Law school offers undergraduate minor in law

The School of Law has taken its first steps in the world of undergraduate education with the introduction of a minor in law for UB students.

This fall, undergraduate courses included Introduction to the American Legal System, Public Law and Sports Law. Three more courses will be offered in the spring, including Common Law, Federal Law and Federal Income Taxation. All courses are taught by faculty and adjunct instructors in the School of Law.

The minor designation, says Professor James Milles, who directs the program, is a way for interested students to deepen their understanding of the legal system.

“They can major in a number of other things, but the idea is to add some strength in legal knowledge for anyone in any career where legal knowledge would be useful,” Milles says. That, he says, could include careers in such fields as engineering, business management, human resources and regulatory compliance. The minor will also include experiential and practical courses, he says, so students develop such skills as drafting legal documents, as well as understanding how law functions in society.

The response has already been impressive. More than 70 undergraduates registered for the Introduction to the American Legal System course being taught this semester by James Gardner, SUNY Distinguished Professor and the Bridget and Thomas Black Professor in the law school. “The students have been enthusiastic and engaged,” Gardner says. “Many of the students in the class are already interested in a career in law, and many others are intrigued by and open to the idea.”

The new minor comes as the School of Law seeks formal approval from SUNY and the American Bar Association for an undergraduate major in law, which it hopes to begin in fall 2019. That would make UB just the second law school in the nation, besides the University of Arizona, to offer an undergraduate degree in law.

Professor Matthew Steilen, who initially headed the faculty-staff committee that considered developing the undergraduate program, says the idea had existed for some time and was revisited as part of the law school’s strategic planning process.

“There’s a lot of excitement about this particular degree program,” Steilen says. The 10-person committee reached out to lawyers, business executives and other stakeholders in organizations where legal expertise comes into play, and those inquiries were met with tremendous interest.

And the faculty share in the enthusiasm. “Our faculty has unique talents and academic interests,” Steilen says. “We have faculty who have taught undergraduates, and a large number with doctorates in areas other than law. So I was excited about finding a way to bring some of that knowledge to undergraduates in a package that would give them strong job prospects as part of their study of law.”