Law School Report

Commencement 2007

Deepening our ties - 118th commencement honors continuing connections

Jason Joaquin Almonte '07 at the podium. Hon.Eugene F. Pigott Jr. ’73 Graduates get ready to march. Left to right: Class of 2007 graduates Joseph A. Scalzo, Kyle C. DiDone, Lauren A. Williamson and Brian P. McGuire Dean Nils Olsen congratulates Shannon E.Filbert '07.

The Law School's 2007 Commencement ceremonies, held May 19 in the Center for the Arts, were all about relationships – the friendships that the students formed during their three years in O'Brian Hall, their continuing connection with the school as alumni, and the promise of relationships to come as these new lawyers pursue justice in all its human dimensions.

Two hundred fifty-five Juris Doctor Candidates, as well as 19 master of laws students, received degrees in front of an appreciative audience of friends and family. The ceremony was inaugurated by Professor Kenneth F. Joyce, who noted that the academic mace he carried was a version of the first weapon used by human beings against each other. This, he said, pointed up the responsibility of the new graduates as practitioners "dedicated to the rule of law and the supremacy of law over violence."

Dean Nils Olsen called the 2007 graduates "a special class for me," given that these were his last Commencement ceremonies as dean. "In today's world," he said, "law school can present an extraordinary challenge. But the Law School at the University at Buffalo is much more than merely a place on the North Campus." He cited the opportunities these students had realized for forming deep friendships and exercising focused intellectual growth.

UB Provost Satish K. Tripathi saluted Olsen for offering his "professional and life's experience" to students under his care. Under Olsen's leadership, Tripathi said, "UB Law School has become nationally recognized for its curriculum and the quality of its graduates, and as a bastion of academic scholarship."

Noting visits to the University during the past academic year by the Dalai Lama and Al Gore, Tripathi said the new graduates must consider the impact of their actions on the world as a whole. "We must ask how our education has prepared us to improve our local and global communities?" he said. "What responsibility do we have to contribute to the sustainability of our world and our communities?"

Following a welcome by Dennis R. McCoy '77, president of the UB Law Alumni Association, Jason Joaquin Almonte gave the student address.

"Winters in Buffalo are very, very cold, and there is lots and lots and lots of snow," Almonte said. "But even the grayest sky over Lake Erie could not dim the light in these students. As you graduate from law school, I ask you to remember the ambition that got you here in the first place. Use that ambition to follow your dreams. Promise me that you will not ever let your music die."

Almonte also noted the depth of friendships that developed among his classmates. In his second year, he said, he was very ill and almost dropped out of school; his fellow students bombarded him with calls, letters and flowers, and even took up a collection to help pay his medical bills. "My classmates are my family," he said, "and they taught me some of the most important lessons of law school."

He concluded by quoting John F. Kennedy: " ‘Your time is limited. Do not waste it living someone else's life.' Do not let the noise of other people's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And do not forget the power of law to change the world. I have seen what you can do as law students. Now go show the world what you can do as lawyers."

Delivering the afternoon's keynote address was Hon. Eugene F. Pigott Jr. '73, associate justice of New York State's highest judicial body, the Court of Appeals.

Pigott began with a story from early in his private practice, when a client came to him with a compelling hard-luck story. As a college student, the young man had rented a car to drive to Daytona Beach, Fla., for spring break. Because he was under 25, the rental firm required him to promise that he would not take the car out of state. Knowing his plans otherwise, he signed anyway, drove the car south with some friends – and broke down in Georgia. They left the car there and hitchhiked to Florida, where the FBI promptly arrested him for motor vehicle theft and interstate flight to avoid prosecution. He served seven years in prison.

After his return to Buffalo, this man finished at the top of his class at a local college, graduating summa cum laude, and was seeking to become a registered nurse – but was denied a license to practice nursing because of his felony conviction. With Pigott's help, he was able to obtain a presidential pardon and went on to become very successful in his profession.

The point, the judge said, was that proper representation at the point of this man's arrest could have brought some proportionality to his punishment and not deprived society of his skills and talents for so long. That, he said, is the power of law to exercise true justice.

Pigott spoke to the quality of the graduating class, which, he said, represented more than 100 undergraduate institutions and collectively held more than 50 advanced degrees.

And he left the graduates with what he called a "borrowed thought": "We will not change what is wrong with our culture through laws. We will change it by small acts of courage and kindness. Aspire to decency, ethics and morality, and if periodically you fail, adjust your lives and not your standards. There is no mystery here. You know what to do, so now go and do it."

Members of the Commencement Committee were Jamie L. Codjovi, Harven V. DeShield, Richard J. Friedman, Leah Mervine, Matthew J. Makowski, Jacia T. Smith, Michael P. Sullivan and Marguerite F. Walker.

UB Law students receive commencement awards

University at Buffalo Law School students received honors and awards at the school's 118th commencement ceremony held on May 19. The award recipients are:

• David P. Shaffer, of Geneseo, the Max Koren Award, given to the graduate who exemplifies the highest standards of the profession by virtue of scholastic achievement, leadership and dedication to the ideals of the law. Shaffer also received the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Labor and Employment Law.
• Stacy A. Tromble, of Buffalo, the John N. Bennett Achievement Award for the highest scholastic achievement in the graduating class. Tromble also received the Judge William J. Regan Award for estates and surrogate's law.
• Thomas M. Tuori, of Rochester, the John N. Bennett Achievement Award for the highest scholastic achievement in the graduating class.
• Jason Joaquin Almonte, of Nanuet, the Dale Margulis Award for having contributed the most to the Law School and the community. Almonte also received a Law Faculty Award, presented to graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the Law School community, and the Minority Bar Association of Western New York Award.
• Cheryl Louise Nichols, of Oswego, the Birzon Prize in Clinical Legal Studies. Nichols also received a New York State Bar Association/Law Student Bar Association Achievement Award.
• Cindy P. Navarro, of Sunnyside, the Charles Dautch Award for real property.
• Monica Campbell , of Amherst, the Justice M. Dolores Denman scholarship/award for a custodial single parent.
• Paul E. Colinet, of Brooklyn, the Edith and David Goldstein Award for debtor-creditor and bankruptcy law.
• Michelle A. Daubert, of Buffalo, the Justice Philip Halpern Award for writing on the Buffalo Law Review. Daubert also received the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Health Law.
• Beverley S. Braun, of Amherst, the Judge Matthew J. Jasen Appellate Practice Award for appellate advocacy. Braun also received a Law Faculty Award, presented to graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the Law School community, and a Robert Connelly Trial Technique Award. In addition, she was elected a member of the Order of Barristers, a national honor society for oralists.
• John M. Godwin, of Buffalo, the Judge Matthew J. Jasen Appellate Practice Award for appellate advocacy. Godwin also was elected a member of the Order of Barristers, a national honor society for oralists.
• Kristin L. Paulding, of Depew, the James M. Kieffer Award for outstanding trial advocacy. Paulding also received the Ryan J. Mullins Award for criminal law, and The Robert J. Connelly Trial Technique Award.
• Jennifer A. Mucha, of Lewiston, the David Kochery Award for service to the student community and courses in procedures and remedies.
• Robert L. Mullin, of Rochester, the Albert R. Mugel Award for future interests and estate planning.
• Joshua K. Lawrence, of Kingston, the Harry A. Rachlin Prize in Property and Real Estate Law.
• Rachel M. Hezel, of East Aurora, the Professor Louis DelCotto Award for taxation.
• Michael J. Pacifico, of Hamburg, the Professor Louis DelCotto Award for taxation.
• Linda V. Rampertab, of the Bronx, the Maurice Frey Award for family law.
• Rachel Xiyuan Sun, of Amherst, the Tom Headrick "Trees and Forest" Award for corporate finance.
• Brian J. McCarthy, of Buffalo, the Milton Kaplan Law and Social Development Award for exceptional commitment to the study of law and social development in an American, comparative or international context. McCarthy also received a Virginia Leary Award, presented in honor of Leary, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emerita in the UB Law School, who taught international law and developed the sequence of courses and externships in international law at the school.
• Aminda L. Byrd, of Buffalo, a Virginia Leary Award, presented in honor of Leary, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emerita in the UB Law School, who taught international law and developed the sequence of courses and externships in international law at the school. Byrd also was elected a member of the Order of Barristers, a national honor society for oralists.
• Leah R. Mervine, of Buffalo, the Linda S. Reynolds Award for commitment to equal justice for the poor. Mervine also was elected a member of the Order of Barristers, a national honor society for oralists.
• William P. Johnson, of Scottsville, the Adolf Homburger Law Alumni Association Award for civil procedure.
• Hee Chung Choi, of Amherst, the Laidlaw Law Alumni Association Award for commercial law.
• Jacia T. Smith, of Rochester, the UB Law Alumni Association GOLD Group Award for leadership and excellence. Smith also received a Law Faculty Award, presented to graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the Law School community.
• Alfonzo I. Cutaia, of Clarence Center, the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Intellectual Property Law.
• Andrew E. McLaughlin, of Buffalo, the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Intellectual Property Law.
• Paul J. Roman Jr., of North Tonawanda, the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Intellectual Property Law.
• James L. Cerwinski, of Garden City, the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Labor and Employment Law.
• Rachael M. MacVean, of Tonawanda, the American Bar Association and the Bureau of National Affairs Award for Labor and Employment Law.
• Curry D. Andrews, of Tonawanda, the American Bankruptcy Institute Medal.
• Sarah E. Norton, of East Aurora, the Activist's Gavel for progressive politics, government accountability and social activism.
• Jeffrey A. Davis, of Williamsville, the Carlos C. Alden Award for service to the Buffalo Law Review.
• Carolina M. Felix, of the Bronx, the Kenneth A. Gomez Memorial Award for equality and justice for minorities.
• Kim-Alla Swanton, of Amherst, the Moot Evidence Award.
• Jennifer P. Stergion, of Buffalo, the New York State Bar Association Ethics Award. Stergion also received a Robert J. Connelly Trial Technique Award.
• Dana L. Leier, of Amherst, the National Association of Women Lawyers Award.
• Kara L. DeAngelo, of Jamestown, a Law Faculty Award, presented to graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the Law School community.
• Peter Adam Militello, of Rochester, a Law Faculty Award, presented to graduating seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the Law School community.
• Leah A. Bouquard, of Buffalo, a New York State Bar Association/Law Student Bar Association Achievement Award and the Western New York Women Lawyers Award.
• Melinda J. Gullo, of Lakeview, a New York State Bar Association/Law Student Bar Association Achievement Award.

The Robert J. Connelly Trial Technique Award was presented to:

• Trevor J. Barr, of Jamestown.
• Danielle J. Barrett, of Queens Village. Barrett also was elected a member of the Order of Barristers, a national honor society for oralists.
• Jessica A. Bielecki, of Ballston Lake.
• Steven A. Clark, of Buffalo.
• Brian R. Liebenow, of Rochester.
• Michael L. Nisengard, of Buffalo.
• Lindsay P. Quintilone, of North Tonawanda.
• Daniel A. Sikka, of Williamsville.
• Trevor M. Torcello, of Pavilion.

Newly elected members of the Order of Barristers, a national honor society for oralists, are:

• Geanne Blazkov, of Amherst.
• Christina A. Cassillo, of Amherst.
• Hannah E. Moore, of Buffalo.
• James M. O'Keefe, of Liverpool.
• Alicia R. Sim, of Hamburg.

2007 Latin Honors