The Harry A. Rachlin (1926) Oral History Project

Gordon Gross ’55 and his wife, Gretchen, are thanked for their engagement and philanthropy with the law school, the university and the community by having a classroom in John Lord O’Brian Hall named in their honor.

Hon. John J. Gruber ’52 was an attorney specializing in admiralty law who served for 24 years as Tonawanda town justice. From 2001-2007 he served concurrently as a town justice and a Buffalo City Court judge.

Robert J. Gutowski ’99, general counsel of MSCI Inc. in New York City, helped build, take public, and now heads the legal department at a cutting-edge global financial services firm. He regularly volunteers to supervise law student externs and mentors law students in the New York City Program in Finance and Law.

Hon. Deborah A. Haendiges ’91, Erie County Supreme Court justice, 8 Judicial District of New York, presides over Erie County Integrated Domestic Violence Court. She was first elected in 2006, and her current term ends on Dec. 31, 2033.

Hon. Craig D. Hannah ’95 served as chief judge of Buffalo City Court and supervising judge of the 11 city courts in the Eighth Judicial District, encompassing Western New York. Judge Hannah was the presiding judge of the first Opioid Intervention Court in the United States, established in May 2017.

James P. Harrington ’69, a well-respected defense attorney and adjunct faculty member at the law school, believes everyone deserves a fair trial—sex offenders, a cop-killer, and the Yemeni national alleged to have played an integral role in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Pamela Davis Heilman ’75 was recognized with the 38 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest award the UB School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow. A member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, she has worked to enhance the reputation of the law school and is a major donor.

Hon. Kathy C. Hochul, a lifelong New Yorker, is a politician and lawyer who has served at all levels of government: town, county, state and federal. She represented the 26 Congressional District from 2011-2013 and was elected lieutenant governor of New York in 2015.

Hon. Barbara D. Howe ’80 received the 41 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award in recognition of her extraordinary contributions as a New York State surrogate judge for Erie County. The Jaeckle Award is the highest honor the University at Buffalo School of Law and UB Alumni Association can bestow.

Hon. Alexander W. Hunter Jr. ’74 is a judge in the United Nations Dispute Tribunal, in New York City, Geneva and Nairobi; and a judicial hearing officer in the Criminal Court of the City of New York.

Jacob D. Hyman, former dean of the University at Buffalo School of Law and a longtime faculty member, became dean in 1953 and held that post until 1964, when he returned to full-time teaching. He retired, at age 90, after 54 years at UB law school. After he died April 8, 2007, esteemed members of the legal community and university officials and friends gathered to celebrate his memory.

Christopher L. Jacobs ’09 is interested in public service and real estate development. President of Avalon Development, he was elected Erie County clerk in 2011. He has been active in redeveloping Main Street in downtown Buffalo and has won numerous awards for his preservation efforts.

Hon. Matthew J. Jasen ’39 (Ret.) was an associate judge of the state Court of Appeals from 1967 until 1985 and is a celebrated presence in Buffalo’s legal community. He also served as a U.S. judge for the Third Military Government Judicial District at Heidelberg, Germany, in postwar Europe.

Hon. Barbara R. Johnson-Lee ’86, elected a Buffalo City Court Judge in 2014, is now an Acting Judge for Erie County Court. Her judicial assignments have included domestic violence court, general civil and criminal rotations, and currently, she presides over the treatment courts—veterans, mental health, and drug court. 

Kenneth F. Joyce, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, received the Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor the UB School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow. For 40 years, Professor Joyce has helped define the UB Law experience for the thousands of students he has taught.

Anne E. Joynt ’05, a personal injury partner with Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford LLC, has been involved in volunteer leadership roles in multiple legal and non-legal organizations in Western New York, including as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the law school and president of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Harvey L. Kaminski ’77, retired president and CEO of Prestige Capital Corp., was honored by the SUNY Board of Trustees and the School of Law when a renovated first-floor classroom in John Lord O’Brian Hall was named the Harvey L. Kaminski Classroom.

Bruce Karpati ’96 is a partner and global chief compliance officer at KKR & Co., Inc., an American global private equity and investment company, which is principally engaged in holding, managing, and investing securities. He’s also a member of the law school’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

Hon. Mary Ann Killeen ’52 worked in private practice with a large firm before becoming a Family Court judge. When she retired, she had served as a Family Court jurist for 22 years, and as supervising judge for eight.

Hon. Kathy J. King ’84, justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Civil Branch, New York County, New York City. A Caribbean American, she is committed to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession for women in the United States and throughout the world.