Law School
Saturday, May 19
3 p.m., Center for the Arts
Graduation Ceremonies
Remember: All undergraduate students, and certain graduate students, must apply for their degree via the HUB Student Center before February 15, 2012. Exceptions: Law, Medical (MD), and Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) students do not need to fill out the Graduate School's degree forms. However, Law students graduating with dual degrees (e.g. MBA, MSW), or MD students graduating with dual degrees (e.g. MBA, MPH) need to apply for these graduate degrees via the HUB Student Center. Please check with your other department or school. Visit the registrar's site 
for more information
Eligibility
The 2012 Law School Commencement Ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 19, 2012 in the Center for the Arts. The ceremony will begin promptly at 3 p.m. in the Mainstage Theater. A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony in the Atrium. Graduating students will need to arrive in the student robing area at 2 p.m. Signs will be posted directing you to this area.
Students are eligible if they complete the requirements for the J.D. (Juris Doctor) or L.L.M. (Master of Laws) degree and have diploma conferral dates of February 1, 2012, June 1, 2012 or September 1, 2012. Students who completed degree cards are eligible unless they are notified otherwise by the Law School Records & Registration office.
Law students graduating with dual degrees (e.g. MBA, MSW), may need to complete and file an Application for Degree Form before February 1, 2012. Please check with your other department or school. Visit registrar.buffalo.edu/degrees/degreeconferral.php
for more information.
Contact Information
Melinda R. Saran, (716) 645-6223 saran@buffalo.edu
Registration
Students do not need to register to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. If you do not intend to participate, we do appreciate you notifying the Law School's Office of Student Services, 314 O'Brian Hall.
FAQs
How long is the ceremony? Approximately two and a half hours.
How many tickets am I allowed? Seven Tickets – open seating. SEATING BEGINS AT 2:20 p.m.
What if I need more than seven tickets? Due to the number of graduating students and the capacity limitations in the Mainstage Theater, seven tickets is the maximum per student. Students may ask their peers for extra tickets.
When and where do I get my tickets? Tickets will be made available to graduating students in April. Graduating students will receive specific information (in mid-March) on when they can pick up tickets from the Office of Student Services, 314 O’Brian Hall. Picture identification will be required.
Is the Center for the Arts and Mainstage Theater accessible for persons with disabilities and is special seating for persons with disabilities provided? Yes, it is. There will be many ushers on site to help facilitate seating in the special reserved handicapped seating sections for persons with disabilities who require accessible seating. Important Note: Due to limited seating, only one family member is allowed to sit with the person requiring seating due to a disability. The rest of the family will be asked to take seats in the regular seating sections. For more information on accommodations for guests with disabilities, refer to the "Guests with Disabilities" page.
Do we need to make prior requests for special seating? No, once you arrive on site, ask any of the ushers to assist you in being seated.
May guests of graduates who have small children attending bring a baby stroller?
- Guests with small children may bring a baby stroller into the Center for the Arts, however strollers are not allowed in the seats or aisles of the theater due to the hazards they create in the event of an emergency. Strollers may be left in the entrance of the theater at your own risk; ushers inside the theater can direct you to appropriate parking areas for strollers.
- Please note that guests with children who are talking, crying or moving around in a manner that is distracting to other guests or the ceremony may be asked to step outside of the theater.
Where do my guests park? Baird, Jacobs & Slee Lots on Augspurger Road. Signs will be posted and aides will direct traffic (including parking for individuals with disability parking permits).
Are individual names announced? Yes.
Where do I first report and when? Graduating students must report to the Drama Theater by 2 p.m. Further instructions will be given at that time.
Will students receive further instructions? Instructions will be e-mailed in late April or early May 2012.
How do I order a cap and gown? Through the University Bookstore, located on the North Campus, between January 18 and February 24, 2012. A late charge will apply to all orders placed after Feb. 24. For out-of-town orders, call (716) 636-6290 (ext. 19 or 25). Law students must provide head measurement for phone orders. Credit Cards are accepted. See Cap & Gown information section. Dual degree students graduating from both departments should rent the Law Student attire and the hood from the other department.
What do I do if I am a dual or collaborative degree student graduating with both degrees? You must contact your other Department or School to insure that you meet their requirements for degree conferral. The Graduate School deadline for filing is June 1, degree conferral is February 1. You may wear your Juris Doctor robe and tam with the other degree hood for their ceremony (see cap and gown information, above).
I will not complete my degree in May. May I still march in the ceremony? Only if you will graduate September 1, 2012. Your name will be announced, and may be printed in the program under September 1, 2012 graduates. February 1, 2012 graduating seniors are also invited to march in the ceremony.
When will I receive my diploma? We will e-mail graduating students when diplomas are available, usually mid-July for June 1, 2012 degree conferral. Graduates may pick up their diplomas at the Law School Records & Registration or you may call (716) 645-2060 to arrange to have your diploma mailed.
Will there be a professional photographer at the Law School Commencement? Yes. Proofs will be mailed to each student after commencement. Family members wishing to take photographs may NOT stand in the aisle before their graduate is on the steps leading to the podium. Family photographers may not clog the aisle and prevent hooded students from returning to their seats. Ushers will clear the aisle if this occurs.