A Message from the Director

#UBLawResponds student attorneys serve clients, taking the lead and working on the front lines. Learning by doing is at the heart of what the School of Law's Clinical Legal Education department does every single day. All our clinics are interactive, immersive, and inclusive. Our students learn from some of the best clinicians in the country. They regularly interact with clients, community partners, and decision makers. They work on various matters in various courtrooms, before local, state, and federal legislatures, with multiple local, state, federal, and international agencies, and with other leaders from as close as Western New York to as far away as India. Our student attorneys are part of classes to learn how to excel in modern practice, and in weekly work to apply that learning to real-world situations.

Our program’s mission is “delivering access to justice while teaching UB law students to be excellent, ethical, and engaged lawyers.” This mission is more than just words on a page for our team. At their core, each and every clinic represents the rights of the most vulnerable in our communities who would not otherwise have access to justice, teaching students to be excellent lawyers in the process.

Our clients include women and children affected by intimate partner violence, journalists and others seeking access and transparency, people and organizations facing barriers to keeping their back on track, veterans seeking access to merited services, people in the criminal justice system seeking evenhanded treatment and systemic reform, organizations working to prevent animals cruelty, individuals needing litigators to protect individual civil rights & civil liberties, individuals and organizations seeking alternatives to traditional dispute resolution, environmental organizations seeking justice and equity, entrepreneurs seeing support to create and expand new businesses, and so many more.

At #UBLawResponds, we take seriously our commitment to educate the next generation of social justice pro bono champions. We ensure that our students emerge from clinics with proficiency in: modern lawyering skills; active experience with antiracism, cultural humility, and belonging; a strong sense of professionalism; and relevant transferrable substantive knowledge. We also interweave experiences in the reflective and connective skills that take lawyering to the next level.

You can connect with us on social media via Facebook (@UBLawClinics); Twitter (@UB_LawClinics); and Instagram (@UBLawClinics); as well as our #UBLawResponds Blog and podcast.. Reach out if you want to connect with program by emailing us at law-clinic@buffalo.edu.

Want to be a part of #UBLawResponds – join us!

• Prospective students – ask us about our programs and outcomes
• Current students – now is your time – take a clinic and make a difference
• Prospective clients – contact us to see if we can help! If not, we can refer you to our community partners
• Community partners – thank you for your support!
• Alumni – support our efforts with your time, treasure, and talents