The Harry A. Rachlin (1926) Oral History Project

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.

Kristin Graham Koehler ’94 is managing partner of Sidley Austin’s Washington D.C. office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Consistently recognized as a leading lawyer for white collar crime, government investigations, and litigation, she previously served as a global co-leader of the firm’s White-Collar Defense and Investigations practice.

Sachin Kohli ’06 is a partner in the New York City office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where he represents public and private companies and private equity funds in connection with acquisitions and divestitures, and provides counsel on general corporate matters. He has advised companies on multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions.

Courtland R. LaVallee ’66 was a skilled Buffalo litigator who focused on railroad law and immigration law. He became a partner in a couple of large law firms, argued a case in the U.S. Supreme Court and devoted thousands of hours of pro bono work to helping immigrants.

Professor Virginia A. Leary, a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, taught human rights and international labor law at UB School of Law from 1975 until she retired as a professor in 1995. A courageous human rights advocate—especially concerning the right to health—she brought people together to promote dialogue and understanding.

Nicole C. Lee ’02, an organizational and public policy leader with the Lee Bayard Group in Washington, D.C., served as the first female president of TransAfrica, the nation’s premier African-American foreign affairs organization. Appointed in 2006, she served for nine years.

Francis M. Letro ’79, a prominent Buffalo trial attorney, received the 35 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award for enhancing the quality and reputation of the law school through exceptional philanthropic leadership. This award is the highest honor the University at Buffalo School of Law and the UB Law Alumni Association can bestow.