University at Buffalo (UB)
Pro Bono Opportunities
The School of Law provides for-credit pro bono opportunities, and will identify not-for-credit opportunities available in the Western New York region.
Any questions about not-for-credit opportunities should be directed to Vice Dean Melinda Saran.
For Credit
Clinics – The School of Law’s clinical offerings provide diverse and sophisticated practice opportunities to second- and third-year students, who work closely with skilled supervising attorneys. Clinical courses provide students with an understanding of the essential relationship between thinking about legal problems and dealing with client problems. Rather than focusing on routine legal services, our clinical offerings involve complex matters in which creativity and innovation play key roles in serving clients effectively.
Externships – Externships and judicial externships provide law students with unique legal and public service experience as they work in a variety of government and non-profit organizations. Opportunities continue to be added to a list that includes dozens of possible judicial externships (3Ls only), legislative externships, and other non-profit and government work. Most are in Western New York, but students have also had summer externships in Rochester, Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Seattle and overseas.
Practicums – A practicum combines study of a substantive area with service learning. Students participating in a practicum spend about 10 hours a week observing and assisting practitioners. Only those hours a student spends providing law-related assistance count toward satisfying the pro bono requirement.
Select Other Courses – From time to time, professors offer courses that may satisfy the pro bono requirement as part of the course work. To find such courses, review the Registrar's Course Descriptions for the semester in which you are interested, and search for the phrase "pro bono".
In all such courses, only those hours a student spends providing law-related assistance count toward satisfying the pro bono requirement.
Not-for-Credit Opportunities
These opportunities fulfill your fifty-hour pro bono requirement through volunteering with one of these agencies. You could also learn valuable skills to enhance your ability to become practice-ready. These opportunities are not credit-bearing nor are they paid positions. Some of these legal service offices have limitations on the number of law students they can accommodate and others require you to make a commitment of a certain amount of time.
The opportunities below are listed geographically:
Center for Elder Law & Justice
438 Main Street, Suite 1200, Buffalo, NY 14202-3208
716-853-3087
Pro Bono Contact: Director of Pro Bono Programs, Amanda Warner, at 716-835-3087 ext. 241, or via email at awarner@elderjusticeny.org
Opportunities include:
- Housing (tax and mortgage foreclosure, eviction defense)
- Elder Abuse Prevention, Consumer (fraud and scams that target the elderly)
- Family (relative custody, grandparents rights, and kinship care issues)
- Veteran’s Support, Substituted Decision-Making, Income Maintenance
- Health Care
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Erie County Bar Association
Volunteer Lawyers Project Inc.
Pro Bono Contacts: Julie Gee (jgee@ecbavlp.com)
Internship Application
Opportunities include:
- Unemployment Insurance Benefits project representation
- Family Court help desk at Erie County Family Court or telephone consultations for other counties
- Housing Court - Attorney of the Morning HUB Court for Erie County
- Housing Helpline (for Residents in the eight counties of Western New York)
- Federal Court Pro Se Assistance Program
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Journey’s End Refugee Services, Inc.
2495 Main Street, Suite 530, Buffalo, NY 14214
882-4963, ext. 203
Contact: Emily Riordan, Managing Attorney (eriordan@jersbuffalo.org)
Opportunities include: asylum applications and work authorization.
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Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo Inc.
290 Main Street, Suite 450, Buffalo, NY 14202
716-853-9555
Opportunities include:
- Criminal Appeal
Appeals and Post-Convictions Unit
Pro Bono Contact: Erin Tresmond, Chief Appeals and Post-Convictions, (etresmond@legalaidbuffalo.org)
- Family Court in-court attorney assistance
Attorney for the Child Unit
Pro Bono Contact:
Judith Gerber, Chief Attorney, Attorneys for Children Unit, (jgerber@legalaidbuffalo.org)
- Civil Legal Services
Reentry from incarceration, Domestic Violence rapid response - family and financial issues, Immigrant/refugee issues - working with settlement agencies, Veteran’s issues - legal check-up, LGBTQ issues
Pro Bono Contact:
Nadine Patterson, Chief Attorney Civil Legal Service, (npatterson@legalaidbuffalo.org)
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Mental Health Advocates
1021 Broadway St., Fifth Floor, Buffalo, NY 14212
716-886-1242
Pro Bono Contact: Nicole Blackwell, Administrative Director of Legal Services (716) 886-1242 x330 nblackwell@mhawny.org
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Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
237 Main Street, 4th Floor, Buffalo, New York 14203
716-847-0650
Contact: hr@nls.org
Opportunities include:
- Attorney of the morning Housing Court
- Public Benefits
- Family Law
- Disability Advocacy Project
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Western New York Law Center Inc.
37 Franklin St., 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14202
716-855-0203
Contact: Neha Karambelkar, Esq.,Managing Attorney , Civil Unit, nkarambelkar@wnylc.net
Opportunities include:
- Housing (evictions) and Foreclosures
Pro Bono Contact: Jordan Modrzynski, jmodrzynski@wnylc.net - Consumer advocacy assistance through CLARO project
- Pro Bono Contact: Nicholas Ramirez, nramirez@wnylc.net
- School suspensions
Pro Bono Contact: Samantha White, swhite@wnylc.net
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.
115 East Third St., Jamestown, NY 14701 (Chautauqua County)
103 South Barry St., Olean, NY 14760 (Cattaraugus County)
Pro Bono Contact: doprobono@lawny.org or visit their website.
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS)
5073 Clinton Street Road, Batavia, New York 14020
585-343-5450
Pro Bono Contact: John Zonitch, jzonitch@wnylc.com
Empire Justice Center
Telesca Center for Justice
One West Main Street, Suite 200, Rochester, NY 14614
585-454-4060
The Legal Aid Society of Rochester
One West Main Street, Suite 800, Rochester, New York 14614
585-232-4090
Legal Assistance of Western New York, Inc.
One West Main Street, 4th Floor, Rochester, NY 14614
585-325-2520
To volunteer, please apply online or email doprobono@lawny.org
JustCause
1 West Main Street, Suite 500, Rochester, NY 14614
585-232-3051
Pro Bono Contact: Executive Director or any VLSP Staff Attorney at 585-232-3051
Worker Justice Center of New York (formerly Farmworkers Legal Services Project)
1187 Culver Road, Rochester, NY 14609
585-325-3050 (Ext. 12)
Opportunity:
Student will obtain hands on experience working with worker advocacy primarily with migrant and immigrant populations throughout Western New York. Areas include employment and wage issues and representing migrant workers in domestic violence and human trafficking cases.
Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS)
225 Old Falls Street, Suite 3A Niagara Falls, New York 14302
716-284-8831
Pro Bono Contact: Sandra Fudala, sfudala@nls.org.