Class Action - October '12

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'70s

James A. Ullman '71 is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2013. He is a partner with Quarles & Brady in the Phoenix office, practicing franchise law. Ullman lives in Paradise Valley, Ariz.

Charles T. Noce '72 has been nominated by Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks to serve as conflict defender in the Monroe County Conflict Defender's Office in Rochester, N.Y. Noce is a Rochester solo practitioner, handling cases involving criminal defense, personal injury and the state liquor authority. He resides in Pittsford, N.Y.

Robert A. Doren '75 is named in Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal 2012 “Who's Who in Law.” He is also listed in New York Super Lawyers 2012 and The Best Lawyers in America 2013. Doren practices labor and employment law with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo and served as managing attorney from 2006 to 2011. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Dale A. Ehman '75 is named in the 2012 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a senior partner in the litigation group of Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo. Ehman resides in Amherst, N.Y.

William F. Savino '75 is listed in the 2012 Top 10 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. Savino is a senior partner and chairman of the business litigation and insolvency department in the Buffalo office of Damon Morey. He is a bridge course lecturer at SUNY Buffalo Law School and a past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Diane F. Bosse '76 received the 2012 Chair's Award from the National Conference of Bar Examiners. She also received the President's Medallion Award from the Western New England University School of Law. She was recently elected a member of the American Law Institute. The Institute drafts and publishes Restatements of the Law, model statutes, and principles of law that are influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education. Membership is by invitation only and is limited to 3000 members. Bosse is of counsel with Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo. She is a past recipient of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumna Award and a member emeritus of the Dean's Advisory Council. Bosse lives in Clarence, N.Y.

Kenneth A. Grundstein '77 of New York City has been named Best Individual Mediator by the New York Law Journal. Grundstein is a hearing officer with National Arbitration and Mediation in the Garden City, N.Y., office.

Kenneth A. Manning '77 has been named chair of the 2012 "A Night to Shine" gala and annual fundraiser for Suneel's Light in Williamsville, N.Y., a foundation that raises funds to research cures for Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Manning is also vice president of the board of directors of Suneel's Light and a partner in the Buffalo-based firm Philips Lytle. He is an emeritus member of SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council, a past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association and a past recipient of the association's Distinguished Alumnus Award. Manning lives in Williamsville.

Garry M. Graber '78 has been named in the 2012 Top 50 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list. Graber is a partner with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, and a member of SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. He is a past president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, a past recipient of the association's Distinguished Alumnus Award and a SUNY Buffalo Law adjunct faculty member. Graber lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Mark G. Pearce '78 received the Champion of Justice Award from the Employment Justice Center in Washington, D.C. Pearce is chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. He is a past recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from SUNY Buffalo Law School's Students of Color. Pearce is a Buffalo resident.

Joseph J. Terranova '79 received the Michele S. Maxian Award for Outstanding Public Defense from the New York State Bar Association's Criminal Defense Section. He is a solo practitioner in Lancaster, N.Y., where he resides.

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James A. Ullman '71

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Robert A. Doren '75

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Diane F. Bosse '76

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Kenneth A. Manning '77

'80s

Hon. Judith J. Gische '80 was appointed by New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to the state Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Judicial Department, in New York City. Gische previously served as a New York County Supreme Court justice in New York City. She lives in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Erik D. Lindauer '81 has been elected to SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. Lindauer is a partner with Sullivan & Cromwell in the New York City office.

Francine E. Nicholas '81 received the Community Service Award from the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. She is the co-director, program coordinator and grant writer for the 2012 UB Explore Law Program and the Minority Bar Association of Western New York's DiscoverLaw.org Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program. Nicholas lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

James M. Keneally '82 has been elected to SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. Keneally is a partner with Kelley Drye & Warren in the New York City office. He focuses his practice in litigation and white-collar crime and investigations. Keneally lives in Manhasset, N.Y.

Mark S. Klein '82 has been elected to the board of directors of Hodgson Russ in Buffalo. He is a partner with the firm, practicing in the state and local tax and tax dispute resolution practice groups, and lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Daniel C. Oliverio '82 has been elected to SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. He serves as chair of Hodgson Russ and leader of the false claims act and business crimes practice groups in the Buffalo, New York City and Toronto offices. Oliverio lives in Buffalo.

Leibert F. Coppola '83 was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Coppola worked as a reporter for 16 years at The Buffalo News and then pursued a career as a television reporter at WIVB-TV News 4 in Buffalo from 1983 to 1991. After leaving WIVB, he became an assistant U.S. attorney in Buffalo for five years and then served as dean of St. Bonaventure University School of Journalism from 1996 to 2011. He is currently a solo practitioner in Hamburg, N.Y., where he resides.

Joseph L. Ehrlich '83 has been named Best Individual Mediator by the New York Law Journal. Ehrlich is a hearing officer with National Arbitration and Mediation in the Garden City, N.Y., office and of counsel with Antin, Ehrlich & Epstein in New York City. He lives in Jericho, N.Y.

Hon. Gerald J. Whalen '83 was appointed by New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to the state Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 4th Judicial Department, in Rochester. Whalen previously served as a state Supreme Court justice, 8th Judicial District, in Buffalo. He lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

George W. Collins Jr. '84 is named in the 2012 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition and The Best Lawyers in America 2013. Collins, a partner with Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo, lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Kathleen P. McDonough '84 has been promoted from assistant professor to full professor in the criminal justice program at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, N.Y. She also received the 2012 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. McDonough lives in Homer, N.Y.

Donna L. Burden '87 has been appointed vice chair of the trucking subcommittee of the transportation committee of the International Association of Defense Counsel. She was also elected to the board of directors of the Trucking Industry Association. Burden is a founding member of Burden Gulisano & Hickey in Buffalo, focusing on defending catastrophic transportation accidents. She is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Hugh M. Russ III '87 has been listed in the 2012 Top 50 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. He is a partner with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, and chair of the torts, insurance and products liability practice group in the firm. Russ lives in Snyder, N.Y.

Paul F. Hammond '88 is listed in the 2012 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Hammond is a partner in the litigation group of Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo, where he resides.

Hon. Kevin M. Carter '89 received the Trailblazer Award from the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. Carter is an Erie County Family Court judge in Buffalo and a past member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

'90s

Paula Eade Newcomb '90 is named in the 2012 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. A partner with Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo, she lives in West Seneca, N.Y.

Catherine Cerulli '92 of Rochester, N.Y., has been named director of the University of Rochester Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership. She most recently served as director of the university's Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization. Cerulli is co-founder and past director of research at the Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic at SUNY Buffalo Law School.

Nan L. Haynes '92 was elected vice chair of the Erie County Community Corrections Advisory Board. She teaches in the legal research and writing program at SUNY Buffalo Law School and is of counsel with Lipsitz & Ponterio in Buffalo, where she resides.

Richard E. Scrimale '93 has become of counsel with Hancock Estabrook in Syracuse, N.Y. He counsels clients regarding business, estate and tax planning. Scrimale lives in Syracuse.

John D. Craik '94 has been promoted to vice president of administrative services at Baker Victory Services in Lackawanna, N.Y. He previously served as community development specialist. Craik lives in Buffalo.

Kevin E. Raphael '94 was named lead coordinator of the Education Committee for the American Health Lawyers Association Fraud and Abuse Practice Group. Raphael is a partner with Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti in Philadelphia and co-chair of the firm's health care litigation practice group. He is a Philadelphia resident.

John P. Comerford '95 was honored at the 13th annual Good Works Gala of the Mount St. Mary's Foundation at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, N.Y. Comerford is a partner with Lipsitz & Ponterio in Buffalo and has been named to the 2012 Super Lawyers list. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Brian M. Melber '96, 2012-2013 president of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association, will represent the Alumni Association on the SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. Melber is a partner with the Buffalo firm Personius Melber, and a resident of Kenmore, N.Y.

David R. Pfalzgraf Jr. '97 was named chairman of the Kaleida Health Foundation in Buffalo. Pfalzgraf is a partner with Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo, where he resides. He is a past member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association.

Karen Richardson '97 received the M. Dolores Denman Lady Justice Award from the Western New York Chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York. Richardson, a past president of the chapter, is confidential law clerk to Hon. H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr. '61, magistrate judge for U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, in Buffalo. Richardson lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Daniel P. O'Neill '98 has been appointed president and CEO of Beechwood Continuing Care in Getzville, N.Y. He previously served as vice president of health care services at Lutheran Social Services in Jamestown, N.Y. O'Neill lives in Lakewood, N.Y.

Heath J. Szymczak '98 has been appointed a national co-chair of the Tortious Interference Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Business Torts Litigation Committee. He will also serve as a contributor and editor of the 2013 edition of the ABA's Business Torts Handbook. 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.

Marc W. Brown '99 was named to Business First “40 Under 40” 2012. He is an associate with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office and treasurer of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. Brown resides in Williamsville, N.Y.

Christopher A. Wightman '99 of Coatesville, Pa., has been elected to SUNY Buffalo Law School's Dean's Advisory Council. He is associate counsel with Vanguard Group in Valley Forge, Pa.

'00s

Sheldon K. Smith '01 received the Legal Service Award from the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo. He is a partner with Nixon Peabody in the Buffalo office, handling cases involving litigation and dispute resolution, health care litigation, real estate litigation, labor and employment, and electronic discovery and digital evidence. Smith is a member of the board of directors of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He is a past president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo, and a past recipient of the Trail Blazer Award from SUNY Buffalo Law School's Students of Color. He lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Sarah A. Frederick '02 has been named president of Lawyers for Learning, a volunteer program in Buffalo that partners members of the legal community with individual students. Frederick is lead associate attorney in the Social Security disability department of Bernhardi & Lukasik in West Seneca, N.Y. She lives in Buffalo.

Brendan Mehaffy '02 was listed in the Business First 2012 “40 Under 40.” Mehaffy is executive director of the City of Buffalo's Office of Strategic Planning. He is a Buffalo resident.

Langston D. McFadden '03 was recognized by the Rochester Business Journal with the “Forty Under 40” Award. He is a senior litigation associate with Harter Secrest & Emery in Rochester, N.Y., practicing general litigation. McFadden lives in Rochester.

Esther G. Eagan '04 was named to Business First “40 Under 40” 2012. She is an associate licensing manager at UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach. Eagan lives in Buffalo.

Britta L. McKenna '04 was named a 2013 Spotlight Professional by Buffalo Niagara 360. McKenna is a partner with Hodgson Russ in the Buffalo office. She practices estate and trust planning and administration. McKenna also focuses on U.S./Canada cross-border tax and estate planning. She is a Buffalo resident.

Thomas M. Gordon '05 has been promoted to a shareholder in Gross Shuman Brizdle & Gilfillan in the Buffalo and Toronto offices. He practices business and corporate law. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Joseph M. Hanna '05, a partner in Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo, received the George B. Vashon Innovator Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. The association recognized Hanna and Goldberg Segalla for creating a diversity-focused internship program in collaboration with the Minority Bar Association of Western New York and SUNY Buffalo Law School. Hanna is immediate 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. He resides in Amherst, N.Y.

Danielle E. Shainbrown '05 of Williamsville, N.Y., is listed in Business First 2012 “40 Under 40.” Shainbrown is vice president of McGuire Development Co. in Buffalo.

Rachelle S. Mercier '06 has accepted a position as a health policy analyst with the Office of the State Auditor in Boston, and earned her master's of public health degree from Boston University in 2011. She was previously employed with Boston Children's Hospital. Mercier lives in Cambridge, Mass.

Geanne M. Blazkow '07 has joined Phillips Lytle as an associate in the Buffalo office, practicing federal and international tax law. She lives in Buffalo.

Jennifer A. Kelleher '07 has been elected secretary of Lawyers for Learning, a volunteer program in Buffalo that partners members of the legal community with individual students. She is an associate in the estate planning and corporate departments of Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo, where she resides.

Scott T. Peloza '07 of East Amherst, N.Y., is practicing as an associate with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office. Peloza concentrates his practice in litigation, including white-collar defense and general commercial litigation.

Andre L. Lindsay '08 has joined Harter Secrest & Emery as an associate in the Rochester, N.Y., office. He practices labor and employment law. Lindsay is a Rochester resident.

Amanda L. Lowe '08 of Lancaster, N.Y., is practicing as an associate with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office. Lowe handles cases involving civil litigation in federal and state courts.

Dr. Randolph V. Clower '09 has become an associate with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office. Clower, who practices intellectual property law, lives in Amherst, N.Y.

'10s

Jeffrey M. Monaco '10 has joined Phillips Lytle as an associate in the Buffalo office. Monaco practices in banking and financial services and energy.

Jennifer L. Rizzo '10 is named in Business First 2012 “40 Under 40.” She is legal services coordinator with Journey's End Refugee Services in Buffalo. Rizzo lives in West Seneca, N.Y.

Gregory Verdibello '10 has become an associate with Andreozzi Bluestein Fickess Muhlbauer Weber Brown in the Williamsville and Clarence, N.Y., offices. Verdibello practices in the area of federal and state tax controversies and bankruptcy matters.

Aaron J. Aisen '11 is practicing as an associate with Goldberg Segalla in the Buffalo office. He is a member of the firm's global insurance services practice group and concentrates his practice on regulatory matters. Aisen lives in Cheektowaga, N.Y.

Melissa C. Bennett '11 has joined Hiscock & Barclay as an associate in Albany, N.Y., where she resides. Bennett concentrates her practice in public finance, corporate law, and financial institutions and lending.

Marriages

Congratulations to the following newlyweds:

  • Christina Kan '07 and Jeffrey-John Antone, Aug. 25, 2012

In Memoriam

The Law School extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the following alumnus:

  • Hon. Paul I. Miles '50, Medina, N.Y.
  • Bryant S. Kurtzman '54, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
  • Emanuel Tabachnick '70, Buffalo
  • Neil R. Sherwood '93, Amherst, N.Y.