To prepare for these careers, students should have a broad understanding of the interrelationship between the statutory and common law rules of labor and employment law as they have developed in the United States; a thorough appreciation of the social, economic, and historical context of labor relations in the United States and other nations; as well as in-depth exposure to one or more specialized areas of law practice.

The Program is open to second-year and third-year students. Students who successfully complete all of the Program requirements will receive a certificate upon graduation. To register for the Program, students must submit the Program Registration Form to the Records and Registration Office during registration for Fall Semester classes.

Required introductory courses—9 credits: Students are required to take Labor Law, Employment Law, and Employment Discrimination Law. These courses should be completed, if possible, during the student’s second year of law school.

Required L&E Colloquium—3 credits: Students are required to complete three (3) credits in the Labor and Employment Law Colloquium in order to be eligible to receive the Certificate in Labor and Employment Law. Enrollment is by permission of instructor and is open only to third-year students. The L&E Colloquium is generally offered during Fall Semester.

Electives—12 credits: Students are also required to complete at least twelve (12) hours of electives from the following list of courses and seminars. Students should take 3 credits each in at least four of the five following types of offerings: seminars (or independent study), substantive (doctrinal) courses, litigation/procedure courses, professional skills courses, and externships.

Students who want to use other courses in the Law School or University to satisfy their program requirements must seek prior approval from the Program Coordinator. Note: Not all the courses listed below are offered every year, and some may only be taught once every few years.

Required Courses

L&E Introductory Substantive Law Courses:
Labor Law (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (#693) – Dimick (2012); Steinfeld (2012-2013)
Employment Law (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#699) – Avery
Employment Discrimination Law (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (# 650) – Avery

Capstone Colloquium – Third-Year Students Only:
Labor & Employment Law Colloquium (projected Fall 2012) – L&E Faculty

L&E Substantive Courses:
Drug Testing in Professional Sports (1 cr.) (#733) – Drew
Pension & Employee Benefits Law (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (#691) – Wooten
Sports Law 1: Law of Amateur & Professional Sports (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (#604) – Drew
Workers’ Compensation & Employer Liability (Bridge 2012) (1 cr.) (#904) – Dolce

L&E Seminars:
Law & American Labor History (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) – Avery & Konefsky
Sexual Harassment Law (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#764) – Avery

L&E Externships:
Living Wage Law – City of Buffalo (3 cr.) (#791) – Gelernter
Erie County Medical Center – Labor & Employment Law (3 cr.) (#791) – Gelernter
Labor Law – National Labor Relations Board (4 cr.) (#885) – Avery; Gelernter
Public Employment Relations Board (3 cr.) (#791) – Gelernter

L&E Professional Skills Courses:

Taught in Bridge:
Professional Sports Contract Negotiation
& Arbitration (Bridge 2012) (1 cr.) (#923) – Drew
Sexual Harassment Mediation (Bridge 2012) (1 cr.) (#959) – Korn

Taught During Semester:
Advanced Legal Research (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (#667) – Gerken
Labor Arbitration (Simulation) (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (#747) – Gelernter
Immigration Law Practice (Spring 2012) (3 cr.) (#875) – Popiel

Related Courses (3 credits each):

Litigation/Procedure:
Administrative Law (#631) – Gelernter; A. Mutua
Advanced Civil Procedure (Spring 2012) (# 662) – Steilen
Conflict of Laws (Spring 2012) (#605) – Phillips
Evidence (Fall & Spring) (#613) – Dillon; Foschio; Sullivan
Federal Courts (Spring 2012) (#600) – Kannar; Olsen

Substantive Areas of Practice (3 credits each):
Constitutional Law II – Free Speech (Spring 2012) (#612) – Kannar
Corporations (Fall & Spring) (#611) – Halberstam; A. Mutua; Westbrook
Education Law (Fall 2011) (#679) – Freedman
Immigration Law (Fall 2011) (#689) – Miller & Macri
International Human Rights (Spring 2012) (#697) – Marcus; Melish
Insurance Law (Fall 2011) (#641) – Kohane

RECOMMENDED COURSES: The following courses and seminars may be of interest for students entering the field of labor and employment law. ANY OF THESE COURSES MAY COUNT AS AN ELECTIVE FOR THE L&E PROGRAM WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR.

Seminars:
American Constitutional History II (Spring 2012) (3 cr.)– Konefsky & Steinfeld
Comparative Corporate Governance (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#808) – Dimick
Courts and Social Change (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#848) – Mather

Professional Skills:
Alternative Dispute Resolution (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#690) – Civeletto-Morris
Advocacy in Mediation (Fall 2011) (1 cr.) (#570) – Sugarman
Discovery Strategy & Deposition Tactics (Bridge 2012) (1 cr.) (#947) – Altreuter
Electronic Discovery (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#661) – Milles
Judicial Clerkship Skills (Spring 2012) (1 cr.) (#522) – Moeller
Mediation Theory & Practice (Fall 2011) (3 cr.) (#722) – Sugarman
New York State Administrative Law (Bridge 2012) (2 cr.) (#946) – Cameron
Private Sector Alternative Dispute Resolution (Bridge 2012) (1 cr.) (#898) –Lundquist
Other trial practice courses such as Depositions (#906) and Trial Technique (#638)

Externships with a Labor & Employment Law Component (see Gelernter):
Buffalo Board of Education, Office of Legal Counsel (3 cr.) (#791)
City of Buffalo Law Department (3 cr.) (#791)
Empire Justice Center – Rochester (3 cr.) (#791)
Erie County Attorney’s Office – (3 cr.) (#791)
New York State Attorney General’s Office – Buffalo or Rochester (3 cr.) (#791)
SUNY Office of University Counsel (3 cr.) (#791)

Grade Requirements: Students may not use a course in which they have received a grade of C, D, F, or U to satisfy any of the requirements for completion of this Program.

Required – 12 credits:

Employment Law—3 credits
Labor Law—3 credits
Employment Discrimination Law—3 credits
L&E Colloquium—3 credits

Electives – 12 credits minimum:

3 credits each from at least four of the five types of classes below:

Seminar or Independent Study – 3 credits (in addition to L&E Colloquium)
Substantive Law Course – 3 credits
Litigation/Procedure Course – 3 credits
Professional Skills Course – 3 credits
Externship – 3 credits

TOTAL: 24 credits

Full-time Faculty: Dianne Avery, Matthew Dimick, Martha McCluskey, Robert Steinfeld, and James Wooten

Part-time Faculty: Helen Drew and Lise Gelernter

Director: Prof. Dianne Avery