Trial attorney Connors to receive Law School’s top honor

One of the nation’s top trial lawyers has been chosen to receive UB School of Law’s highest honor.

Terrence M. Connors, a 1971 graduate of the School of Law, will receive the 2016 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award on Jan. 29 in Manhattan during the week of the State Bar Association meeting. The award is given annually to “an individual who has distinguished himself or herself and has made significant contributions to the Law School and the legal profession.” As part of the school’s annual New York Alumni Luncheon, the presentation will take place at the Union League Club, 38 E. 37th St.

Connors, founding member of the Buffalo firm Connors and Vilardo, (now Connors LLP), has been active with the Law School in many ways, including teaching aspects of trial technique. He is a major supporter of the school’s newly formed Advocacy Institute – which encompasses three key areas of legal training: trial advocacy, appellate advocacy and alternative dispute resolution – and serves as chairman of the institute’s advisory board. Additionally, Connors has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council, which consults with the Law School dean on curricular and other matters.

Connors is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, whose membership is limited to 1 percent of the lawyers in each state, and of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, whose membership comprises just 500 trial lawyers in the United States. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in seven categories.

His previous recognitions include a Lawyer of the Year honor from the Erie County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association’s Attorney Professionalism Award, and most recently the Charles F. Crimi Memorial Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the state Bar Association. The UB Law Alumni Association also has honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.