Class Action - February 2024

Hon. Gary J. Muldoon ’76 was elected Perinton town justice in Fairport, N.Y. He is a partner with Kaman Berlove Marafioti Jacobstein & Goldman LLP in Rochester, N.Y. 

Oliver C. Young ’80 has joined the Law Office of John V. Elmore P.C., in Buffalo, as a senior trial attorney. Young was recently of counsel with Barclay Damon LLP in Buffalo. He is a past recipient of a UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for public service and the School of Law’s Students of Color Trailblazer Award.  

Hon. Erin M. Peradotto ’84, retired New York State Supreme Court justice, Appellate Division, 4th Department, has accepted a position as a partner in the Buffalo office of Harris Beach PLLC in its appellate practice group. Peradotto is a past recipient of a UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award for the judiciary and a past Buffalo Law Review honoree. She currently serves on the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council and the national advisory board of the Advocacy Institute.  

Hon. Forrest Strauss ’88 has started his own practice in Monroe, N.Y., providing ethics advice, practice management guidance and grievance defense legal services for lawyers, judges and other professionals in disciplinary matters. He serves as village justice in Monroe and is a former principal attorney with the New York State Grievance Committee, 9th District, in White Plains. 

Charles J. Sullivan ’92, a member with Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, was elected to the firm’s management committee in the Syracuse, N.Y., office. Sullivan handles cases involving financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, business formations, business restructurings and contract negotiations.   

Hon. Lynn Wessel Keane ’93 has been appointed to the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 4th Department, in Rochester, N.Y. She previously served as a New York State Supreme Court justice, 8th Judicial District, in Buffalo.

Deborah Baird ’97 was promoted to partner with Duane Morris LLP in the New York City office, practicing taxation and trusts and estates law. 

Hon. Tiffany R. Perry ’00 was elected a Buffalo City Court judge. She was previously a court attorney referee for Erie County Family Court, in Buffalo. Perry is a past vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Hon. Matthew R. Coseo ’05 was re-elected town justice in Wilton, N.Y. Coseo is principal law clerk with the New York State Supreme Court, 4th Judicial District, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.  

Jodi A. Reynolds ’06 was elected a partner with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in the Rochester, N.Y., office, practicing intellectual property law. She previously served as counsel with the firm. 

Hon. Shannon E. Filbert ’07, town justice in West Seneca, N.Y., was elected an Erie County Family Court judge in Buffalo. She previously served as a confidential law clerk at Family Court.  

Erin S. Torcello ’07 was elected to the management committee of Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC in Buffalo. Torcello, a member of the firm, practices labor and employment law.  

Candacé Jackson ’09 was promoted to director, employer relations and outreach, at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Additionally, she was elected to the board of directors of the Washington Area Legal Recruitment Administrators Association in Washington, D.C.

Dale J. Bauman ’10 was promoted to senior partner with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, focusing his practice on plaintiff’s personal injury in New York and Florida.

Marize Helmy ’11 was named to the board of trustees of Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah, N.J. Helmy is a partner with The Manna Helmy Law Group in Ridgewood, N.J., specializing in elder law and estate planning.

Michael B. Hilburger ’11 has been promoted to associate dean for student affairs at UB School of Law. He previously served as assistant dean and will continue to work with student groups, provide individual counseling, and collaborate on student programming and community building initiatives.

Arthur James III ’12 started the consulting firm AJ3 Solutions LLC in Victor, N.Y., providing implementation, administration and support to municipalities desiring to do business via electronic contracts and insurance. He was previously an assistant county attorney with the Ontario County Attorney’s Office in Canandaigua, N.Y.

Charles J. Santoli ’13 has been promoted to partner with Block Longo LaMarca & Brzezinski P.C., in Buffalo, counseling clients regarding real estate transactions, evictions and lease negotiations.

Vanessa C. Gabriele ’14, managing attorney with Gabriele Law PLLC in Buffalo, was elected a financial officer for the Family Law section of the New York State Bar Association. Gabriele is an adjunct professor at the School of Law, teaching Family Law 306 in the undergraduate program. She is a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Jamila A. Lee ’15 has been promoted to vice dean for student affairs at the School of Law. In her new role, she will oversee the activities of the Office of Student Affairs and continue to facilitate student programming that promotes wellness, builds community and cultivates an inclusive environment. Lee previously served as assistant dean.

Lee Williams ’16 has been named CEO of Dent Neurologic Institute in Amherst, N.Y., the largest outpatient neurology practice in the United States. Before accepting this position, Williams was general counsel and director of business development with Dent.

Megan J. Lyle ’17 was promoted to senior vice president of administration and general counsel with The Arc Central Chesapeake Region in Linthicum, Md. The Arc provides person-centered supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, work, and connect with their communities. Lyle will lead all aspects of enterprise-wide compliance, legal strategy and operations, information technology and corporate governance. She formerly held the position of vice president of corporate compliance and legal counsel.

Alexander D. Vilardo ’18 was promoted to partner with Colligan Law LLP in Buffalo, handling cases involving corporate and business law, commercial real estate, estate planning and estate administration. Vilardo is a former treasurer of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. 

Gina M. Piva ’20 has joined the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo Inc. as a staff attorney in the Civil Legal Services unit, primarily focusing on matrimonial matters. She was formerly a staff attorney with Neighborhood Legal Services Inc. of Western New York, in Buffalo. 

Shane A. Greene ’22 has accepted a position as a general labor attorney with the National Labor Relations Board in Buffalo. He previously served as an appellate attorney with Kahana Feld in Buffalo. 

Geoffrey C. Adonu ’23 has joined the U.S. securities team as an associate with Clifford Chance in the London, England, office, representing corporate and sovereign issuers and underwriters in international capital market transactions.

Rebecca C. Kroll ’23 has become associated with Richards and Jurusik LLP in Buffalo, handling employment-based and family-based immigration matters. 

Julia R. Merante ’23 has joined Harris Beach PLLC as an associate in the firm’s energy industry team in the Albany, N.Y., office, advising clients on energy regulatory, compliance and business matters.

Emily L. Oczytko ’23 has accepted a position as an associate practicing personal injury law with the Nicotra Law Firm in Buffalo.

Michael W. Perlo ’23 has become associated with Harris Beach PLLC in the firm’s business and commercial litigation practice group in the Rochester, N.Y., office. 

Buffalo 2024 Black History Month Award in Law

• Jamila A. Lee ’15, School of Law 

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Buffalo Funk Fest Foundation Inc., Black Tie for Black History Difference Makers

• Cavette A. Chambers ’04, City of Buffalo, Law Department

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Minority Bar Association of Western New York's 2024 Board of Directors

• President: Ifeoluwa M. Popoola ’19, County of Erie, Department of Law, Buffalo
• Vice President: James L. Harrington ’19, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Buffalo 
• Treasurer: Shane A. Greene ’22, National Labor Relations Board, Buffalo  
• Deputy Treasurer: Deonna M. Jones ’19, Buffalo Board of Education
• Recording Secretary: Katherine T. McCarley ’20, National Fuel Gas Co., Williamsville, N.Y. 
• Corresponding Secretary: Nicholas A. Ramirez ’22, Western New York Law Center Inc., Buffalo
• Director: Jesutowo A. Adeniji ’20, County of Erie, Department of Labor Relations, Buffalo
• Director: Samuel S. Borbor-Sawyer ’17, Phillips Lytle LLP, Buffalo
• Director: Arrianna Z. Hart ’20, City of Buffalo, Corporation Counsel's Office
  

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New York State Bar Association Local and State Government Law Section Award for Excellence in Public Service

• Martha Krisel ’80, Retired, Nassau County Civil Service Commission, Hempstead, N.Y. 

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New York State High School Athletic Association’s Section VI Girls Varsity Ice Hockey League 2024 Jim Ruskin Award

• Prof. Helen “Nellie” Drew ’88, School of Law

Northeastern Black Law Students Association Judicial Alumni Award

• Hon. Gary A. Wilson ’08, Buffalo City Court

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Rochester Business Journal & Daily Record 2023 Power 50 Law

• Hon. Melissa L. Barrett ’95, New York State Unified Court System, 7th Judicial District, Rochester, N.Y.
• Robert Brucato Jr. ’90, Counsel Press, Buffalo 
• Joseph P. DeCoursey ’04, Hamberger & Weiss LLP, Rochester, N.Y.  
• Alana M. Fuierer ’95, Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C., Rochester, N.Y.  
• Thomas F. Knab ’88, Underberg & Kessler LLP, Buffalo 
• Langston D. McFadden ’03, Law Offices of Pullano & Farrow PLLC, Rochester, N.Y.  
• Kevin J. Mulvehill Sr. ’06, Phillips Lytle LLP, Rochester, N.Y.  
• Peter T. Rodgers ’76, Lacy Katzen LLP, Rochester, N.Y.  
• Trini E. Ross ’92, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Buffalo 
• Jennifer M. Schauerman ’10, Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP, Rochester, N.Y.
• Hon. William K. Taylor ’01, New York State Supreme Court, 7th Judicial District, Rochester, N.Y.

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Utopian Euphoria LLC Women Who Walk in the Footsteps of Greatness Honorees 

• Jamila A. Lee ’15, School of Law
• Hon. Caroline A. Wojtaszek ’97, Niagara County Court, Lockport, N.Y.