,” she said. “The school’s move to Long Island City will allow even more people to access these critical services.”
Dean Michelle Anderson said that while Flushing was a great home for a number of years, moving to L.I.C. will help the school to better serve the community. According to Anderson, the Flushing location sometimes hindered the school – but in L.I.C. more people will have access to CUNY’s wealth of resources.
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The new building, located at 2 Court Square, is LEED Gold certified and boasts 225,000 square feet of space for larger classrooms, an auditorium and a moot courtroom. The school will also be accessible by more than a dozen subway and bus lines, as well as the Long Island Railroad.
Both aspiring public interest lawyers and community members with legal needs will likely benefit from CUNY Law, “Law in the service of human needs,” being made more accessible to public transit. Thank you for your many years of service, Flushing’s 65-21 Main Street! Congratulations, CUNY Law!
