Michael Doran '82

To those who knew him, Michael Doran '82 was larger than life. As a lawyer specializing in railroad accident cases, as a mentor and teacher, as a pilot, springboard diver, extreme skier and world traveler, he packed a lot of living into his years.

Following his death in the crash of his light plane outside Cleveland - an accident that also claimed the life of Matthew Schnirel '08, his associate in the Buffalo law firm Doran & Murphy - it was learned that Doran had made a final gift to his Law School alma mater, a $100,000 bequest. It was a final gesture of thanks to the school that launched his successful career, in which Doran specialized in representing railroad workers who suffered on-the-job injuries or occupational diseases.

"I had no idea about the contents of his will," says Christopher Murphy '93, his partner in Doran & Murphy, who served as executor. "But I wasn't surprised when I saw UB, because he was a big fan of UB."

Framed color photos of Doran and Schnirel now hang in the firm's office on Delaware Avenue, and a wooden nameplate - "Michael H. Doran, Attorney at Law"– still stands just inside the door, tribute to the firm's founder and the legacy he leaves behind.

"He was someone who liked to do a little bit of everything," Murphy says. "He was always working or playing. There was no downtime with him. "One of his mantras was, 'Work hard, play hard.' He was passionate about the law, he was passionate about flying, and he was passionate about his family. He lived a great but too-short life."

Doran was licensed to practice in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, Florida and Ohio, and flew his single-engine Cirrus SR22 aircraft to client meetings and court dates all over the country. He and Schnirel had just settled a case in Cleveland and were returning to Buffalo at the time of the crash. The plane went down in a wooded area shortly after takeoff. Eyewitnesses said Doran directed the aircraft away from neighboring houses, and he was hailed as a hero.

At Doran & Murphy, he worked on cases involving medical malpractice, construction law, product liability, asbestos litigation, pharmaceutical litigation and railroad law.

He also lectured on railroad law to the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and had served as chairman of the organization's railroad section. Doran also volunteered his services to help the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks receive compensation.

Colleen Murphy '06, an associate at Doran & Murphy, says she and others benefited from Doran's example and instruction. "Mike was a great mentor to Matt and to all of us," she says. "He had the ability to teach you about the law in a way that I've never seen from anyone else. When I first came here, I was looking to move on into business law, but I had the chance to see Mike in a trial. I knew then what I wanted to do, and I've never looked back."

Vice Dean Alan Carrel counted Doran as a friend, and said "Mike had many friends from every period of his life. He was incredibly helpful and giving to all of them and was the kind of a friend you loved to have because you could always count on him."

Born and raised in Western New York, Doran graduated from Williamsville North High School, where he was an accomplished springboard diver. He majored in business administration at UB as an undergraduate, and dived in the 1979 Empire State Games.

He was a member of the board of directors of the Western New York Leukemia Society and volunteered with the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association. He recently was working with Roswell Park Cancer Institute to promote a program for early detection of lung cancer in high-risk patients.

Doran, who was 51 at the time of his death, leaves behind two teenage children – son Garrett and daughter Gabrielle.

At the firm, Christopher Murphy says, "We're just rolling with it day by day. We had a great leader and learned from one of the best."