Oliverio was born in a diverse, blue-collar Niagara Falls, N.Y., neighborhood in the 1960s. His father was a bricklayer who hadn’t graduated high school. Both parents were voracious readers and prioritized education. His two much older brothers and Oliverio all went to college. Growing up in Niagara Falls taught him to compete and instilled in him a strong work ethic.

After studying engineering at UB, Oliverio went to work at Carborundum, which paid his tuition for an MBA, and where he first encountered lawyers. He soon decided to apply to UB law school, as UB enjoyed an excellent reputation and was affordable. After his first year, he thought about leaving, but Professor William R. Greiner convinced him to stay. Oliverio wonders where he would be today had he gone in a different direction.

Law school was easy compared to engineering. Thomas Headrick was his dean—a students’ dean. Oliverio formed lasting relationships with Bill Greiner, Tom Headrick, Bob Schwenkel of Freed Frank, and Bob Lane. He interned at Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, and was in awe of Mr. Jaeckle. He socialized with other non-traditional law students, such as Gerry Meehan, the former captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and Lee Coppola, formerly of The Buffalo News. Greiner and Marjorie Girth were his favorite professors. He had no courtroom exposure as a student but took Trial Technique. He was taught law the old way, more Socratic, with legal concepts—not teaching to the bar exam and with less practical experience. He now sees improvements, with newer graduates getting more practical experience.

According to Oliverio, success indicators are life events and areas of expertise, not education. “The practice of law is primarily other than what you learn in law school,” he said, naming judgment, confidence, a sense of potential opportunities, identifying the problems and negotiating. His mentor was Bill Greiner.

He knew he wanted to be in private practice in a firm. After law school, he spent three years at Hodgson Russ LLP before U.S. Attorney Sal Martoche offered him a job that allowed him to work with the most experienced prosecutors in the Western District of New York. For Oliverio, it was a career changer. He realized his future direction was litigation in federal court. 

After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office, Oliverio recognized he needed a base like Hodgson Russ and returned to his former firm. Soon afterward, he started a white-collar criminal practice at Hodgson. Today the firm is nationally known for its whistle-blowing practice.