From the School

The University at Buffalo School of Law—the only law school in the State University of New York (SUNY) system—is a premier public law school, situated on the campus of a flagship university. As one of the oldest law schools in New York State, UB School of Law draws on more than 135 years of experience and innovation in legal education. UB is among the most internationalized universities in the United States, providing numerous programs and services to support its diverse student body. The School of Law shares this commitment and welcomes students from wide-ranging backgrounds into its vibrant and collegial community.

Overview

From The School


Applicants
1,045
Acceptance Rate
39%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.58
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
156

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
153 - 159

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

Application Fee
$85

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
Yes

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA
Letters of Recommendation
Essay / Personal Statement

Selectivity Rating

Overall


Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
6:1
Total Faculty
127

47.79
Female
8.66
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

SUNY Buffalo Law School is a practical and affordable option for future New York State lawyers. The school’s three-year JD begins with a series of required classes in contracts, torts, and other basic areas. In the next two years, law students have the “ability to create a unique curriculum” through a “nice array of courses,” including “timely classes that are relevant to the world and cover cutting edge legal issues (examples: class on international piracy, class on counterterrorism law, etc.).” The school offers curricular concentrations in nine fields, including civil litigation and intellectual property, and students note the array of “great human rights and international law classes.” While they like the course diversity, many Buffalo students feel the school could dig even deeper into specialty topics and “incorporate more courses which teach practical lawyering skills in specific areas of the law.” Fortunately, curricular improvements are being implemented with attention and efficiency. “The current administration is making a concerted effort to improve the look of the school and the opportunities available to students.” In addition, many students praise the schools’ supervisors and staff and attest, “School administrators seem to genuinely care about you from the moment you step in the door all the way up to graduation and beyond.”
Buffalo offers “plenty of opportunity to get hands-on experience in legal jobs during law school.” Traditional academics are augmented by “diverse opportunities for experiential learning,” including “non-traditional course offerings like clinics and externships.” Within the law school, “there are countless opportunities for moot court, trial team, and journal work,” and “the law school’s clinic program is excellent.” Of particular note, “the school goes out of its way to help those interested in Public Interest work,” with numerous clinics devoted to affordable housing, community economic advocacy, and social justice. Over 50 percent of each graduating class works in private practice. Even so, some would also like to see the school build a “stronger presence in the greater Buffalo community,” and point out the campus’s isolated location in a northern suburb of the city. The events and culture generated from having over 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students on Buffalo’s campus should not be discounted, though.
When it comes to the teaching staff, students praise Buffalo’s “terrific adjunct professors,” saying they love being taught by “faculty members who are still trying cases, rather than those who have been out of court for years.” The school attracts a number of accomplished attorneys, and “some of the faculty [are] at the very pinnacle of their fields, with reputations that span the country.” A current student enthuses, “On multiple occasions, my professors have actually worked on the cases we cover in class.” Despite their many accolades, “faculty is hit or miss” in the classroom. Because SUNY is a “great research institution,” it tends to attract “professors that are experts in their field with a significant amount of publishing in their background, but have no teaching skills and no ability to relate to the students.” Outside of the classroom, teachers are diverse in the same manner. Some professors are friendly and student-oriented, while others “are not always accessible because they are busy.”
Buffalo is a great choice for local lawyers, and the school maintains a great “reputation in New York, particularly in western New York.” For many local students, cost was also a major factor in their decision to attend SUNY Buffalo. New York state residents not surprisingly, comprise more than 90 percent of the school’s population, but the Law School offers competitive scholarships for qualified applicants whether in-state or out-of-state residents.

Career overview

From The School


Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
72%
Median Starting Salary
$62,400
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
87%
% of job accepting graduates providing useable salary information
44%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
40

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
NYS Senate/Assembly, M & T Bank, Hogan Willig PLLC, Bond, Schoeneck & King, LLP, Bronx County District Attorney, City of Buffalo Law Department, Barclay Damon LLP, Empire Justice Center, Erie County District Attorney's Office, Gibson McAskill & Crosby, LLP, Hamberger & Weiss, Harris Beach, LLP, Harter Secrest & Emery, Hodgson Russ, LLP, Hurwitz & Fine, PC, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, Kings County District Attorney, Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, Inc., Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, LLP, Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, Monroe County District Attorney's Office, Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc., New York City Law Department, New York State Court of Appeals, Nixon Peabody, LLP, NYS Appellate Div, 3rd Dept, NYS Appellate Div, 4th Dept, Phillips Lytle LLP, Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf, Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP, Citigroup, Liberty Mutual, Hodgson Russ LLP, Fried Frank

Graduates Employed by Area

50%
Private Practice
14%
Government
12%
Public Interes
8%
Business/Industry
3%
Judicial Clerkships

Graduates Employed by Region

74%
Mid-Atlantic
6%
South
3%
MidWest
3%
Pacific
2%
Mountain
1%
International
1%
New England

Prominent Alumni

Hon. Julio M. Fuentes '75
US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit

Hon. Eugene M. Fahey '74
New York State Court of Appeals

Jonathan S. Beane '98
NFL Senior VP and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

J. Mason Davis, Jr. '59
Civil Rights Attorney and Activist, Law Professor, in Alabama

Elizabeth Kim '94
Senior Ocean Policy Advisor, Office of Ocean and Policy Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Overview

From The School


Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Mar 1
Application Deadlines
Mar 15

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$44,479

% Students Receiving Some Aid
85%

Expenses per Academic Year

In-State Tuition
$25,410
Out-Of-State Tuition
$30,250
Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$19,674
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$19,674
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$19,674
Fees
$3,078

Overall

From The School


Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
431
Parent Institution Enrollement
31,923

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
16
Average Age at Entry
25

% Out-of-State
9%
% International
5%

Demographics

20.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

98% are full time
2% are part time
55% female
45% male

Campus Life

Students Say

Students seeking a “serious, but not overly competitive environment” will find a good match at SUNY Buffalo, where academic rigors are balanced by a “strong sense of community and camaraderie among the students.” Most students are serious about their education and “come ready to work every day.” However, that sense of purpose never overrides the generally low-key and friendly atmosphere within the law school. A current student elaborates, “While we are all competitive, there is a "no 1L left behind," feeling to all of the classes. If you are having trouble with the material there are always countless students willing to sit down and thoroughly discuss the material until you grasp it.” Both socially and professionally, the collegial atmosphere pays off. Here, “networking is easy at UB because everyone is already your friend.”
Within the law school, there are “myriad, valuable student organizations.” Socially, one student proclaims, “There are always SO many events going on, it is literally impossible to keep up,” especially since the law school is located on the University at Buffalo campus with an enrollment of over 24,000. In contrast, there isn’t much happening in the surrounding area. Located in “suburban hell,” campus is north of Buffalo proper with“nothing in walking distance. You have to drive everywhere to get or do anything.” Not only is “there is no ‘college town’ feel,” students remind us that “the heart of Buffalo's legal community, including the state and federal courthouses and the major law firms, remains in downtown Buffalo.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

From The School



Contact
Lindsay J. Gladney
Vice Dean for Admissions

Address
309 O'Brian Hall
Buffalo, NY 14260

Phone
716-645-2907

Email
law-admissions@buffalo.edu


Articles & Advice