Law Externship

Person highlighting a text book.

A Law Externship offers law students a for-credit opportunity to get practical experience in drafting and negotiating contracts or conducting intellectual property assessments in a university-based technology transfer office.

About Law Externship

UB Law School students can earn three course credits while getting practical experience in conducting intellectual property assessments or drafting and negotiating contracts. UB Tech Transfer supports the commercialization of new technologies emerging from UB's research enterprise and negotiating industry sponsored research agreements. 

There are generally two tracks: IP and Contracts. In the IP track, law externs learn to define inventive elements and use search tools to conduct prior art searches to identify potential patentability risks. In the Contracts track, externs help draft and negotiate contracts governing the commercialization of new technologies (Non Disclosure Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Options and Licenses) and Industry-Sponsored Research Agreements. 

Students are exposed to technologies across myriad fields, including therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, energy, materials, advanced manufacturing and more.

Participation and Eligibility

Law students in their second or third year are eligible and must complete 135 work hours over the course of one semester. Students who have completed coursework in contracts, patent and/or intellectual property law are preferred. Exposure to entrepreneurial activity and a background in the sciences and technologies are helpful but not required.     

For More Information

Esther Eagan, JD, MS.

Esther Eagan, JD, MS

Associate Director, Contracts

Technology Transfer

Phone: (716) 645-8138

Email: eeagan@buffalo.edu