Class Action - February '13

James W. Grable Sr. '66 was honored by the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo, for his distinguished legal career comprising 41 years of federal service with the Department of Justice, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Department of Homeland Security. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Joel S. Fass '73 has been inducted into the Litigation Counsel of America. He is a shareholder with Colodny Fass Talenfield Karlinsky Abate & Webb in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Fass practices commercial litigation, personal injury, civil rights and regulatory law. He lives in Weston, Fla.

Thomas A. Palmer '75 will receive the Volunteer Recognition – Western New York Alumni Award from the UB Alumni Association on April 12. Palmer is a partner in the business and corporate practice group of Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in Amherst, N.Y., where he resides. He is a past board member of the UB Alumni Association and a past member of the UB School of Management Dean's Advisory Council.

Gary J. Muldoon '76 co-authored Criminal Law Slanguage of New York, Fifth Edition, a guidebook to understanding criminal jargon used in New York State and federal courts. Muldoon is a partner with Muldoon & Getz in Rochester, N.Y., practicing criminal and civil appeals as well as criminal law, family law and professional liability. He lives in Fairport, N.Y.

Dan D. Kohane '79 received the John E. Leach Memorial Award from the New York State Bar Association Torts Insurance Compensation Law Section. Kohane is a senior partner with Hurwitz & Fine in the Buffalo office and an adjunct faculty member at SUNY Buffalo Law School. He lives in Buffalo.

W. Clark Trow '79 has joined Damon Morey as special counsel in the Buffalo office, practicing in the real estate and banking departments. Trow lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Arthur A. Marrapese III '81 has been appointed practice group leader of the employee benefits practice group of Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office. He counsels clients on risk management and administrative matters, and assists in the design and documentation of employee benefit plans. Marrapese lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Lawrence R. Bayerl '83 has been promoted to vice president of human resources and general counsel at The Buffalo News. He previously served as director of human resources and legal counsel. Bayerl lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Jeffrey S. Eisenberg '83 has opened a firm in East Meadow, N.Y. He will handle cases defending homeowners regarding residential foreclosure sales and negotiating loan modifications. Eisenberg will also maintain a general practice, counseling clients regarding real estate, commercial litigation, employment discrimination and business transactions. He lives in Northport, N.Y.

Laurie Marlan Rose '83 was appointed Lake Forest Board of Education liaison to the North Shore Special Education District Governing Committee in Lake Forest, Ill. She is founder of Visionaire in Lake Forest, where she resides.

Andrew M. Thaler '83 has been named to New York Super Lawyers Metro Edition 2012. Thaler is founding partner of Thaler Gertler in East Meadow, N.Y., focusing on bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation, mediation and real estate. He lives in Garden City, N.Y.

Hon. Gerald J. Whalen '83 received the 2012 Trial Justice of the Year Award from the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Western New York Regional Affiliate. Whalen was recently appointed a Supreme Court justice, Appellate Division, 4th Judicial Department, in Rochester, N.Y. He previously served as a state Supreme Court justice, 8th Judicial District, in Buffalo. He lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Cindy Niad Hannah '84 has been named to the board of trustees of the Jewish Adoption & Foster Care Options Respite Center for Developmental Disabilities in Sunrise, Fla. Hannah is president and CEO of ATD Mediation & Arbitration in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She was named by the South Florida Daily Business Review as "Best of 2012" in the individual mediator category, and ATD Mediation & Arbitration was named best in the alternative dispute resolution company category. Hannah lives in Parkland, Fla.

Edward J. Murphy III '84 has become a partner with Magavern Magavern Grimm in Buffalo. He specializes in personal injury, business litigation, commercial and residential real estate and litigation. Murphy is also village attorney in Farnham, N.Y., and Hamburg, N.Y., where he resides.

Cheryl Dinolfo '86 was elected first vice president of the New York State Association of County Clerks. Dinolfo is Monroe County clerk in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides.

Victor R. Siclari '86 has become chair of the Asset Management Group of the Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association. He is senior managing counsel and managing director of the Bank of New York Mellon in Pittsburgh, where he resides.

David P. Flynn '87 , a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office, was appointed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the Buffalo Regional Board of Review. The board oversees administration of the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code for the state Department of State. Flynn is a past member of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association board of directors. He lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

John P. Englert '93 has become a partner with Saul Ewing in the Pittsburgh office. Englert handles cases regarding energy, environmental, and safety and health matters for commercial and industrial clients. He is a Pittsburgh resident.

William K. Kennedy '93 has become a partner with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo, practicing insurance defense litigation. Kennedy lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Jennifer T. Lockemeyer '96 joined Sutherland Global Services as director and counsel for corporate matters in Rochester, N.Y. She handles legal issues relating to the corporation, subsidiaries and board of directors. Lockemeyer lives in Rochester.

Lisa D. Primerano '98 was named special counsel with Magavern Magavern Grimm in Buffalo. She practices intellectual property, corporate law and commercial transactions. Primerano is a Buffalo resident.

Michael P. Leone '00 of Rochester, N.Y., has been appointed director of human resources with the Pittsford Central School District in Pittsford, N.Y. Leone previously served as labor relations coordinator at the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership in Le Roy, N.Y.

Leslie E. Swift '00 has been appointed confidential law clerk to Hon. J. Scott Odorisi, New York State Supreme Court justice, 7th Judicial District, in Rochester, N.Y. Swift is a Rochester resident.

Amy L. Hemenway '01 has been elected a partner with Harter Secrest & Emery in the Buffalo office. She focuses her practice in federal and state court litigation as well as administrative proceedings involving labor and employment matters. Hemenway lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Erin C. Duggan Pemberton '01 has been promoted to partner with Wolfe Snowden Hurd Luers & Ahl in Lincoln, Neb. She practices insurance and malpractice defense litigation, professional licensure complaint defense and personal injury litigation. Pemberton is a resident of Lincoln.

Rebecca L. Dalpe '02 of Nahant, Mass., has become a partner with Foster & Eldridge in Cambridge, Mass. Dalpe handles cases involving medical malpractice defense, health care law, representation of medical professionals before regulatory boards, agencies and committees, premises liability, commercial liability, general liability, and civil and commercial litigation.

Patrick G. Radel '02 has been elected president of the Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association. Radel is a partner with Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore in Utica, N.Y. He focuses his practice in creditors' rights and bankruptcy litigation. Radel lives in Hartford, N.Y.

Eric S. Reich '02 will receive the George W. Thorn Award from the UB Alumni Association on April 12. The award is given to a UB graduate under 40 in recognition of his or her outstanding national or international contributions to his or her career field or academic area. Reich is president and co-founder of Campus Labs in Buffalo.

Charles D.J. Case '03 has been promoted to partner with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo. Case, who concentrates his practice in commercial litigation, lives in Buffalo.

Bernadette M. Hoppe '03 , a Buffalo solo practitioner, has been named a representative from the Western New York chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York to the board of Neighborhood Legal Services in Buffalo. Hoppe, who practices family law, lives in Buffalo.

Thomas M. Krol '03 has been appointed executive vice president of Samco Technologies in Buffalo. He previously practiced with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo. Krol lives in Lake View, N.Y.

Jamie M. Smith '03 has been promoted to partner with Pfalzgraf Beinhauer & Menzies in Buffalo, practicing elder law estate planning. She resides in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Divitta M. Alexander '04 has joined Cannon Heyman & Weiss in Buffalo, practicing affordable housing and community development law. She lives in Buffalo.

Jessica S. Bilkey '04 has been elected partner with Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office. Bilkey counsels clients regarding international and business tax matters. She is a member of the firm's federal/international tax practice group and the Canada/U.S. cross-border practice group. Bilkey lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Bethany J. Trachtenberg '04 has been promoted to partner with Hodgson Russ in the New York City office. Trachtenberg is a member of the firm's health law practice group, practicing health law, corporate compliance, life sciences and FDA law. A former member of the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group, she lives in New York City.

Ericka N. Bennett '05 has been elected vice president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York in Buffalo, where she resides.

Anne E. Joynt '05 was named a member of the steering committee of the Women's TAP Fund in Buffalo, a political action committee that helps elect pro-choice women to public office. She practices with Lipsitz & Ponterio in Buffalo, concentrating her practice in childhood lead paint litigation and personal injury. Joynt is a state director of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, Western New York Chapter, and immediate past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law School GOLD Group. She lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Francis R. Vavonese '05 has been promoted to partner with Pfalzgraf Beinhauer & Menzies in Buffalo. He specializes in skilled nursing home Medicaid asset preservation planning, estate planning and Article 81 guardianship matters. Vavonese is a resident of Orchard Park, N.Y.

Meghan M. Brown '06 has become an associate with Goldberg Segalla in the Buffalo office. Brown handles cases involving general liability, including personal injury, medical malpractice and nursing home defense. She is a Buffalo resident.

Nancy A. Long '06 has been promoted to partner with Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak in Buffalo. Long practices self-insured and insurance defense litigation. She resides in Kenmore, N.Y.

Katherine M. Gavagan '07 has accepted a position as an associate with Modica & Associates, Attorneys, in Rochester, N.Y. She counsels clients regarding labor and employment, disability benefit, workers' compensation, workplace accident and personal injury cases. Gavagan lives in Pittsford, N.Y.

Jonathan H. Bard '08 has become associated with Hiscock & Barclay in the Buffalo office. He specializes in torts and products liability defense as well as insurance coverage and professional liability. Bard lives in Buffalo.

Stephanie J. Calhoun '08 has been elected president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. She is assistant attorney general with the New York State Attorney General's Office in Buffalo and is a board member of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group.

Tina Meyers '08 received the 2013 Distinguished Environmental Advocates Award from the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. She was recognized for her work to improve the ecological health of Baltimore's busy watershed. Meyers is an environmental attorney with Blue Water Baltimore and lives in Baltimore.

Christopher N. Ollinick '08 was elected vice president of the Elmwood Village Association in Buffalo. He is an associate with Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in the Buffalo office, practicing in the tax, economic and land development, and affordable housing practice groups. Ollinick lives in Buffalo.

Andres D. Ortiz '08 is practicing with Cohen & Lombardo in Buffalo. Ortiz handles cases involving real estate, corporate law, estates and trusts, civil litigation and debtor/creditor law. He is a Buffalo resident.

Gary A. Wilson '08 has been elected treasurer of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. Wilson is assistant legal counsel with the Buffalo City School District and lives in Buffalo.

Darice L. Hickey '09 has become an associate with Magavern Magavern Grimm in Buffalo, practicing estate planning, estate and trust administration and tax planning. Hickey lives in Snyder, N.Y.

Gary M. Phillips '09 is practicing as an associate with Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo. Phillips counsels clients regarding business and commercial litigation. He is a Buffalo resident.

Thomas J. Lang '10 has become associated with Magavern Magavern Grimm in Buffalo. Lang practices litigation, elder law, estates and trusts, and appellate practice. He is a Buffalo resident.

Leah Costanzo '11 has joined Chelus Herdzik Speyer & Monte as an associate in the Buffalo and Cheektowaga, N.Y., offices. She will handle cases involving litigation and general practice matters. Costanzo is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Allison E. Ogorek '11 has accepted a position as an associate with HoganWillig in Amherst, N.Y., where she resides. She will practice civil litigation and corporate and business law.

Michael T. Logan '12 is practicing as an associate with Hodgson Russ in the Albany, N.Y., office, in the real estate and finance practice group. Logan counsels clients regarding municipal law, public authority and project finance. He lives in Niskayuna, N.Y.