New England Law Boston started as a women's law school, sister to the then all-male Suffolk University Law School. Then named Portia Law School, it became coeducational in 1938 and was renamed the New England School of Law in 1969. Celebrating their centennial in 2008, the school decided to change its name to New England Law | Boston to emphasize its connection with the metropolitan area. Today, the school has a particular focus on part-time students, and offers three divisions of its part-time program in addition to a traditional full-time JD. The special part-time program is the longest of the three, mixing day and evening divisions for students with parenting responsibilities, and can be completed in as many as six years.

Academics at the school are very bar exam-focused, and many of the classes emphasize practical skills. After the required classes, students can opt for specialty law areas that run the usual gamut, including tax law, technology law and administrative law. In recent years, the school has focused its efforts on the career development department, but students tell Vault that the competitive Boston legal market requires taking more initiative on your own. The campus at New England Law is centrally located in Boston, allowing easy access for commuting students.