A message from Dean S. Todd Brown

Dear Friends,

Many people pursue a law degree because they hope to make a difference—for the clients they will eventually represent, in their communities and the world around them, and in their personal lives and those of the family members they care for and support. Legal education is a pathway to opportunity and impact.

That is especially true at the State of New York’s law school, where access to education is central to our mission and where every member of our law school community—students, faculty, staff and alumni—strives to do work that has meaning and effect. Looking back at this past year, I’ve witnessed numerous examples of how our community works together in meaningful ways to yield undeniably impressive results.

That includes our new Rally the Pass Program, a community effort to prepare our graduates for the New York State bar exam. In its inaugural year, the program helped yield the highest first-time bar pass rate in our recorded history.

We saw similar successes stemming from our growing partnerships with law firms and other employers in Western New York and beyond. In the past two years, those relationships have propelled us to some of our most impressive placement rates ever.