By DAVID BERTOLA
Business First

The University at Buffalo Law School may soon be competing for prospective students with another Upstate SUNY member.

Binghamton University is proposing to establish a law school. University President Lois DeFleur said the proposal is still in the early development stages and will require careful planning.

UB Law Dean R. Nils Olsen Jr. said he doesn't know too much about Binghamton's plans, but added he wouldn't consider a new law school as a threat to siphon students from UB's program, which has been around for more than 100 years.

"But it's too early to tell," he said, since the proposed Binghamton school is in the early stages.

If approved, Binghamton would become the 16th in the state and only the third public law school in New York.

DeFleur said nearly 500 Binghamton University graduating students and alumni apply to law school in a given year. Of the 315 graduating seniors from the university's most recent applicant pool, 83 percent were accepted, compared to the national acceptance rate of 71 percent.

"This underscores the demand for a quality law school education, not just in Binghamton but also in the state," she said.

Olsen estimated approximately 15 percent of the 760 or so UB Law students are UB undergrads.

Before Binghamton would be granted a law school by the State University of New York system, Olsen said he hoped SUNY would conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine the need.

If Binghamton is awarded a law school, it would join UB and the CUNY School of Law at Queens College as the only public colleges in the state with law schools.

DeFleur said since there are only two public law schools in New York state, establishing a law school at Binghamton would provide aspiring attorneys with an affordable option as they continue their education.

"A law school at Binghamton University builds on the academic quality of existing programs in philosophy, politics and law and political science, which are two popular programs that prepare our students to pursue a law degree," DeFleur said. "Thus, we believe this is the next logical step in the development of the University."

Typically, Olsen explained, a university would acquire an existing law school rather than start one from scratch. It's an expensive endeavor, which includes establishing faculty, a full law library and other resources to keep up with the demands of legal education.

"You're talking about a significant investment that isn't made too often," he said, mentioning Drexel University of Philadelphia as one institution that recently built its law school from the ground up.