Allen Yates received his A.B. from Bard College in 1983, and his J.D., cum laude, from Albany Law School of Union University in 1991, where he was elected a member of the Justinian Society for excellence in legal scholarship. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1993, and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Areas of practice include criminal law, DWI and vehicle and traffic matters, real estate closings and plaintiffs' personal injury litigation.