Jodyann Galvin ’98

Jodyann Galvin grew up in West Seneca with a brother. Her father was a Buffalo police officer who rose to become deputy commissioner. As an undergraduate at Hamilton College, she thought she might become an English professor. Upon graduating in 1992, she returned home and worked with the Buffalo Museum of Science, then the Bar Association of Erie County, where she learned more about lawyers.

UB Law was her first choice: It was economical, and the law alumni she met were enthusiastic about the school. Overwhelmed by the large university campus as a 1L, she quickly acclimated and immersed herself in Civil Procedure. She liked the rigor of reading for classes, figuring out substantive input and how to digest it. She also enjoyed socializing with her classmates.

Galvin knew after her first year that she wanted private practice and initially considered being a transactional or tax lawyer. She interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District, and liked the civil aspect. But after a grueling summer associate position in New York City, she decided litigation was a better fit. She added a Trial Technique course and an Advanced Evidence class to her 3L schedule.

She went to work for Hodgson Russ and has practiced there for her entire career, concentrating on complex business disputes, including class actions, financial services and intellectual property litigation. The firm places a high value on community service, but Galvin needed time to learn how to balance community service with her growing legal practice.

A colleague introduced her to Buffalo Prep, an education nonprofit. She first became a donor and then a volunteer. She is now generous with her time and money, continually finding worthy causes and finding ways to give back. She is now focused on underserved communities, with an interest in education, and has evolved into an educational advocate, especially for the School of Law’s Discover Law program.

Her advice? “If you don’t drop into bed exhausted at night, you haven’t made the most of the day.” Galvin believes that service to the community does not become a burden but becomes a reward.