O'Brian Hall is home to the Law School. It houses the Charles B. Sears Law Library and the Francis M. Letro Courtroom, a state-of-the-art, working courtroom used for federal, state, and county trials and various proceedings. UB Law is the only law school in the SUNY system.

Namesake

John A Buffalo native and 1898 graduate of the UB Law School, John Lord O'Brian (1874-1973) was based in Washington, D.C., where he held various government posts and advised six U.S. presidents. One of the nation's foremost constitutional lawyers, he successfully defended the constitutionality of the TVA before the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as national chair of endowment at Harvard Divinity School, worked as a U.S. Attorney for Western New York and acted as a University of Buffalo trustee from 1903 to 1929. He received the Chancellor's Award in 1940 and lived to be nearly 100.

Historical research and photographs provided by University Archives.

Building Facts

Primary function: Academic

Tenants: School of Law, Charles B. Sears Law Library

Architect: Harry Weese & Associates of Chicago; Anthony Carlino & Associates of Buffalo

Completion date: March, 1973

Gross square feet: 205,534

Construction cost: $7,474,000