About Tal Rappleyea
As a municipal lawyer, Tal Rappleyea gets asked this question all the time: What is a municipality?
A municipality is actually just a technical term for a county or city. Although municipalities are mainly responsible for creating their laws, they hire municipal lawyers that are responsible for enforcing those laws. Tal Rappleyea covers the following municipal law issues to reflect the needs of area residents:
- Education policies, which governs the safety and standards of education in public schools, accommodating students with disabilities, and job security for teachers.
- Property taxes, which outlines how taxed income from residents can be used to benefit the community.
- Police power, which oversees how police officers monitor resident behavior.
- Zoning, which determines how land in the municipality is used.
Some municipal lawyers work internally for one municipality, while others practice law individually for multiple municipalities. Tal practices law individually in his own private practice and serves several counties in the Albany metro area in New York state.
Tal Rappleyea was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in January 1989. This chapter of the bar association is actually the largest voluntary state bar organization in the nation with a membership of more than 74,000 lawyers. Tal is proud to be a member, considering former presidents Grover Cleveland and Chester A. Arthur were members of the New York State chapter as well.
With nearly three decades of experience and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline State University, Tal Rappleyea has explored municipal law in several roles as an attorney, ranging from positions as Attorney for the Town and Attorney for the Village of several municipalities. Currently, Tal is a solo practitioner in his own Law Offices of Tal G. Rappleyea in Valatie, New York and lists municipal law as one of his main concentrations.
Tal is a supporter the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), which is an organization that trains municipal officials and operates as a general support group for municipal officials in each state. He is also very active in his community, as he is a member of the Capital District Trial Lawyers Association and holds a position in the County Bar Association of New York State.
Although Tal Rappleyea maintains an active lifestyle by volunteering in his community and maintaining memberships in his field of practice, he still makes time for one of his pastimes, golf, by on the range.
- “Deal of the Year” Award from the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)
- Named one of the three new inductees to the Ethics Committee of REBNY
- Named to the Executive Board of New York Residential Specialists (NYRS).
Top Law Schools In New York
Making the decision to pursue a career in law is a major decision. Choosing the right law school for you is an even bigger decision. Right here in New York there is a wide selection of the best law schools in the country. Here is a list of the best of the best right here in New York.
Cornell Law School
With enrollment of only 180 students, Cornell’s outstanding faculty is focused on teaching small classes for a more personal touch. The only real negative of Cornell’s law program is that there aren’t enough classes offered. Cornell has dealt with this by allowing law students take courses from the graduate departments. Located in Ithaca, NY in the Finger Lake region the location, and name alone make Cornell a top choice for students.
Brooklyn Law School
With over 100 years and over 16,000 alumni, Brooklyn Law School has made quite a name for itself over the past century. Located in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Law is known for it’s focus on teaching practical skills and not just academic law skills. Ranking among the top 100 law schools in the nation, respectively at 61st, the school’s emphasis on court externships, moot court and other various skills that focus upon the practice of law versus the theoretical study of law.
Yeshiva University
Close in location and ranking to Brooklyn Law, Yeshiva is becoming a known name for New York City law schools. The University’s law school only founded in the late 1980’s is becoming increasingly competitive to attend. Currently ranked in the top 50, the faculty is focused on teaching and motivating students to graduate in two and a half years. However, a negative to the school is just how competitive it can be with students competing with the NYU Law and Columbia grads.
NYU Law
Perhaps the most known law school not only in New York City but all of New York State, NYU Law has built itself quite the reputation. With over 8,000 applicants and a low acceptance rate, getting accepted to NYU law is feat in itself. With excellent location in Greenwich Village, and a reputation for being maybe the best law school in the nation. The negatives of the school are the increasingly high tuition costs, reaching over $40,000 along with the price of city life.
Other schools in Upstate New York and Long Island that are ranked among the top 100 are University of Buffalo, Hofstra University, Pace University, and Syracuse University.