2,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde(N-benzoyl)glycyl hydrazone, H3 dhbbgh, has been synthesized and characterized. Rare earth metal complexes of the empirical formulae, [Ln(Hadhbbgh)2C12]Cl.nH20 and [Ln(dhbbgh)(H20)2],where Ln = La(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III) and Y(III) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductances, magnetic susceptibilities, electronic, infrared and NMR spectral studies. Various bonding parameters (fl, b 1/2, % ~ and r/) calculated from the electronic spectra of Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III) and Dy(III) complexes suggest a weak covalent bond between the metal and ligand. The theoretical oscillator strengths (Pealed) and a set of three intensity parameters (T~=z,4.6) computed from the Judd-Ofelt equation are found to be in good agreement with experimental values. On the basis of the spectral profiles of the hypersensitive transitions (419/z---~4Gs/2, 2G7/2) in the Nd(llI) complexes, coordination numbers ten and six have been proposed for the Ln(III) ions in the adduct and deprotonated complexes respectively. Keywords. Lanthanide metal complexes; 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde(N-benzoyl) glycyl hydrazone; hypersensitive transitions.