Law School Will Be First in the Country to Offer Concentration in Equine Law

ALBANY, N.Y., March 27, 2014 — In response to a growing demand for qualified attorneys to work in the nation’s $225-billion equine, racing and gaming industries, and with several casinos in development stage across New York state, Albany Law School today announced that it will offer a concentration in equine, racing and gaming law — the only one of its kind in the nation — starting September 2014 for the incoming class of 2017.

Offered through The Saratoga Institute for Equine, Racing, and Gaming Law — the new institute within Albany Law School’s Government Law Center – the concentration will encompass expanded courses on equine law, racing regulations and gaming industry law, which will be added to a pre-existing business concentration that offers such courses as administrative, insurance, employment and tax law.

“Throughout New York and beyond, there is currently and will be an unmet need for attorneys trained in the legal and regulatory infrastructure of the equine, racing and gaming industries,” said Albany Law School President & Dean Penelope (Penny) Andrews. “Currently, no U.S. law school offers a comprehensive program in law relating to these industries.”

“This extraordinary new program will prepare highly-qualified students for a burgeoning area of law,” added Ray Brescia, associate professor and director of the Government Law Center. “Specialized coursework will allow students to master complex regulatory law and administrative hearing concepts, while internships and field placements will provide hands-on opportunities for skills practice. Students graduating from the program will be poised to become industry leaders in the private sector and government agencies.”

The institute will serve as a comprehensive educational and professional training center for the equine, racing and gaming industries. Institute offerings will include educational conferences and continuing legal education events, seminars on commonly encountered legal issues, and a cyber lunch series for private and public attorneys to discuss similar legal issues.

To ensure the future of The Saratoga Institute for Equine, Racing, and Gaming Law and the new concentration, Albany Law School is pursuing opportunities for long-term, sustainable funding sources. For more information about institute sponsorship opportunities and the new concentration, contact (518) 445-3263 or mperr@albanylaw.edu.

Albany Law School is a small, independent private school located in the heart of New York state’s capital since 1851. As the oldest law school in New York and the oldest independent law school in the nation, the institution offers students an innovative, rigorous curriculum taught by a committed faculty. Several nationally recognized programs—including the Government Law Center and the Albany Law Clinic & Justice Center—provide opportunities for students to apply classroom learning to real situations. Students have access to New York’s highest court, federal courts, the executive branch and the state legislature. With more than 10,000 alumni practicing in every state in the country, and several continents, Albany Law’s graduates serve as a vital community and resource for the law school and its students. Visit www.albanylaw.edu