Class Action - April '12

John F. Canale '47 was named to a group of Best Lawyers honorees listed in the February 2012 issue of Buffalo Spree. Canale is special counsel in Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo, practicing bodily injury litigation. He is a resident of Eggertsville, N.Y.

Richard F. Griffin '57 became a charter member of the New York Academy of Mediators and Arbitrators. He is of counsel with Kavinoky Cook in Buffalo, where he resides. Griffin is a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Mark H. Tiernan '72 has become of counsel with Woods Oviatt Gilman in the Rochester, N.Y., office, practicing in the family wealth and estate planning department. Tiernan lives in Rochester.

Hon. Rose H. Sconiers '73 will be the keynote speaker at SUNY Buffalo Law School's Students of Color Dinner on April 19. Sconiers is an associate justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Buffalo. She is a past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, a past recipient of the association's Distinguished Alumna Award and an emeritus member of the Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. Sconiers lives in Buffalo.

Christopher J. Belling '74 received the Morgenthau Award from the District Attorneys Association of New York. Belling is an assistant district attorney in the Erie County District Attorney's Office in Buffalo, where he resides.

Edward D. Manzo '75 received the Linn Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Medal from the American Inns of Court at the annual Judges Dinner of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association. Manzo, a partner in the Chicago office of Husch Blackwell, previously co-founded Cook Alex in Chicago. He lives in Lake Forest, Ill.

Hon. Cynthia M. Rufe '77 will be honored with the Distinguished Alumna Award for the judiciary by the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association at its 50th annual dinner on May 3. Rufe is a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

David E. Franasiak '78 of Annapolis, Md., is being honored at the 23rd annual Buffalo Law Review Dinner on April 17. Franasiak is a principal with Williams & Jensen in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's leading independently owned government affairs law firms. He is a past member of SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council and has volunteered his time and resources to the Law School's New York City Program in Finance and Law.

Hon. Janice A. Taylor '78 was named an Unsung Heroine by New York City Councilman Leroy Comrie in recognition of Women's History Month. She was honored for being the first African-American New York State Supreme Court justice, 11th Judicial District, in Jamaica, N.Y., where she resides.

Maryann Foley '79 was elected chair of the American Bar Association's Family Law Section. She also serves as the Alaska state delegate in the ABA's House of Delegates. Foley is a solo practitioner in Anchorage, where she resides.

James E. Morris '79 has been elected president of the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association for 2013. Morris, a Buffalo solo practitioner, lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Jean C. Powers '79 is being honored at the 23rd annual Buffalo Law Review Dinner on April 17. Powers is a partner in the Amherst, N.Y., office of Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, practicing in the real estate group. She is a member emerita of the Dean's Advisory Council, a former recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumna Award, and a past president of the alumni association. She lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Barry Ginsberg '80 was appointed deputy commissioner and chief risk officer of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, in Albany. He previously was executive director and general counsel of the state Commission on Public Integrity. He lives in Albany.

Mark K. Suzumoto '82 will be honored at the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's 50th Annual Dinner on May 3 with the Distinguished Alumnus Award for private practice. He is a partner in Van Etten Suzumoto & Sipprelle in Los Angeles, and a member of the Dean's Advisory Council. Suzumoto lives in Westlake Village, Calif.

Dr. Murray Levine '83 received the Blance F. Ittleson Award from the American Orthopsychiatric Association. He was honored for his work in promoting child mental health. Levine, a Buffalo resident, is a UB Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Psychology.

Gary P. Bluestein '84 of East Amherst, N.Y., has become a partner with Andreozzi Bluestein Fickess Muhlbauer Weber Brown in the Williamsville, N.Y., office. Bluestein was previously a partner in Bluestein & Muhlbauer, also in Williamsville.

Daniel D. Brownell '84 has been appointed deputy chief of the Investigation Division and chief of the Rackets Bureau in the New York County District Attorney's Office in New York City. Brownell previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York in New York City, where he resides.

William J. Hochul Jr. '84 will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award for public service from the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association at its 50th Annual Dinner on May 3. Hochul, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, in Buffalo, lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Jill M. Bond '85 will be honored by the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association with the Distinguished Alumna Award for business at its 50th Annual Dinner on May 3. She is senior vice president and general counsel of Rich Products Corp. in Buffalo, and a former member of the Dean's Advisory Council. Bond lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Alan L. Ross '85 has been appointed deputy clerk of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, in Rochester. Prior to the appointment, Ross served as a principal court attorney overseeing family court matters. He lives in Honeoye Falls, N.Y.

Randall P. Andreozzi '87 has become a partner in Andreozzi Bluestein Fickess Muhlbauer Weber Brown in the Clarence, N.Y., office. Previously a partner in Andreozzi Fickess in Clarence, he lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Dorothy H. Ferguson '87 of Rochester, N.Y., authored Flying Solo: A Guide to Women Lawyers Wanting to Cut Loose. The book tracks her journey from a partner in a large law firm to successful solo practitioner. Her firm, D.H. Ferguson, Attorney, is in Pittsford, N.Y.

Bruce T. Frankiewich '88 has joined Phillips Lytle as a partner in the Rochester, N.Y., office, practicing telecommunications law. His practice involves drafting and reviewing contracts, franchise and ROW agreements, pole attachment and conduit purchase agreements, IRUs and leases with carriers, wireless co-location agreements, vendor agreements and consulting agreements, and transactional work. He lives in Rochester.

Fredric B. Goodman '88 is a senior partner with Marin Goodman, which recently moved from Wall Street to Harrison, N.Y. He handles litigation cases involving asbestos, commercial, corporate and insurance as well as feature film transactions. Goodman lives in Syosset, N.Y.

Nancy Steiger Goodman '88 is in-house counsel for State Farm in the law and motions department in Jericho, N.Y., focusing on appeals, coverage issues and motion practice. She lives in Syosset, N.Y.

Thomas F. Knab '88 has been named partner in charge in the Buffalo office of Underberg & Kessler. Knab practices in the firm's litigation and labor and employment practice groups. A past member of the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group, he lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Vincent E. Doyle III '89 will receive the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award for community service at its 50th Annual Dinner on May 3. Doyle is a partner in Connors & Vilardo in Buffalo. A past member of the board of directors of the alumni association, he is president of the New York State Bar Association. He lives in Elma, N.Y.

Bradley M. Gayton '91 has been elected corporate secretary of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. He will also continue as assistant general counsel. Gayton lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Deborah Weber Muhlbauer '91 has become a partner in Andreozzi Bluestein Fickess Muhlbauer Weber Brown in the Williamsville, N.Y. office. She was previously a partner in Bluestein & Muhlbauer, also in Williamsville.

Kevin J. Miller '92 has joined HoganWillig as special counsel in Amherst, N.Y. Miller practices estate planning and asset protection, probate and estate and trust administration, elder law and Medicaid planning, corporate and business law, and tax planning. He lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Margaret L. Phillips '92 has become director of paralegal studies at Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y. Phillips was previously an assistant professor of legal skills at SUNY Buffalo Law School. She is a Buffalo resident.

Kelly E. Coughlin '93 has joined The Housh Law Offices in Buffalo. She handles cases involving property, wills and estates. Coughlin lives in Buffalo.

Kevin E. Raphael '94 was a presenter at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's 18th annual Health Law Institute in Philadelphia, where he resides. He is a partner in Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti in Philadelphia and co-chair of the firm's health care litigation practice group.

Brette Sember '94 has authored her second cookbook, The Muffin Tin Cookbook, which contains 200 recipes for creative dishes made in muffin tins. Sember is a retired attorney and freelance writer residing in Clarence, N.Y.

Sada Manickam '96 will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award at SUNY Buffalo Law School's Students of Color Dinner on April 19. Manickam is senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. He lives in Arlington, Va.

Heather N. Okoro '96 of Snyder, N.Y., was appointed executive director of the Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Investment Board by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. Okoro previously served as an outside human resources manager for UB Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine through HR Works of Fairport, N.Y.

Holly A. Beecher '97 was appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western New York, in Buffalo. Beecher is a partner in Phillips Lytle, practicing estate and trust planning and administration. She is a Buffalo resident.

Allison J. Tam '97 of Pelham, N.Y., has joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a partner in the New York City office. She focuses her practice on insurance regulatory and corporate transactional matters. Tam previously practiced with Dewey & LeBoeuf in New York City.

Jonathan S. Beane '98 will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award at SUNY Buffalo Law School's Students of Color Dinner on April 19. Beane is executive director of diversity and multicultural initiatives at Time Warner in New York City, where he resides.

John J. Koeppel '98 is included in the 2012 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the categories of investment funds, private equity and fund formation. He is chair of Nixon Peabody's investment funds practice and a partner in the firm's Buffalo and New York City offices. Koeppel lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Heath J. Szymczak '98 has been named to the board of directors of the Mid-Day Club in Buffalo. Szymczak is a partner in the Buffalo firm Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, handling cases involving business-related torts, complex commercial litigation and civil litigation. He is a resident of Java Center, N.Y.

Sharon Prise Azurin '99 has become a partner in Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office. She concentrates her practice in corporate, commercial and health law. Azurin lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Stephanie A. Saunders '00 will receive the Trailblazer Award at SUNY Buffalo Law School's Students of Color Dinner on April 19. Saunders is director of medical affairs for Kaleida Health in Buffalo and a past member of the board of directors of the Law School's GOLD Group. She is a Buffalo resident.

Audrey A. Seeley '01 served as co-vice chair of the Defense Research Institute Insurance Law Committee's Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium in New York City. Seeley is a member of Hurwitz & Fine in the Buffalo office. She specializes in insurance coverage, no-fault coverage, municipal and environmental counseling, and governmental liability, and lives in West Valley, N.Y.

Nadine C. Bell '02 has been promoted to partner with Costello Cooney & Fearon in Syracuse, N.Y. She is a member of the municipal law practice group, concentrating on municipal law, land use and zoning with emphasis in regulatory interpretation and compliance, legislation and environmental law. Bell is a resident of Canastota, N.Y.

Melanie M. Wojcik '02 has been promoted to partner in Hamberger & Weiss in the Buffalo office. Wojcik, who practices workers' compensation law, lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Alison J. Rich '03 of Rochester, N.Y., has been promoted to partner in Evans & Fox in Rochester. She practices commercial and residential real estate, business financing, corporate and business law, contracts, wills and estate planning, and probate and estate administration.

Kenneth R. Kraus '05 has been promoted to partner in Evans & Fox in Rochester, N.Y. Kraus practices in the areas of wills, trusts and estate planning, probate and estate administration, preparation of fiduciary, gift and estate tax returns, long-term care, Medicaid planning, Surrogate's Court litigation and residential real estate. He lives in Rochester.

Kimberly A. Colaiacovo '06 has joined Hiscock & Barclay as an associate in the Buffalo office, practicing commercial litigation. She previously practiced with Harris Beach in Buffalo. Colaiacovo lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Erica M. DiRenzo '07 has joined Trevett Cristo Salzer & Andolina as an associate in Rochester, N.Y. She practices insurance, professional malpractice and commercial litigation. DiRenzo is a Rochester resident.

Michael L. Nisengard '07 has joined Harter Secrest & Emery as an associate in the Buffalo office. Nisengard, a member of the real estate practice group, lives in Buffalo.

Danielle E. Drayer '08 is practicing as an associate with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna in Albany, N.Y. She is a member of the health care practice group. She previously served as associate counsel and director of managed care at the Healthcare Association of New York State, in Rensselaer.

Matthew S. Feldman '08 has been elected to the board of directors of Niagara Falls Medical Center, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Feldman is an associate with Feldman Kieffer in the Buffalo office. He counsels clients regarding corporate formations and transactions, foreclosure settlements, professional liability matters, personal and corporate tax matters, renewable energy, contracts, negotiations, debtor/creditor issues, international, and labor and employment law. Feldman lives in Lewiston, N.Y.

Daniel F. Dovi '09 has joined Hodgson Russ as an associate in the Buffalo office. He practices intellectual property law, focusing on trademark, franchise and IP transactions law. Dovi previously practiced with Nixon Peabody in the Rochester, N.Y., office.

Cory J. Weber '10 has become associated with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo, where he resides. He is a member of the firm's insurance coverage and defense litigation practice group.

Ashley M. Arcangeli '11 has become an associate with Damon Morey in the Buffalo office, practicing health law. She lives in Buffalo.

Robert C. Carbone '11 is practicing as an associate with Damon Morey in the Buffalo office. He practices business litigation and insolvency. Carbone lives in Buffalo.

Jessica M. DeMichiel '11 is an associate with Damon Morey in the Buffalo office. DeMichiel practices litigation, concentrating her practice in medical malpractice, nursing home litigation and general negligence litigation. She lives in Buffalo.

Anant Kishore '11 has joined Harter Secrest & Emery as an associate in the Rochester, N.Y., office. He handles commercial and civil litigation matters and is a Rochester resident.

Daniel K. Mannion '11 is an associate in Hancock Estabrook in Syracuse, N.Y., where he resides. He counsels clients on corporate and health care matters including business formation, health care regulatory compliance, contract negotiation and drafting.

Lindsay M. McKenna '11 has joined Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel as an associate in the Buffalo office. She practices in the estates and trusts practice group. McKenna lives in Clarence, N.Y.

Erinn K. Prestidge '11 is an associate with Davidson Fink in Rochester, N.Y., practicing in the creditors' rights/default department. Prestidge lives in Rochester.

Katie L. Renda '11 has become an associate with Chelus Herdzik Speyer & Monte. She will practice litigation in the firm's Buffalo and Cheektowaga, N.Y., offices. Renda is a Buffalo resident.

Helen K. Root '11 has joined Nixon Peabody in the Rochester, N.Y., office as an associate. Root, who practices labor and employment law, lives in Rochester.

Scott H. Silverberg '11 is an associate with Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in the Buffalo office. Silverberg handles cases involving labor and employment matters. He lives in Buffalo.

Clayton D. Waterman '11 is practicing as an associate with Goldberg Segalla in the Buffalo office in the global insurance services practice group. Waterman focuses his practice on insurance coverage analysis and reinsurance. He lives in Buffalo.

Zachary J. Woods '11 has joined Lipsitz & Ponterio as an associate in Buffalo. He focuses his practice in childhood lead poisoning litigation. Woods resides in Cheektowaga, N.Y.