Class Action - June '12

Richard F. Griffin '57 was named a member of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. 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.

Maryann Saccomando Freedman '58 received the 2012 Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women, Buffalo Branch, for her many years of advocacy for gender equality. Freedman is of counsel with Cohen & Lombardo in Buffalo, where she resides.

Hon. Samuel L. Green '67 received the 2012 George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award from the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. He was also honored with the Bridge-Builder Award by the Rochester Black Bar Association in Rochester, N.Y., at the second annual Bridges to Success networking event, and received the Dean's Medal from SUNY Buffalo Law School at the May 19 Commencement. Green is a retired senior associate justice of the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Buffalo. He was the first African-American Supreme Court justice to serve the 8th Judicial District and the first African-American outside the New York City area to be named to an appellate division post. In addition, he is the longest-serving associate justice in the Fourth Department. Green is a former recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Jaeckle Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award. He lives in Buffalo.

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

Charles B. Wydysh '72 has retired as assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, in Buffalo, after 34 years of service. Throughout his career, he prosecuted mobsters, corrupt public officials and murderers. Wydysh is a Buffalo resident.

Carl C. Radom '73 co-authored "The Grantor Trust Rules: Competing Powers and Ascertainable Standards" in Warren Gorham & Lamont's Practical Tax Strategies, Vol. 85, No. 1. Radom is a shareholder in Ferree Bunn O'Grady & Rundberg in Overland Park, Kan., handling cases involving estate planning, probate and trust administration, asset protection, business organization, succession planning and planned charitable giving. He lives in Lenexa, Kan.

Howard B. Frank '73 of Williamsville, N.Y., received the Award of Merit from the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo. Frank is an attorney in the Office of Counsel in the Erie County Department of Social Services, also in Buffalo.

Hon. Thomas M. Van Strydonck '73 received the 2012 Outstanding Jurist Award at the Law Day Luncheon presented by the Monroe County Bar Association, the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys and the Rochester Black Bar Association. He is a New York State Supreme Court justice, 7th Judicial District, in Rochester, N.Y., a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award and a past member of the Law School's Dean's Advisory Council.

Hon. Judith S. Claire '75 received the 2012 Howard A. Levine Award for Excellence in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare from the Committee on Children and the Law of the New York State Bar Association. She is the Chautauqua County Family Court judge in Mayville, N.Y. Claire is a resident of Sherman, N.Y.

Douglas S. Coppola '75 was named a member of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Coppola is a solo practitioner, practicing mediation and arbitration in Buffalo, where he resides. He is a former president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association.

Joseph L. Gerken '75 received the 2012 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship. Gerken is a reference librarian with SUNY Buffalo Law School's Charles B. Sears Law Library. He was honored for his skill in librarianship; his service to the campus, the University and the field; scholarship and professional growth; and major professional achievements. Gerken is a Buffalo resident.

Hon. Janice M. Rosa '75 received the Distinguished Jurist Award as part of the 2012 Law Day Awards in Albany, N.Y. Rosa serves as supervising judge of the Family Courts as well as supervising judge of matrimonial matters for the Eighth Judicial District in Buffalo. She lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Carol M. Matorin '76 has become senior vice president and general counsel of Marc Jacobs International (MJI) in New York City. MJI is the international luxury fashion business of the renowned apparel and accessory designer Marc Jacobs. Matorin resides in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., and is a member of SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council and Campaign Steering Committee. She also serves on the board of directors of Cool Culture, a not-for-profit organization that partners with over 90 of New York City's world-class cultural institutions to provide low-income children and their families with free access and experiences that improve literacy and learning.

William R. Hites '79 received the Special Service Award from the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo. Hites is a Buffalo solo practitioner.

Shelley Mayer '79 was elected to the New York State Assembly for the 93rd Assembly district, with offices in Yonkers and Albany, N.Y. She is former counsel to the New York State Senate Democratic Conference. Mayer lives in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Roger L. Ross '79 has been elected president of the Bar Association of Erie County Foundation, in Buffalo. He practices with the firm Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo, representing clients in complex real estate matters. Ross is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Michael A. Piette '80 received the Skip Helfrich Lifetime Achievement Award from Leadership Niagara. He is a partner with Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in Buffalo and a member of the firm's economic and land development, financial services, housing resources and real estate practice groups. Piette, a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, lives in Lockport, N.Y.

Craig A. Slater '81 has become general counsel and vice president at Frontier Industrial Group of Companies, in Buffalo, and also has started his own practice in Buffalo. Slater was previously a partner with Harter Secrest & Emery in the Buffalo office. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Vincent O. Hanley '82 of Williamsville, N.Y., has become a member of the board of directors of the Catholic Health Continuing Care Foundation in Buffalo. Hanley is a partner in the firm Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel in the Buffalo office. He practices in the firm's real estate, economic and land development, business and corporate, and financial services practice groups.

Maureen O. Helmer '82 has been named to the board of directors of the Center for Internet Security, in East Greenbush, N.Y. She is a partner with Hiscock & Barclay in the Albany, N.Y., office, practicing in the areas of energy and telecommunications law as well as corporate and professional ethics and the New York State Legislature. Helmer, former chair of the New York State Public Service Commission, resides in Delmar, N.Y.

Daniel C. Oliverio '82 spoke at the Protecting Tomorrow's Technology Today conference at Hilbert College in Hamburg, N.Y., presented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He discussed "Preventing and Responding to Cyber Attacks: The View of a Corporation Counsel." Oliverio has also become chair of the 2012 Buffalo Niagara Heart Walk, to be held in Buffalo on Sept. 8. He serves as chair in Hodgson Russ and leader of the false claims act and business crimes practice groups in the Buffalo, New York City and Toronto offices.

Hon. Gerald J. Whalen '83 was elected president of the New York State Supreme Court Justices Association, Eighth Judicial District. He is a New York State Supreme Court justice, Eighth Judicial District, in Buffalo. Whalen is a resident of Hamburg, N.Y.

Perry Binder '84 of Alpharetta, Ga., has written 99 Motivators for College Success. Drawing on his over 20 years of college teaching, the book offers Binder's thoughts about success in class, in career choices and in life. He is a legal studies professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta and blogs for the college section of the Huffington Post.

Linda Lalli Stark '84 has been elected to the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. She previously served as a matrimonial referee for the New York State Supreme Court, Eighth Judicial District, in Buffalo. Stark lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Cindy Algase Gradl '85 has joined Damon Morey as special counsel in the Buffalo office. She practices in the firm's corporate department. Gradl lives in Getzville, N.Y.

Steven R. Sugarman '85 of Snyder, N.Y., received the Ken Joyce Excellence in Teaching Award from SUNY Buffalo Law School at the May 19 Commencement ceremony. He is an adjunct faculty member at the Law School and a partner in Pusatier Sherman Abbott & Sugarman in Kenmore, N.Y.

Shari Jo Reich '86 has been named managing partner in Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak in Buffalo. She counsels clients regarding family law, residential real estate, wills, estates and probate, and business and corporate law. Reich lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Kevin M. Comstock '87 received the Rear Adm. Hugh H. Howell Jr. Award of Excellence for Meritorious Service as a Senior Reserve Judge Advocate Officer. It is the highest honor given in the Navy Reserve Law Program. He has also received a master of arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Comstock is an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk, and serves in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He also served as a rule of law attorney at the Office of Staff Judge Advocate, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, U.S. Embassy.

Elizabeth M. DiPirro '88 has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. DiPirro is an associate in HoganWillig, practicing matrimonial and family law in the Amherst, N.Y., office. She lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Terrance P. Flynn '88 has been appointed to the board of trustees of the New York Power Authority by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Flynn is a member of Harris Beach in Buffalo. He previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York and is a past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association.

Mary Jo Herrscher '88 has joined Phillips Lytle as an associate in the Buffalo office. She practices chemical exposure and toxic tort defense, products liability and premises liability. Herrscher lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Michael E. Maxwell '88 has been appointed to lead the torts, insurance and products liability practice group in Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office. Maxwell, a partner in the firm, practices business litigation and personal injury. He lives in Snyder, N.Y.

Vincent E. Doyle III '89 received the 2012 Lawyer of the Year Award from the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo. Doyle is a partner with Connors & Vilardo in Buffalo. He is a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award, a past member of the board of directors of the alumni association and immediate past president of the New York State Bar Association. He lives in Elma, N.Y.

Kimberly A. Duguay '92 has been elected president of the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, in Rochester, N.Y. She is an attorney in the Monroe County Public Defender Office in Rochester, where she resides.

Michael T. Feeley '92 has become a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He is a partner in Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham Coppola in the Buffalo office, practicing insurance defense litigation, insurance coverage, municipal defense and commercial litigation. Feeley lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Michael J. Roach '92 received the Charles H. Dougherty Civility Award from the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo, where he resides. He is a partner in Connors & Vilardo in Buffalo, focusing on representing physicians in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Suzanne E. Tomkins '92 received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Grand Island High School on Grand Island, N.Y. 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.

Remla Parthasarathy '94 received the Sister Karen Klimczak Peace & Justice Award from the Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence. Parthasarathy is a clinical instructor in the Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic at SUNY Buffalo Law School. She lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Kevin E. Raphael '94 has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for 2012. Raphael is a partner in Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti in Philadelphia and co-chair of the firm's health care litigation practice group. He lives in Flourtown, Pa.

Mirna Santiago '95 and Adeline Ortiz '97 have created a public access talk show, The Opinion. Santiago is of counsel with White Fleischner & Fino in White Plains, N.Y., practicing insurance coverage and litigation. She has also authored the articles "Subrogation and Anti-Subrogation" and "Commercial Auto" in The Handbook on Additional Insureds published by the American Bar Association Treatise in November 2011. Santiago lives in Patterson, N.Y.

Frank J. Howard '96 of Rochester, N.Y., received the William E. McKnight Award from the Volunteer Legal Services Project of Rochester for his commitment to pro bono service. Howard is a Rochester solo practitioner.

Thomas M. Mercure '96 has been named to the professional organization National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40. He is a senior partner in Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria in Buffalo, practicing personal injury litigation including construction accidents, automobile accidents, products liability and medical malpractice. Mercure lives in Snyder, N.Y.

David Rodriguez '96 received the Educational Opportunity Program Distinguished Alumnus Award from Buffalo State College. Rodriguez, general counsel for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, resides in Buffalo.

Adeline Ortiz '97 and Mirna Santiago '95 have created a public access talk show, The Opinion. Ortiz is founder and president of Latino Academic Success Consultants, which provides leadership training for minority students. She began a career in law specializing in labor and employment law, worked in the compliance department of New York Life Insurance Co. in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., and was an adjunct professor at Lehman College in Bronx, N.Y., teaching business law, securities regulation, marketing and management. Ortiz lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Scott Bylewski '98 of Clarence Center, N.Y., received the Trailblazer Award from Hon. Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, for his work as a pilot project committee member for the Western District's Alternative Dispute Resolution program. Bylewski is the attorney development director for the Law Offices of William Mattar in Williamsville, N.Y.

Nelson Mar '98 was featured in a New York Times article, "Keeping Students' Mental Health Care Out of the E.R." Mar, an attorney with Legal Services NYC-Bronx, lives in Whitestone, N.Y.

Katherine E. Cauley '99 , a partner in Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office, has been appointed to lead the estates and trusts practice group. Cauley handles cases involving all aspects of tax and estate planning and administration, private foundations and charitable giving, trust administration, Canada/U.S. cross-border tax and estate planning, and business succession planning. She lives in Buffalo.

Stephanie Miner '99 has been appointed co-chair of the New York State Democratic Party by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Miner is the mayor of Syracuse, N.Y., where she resides.

Rebecca Ricigliano '99 was named co-chief of the Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, in New York City. She previously served as deputy chief of the unit.

Edmund J. Russell III '99 has been named chair of the corporate and business practice group in Underberg & Kessler in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides.

Kirstin Lowry Sommers '99 has become a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. General counsel for the Seneca Gaming Corp. in Niagara Falls, N.Y., she lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Lisa Bertino Beaser '00 was appointed clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of New York, in Buffalo. She previously served as acting clerk. Beaser lives in Clarence Center, N.Y.

Scott Bernard '00 has opened Bernard Professional Solutions in Orchard Park, N.Y., a legal search and services firm, focusing on the recruitment and placement of attorneys, paralegals and support personnel. Bernard was previously employed with Robert Half Legal in Phoenix.

Stephanie A. Saunders '00 has been elected a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. 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.

Gregory J. McCaffrey '01 has become district attorney in the Livingston County District Attorney's office in Geneseo, N.Y. He previously served as an assistant district attorney in the Monroe County District Attorney's office in Rochester, N.Y. McCaffrey lives in Lima, N.Y.

Christopher E. Copeland '02 has become a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He is associate general counsel for M&T Bank in Buffalo. Copeland lives in Elma, N.Y.

Ryan J. Mills '03 has become a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Mills is a managing partner in Brown & Kelly in Buffalo, specializing in litigation as well as corporate, real estate and estate matters. He is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Alison J. Rich '03 is listed as a "2012 Up and Coming Attorney" by The Daily Record. Rich is a partner in Evans & Fox in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides.

Sarah L. Rugnetta '03 has become associate counsel in Magavern Magavern Grimm in Buffalo, practicing health, elder and administrative law. She was previously assistant general counsel in the health care division for the State of Vermont's Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration. Rugnetta lives in Buffalo.

Rita Nischal '04 has become an associate with Underberg & Kessler in the Rochester, N.Y., office. Nischal specializes in elder law and Medicaid planning, estate planning and estate administration. She lives in Hilton, N.Y.

Bethany Hills Trachtenberg '04 has been named chair of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. She is a senior associate with Hodgson Russ in New York City, where she resides. Trachtenberg practices in the areas of health law, FDA regulatory law, fraud and abuse, and health care reimbursement. She is a past member of the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group.

Joseph M. Hanna '05 received the Diversity Award from Leadership Buffalo. He was honored for his efforts to advance diversity in the legal profession and in Western New York. Hanna is a partner in Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo and immediate past president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. A member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, he resides in Amherst, N.Y.

Jason P. Livingston '05 of Rochester, N.Y., was listed as a 2012 Up and Coming Attorney by The Daily Record. Livingston is an associate in Woods Oviatt Gilman in Rochester, practicing in the trusts and estates department.

Marie A. Butchello '06 has joined Damon Morey as an associate in the Buffalo office. She practices in the firm's corporate department with a focus on health care. Butchello lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Paul S. Fusco '06 is listed as a 2012 Up and Coming Attorney by The Daily Record. He practices in Boylan Code in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides. Fusco handles cases involving business law and transactions, employee stock ownership plans, labor and employment, and tax law and planning.

Jessica L. Foscolo '08 has joined Hodgson Russ as an associate in the Buffalo office. She practices in the insurance and reinsurance practice group. Foscolo is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Kimberly A. Georger '08 has been elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group. She is an associate in Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham Coppola in the Buffalo office, practicing commercial litigation and labor and employment law. Georger lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Alexander J. Wright '08 has become executive director of Urban Christian Ministries in Buffalo, where he resides.

Seth D. Pullen '09 has become a member of the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group. He is a partner in Biltekoff & Pullen in Amherst, N.Y., counseling clients regarding business formation and transactions, commercial litigation, and energy and environmental law. Pullen is a Buffalo resident.

Melanie J. Beardsley '10 has become an associate in Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office. She practices in the labor and employment practice group, representing private- and public-sector employers before state and federal agencies. Beardsley lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Nathan W.G. Berti '10 is practicing as an associate with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo. Berti counsels clients regarding estate planning, business succession, asset protection, estate administration and trust administration. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Thomas R. Elliot '10 is an associate with the Ballow Law Firm in Buffalo. Elliot handles cases involving motor vehicle accidents, product liability, premise liability, medical malpractice and personal injury litigation. He is a Buffalo resident.

Joanna T. McKeegan '10 has become assistant director of career services at SUNY Buffalo Law School. She was previously a senior legal fellow with the voting rights organization FairVote in Washington, D.C. McKeegan lives in Buffalo.

Elizabeth R. Blazey-Pennel '11 of Tonawanda, N.Y., has become a member of the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group. She is an attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel, Criminal Tax Division, in the Internal Revenue Service in Buffalo.

Amanda B. Burns '11 has joined the Law Firm of Janice M. Iati as an associate in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides. The firm specializes in asbestos litigation, construction law, insurance defense litigation and personal injury law.

Thomas A. Digati '11 has become an associate with Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak in Buffalo, practicing insurance defense litigation and workers' compensation. Digati lives in Tonawanda, N.Y.

Thomas J. Fennell '11 is practicing as an associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo. He practices in the firm's commercial real estate department. Fennell lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Kathleen T. Feroleto '11 has become an associate with Brown & Kelly in Buffalo, practicing civil litigation and insurance defense. She is a past member of the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group. Feroleto lives in Buffalo.

Marissa J. Sweet '11 has joined Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak in Buffalo, where she resides. She is an associate practicing insurance defense litigation and toxic tort law.

Frank H. Ewing '12 has been elected to the board of directors of SUNY Buffalo Law School's GOLD Group. He practices as an associate with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, where he resides.