Not every student interested in the law plans to become a lawyer. At the UB School of Law, hundreds of undergraduate students are discovering how legal knowledge can strengthen careers in fields ranging from business and human resources to public service, education and law enforcement.

That broad appeal has helped fuel remarkable growth in the law school’s undergraduate program in law, which has expanded from four students in 2018 to nearly 500 today. It is one of only two in the country in which BA students can major or minor in law within a law school program. (The University of Arizona has the other.)

Some participants enroll as a step on their way to applying to law school, but there are many other reasons to acquire an early education in legal thinking and practice.

In the BA program, “you become familiar with how to read the law, how to use the law, and how to understand a case. You can explore specific areas that you're interested in and take related elective courses,” says Melinda Saran, '86, who runs the program as the interim vice dean for undergraduate studies and vice dean for undergraduate student affairs.

“The law BA is not designed as a pre-law program,” Saran says. “It's designed for students that are more generally interested in learning about the law.  It’s applicable to a wide variety of fields.”

Students interested in criminal law sometimes choose a criminology major or minor, Saran says. Others pursue a certificate in prison law. A number of students gravitate to family and immigration law.

There are many different careers that are enhanced by knowledge of the law.

For example, “somebody with a BA or a minor in law who pursues an HR career will have a leg up on other HR professionals,” says Lisa Patterson, who recently joined the undergraduate program as the director of undergraduate student success and engagement. “There are so many legal issues in almost any field. Just to name a few, think about working in HR, compliance or procurement, starting your own business or going into law enforcement.”

Amanda Amabile graduated from the BA program in 2023. She now works as an education manager for Head Start.

“I work a lot on policies and procedures now in my role and the courses I took in the BA program have impacted my ability to work with caseworkers and advocate for children in our programs,” Amabile says. “I was able to intern at law firms, and I still use the regulations and policies UB Law taught me in my current day-to-day regulations as an education manager.”

The BA program, of course, has many benefits for students who wish to pursue a JD degree.

“For students that do want to go to law school, it's a no-brainer,” Patterson says. “It puts them in classrooms where they are taught by actual law professors and lawyers, individuals trained in law who may use the Socratic method or discuss Supreme Court cases the way lawyers do.”

Students are taught by members of both the JD and undergraduate faculty, as well as lawyers and former practitioners with extensive legal experience, such as Kelley Omel, ’89, a former assistant district attorney for Erie County. If the students “don't learn something about what it's really like to be a lawyer from Kelley, I don't know where they're going to learn it,” Patterson says.

The first BA in law graduating class was made up of just two students. The program now has 366 law majors and about 100 minoring in law.

“The program continues to grow,” Saran says. “We now have four full-time undergraduate law faculty, all possessing advanced degrees in addition to law. Our support staff has increased to now include a fulltime advisor and student support coordinator who focuses on first-year undergraduate students.”

Julie Jones, the undergraduate law program advisor and coordinator, works with students to make sure they are on track to complete all their curricular requirements. As part of her advising role, she takes a holistic approach, providing support for student heath, wellness and belonging.

“I often ask them, how are you doing? Is there anything that's bothering you?” Jones says. “Are you taking care of your mental health as well as your physical health? Because those things are going to affect your performance academically.”

As students navigate the rigors of the law BA, they can turn to Patterson, who has worked at UB law for 26 years. Patterson will work one-on-one with students facing academic challenges while building proactive student-success initiatives to help students stay on track and find their place at UB.

“I constantly remind myself that many of these students are coming straight out of high school,” she says. “They’re making a big transition to university, where the classes are rigorous and they’re beginning to explore the challenges of the legal field. My goal is to help them become engaged members of our program and know where to turn when they need support.”