# List of New York University School of Law alumni

New York University School of Law has produced many influential alumni in law, government, business, academia, and society. Following is a list of notable NYU Law School alumni.

## Academia

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Michael Broyde | J.D. 1988 | Professor of law and academic director of the Law and Religion Program at Emory University School of Law. |
| John C. Coffee | LLM, 1976 | Adolf A. Berle Professor at Columbia Law School |
| Yoram Dinstein | J.D. | President of Tel Aviv University |
| Deborah Epstein | J.D. 1988 | Professor at Georgetown Law School |
| Richard Joel | J.D. 1975 | President, Yeshiva University |
| Roberta Karmel | LLB, 1962 | Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School; first female Commissioner of the SEC. |
| Raymond Lisle | J.D. 1936 | Dean of the Brooklyn Law School |
| Troy A. McKenzie | J.D. 2000 | Dean of New York University School of Law |
| Bridget McCormack | J.D. 1991 | Professor University of Michigan Law School and founder and co-director of its Michigan Innocence Clinic |
| James J. Reynolds | J.D. | Assistant Superintendent, New York City Board of Education |
| Abbe Smith | J.D. 1982 | Professor at Georgetown University Law Center |

## Advocacy and nonprofit

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Debo Adegbile | J.D. 1994 | Director of litigation of NAACP Legal Defense Fund |
| Crystal Eastman | J.D. 1907 | Co-founder and co-editor of The Liberator, co-founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. |
| Abraham Foxman | J.D. 1965 | Chairman and national director of the Anti-Defamation League |
| Sherrilyn Ifill | J.D. 1987 | President and director-counsel of NAACP Legal Defense Fund |
| Helene L. Kaplan | J.D. 1967 | former chairman of the Carnegie Corporation of New York |

## Business

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| John J. Creedon | J.D. 1957 | Former CEO and chairman of MetLife |
| Michael Karlan | LL.M. 1993 | Founder of Professionals in the City |
| Herb Kelleher | LL.B. 1955 | CEO and founder of Southwest Airlines |
| Robert A. Kindler | J.D. 1980 | Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley |
| Paul Moore Sr. | LL.B. 1911 | Founder of Republic Aviation |
| Barry Salzberg | LL.M. | CEO of Deloitte |
| Stuart Subotnick | J.D. | President of Metromedia Company, Inc. |

## Entertainment

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Cherry Chevapravatdumrong | J.D. | Writer and co-producer of Family Guy |
| Nancy Grace | LL.M. | Court TV host |
| Sally Kohn | J.D. 2002 | Political commentator and contributor to Fox News |
| Kenny Lucas | Non-degreed | Academy Award-nominated writer and producer of Judas and the Black Messiah |
| Demetri Martin | Non-degreed | Comedian known for Important Things with Demetri Martin and The Daily Show |
| Gerald Schoenfeld | LL.B. 1949 | Chairman of The Shubert Organization from 1972 to 2008 |
| Matthew Ahn | J.D. 2014 | Holds the Guinness World Record for fastest time to travel to all New York City Subway stations |

## Judiciary

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Adam B. Abelson | J.D. 2010 | Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland |
| G. Steven Agee | LL.M. | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit |
| Florence E. Allen | LL.B. 1913 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit |
| Nancy Atlas | J.D. 1974 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas |
| Richard M. Berman | J.D. 1967 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York |
| J. Sidney Bernstein | LL.B. 1900 | Judge, New York Supreme Court |
| Pasco Bowman II | J.D. 1958 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit |
| Thomas Buergenthal | J.D. 1960 | Judge, International Court of Justice |
| Victoria Calvert | J.D. 2006 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia |
| Raymond T. Chen | J.D. 1994 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit |
| Albert Diaz | J.D. 1988 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit |
| Todd E. Edelman | J.D. 1994 | Judge, Superior Court, District of Columbia |
| Nabil Elaraby | LL.M. 1969; J.S.D. 1971 | Judge, International Court of Justice |
| Katherine B. Forrest | J.D. 1990 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York |
| Cynthia Holcomb Hall | LL.M. 1960 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit |
| Janet C. Hall | J.D. 1973 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut |
| David Hittner | J.D. 1964 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas |
| Dennis G. Jacobs | J.D. 1973 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit |
| Judith Kaye | LL.B. 1958 | Chief Judge, New York Court of Appeals |
| Samuel D. Levy | LL. B., 1880 | Judge, New York Domestic Relations Court |
| Tana Lin | J.D. 1991 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington |
| Sheryl Lipman | J.D. 1987 | United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee |
| Raymond Lohier | J.D. 1991 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit |
| Wauhope Lynn | 1882 | Justice, New York Municipal Court J |
| Bridget McCormack | J.D. 1991 | Associate Justice, Michigan Supreme Court |
| Joseph M. McLaughlin | LL.M. 1964 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit |
| Roy W. McLeese III | J.D. 1985 | Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals |
| Kevin McNulty | J.D. 1983 | Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey |
| Katherine M. Menendez | J.D. 1997 | Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota |
| Natasha C. Merle | J.D. 2008 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York |
| M. Blane Michael | J.D. 1968 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit |
| Nina Morrison | J.D. 1998 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York |
| Lynn Nakamoto | J.D. 1985 | Associate Justice, Oregon Supreme Court |
| Pauline Newman | LL.B. 1958 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit |
| Alan Eugene Norris | LL.B. 1960 | Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit |
| Jinsook Ohta | J.D. 2001 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California |
| Solomon Oliver Jr. | J.D. 1972 | Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio |
| M. Warley Platzek | LL.B. 1876 | Judge, New York Supreme Court |
| Leo F. Rayfiel | LL.B. 1908 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York |
| Jennifer H. Rearden | J.D. 1996 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York |
| Jenny Rivera | J.D. 1985 | Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals |
| Burton B. Roberts | 1949 | Judge who inspired the character of Myron Kovitsky in Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities |
| Jennifer L. Rochon | J.D. 1997 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York |
| Berle M. Schiller | J.D. 1968 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania |
| Lorna G. Schofield | J.D. 1981 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York |
| Margaret Strickland | J.D. 2006 | Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico |
| Theodore Trautwein | 1953 | New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division judge known for the"Dr. X" trial of Mario Jascalevich |
| Eric N. Vitaliano | J.D. 1971 | Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York |

## Law

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| David Boies | LL.M. 1967 | Lawyer known for United States v. Microsoft, Bush v. Gore |
| Emilie Bullowa | 1900 | Lawyer and president of the National Association of Women Lawyers |
| Fanny Hallock Carpenter | 1896 | Lawyer and the first woman to win a case before the New York Court of Appeals |
| Evan Chesler | J.D. 1975 | Lawyer and chairman of Cravath, Swaine & Moore law firm |
| Amal Clooney | LL.M. 2001 | Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London, UK |
| Bob Ferguson | J.D. | Washington State Attorney General |
| Martin Lipton | J.D. 1955 | Founding partner of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz who invented the "poison pill" |
| Mimi Rocah | J.D. 1997 | District Attorney of Westchester County |
| Joseph Russoniello | J.D. 1966 | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California |
| M. Patricia Smith | J.D. | Solicitor for the United States Department of Labor |
| Joel Steinberg | Non-degreed | Attorney convicted of manslaughter |
| Charles Tetzlaff | LLM, 1964 | United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, 1993–2001 |
| Benjamin B. Wagner | J.D. | United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California |
| Phil Weiser | J.D. 1994 | Attorney General of Colorado |
| Tsion Gurmu | J.D.2015 | Legal Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration |

## Literature and journalism

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Deborah Coonts | LL.M. 2006 | Romantic mystery novelist |
| Crystal Eastman | J.D. 1907 | Co-founder and co-editor of The Liberator and co-founder of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the American Civil Liberties Union. |
| Philip Friedman | J.D. 1969 | Author of bestselling nonfiction books |
| Michael Gartner | J.D. 1972 | Journalist who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing |
| John F. Kennedy Jr. | J.D. 1989 | Publisher and founder of George magazine, son of President John F. Kennedy |
| Shana Knizhnik | J.D. 2015 | Bestselling nonfiction author |
| Francis M. Nevins | J.D. 1967 | Edgar Award-winning mystery writer, biographer, film historian |
| Charles Reznikoff | LL.B. 1916 | Objectivist poet |

## Politics and government

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Lamar Alexander | J.D. 1965 | United States Senate |
| William Bernard Barry | LL.B. 1925 | United States House of Representatives |
| Carol Bellamy | J.D. 1968 | Director of the Peace Corps, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund, executive director of UNICEF, and President of the New York City Council, |
| Rudy Boschwitz | J.D. 1953 | United States Senate |
| Charles Robin Britt | LL.M. 1976 | United States House of Representatives |
| Roberto de Oliveira Campos | Graduate work | Brazilian legislator and Ambassador to the United States and United Kingdom |
| Peter Angelo Cavicchia | LL.B. 1908 | United States House of Representatives (1931–1937) |
| Maurice Connolly | LL.B. 1898 | United States House of Representatives |
| Clay Constantinou | LL.M. 1986 | U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg |
| Irwin Delmore Davidson | LL.B. 1928 | United States House of Representatives |
| Diana DeGette | J.D. 1982 | United States House of Representatives |
| Fred J. Eckert | Non-degreed | United States House of Representatives and U.S. Ambassador |
| Edward Irving Edwards | LL.B. | United States Senate (1923–1929), Governor of New Jersey |
| Mohamed ElBaradei | LL.M. 1971; J.S.D. 1974 | Vice President of Egypt and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency |
| Smith Ely | LL.B. 1846 | United States House of Representatives |
| Guillermo Endara | LL.M. 1963 | President of Panama |
| Leonard Farbstein | LL.B. 1924 | United States House of Representatives (1957–1971) |
| Hamilton Fish IV | LL.B. 1957 | United States House of Representatives (1969–1995) |
| Louis Freeh | LL.M. 1984 | Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1993–2001) |
| Jacob Augustus Geissenhainer | LL.B. 1862 | United States House of Representatives |
| Nathan Goff Jr. | LL.B. 1866 | United States Senate |
| Anthony Jerome Griffin | LL.B. 1892 | United States House of Representatives (1918–1935) |
| Frank Joseph Guarini | J.D. 1950, LL.M. 1955 | United States House of Representatives (1979–1993) |
| Vanita Gupta | J.D. 2001 | United States Associate Attorney General (2021-2024) |
| Rudy Giuliani | J.D. 1968 | Mayor of New York City (1994–2001); Presidential candidate (2008) |
| Jacob Javits | LL.B. 1926 | United States Senate |
| Hakeem Jeffries | J.D. 1997 | House Minority Leader, United States House of Representatives |
| Mitchell Jenkins | LL.B. 1926 | United States House of Representatives |
| Lazarus Joseph | LLB, 1911 | New York State Senator and New York City Comptroller |
| Edward Aloysius Kenney | LL.B. 1908 | United States House of Representatives (1933–1938) |
| Arthur George Klein | LL.B. 1926 | United States House of Representatives (1946–1956) |
| Edward I. Koch | LL.B. 1948 | United States House of Representatives (1969–1977) and Mayor of New York City (1978–1989) |
| Fiorello La Guardia | LL.B. 1908 | United States House of Representatives (1916–1934) and Mayor of New York City (1934–1945) |
| Jon Leibowitz | J.D. 1984 | Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission |
| Jefferson Monroe Levy | LL.B. 1873 | United States House of Representatives (1911–1915) |
| Stanley Nelson Lundine | LL.B. 1964 | United States House of Representatives (1976–1987) |
| John MacCrate | LL.B. 1906 | United States House of Representatives |
| Allan Langdon McDermott | LL.B. 1877 | United States House of Representatives (1900–1907) |
| Thomas Joseph Meskill | LL.B. 1955 | United States House of Representatives |
| James Edward Murray | J.D. 1900 | United States Senate (1934–1961) |
| Yaakov Neeman | LL.M. J.S.D. | Finance Minister of Israel and chair of the Neeman Committee |
| Edward T. O'Connor, Jr. | LL.M. | New Jersey State Senator |
| Tasker Lowndes Oddie | LL.B. 1895 | United States Senate (1921–1933) |
| James Aloysius O`Gorman | J.D. 1887 | United States Senate (1911–1917) |
| Denis O`Leary | LL.B. 1890 | United States House of Representatives |
| Bob Packwood | J.D. 1957 | United States Senate (1969–1995) |
| Nathan David Perlman | LL.B. 1907 | United States House of Representatives (1920–1927) |
| Scott Peters (politician) | J.D. 1984 | United States House of Representatives |
| Anning Smith Prall | LL.B:, 1908 | United States House of Representatives (1923–1935) |
| Benjamin Rabin | LL.B. 1917 | United States House of Representatives |
| Leo Frederick Rayfiel | LL.B. 1908 | United States House of Representatives |
| Charles P. Rettig | LL.M. 1982 | Commissioner of Internal Revenue |
| Elihu Root | LL.B. 1867 | Secretary of War (1899–1903), Secretary of State (1905–1909); and United States Senate (1912) |
| Benjamin Stanley Rosenthal | LL.M. 1952 | United States House of Representatives (1962–1983) |
| Thomas P. Salmon | LL.M. 1958 | Governor of Vermont |
| Daniel Edgar Sickles | LL.B. 1846 | United States House of Representatives |
| Isaac Siegel | LL.B. 1901 | United States House of Representatives |
| Vaughn Stewart | J.D. 2014 | Maryland House of Delegates |
| Louis W. Stotesbury | LL.B., 1892 | New York City attorney, Adjutant General of New York |
| Ludwig Teller | LL.B. 1935 | United States House of Representatives (1957–1961) |
| Herbert Tenzer | LL.B. 1927 | United States House of Representatives |
| Samuel J. Tilden | LL.B. 1841 | United States Senate and Governor of New York |
| Martha M. Walz | J.D. 1987 | Massachusetts House of Representatives |
| Elijah Ward | LL.B. 1943 | United States House of Representatives |
| Ma Ying-Jeou | LL.M. 1976 | President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) |

## Sports

| Name | Degree | Notability |
| Norman C. Armitage | LL.M. 1937, J.D. 1939 | Olympic bronze medalist for fencing |
| Gary Bettman | J.D. 1977 | National Hockey League commissioner |
| Robert Blum | | Olympic fencer |
| Howard Cosell | J.D. 1941 | Sportscaster |
| Bill Daly | J.D. 1990 | National Hockey League chief legal officer and executive vice president |
| Lou Silver | LL.M. | Professional basketball player |
| Paul Tagliabue | J.D. 1969 | National Football League commissioner |
| Jamila Wideman | J.D. | Professional basketball player |
| Mark Wilf | J.D. 1987 | Minnesota Vikings president and co-owner |

## Fictional alumni

| Name | Media | References |
| Will Truman | Fictional lawyer (Will & Grace, 1998–2006) | |