University of Buffalo Law School Students Try To Learn A Trade

Instead of adding to the drumbeat of bad news, the University of Buffalo Law School has taken a novel approach to navigating the current economic climate. A UB student tipster reports:

Job prospects at the University of Buffalo School of Law are so BAD that the CSO has given up hope! Instead of looking for firms’ with availability, the CSO is now offering a course on knitting. Although students will soon be jobless and homeless post-graduation, at least we won’t be cold!

The Buffalo career services office confirmed that they were indeed offering their students an opportunity to learn a real trade:

To all you knitters, crocheters and other crafty ones out there:

As the weather cools and the snow starts to fly, doesn’t it feel good to have a nice warm, woolly UFO (un-finished object) on your needles?? If you understood that last sentence, and would like to spend an hour with like-minded knit-wits, please [Redacted].

We’ll be knitting, crocheting, or engaging any other textile-related, portable projects together. We hope that it will become a regular standing group, where we can sit, knit, chat, get help, find new patterns, share techniques and ideas, talk about our favorite LYS, and generally “commune with the yarn.” …

We had a great group of around seven people last year, representing the faculty, library, staff, and students. Some were expert knitters, and others were just starting out, so feel free to join us regardless of skill level, or if you’d like to learn…

As always, crocheters, needlepointers, quilters, macrame-ers, etc. are welcome

The rest of the memo, after the jump.


The memo continues:

Bring:

1. A current project to work on
2. Any other “show and tell” that you’d like to share
3. A cup for tea or cocoa–we have a great selection!!
4. Since it’s over the midday hour, feel free to bring your lunch–we won’t mind if you eat in front of us!
5. Just yourself, if you’d like to learn or just watch…

If you can, please reply to me if you think you’ll come, just so we can plan for space, but please feel free to just show up! …

This will be the only global email regarding knitting. Thanks!

Lisa M. Patterson, J.D.

Associate Dean for Career Services

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At least somebody is doing something for their distressed students. Even if you can’t learn enough to keep you warm during a cold night spent loitering outside Buchanan Ingersoll’s satellite office, knitting is universally regarded as a calming and relaxing activity.

I’d take the knitting class. It’s undoubtedly more useful than M&A in this climate.

Update: Here is a letter to the editor from an irate Buffalo Law student:

To channel my Joe Biden, that post about the University at Buffalo was f**king bulls**t. Whether serious or sarcastic, that post was irresponsible journalism. The CSO, mainly Lisa Patterson, at UB has invited people to knit together in the context of a social group. It is in no way a tool for hunting jobs or to learn a new trade. It is not a course either.

It is typical of UB. UB is a school, unlike most others, that takes pride in its collegial atmosphere. I attend UB for this reason (never having to worry about the accuracy of a borrowed outline or class notes) and the low tuition (a mere $14k/yr).

We do better in obtaining BigLaw jobs than most schools in our T2 peer goup. To name a few, we had students last summer at Schulte, Jones Day, Skadden, Wilkie, Fried Frank, White Case, and Ropes Gray. Some of those firms had multiple students. This isn’t taking into account offers at places like Weil that were turned down. This year is no different as those firms have returned to campus and have made offers once again (add S&C). I had callbacks at four V50 firms in this terrible economic downturn, and, yes, I go to UB. Recruiters frequently compliment how not only hardworking UB students are, but also how the best at UB can hang with the best of the Ivies. There’s a great story of a UB student teaching the Bluebook to a Columbia student while summering at a “very prestigious” NYC firm.

Did I mention UB has Buffalo & Rochester on lockdown? Some people may laugh, but some value making 70-100K while barely billing 1800 hours.

You should check facts before making such assertions about our job prospects. Thank you for misinforming the legal community about UB. It reflects well on the quality of our education.

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