The Harry A. Rachlin (1926) Oral History Project

John M. Nesper ’55 focused his practice on government work. He was the Town of Amherst’s lawyer and negotiator when Gov. Nelson Rockefeller surprised the University at Buffalo by deciding to develop the North Campus, in Amherst.

Wade J. Newhouse Jr. was a longtime faculty member who served as dean from July 1986 to December 1987. Newhouse also served as director of the Charles B. Sears Law Library, as director of the Edwin F. Jaeckle Center for State and Local Government Law, and as an assistant dean and associate dean.

Karen L. Nicolson ’89 is CEO of Buffalo’s Center for Elder Law and Justice, which uses the legal system to improve the quality of life for elderly, disabled and low-income persons, advocating for them in the health care system, housing, consumer protection and elder abuse.

Hon. Henry J. Nowak Jr. ’93 has risen in the judiciary, from Buffalo Housing Court to the State Supreme Court and now to associate justice, Appellate Division, Fourth Department. Before becoming a judge, he worked at two law firms, Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria and Connors LLP.

Hon. Denise E. O’Donnell is an attorney who has served with distinction in senior executive positions in criminal justice at the federal, state and local levels. She was director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, New York State commissioner of criminal justice services and assistant secretary to the governor for criminal justice.

Hon. E. Jeannette Ogden ’83 received the 2025 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award in recognition of his contributions to the law and his public service in local, state and federal government. The Jaeckle Award is the highest honor UB School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow.

Daniel C. Oliverio ’82 is a partner and chairman emeritus of Hodgson Russ LLP in the Buffalo office. He heads the firm’s False Claims Act & Whistleblower Representation and Business Crimes, Regulatory Offenses & Corporate Investigations practices.

Dean R. Nils Olsen Jr. spent four decades as a UB Law faculty member. He served as dean from 1998 to 2007. An environmentalist and longtime director of the clinics, he was a key member of the university’s leadership team, focused on UB’s civic engagement and public policy initiatives, especially environmental policy. He received the 32 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award for his decade of distinguished leadership of the law school and his extraordinary service to the university and the Western New York community. It is the highest honor the University at Buffalo School of Law and the UB Law Alumni Association can bestow.

Mark G. Pearce ’78 is a lawyer, arbitrator and university professor best known for serving as a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Pearce was designated chair of the NLRB by President Barack Obama on Aug. 28, 2011.

David R. Pfalzgraf Jr. ’97 is the managing partner of Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLC. He works primarily with private business enterprises, ranging from closely held family businesses to multinational corporations. Founded in 2000, the firm has grown to more than 60 attorneys in five offices across New York State.

James V. Philippone ’54 is a founder and senior partner in Philippone Law Offices, in Rochester, N.Y., where he is a trial lawyer focusing on criminal law defense.

Hon. Eugene F. Pigott Jr. ’73 was nominated by Gov. George E. Pataki as an associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals in 2006. Previously, he practiced law in Buffalo; was Erie County Attorney; was elected to State Supreme Court; and served as the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, presiding justice. He received the 37 annual Edwin F. Jaeckle Award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the law, UB School of Law and the people of New York. The Jaeckle Award is the highest honor UB Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow.

Faculty, students and alumni gathered to pay homage to professors who retired within a few years of 2010. Those honored included Lee A. Albert, James B. Atleson, Barry B. Boyer, David B. Filvaroff, Ellen M. Gibson, Thomas E. Headrick, Kenneth F. Joyce, Janet S. Lindgren, Elizabeth B. Mensch, Wade J. Newhouse, Judy Scales-Trent, and Louis H. Swartz.

Lauren D. Rachlin, a pioneer in international law in Buffalo, founded the International Law and Practice Section of the New York State Bar Association in the 1970s. He had a corporate international practice. He supported the Law Alumni Association’s Oral History Project, named after his father, Harry A. Rachlin ’26.

Professor Robert I. Reis, a UB Law professor since 1968, pursued a broad range of environmental, land use and development, finance and technology interests. Previously director of the School of Law’s Government Law Program, he later became co-director of the Intellectual Property and Technology Concentration.

Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin ’85 is a Family Court judge and a pioneer in prosecuting domestic violence. As an assistant district attorney, she transformed how domestic violence crimes are managed in Erie County, leading the innovative Domestic Violence Unit before becoming a judge.

Warren B. Rosenbaum ’72 is a partner and a member of the Litigation Department of Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP in Rochester, N.Y. He serves as lead litigation counsel in large and complex legal matters in federal, bankruptcy and state courts.

Trini E. Ross ’92 is senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of New York. She also teaches Trial Technique at UB School of Law.

Laurence K. Rubin ’77, a partner with the Buffalo law firm Kavinoky Cook LLP since 2007, makes a difference in the community by volunteering his time and legal expertise to assist civic, religious and political organizations. His practice focuses on public and private development, real property law and municipal law.

Hon. Cynthia N. Rufe ’77 was appointed by President George W. Bush as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2002. Before that, she served as a state court judge, a private practitioner and a public defender.