Five Narratives That Have Shaped Our Path

Co-founder of the Oral History Project

Lauren Rachlin received his legal training at Harvard Law School and began his practice in Buffalo with his father, Harry A. Rachlin, Class of 1926. (“I made partner on my first day out of law school,” he joked.)

Quickly, though, he discovered a passion for international law. After appointments in human rights work and cultural diplomacy at the United Nations, he returned to Western New York and established a thriving practice in international corporate law. He was well regarded as a leader in that area and practiced until his death in 2016.

Rachlin was instrumental in starting the International Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, which now has chapters all over the world. He prided himself in placing UB Law students in internships through the section, giving many a foothold in the practice area. And he enthusiastically provided financial support for the Oral History Project, which he saw as vital to preserving the law school community’s legacy.

Professor Emeritus and former dean of the law school

Professor Barry Boyer served as dean of the law school from 1992 to 1998.

An environmental activist and author on developing cleanup plans for local waterways, he taught courses, from 1973 to 2009, on natural resources, the Great Lakes, law and epidemiology, and law and nature. He co-directed the State of the Region project sponsored by the UB Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth and directed The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy for over 15 years, working to advance interdisciplinary research.

As dean, Boyer navigated the law school through a period of significant economic adjustment, focusing on enhancing the law school’s national reputation to attract top students and expanding alumni outreach. In 1994, he implemented an innovative new UB Law curriculum, blending practical and analytical skills to ensure that graduates entered the profession ready to practice.

A trailblazer and a pioneer

Coming from a family of musicians, Lillian Cowan taught piano on the side while she was studying law. She was the 45th woman to graduate from UB School of Law, which at the time conferred the LLB, or the Bachelor of Laws degree, and one of the earliest graduates to be interviewed for the project.

As one of just three women in her class, Cowan made the most of her legal education, building relationships with her fellow women students and with local female lawyers, and joining a professional legal sorority. “We talked the same language,” she says of that group. “We were all interested in our profession, and it was of No. 1 importance to all of us.”

After graduation, Cowan went on to establish a solo general practice in the Buffalo suburb of Kenmore, handling real estate and estate matters. She practiced law until four years before her death, at age 102, in 2010.

Cowan and her sisters in law helped to pave the way for generations of women law students, democratizing the profession and bringing women’s voices to bear on the most important issues of the day.

A giant of the court

UB School of Law has honored Hon. John Curtin with numerous recognitions: the Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, a Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Dean’s Medal in recognition of his enduring dedication to justice and the rule of law.

Curtin served in the Marine Corps during World War II. Following law school, he worked as a private practitioner and as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, where he served as chief judge from 1974 to 1989.

During his tenure on the federal bench, Curtin showed an unwavering commitment to equal justice in the face of some of the most complex social issues of his time. His legacy includes a 1976 decision ordering the desegregation of the Buffalo public schools, as well as a ruling compelling Occidental Chemical Corp. to clean up the chemical waste it left at the Love Canal landfill. He died in 2017.

Generations of UB School of Law students have already benefited from the guidance of Hon. E. Jeannette Ogden ’83, and generations more will continue to do so. Since her graduation from law school in 1983, she has taken a special interest in sharing the insights of her success with the newest members of the UB Law community, serving as a mentor, advisor and an adjunct instructor.

Ogden’s judicial career spans more than 30 years, beginning with her appointment to Buffalo City Court in 1995. She served as acting Erie County Court judge and as acting Erie County Family Court judge, becoming the first Black woman to serve as a family court judge in Western New York. In 2014, she was elected to the New York State Supreme Court bench, and in 2022, she was elevated to the Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department.

Prior to joining the judiciary, Ogden worked as an insurance trial lawyer. She was also a former prosecutor with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and a former assistant Erie County Attorney.