Law

A University at Buffalo Law School alumnus with roots in Western New York and a deep involvement in the school's continuing improvement will be honored in January with the Law School's most prestigious award.

A University at Buffalo Law School professor with a special interest in the legal system and culture of Thailand will receive the honorary degree of doctor of laws from one of that nation's major universities.

Police work is one of the most stressful jobs in society, but little is known about the effects of this stress on an officer's long-term health. John Violanti, PhD, professor of social and preventive medicine in the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions, hopes to fill this information void through a five-year $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

The University at Buffalo Law School is the only law school in the state to register a higher pass rate among first-time candidates taking the July bar exam, advancing its pass rate to 83 percent, 2 percent higher than the previous year.

Winnifred F. Sullivan, professor and director of the Law, Religion and Culture Program in the University at Buffalo Law School, is one of four national scholars to receive a grant from the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs for a new project entitled "Politics of Religious Freedom."

University at Buffalo Law School Dean Makau W. Mutua has been chosen by Attorney General-elect Eric T. Schneiderman for his transition committee to help recruit top legal talent to join the attorney general's staff and to provide policy recommendations to improve the lives of New Yorkers.

Gubernatorial appointment of judges to New York's highest court -- a process many legal scholars and officials believe is better than popular election -- has choked off access for most of the best candidates the state has to offer, according to a legal scholar from the University at Buffalo Law School.

A drug-addled, suicidal rock star, a vengeful band mate charged with murder and a greedy son seeking to cash in on a million dollar life insurance policy make up the cast of characters in the case problem for this year's Buffalo Niagara mock trial competition hosted by the University at Buffalo Law School on Nov. 11-14 in the courtrooms of Buffalo City Court.

Since joining University Police as chief in July 2006, Jerry Schoenle has brought a level of professionalism to the University at Buffalo that has inspired improvements in his own and other SUNY departments.

From some of the best colleges and universities in the nation, and with grade point averages and LSAT scores among the highest in University at Buffalo Law School history, the UB Law School's newest class of students began their law school careers this month positioned for academic success.