UB Law School Offering New Concentration in Labor and Employment Law

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Law School has added a new concentration in labor and employment law to its curriculum for the fall semester in response to increased demand in the job market for lawyers who are knowledgeable in this burgeoning field.

"Numerous employment and labor law jobs exist today that didn't before. It is a rapidly growing field," said Dianne Avery, professor and vice dean for academic affairs in the Law School and coordinator of the new concentration.

The continued maturing of civil rights laws over the past few decades has contributed to the emergence of increased individual rights, Avery said. Beginning in the 1970s, employees began to bring wrongful discharge lawsuits based on novel public policy grounds. A spate of lawsuits filed during the 1980s by middle managers who had been "downsized" also helped stimulate the field of employment law.

"They felt their discharge was abusive, and lawyers began to bring cases with new theories that courts began to accept," Avery said, noting that this kind of litigation was virtually nonexistent 25 years ago. Federal laws have expanded employee rights as well, and now prohibit sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of disability.

Avery, an expert in the area of employment discrimination, said students who graduate with a concentration in labor and employment law are exceptionally well prepared when they hit the job market. They could work for government agencies, nongovernmental associations, in private practice, for labor unions or as in-house counsel, bringing expertise in areas such as employment discrimination law, public or private collective-bargaining law, rights of individual employees, employee benefits, sports and entertainment law, or workers' compensation law.

"They have a level of understanding and expertise that generalists simply don't have," Avery said. Upper-division law students who opt to take the new concentration can select from a myriad of choices for electives, ranging from civil rights, civil liberties and discrimination law, to American labor history and public-sector collective bargaining. Teachers include the well-known labor law scholar James Atleson, who recently was named a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Students must take a total of 21 credit hours in order to receive a certificate of completion at graduation. In addition to their course work, students take part in a colloquium or seminar and write an article.

Although pursuing a concentration is not mandatory, Avery said UB law students who choose that path -- whether or not they ultimately commit to that specific area of law for their career -- have "an edge in that they have learned a particular field in depth." The skills students acquire, she said, are "transferable to other fields."

The concentration component "has long been recognized outside of UB as a strength of our curriculum," she said. "It helps students find their niche."

The labor and employment law concentration is one of nearly a dozen concentrations offered by UB Law School, which was one of the first law schools nationwide to implement the relatively new concept. "We were out in front with this change," Avery said. "Now, other law schools are trying to duplicate our program."

In addition to labor and employment law, UB Law School offers concentrations in affordable housing and community development law; civil litigation; corporate finance transactions; criminal, environmental, family, health or international law; law and social justice, and state and local government law. The school also offers sequences of courses and seminars in tax and real estate law.