Legal Studies BA/Law JD

Upon successful completion of all requirements, the student will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the history of the US Constitution, impact of the US Constitution on American law and life, the evolution of constitutional interpretation, and the role of the courts.
• Demonstrate understanding of the systems through which law is created, changed and administered; law in transnational contexts, the institutions of the law and law as a social phenomenon; the law’s dynamic relation with health, welfare, and the environment.
• Understand aspects of the role of law in regulating behavior, the relation of law to politics, social structure, race, gender, and class.
• Communicate proficiently in both written and oral form.
• Develop writing and analytical skills associated with the evaluation of data or patterns of argument.
• Develop the ability to effectively construct and evaluate arguments for and against competing claims.
• Present a predictive analysis and a persuasive argument orally.
• Identify relevant legal and factual issues; undertake legal research; and employ these skills in legal analysis, reasoning, and problem solving.
• Develop the ability to apply reasoning in the analysis of a wide range of social, political, and legal issues and problems.
• Engage in theoretical interpretation of philosophy, social, and legal ideas and phenomena.
• Fulfill professional values and ethical responsibilities to clients, the legal system, and the public.
• Apply professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession in the appropriate cultural and social context.

Legal Studies undergraduate major is administered by the Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (SSC). Located in 203 Clemens Hall on UB’s north campus. The program holds classes in centrally scheduled space throughout the campus, which includes traditional classrooms and lecture halls that can accommodate the program’s teaching philosophies.

University at Buffalo School of Law is an ABA-accredited law school with a fully equipped law library and numerous classrooms ranging in size from seminar rooms seating a dozen to lecture halls seating 120. Most classrooms are equipped with computer display technology and audio enhancement, and some are capable of videoconferencing. The Law Library offers excellent collections of legal information resources both in traditional and electronic formats accessible on site or remotely. All faculty offices are designed to allow faculty to meet with small groups of students. The building is fully accessible and is centrally located on the North Campus spine.

Students in the Legal Studies BA program take courses from across the College of Arts and Sciences allowing them to interact with faculty from various departments such as history, sociology, political science and English. Instruction or grading responsibilities for some of these courses may be assigned to teaching assistants. In addition, SSC has several adjunct instructors who are working professionals in their fields as well as one full-time clinical assistant professor. They provide a diverse selection of courses related to their areas of expertise. There is one teaching assistant in the program who is responsible for teaching social research methods each semester.

The School of Law's faculty consists of distinguished scholars and teachers actively engaged with research, policy and practice worldwide, and committed to excellence in teaching our students. Most of the faculty are nationally prominent, and many hold advanced degrees in the social sciences and other disciplines, in addition to their law degrees. Faculty specializations range from advertising law and anthropology of law to women and the law and World Trade Organization law. In addition, the School of Law has over 50 part-time adjunct faculty: skilled lawyers and respected judges who provide education in essential legal skills.

Generally, law school graduates obtain employment as a practicing lawyer or an upper-level manager who has a legal degree and is advantaged by it when applying for jobs (“JD Preferred Jobs”). In 2019, our overall placement rate was 85% with 83% of those employed working as a practicing lawyer and an additional 16% in JD Preferred Jobs. Our alumni are located world-wide, in large, medium and small law firms, federal and state agencies and departments, major corporations and banks, and the federal and state judiciaries. Notably, UB School of Law alumni consist of: NYS Court of Appeals Justices, several NYS Appellate Division Justices, a federal circuit appeals judge, and other federal trial level judges, as well as, former U.S. Attorneys, city mayors and various legislative representatives.