Widening the path to the profession

Those barriers remain. But the law exists to serve everyone—and as New York State’s public law school, UB School of Law works on multiple fronts to make a legal education accessible to everyone. It’s an access to justice issue because the justice system works best when it draws widely from an expansive pool of future advocates.

So as the law school goes about the business of educating the next generations of lawyers, faculty and staff continue working to deepen that pool. The law school has grown its impact in many ways: by actively working to expand pathways to an affordable legal education, making sure its programs are fully accessible, and building networks across the state and beyond.

Extending its reach across New York State, the law school has forged several new agreements with undergraduate schools to offer 3+3 accelerated degree programs. The partnerships allow students to begin law school after completing three years at their undergraduate institution. The arrangement compresses their overall education into six years, saving on tuition and living expenses.

In the past year, the law school has entered into four new partnerships, bringing the total number of 3+3 partnerships to 13. The most recent agreements include two top-tier State University of New York schools, at Geneseo and Old Westbury, as well as two private colleges, Rochester Institute of Technology and Hilbert College in Buffalo.

“It’s just a fantastic opportunity to build strong partnerships with these institutions and students,” says Benjamin Rogers, the assistant director of admissions. “The program allows students to get engaged with the law school early on in their undergraduate studies. I think it’s especially impactful for first-generation and historically underrepresented students because it gives them a really clear idea of what law school is like and the path to get there.”

And these highly motivated students have proved highly successful in their chosen field as well. To date, nearly all UB School of Law graduates admitted through 3+3 partnerships have passed the bar and are working in the legal field.

Another point of entry into the legal field is what has quickly become a UB mainstay, the BA in Law program. The degree program, which launched in 2019, is now one of the more popular choices among UB undergrads, and the School of Law has responded by devoting more faculty resources and course offerings to it. UB also offers a minor in law.

The aim of these programs is twofold: to give students a broad exposure to the theory and practice of law, helping them to decide whether law school is right for them; and to prepare them for law-adjacent careers that don’t require a JD but offer meaningful opportunities in such fields as regulatory compliance, human resources and government service.

And UB undergraduates have responded. The university now counts 165 alumni with the law bachelor’s degree, and an additional 130 with a law minor. Currently, 343 current students are pursuing the bachelor’s in law, and 114 have declared a law minor. Among current UB Law JD students, 29 have come to law school from the BA in law program.

“Their No. 1 reason to do this is curiosity,” says Melinda Saran, vice dean for undergraduate student affairs. “You could take political science or history, but before this program, you didn’t get to see what law was about before law school. Here you can learn about the law and really expand your horizons.”

An innovation that has taken on a life of its own, the law school’s Discover Law Undergraduate Scholars program recently graduated its 11^th cohort of potential law students.        

The effort seeks out historically underrepresented students as undergraduates and invites them to O’Brian Hall for an immersive four-week program in June. About 20 promising prospective law students live on campus, participate in courses taught by law professors, and attend networking and mentoring events. That busy month gives them a taste of the law student’s life and how it feels to be part of the UB Law community.

The goal is to help these talented students decide if law school is right for them. Some apply to UB Law, some to other law schools, and some pursue other graduate education or an alternative career path.

Of the 204 students who have completed the program, approximately 68 have applied to law school or are in the process. At least two dozen are now practicing attorneys, and a similar number are working in other roles in law.  

Kristen Kelly, director of the law school’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging, oversees the program. “Working with such bright individuals who come from all different facets of life, and watching them blossom, renews your faith in the future,” she says. “There’s an immense amount of growth that happens, and afterwards, you can see a new sense of achievement and confidence.”

Like the Thruway, UB Law’s relationship with New York City works both ways. The school increasingly produces graduates with the interest and talent to land positions in the nation’s biggest legal market. But the law school is also working to amplify its presence downstate to attract promising students from the big city to Buffalo.

The long-established New York City Program in Business and Law (formerly the New York City Program in Finance and Law) has been a foot in the career door for dozens of students who take advantage of the program’s insights and professional connections. It’s not always easy to crack the downstate job market, but as Marc A. Alpert ’86, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary of Loews Corp. and an instructor in the program, puts it, “Buffalo students tend to work harder. It only takes one job, and once you’re in, you’re in.”

The school has also worked to make it more affordable for its law students to take advantage of the Program, with donor support that offsets high housing costs and assistance with finding economical housing options. And UB Law continues to build relationships with downstate alumni—the best advocates for our students.

Efforts to increase enrollment from downstate target multiple fronts with the priority of increasing donor support for admissions scholarships to attract bright applicants who often are courted by New York City-area law schools. The Office of Admissions has redoubled its recruitment efforts in the area, with targeted digital marketing campaigns and Manhattan-based coffee chats and information sessions. And the new 3+3 partnership with SUNY Old Westbury, on Long Island, also adds to the pool of potential students.

“We are, after all, the only law school in the SUNY system,” says Professor David A. Westbrook, director the New York City Program, “and it’s important that we serve the entire state.”