Achieving Academic Success
We provide assistance to law students using a variety of methods.
Law school is demanding and rigorous. Multiple avenues of support are available to help students achieve their full potential, including:
1 - Our Faculty Advising Program
Our supportive faculty serve as the frontline for academic advising and are available to meet with students throughout the law school journey.
Assigned Advisors
Every first-year law student is assigned an academic advisor at Orientation. This provides the starting point for success at law school. Students must meet with their assigned advisor a minimum of four times during the first year to check in, discuss grades, review course selection for the spring semester, and address other academic needs. Additional meetings may always be requested as needed.
After the first year, meetings with the advisor assigned at Orientation are no longer mandatory. However, assigned advisors will continue to provide support as needed, upon request.
Faculty Office Hours
Law students may reach out to any of the faculty who teach their courses to request academic guidance. All faculty host regular office hours, and students are encouraged to drop by when they need academic assistance.
Other Faculty Members
Students looking for guidance in a specific area of law can search our faculty directory by their teaching and research interests. Individual appointments may be scheduled directly with the faculty member.
2 - Office of Academic Success
Our Office of Academic Success provides individualized support and innovative programming.
Patrick Long, Assistant Dean for Professional Development
716-645-2869 or pjlong@buffalo.edu
Teaches a mandatory professional development course that spans the first year with emphasis on the skills students need to do well in law school. Topics covered include critical reading, note taking, exam-taking, and time management skills. Professor Long also meets with 1L students individually to provide academic support and advising.
William MacDonald, Assistant Dean for Academic and Bar Success
716-645-5130 or wmacdona@buffalo.edu
Focuses on one-on-one support for students who need additional assistance in their second and third year and teaches test strategies to strengthen exam-taking skills.
3 - Office of Student Affairs
Multiple factors contribute to academic success. The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) provides a broad canopy of advising, support, programming, and resources for law students and the law school community to promote academic achievement, professional development, wellness, and resiliency.
Members of the OSA team are available to meet with students individually to provide guidance and assistance with academic and personal concerns and make referrals to appropriate services within the School of Law and the University community.
4 - Mentoring Programs
Peer-to-Peer Advocate Program
Second and third-year law students serve as student advocates and help new students navigate their first year of law school. The program is designed to foster structured and purposeful relationships between new students and upper-level students and facilitate their success and well-being.
Alumni Mentor Program
The law school and its Law Alumni Association coordinate a mentoring program for new law students. Experienced practitioners in the Western New York area are matched with first-year law students or new LL.M. students. Law students benefit greatly from the generous commitment of time and expertise offered by members of our local legal community.
Students interested in working outside of the local region can reach out to our Alumni Office for assistance connecting with UB Law graduates in cities across the nation and around the world.
5 - Other Resources
Academic Progress Reports
At any time, law students have access to an academic progress report which identifies their academic requirements that have and have not been satisfied to date.
Academic Requirements for Graduation Video
Mandatory sessions for second- and third-year students review the requirements for graduation and provide information on planning for the bar exam and related tests and requirements.
Bar Exam and MPRE Information
Dates, deadlines, and information for registering to take the New York State Bar Examination and MPRE are available on the law school’s website.
Click to watch "Academic Requirements for Graduation and NY Bar Examination and Admission," recorded Sept. 20, 2024. (UB login required)
Law Library Resources
The Law Library offers academic and law school success publications available on its main floor. Hornbooks and treatises, specifically tailored to the law school’s course offerings, can be found on the library’s fifth floor.