Class Action - June '14

Michael R. Wolford ’68 received the Humanitarian Award from the Monroe County Bar Foundation in Rochester, N.Y. He is managing partner with The Wolford Law Firm in Rochester. Wolford is an emeritus member of the Law School’s Dean’s Advisory Council and a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for Community Service. He lives in Victor, N.Y.

James A. Ullman ’71 has been named in the 2014 Southwest Super Lawyers. He is a partner with Quarles & Brady in the Phoenix office, practicing franchise law. Ullman is a resident of Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Charles G. Humphrey ’75 wrote the book A Guide to ERISA Fiduciary Responsibilities. Humphrey is employee benefits and ERISA counsel with Fiduciary Plan Governance of Newbury, Mass. He lives in Lawrence, Mass.

William F. Savino ’75 co-presented the Lorman Education Services Seminar “AIA Contracts” on May 2 at the Holiday Inn Buffalo. He also served as a panelist at the 11^th annual Western New York Bankruptcy Conference hosted by the Monroe County Bar Center for Education and the Erie Institute of Law in Batavia, N.Y. Savino is a senior partner and chairman of the business litigation and insolvency department in the Buffalo office of Damon Morey. He is the 2014 recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for business. Savino is a bridge course lecturer at the Law School, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and a past president of the Law Alumni Association. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Diane F. Bosse ’76 received the 2014 Lawyer of the Year award from the Bar Association of Erie County in Buffalo. Bosse is of counsel with Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo. She is a past recipient of the Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumna Award and an emeritus member of the Dean's Advisory Council. Bosse lives in Clarence, N.Y.

Harry F. Klodowski ’79 was nominated to run for president of the Air & Waste Management Association in Pittsburgh. Klodowski is a partner with Hull & Klodowski in Wexford, Pa., practicing environmental law. He lives in Valencia, Pa.

Gary A. DeWaal ’80 of Brooklyn, N.Y., has joined Katten Muchin Rosenman as special counsel in the New York City office. DeWaal is president of Gary DeWaal and Associates in New York City. He is a member of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

Hon. Barbara Howe ’80 received the Joan L. Ellenbogen Founder’s Award from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. Howe is Erie County surrogate judge in Buffalo, where she resides. She is a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumna Award, a past president of the Law Alumni Association and an adjunct faculty member at the Law School.

Oliver C. Young ’80 received the Charles H. Dougherty Award from the Bar Association of Erie County in Buffalo. Young is principal court attorney and marital referee with the New York State Supreme Court, 8th Judicial District, in Buffalo. He is a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Young lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Joseph A. DeMaria ’82 has become a partner with Fox Rothschild in the Miami office. He counsels clients regarding business litigation, white-collar criminal defense and construction litigation. DeMaria was previously a partner with Tew Cardenas in Miami, where he resides.

Laurie Styka Bloom ’83 was elected president of the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo. She is counsel with Nixon Peabody in the Buffalo office and a member of the firm’s products class action, trade and industry representation practice area. Bloom, a past president of the Law Alumni association, lives in Buffalo.

Hon. Tracey Bannister ’84 was elected vice president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Bannister is a New York State Supreme Court justice, 8th Judicial District, in Buffalo. She lives in Kenmore, N.Y.

Susan Dworski Nusbaum ’84 published her first full-length collection of poems, What We Take With Us (Coffeetown Press). A frequent participant in the Chautauqua Institution Writers’ Festival and Chautauqua Writers’ Center poetry workshops, she lives in Buffalo. She is retired from the Erie County district attorney’s office in Buffalo.

Gayle L. Eagan ’85 received the Father Medaille Award for service and citizenship from Medaille College in Buffalo. She is a partner with Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in the Buffalo office, a past vice president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association and a past recipient of the association’s Distinguished Alumna Award. Eagan is a Buffalo resident.

Brian V. McAvoy ’85 has been named a Florida Super Lawyer for 2014. He is a partner with Roetzel & Andress in the Naples, Fla., office. He counsels clients regarding estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate litigation, and general business and real estate law. McAvoy lives in Naples.

Michael I. Serotte ’85 was interviewed by Palo Alto Weekly in the article “Would-Be Entrepreneurs Turn to Lawyers for Help”. The article discusses the concerns of immigrant entrepreneurs who encounter U.S. immigration laws when trying to stay in the United States to start a business. Serotte is a senior partner with the Serotte Law Firm in Buffalo, practicing immigration law. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Barbara Johnson-Lee ’86 was featured in the Jamaica Observer for her candidacy for Buffalo City Court judge. Johnson-Lee, a Jamaican native, is an attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo. She is a Buffalo resident.

Jeffrey H. Katz ’86 was elected president of the Williamsville Education Foundation in East Amherst, N.Y. Katz is a partner with Katz & Baehre in Williamsville, N.Y., where he resides. He concentrates his practice in estate planning, estate tax planning, elder law and living trusts.

Patricia E. Erickson ’89 was appointed interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences of Canisius College in Buffalo. She previously served as chair of sociology, anthropology and criminal justice at the college. Erickson lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Robert P. Heary ’91 was elected president-elect of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He is a partner with Hiscock & Barclay in the Buffalo office, handling cases involving labor and employment law. Heary is a resident of Lancaster, N.Y.

Suzanne E. Tomkins ’92 received the Sr. Karen Klimczak SSJ Peace & Justice Award from the Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence, in Buffalo. Tomkins is a clinical professor, co-director of the Program for Excellence in Family Law and co-founder of the Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic (formerly the Family Violence Clinic) at SUNY Buffalo Law School. She lives on Grand Island.

Scott C. Becker ’93 was elected vice president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He is a partner with Kavinoky Cook in Buffalo, practicing property tax assessment litigation as well as wills, trusts and estate planning. Becker lives in Buffalo.

Steven B. Levitsky ’93 received the James R. Boyle Award from the Legal Aid Society of Rochester. Levitsky is a partner with Handelman Witkowicz & Levitsky in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides.

Marianne Mariano ’94 received the Award of Merit from the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo. She is a federal public defender with the Federal Public Defender's Office, Western District of New York, in Buffalo, where she resides.

Amy Habib Rittling ’95 received the Top Women in Law Award from The Daily Record. She is a partner with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo and a past member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Rittling lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Hon. Stephen T. Miller ’96 received the 2014 Bridge Builder Award from the Rochester Black Bar Association in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides. Miller is a Rochester City Court judge.

Karen Bailey Turner ’96 received the Top Women in Law Award from The Daily Record.  Turner is an associate with Brown & Hutchinson, practicing criminal law, civil litigation, prisoners’ rights and constitutional law in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides.

Pauline C. Will ’96 was elected to the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Will is a partner with Bennett Schechter Arcuri & Will in Buffalo. She counsels clients regarding complex tort litigation, trucking and transportation law, product liability, insurance defense litigation and insurance coverage law. Will is a resident of Lancaster, N.Y.

Jason A. Botticelli ’97 has become associated with Goldberg Segalla in the Buffalo office. He is a member of the firm’s product liability and toxic torts practice groups. Botticelli lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Hon. Lenora B. Foote-Beavers ’97 was elected president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. She is Erie County Family Court support magistrate in Buffalo. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Canisius College and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State. She resides in Buffalo.

David R. Pfalzgraf Jr. ’97, a founding partner with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo, was elected managing partner. He was also appointed to the board of directors of Evans Bancorp in Hamburg, N.Y. Pfalzgraf is a past member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He lives in Buffalo.

Marla J. Pilaroscia ’97 received the William E. McKnight Volunteer Service Award from the Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County in Rochester, N.Y., and the Hanna S. Cohn Pro Bono Award from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, for her volunteer legal service. Pilaroscia is a solo practitioner in Rochester, where she resides.

Brian D. Gwitt ’98 was elected assistant treasurer of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Gwitt is a senior partner with Damon Morey, practicing in the business litigation and insolvency department in Buffalo. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Kimberly W. Sayoc ’98 was promoted to senior associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo, practicing commercial real estate. She lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Elaine M. Spaull ’98 of Rochester, N.Y., was appointed to the Commission on Youth, Public Safety & Justice by New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Spaull is executive director of the Center for Youth in Rochester and a city councilwoman.

Maritza Buitrago ’99 received the Unsung Legal Heroes Award from The Daily Record. She is assistant public defender with the Monroe County public defender’s office in Rochester, N.Y. Buitrago lives in Penfield, N.Y.

Jeffrey F. Reina ’99 was elected assistant secretary of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Reina is a senior partner with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria in the business and commercial litigation department in Buffalo. He lives in North Tonawanda, N.Y.

Tiffany R. Perry ’00 of Buffalo was elected a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. She is an attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo.

Amy L. Hemenway ’01 was elected to the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Hemenway is 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.

Pietra G. Lettieri ’01 was elected treasurer of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Lettieri is a partner with Harris Beach in the public finance and economic development and tax law practice groups and serves on the energy and telecommunications and media industry teams in Buffalo, where she resides. She is a past president of the Law School's GOLD Group.

Phillip L. Dabney Jr. ’02 accepted the endorsement of the Working Families Party of Western New York for Buffalo City Court judge on May 31 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, N.Y. Dabney is a Buffalo solo practitioner, practicing criminal and civil litigation. He previously served as a felony prosecutor in Niagara County and as an administrative law judge for the New York State Liquor Authority. Dabney is a Buffalo resident.

Jaime C. Gallagher ’02 was elected a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. She is associate counsel with the New York State Liquor Authority in Buffalo. Gallagher lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Jeena Cho ’03 writes a monthly column for Ms. JD., a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the success of aspiring and early-career women lawyers. She discussed attending the Law School in her article “Sex & Money: Going Back to School From Full Time Employment”. Cho, a bankruptcy attorney with JC Law Group in San Francisco, resides in San Mateo, Calif.

Bernadette M. Hoppe ’03 received the 2013 Distinguished Service Award for her work in Family Court from the Assigned Counsel Program in Buffalo. Hoppe is a Buffalo solo practitioner, practicing family law. She is a Buffalo resident.

Amy Herstek ’04 was elected secretary of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. She is deputy general counsel with PCB Piezotronics in Depew, N.Y. Herstek lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Joseph M. Hanna ’05 has been named a 2014 Law360 Rising Star in the media and entertainment category. He was also appointed to the Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Investment Board and the Erie County Citizens Budget Review Commission. Hanna is a partner with Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo. He is president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York Foundation in Buffalo, a past president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York and a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Hanna resides in Amherst, N.Y.

Brendan J. Rich ’05 was elected a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Rich is a partner with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo, where he resides. He practices corporate law and specializes in Canadian cross-border representation.

Ryan P. Crawford ’06 was elected secretary-elect of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. He is an associate with Gibson McAskill & Crosby in Buffalo, practicing civil litigation. Crawford lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Paul C. Parisi ’06 was elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. He is an assistant district attorney with the Erie County district attorney’s office in Buffalo. Parisi lives in Buffalo.

Dennis Wiley ’06 has been appointed vice chairman of the Surrogate’s Court, Estates and Trusts Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association in Mineola, N.Y. Wiley is an associate with McCoyd Parkas & Ronan in Garden City, N.Y., practicing estate planning, litigation and administration. He lives in Syosset, N.Y.

Jillian E. Deck ’07 was promoted to a senior associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo. Deck counsels clients regarding banking and finance and corporate and securities. She lives in Akron, N.Y.

Aaron C. Miner ’07 was promoted to senior vice present with Citigroup in Getzville, N.Y. He previously served as vice president. Miner is a Buffalo resident.

James M. O’Keefe ’07 was elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. He practices with William Mattar Law Offices in Williamsville, N.Y., handling auto accident cases. O’Keefe is immediate past president of the GOLD Group. He lives in West Seneca, N.Y.

David P. Shaffer ’07 was named a “2014 Up & Coming Attorney” by The Daily Record. Shaffer is an associate in the family wealth and estate planning department with Woods Oviatt Gilman in the Rochester, N.Y., office. He lives in Lima, N.Y.

Joshua E. Dubs ’08 was elected treasurer of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. He also received the 2014 Pro Bono Service Award from the New York State Bar Association. Dubs is a Buffalo solo practitioner. He resides in North Tonawanda, N.Y.

Kevin J. Espinosa ’09 of Lancaster, N.Y., was elected president of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. Espinosa is in-house counsel with M&T Bank in Buffalo and an adjunct faculty member at SUNY Buffalo Law School.

Michael J. Hecker ’09 was elected president-elect of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. Hecker is an associate with Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office, counseling clients regarding environmental law. He is an adjunct faculty member at the Law School. Hecker lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Seth D. Pullen ’09 of Buffalo was elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. He is a partner with Biltekoff & Pullen in Amherst, N.Y., focusing his practice on business formation, energy and environmental, and commercial litigation. He previously served as secretary-elect of the GOLD Group. 

Sean C. Eldridge ’10 was named a “2014 Up & Coming Attorney” by The Daily Record. Eldridge is a law clerk for Hon. Frank P. Geraci Jr. of the U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides.

Jeffrey T. Fiut ’10 was elected treasurer-elect of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. He is an associate with Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office, practicing business litigation. Fiut is a Buffalo resident.

Heather Neu ’10 was named a “2014 Up & Coming Attorney” by The Daily Record. She is an associate practicing litigation with Calihan Law in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides.

Jamie L. Caldwell ’11 has joined Goldberg Segalla as an associate in the Rochester, N.Y., office, practicing workers’ compensation. She was previously a supervising hearing attorney with the Special Funds Conservation Committee in Buffalo, where she resides.

Julia J. Henrichs ’11 has become associated with Woods Oviatt Gilman in the Rochester, N.Y., office. Henrichs practices in the firm’s foreclosure department. She is a Rochester resident.

Claudia V. De Jesus ’13 of Buffalo is practicing with William Mattar Law Offices in Williamsville, N.Y. She focuses her practice on personal injury.

Ryan P. Heller ’13 has accepted a position as an associate with Hagelin Kent in Buffalo. He practices insurance defense, automobile negligence, products liability, personal injury and appeals. Heller lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Nicholas S. Proukou ’13 is practicing as an associate with Woods Oviatt Gilman in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides. He practices family wealth and estate planning.

Micelle M. Ragusa ’13 has joined William Mattar Law Offices in Williamsville, N.Y. She practices personal injury. Ragusa lives in Buffalo.  

Christopher S. Safulko ’13, an associate with Chelus Herdzik Speyer & Monte in Buffalo, was elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. Safulko handles cases involving civil litigation, criminal defense and insurance defense. He lives in Buffalo.

Benjamin R. Wolf ’13 of Buffalo has joined Hagelin Kent as an associate in the Buffalo office. Wolf practices insurance defense, automobile negligence, products liability, personal injury and appeals.

Kerisha H. Hawthorne ’14 was elected to the board of the directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. She is a graduate assistant with UB’s Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program. Hawthorne is a Buffalo resident.

Elizabeth A. Lee ’14 was elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School’s GOLD Group. Lee practices with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo. She is a resident of Orchard Park, N.Y.