By JODI SOKOLOWSKI
Buffalo Law Journal

The new leaders of the University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association and its companion group, Graduates of the Last Decade, are calling out to all alumni to restore the law school's reputation.

"We have every reason to believe that the law school, with the help of the alumni and even the community, has a great chance of returning to the top 50 or even higher in rankings for law schools in the country," said President-Elect Robert Boreanaz.

He's referring to U.S. News & World Report's 2008 rankings of graduate and professional schools, which dropped UB Law from 77th to 100th place. Instead of combating the magazine's methodology, as other UB Law leaders have done, GOLD Group president Bethany Gilbert said the two alumni groups are planning proactive measures to work within the publication's existing ranking system.

Voting for the U.S. News rankings is done by secret ballot. Gilbert, a Hodgson Russ LLP associate, said UB Law is "faced with a really difficult task of increasing the concept of reputation among alumni, and hopefully (that) flows over to someone who gets one of these ballots."

In order to do that, they're trying to generate a buzz among concentrated groups of alumni in New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C., with plans to build support too in the New England and West Coast states.

"If you don't have the wherewithal to support (the school) financially, then let other people know the quality of education you received so it's no longer a mystery," Boreanaz, a senior partner at Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, suggests asking alumni to reinforce the school's reputation for providing an affordable and superior education.

"We can reach out to judges who may not have gone to UB and to Fortune 500 companies that may not have law connections, since those entities are part of the voting block," he said.

Dean Makau Mutua, meanwhile, said he'll work to secure increased funding and boost the caliber of UB Law faculty and students.

Association President Hon. E. Jeannette Ogden, a Buffalo City Court judge, said the Alumni Association's strategic plan calls for assisting those goals by:

• Utilizing association past presidents Dennis McCoy and Ken Manning to head a committee on how to best approach the state Legislature in response to its allocation of nearly $50 million in state funds to establish or investigate development of new law schools;

• Building association membership not only in regions across the state so that, with the help of three new board members in Rochester, Rome and New York City, the board can be kept apprised of developments where those law schools are planned; and

• Creating "innovative opportunities" for students, before and beyond graduation, and offering scholarships to increase the number of applicants.

Gilbert said all these components are essential to keep the Western New York legal community healthy.

The law school "is such a central part of our legal community, with CLEs and practitioners as adjunct professors, that it's a complete hand-in-hand partnership," she said. "If the law school has any decrease in attendance and loss of reputation, I think that will eventually spill into our legal community."