Apply for a Practicum

Veterans Law Practicum students at the Know Your Benefits event.

Veterans Law Practicum students and Director, David Coombs, at the Know Your Benefits community event on September 26, 2025. 

Practicums are popular, so acceptance to a Practicum is not guaranteed. We recommend that you register for a full schedule in case there is not room for you in a practicum next semester. If you are approved for a practicum and submit all the required paperwork, we will help you adjust your schedule.

The application deadline for the Spring 2027 Clinics is Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 5:00 pm. Follow our social media accounts for updates. 

Spring 2027 Practicums

  • Asylum Appellate Advocacy Practicum
    4/22/26
    The Asylum Appellate Advocacy Practicum will examine key appellate doctrines, procedure, and practice through an in-depth look at asylum and immigration petitions for review pending at the federal courts of appeals.
  • Veterans Law Practicum
    4/22/26
    The Veterans Law Practicum (VLP) connects UB Law students with veterans in need of critical legal assistance. Supervised by experienced attorneys, VLP students will provide vital support in four core areas: pension benefits, survivors' pensions, survivor benefits and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and Character of Discharge determinations
Bar Applicant Documentation

All graduates who complete a law practicum will need to document their pro bono work in order to submit an application for admission to practice in NY.

For more information, see Pro Bono Requirement - Documenting Your Pro Bono Work for Clinic Students

Before Submitting Your Application

Applicants should be aware that all enrolled practicum students are considered members of the School of Law’s Clinical Legal Education Program Law Practice, and will be admitted to practice under a practice order. Accordingly, enrolling in a UB practicum requires students to agree to abide by law firm policies and procedures, including appropriate conflicts checks and confidentiality commitments that may go beyond matters in the particular practicum or clinic in which the student enrolls. This will be a substantial commitment for the semester(s) in which the student is in a practicum, and thereafter. Additionally, you will be eligible to earn hours toward your pro bono requirements, and completing a practicum will fulfill four credit hours of your experiential learning requirement under the GARP.

Because of the intensity of the experience, students may not enroll in more than one clinic, practicum, or externship per semester.

Questions regarding the clinical program or related experiential learning should be directed to Vice Dean Bernadette Gargano at law-clinic@buffalo.edu.

JD/MSW Students

All JD/MSW students should consult directly with Melinda Saran regarding their choice of Clinic, Practicum or a Law and Social Work placement, for their JD/MSW Advanced year.

Application Instructions

To apply for a practicum, please:

  1. Complete the online application. You must list different first and second choices for a clinic, practicum, and/or externship. You may list a third choice if you wish.
  2. Submit the online application by providing your electronic signature. Please be aware that you are now required to upload your Cover Letter, Resume, Unofficial Transcript, Writing Sample, and Conflict Inventory Acknowledgment along with your application.
  3. Submit your online application by the application deadline. 
  4. You will be notified by email of whether or not you have been selected for a practicum. Students will be reviewed by their first choice initially. If not selected, your application materials will be forwarded to your second choice.
  5. If you accept a position in a practicum, you will be part of the Clinical Law Firm. Thus, your professors plan around your presence in the practicum in determining how many clients they can serve. Accordingly, accepting an offer to participate in a practicum means you agree to stay enrolled absent extraordinary circumstances and may not withdraw without consulting the Director of Clinical Legal Education.
  6. Enrolled students must complete other necessary forms (for the court and the law firm) for registration. Your registration will not be approved until you submit all required paperwork, and your approval will be rescinded if you do not submit all paperwork within the required deadlines.
Online Application