Ann E. Evanko ’79 (Jaeckle Award 2019)
Ann E. Evanko ’79, a well-regarded attorney in the Western New York legal community, took on major leadership roles in community service while serving as managing partner of the Buffalo law firm Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. She is a role model and trailblazer for female attorneys, and received the 42nd annual Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor the School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
- April 8, 2015
- Feb. 1, 2019
Occasion
- Recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award for Community Service at the 55th Annual Dinner
- Presentation of the 42nd Edwin F. Jaeckle Award
Place
- Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo
- The Buffalo Club, Buffalo, NY
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About Ann E. Evanko ’79
Ann Evanko first studied education and considered archaeology before deciding on a legal career. She chose UB Law for its affordable tuition and location. The challenges of attending law school make for lasting friendships, Evanko said, and some of the friends she made in her law school class eventually became her partners at Hurwitz & Fine: Dan D. Kohane, Lawrence M. Ross, Paul J. Suozzi and Roger L. Ross. Her favorite teacher was Kenneth Joyce, who taught tax. She married while in law school, but did not marry a lawyer.
During law school, she assisted a professor with a research project, clerked, and taught in the research and writing program. All led to a job offer from Hurwitz & Fine, where she went to work after graduation. At the firm, she spent half her time learning corporate law from Sheldon Hurwitz, then litigation from Robert P. Fine. The two areas melded well. She has never worked anywhere else.
She was especially proud that she developed maternity policies for the firm—way ahead of its time. The firm supported her desire for a family and allowed her to take a three-year leave of absence to give birth to three children.
Over the years, she often spoke to women law students about how to achieve work/life balance.
She is most gratified when she can help women achieve economic independence. Her advice to women: “Find a mentor.” Not surprisingly, Hurwitz & Fine has a formal mentoring program.
- Evanko’s extraordinary community service has included:
- Founding member of the Western New York chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York
- Founding member of the Western New York Women’s Foundation
- President of the YWCA of Western New York
- President of Everywoman Opportunity Center
- Member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council
About Ann E. Evanko ’79
Ann E. Evanko serves as president and managing member of the Buffalo-based law firm Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. Practicing in the areas of employment law and corporate law, Evanko litigates and mediates complex business, commercial and employment disputes. A community leader, she has been an active volunteer for numerous groups, especially those promoting women.
The first female attorney hired by Hurwitz & Fine in 1979, Evanko has led the Buffalo-based law firm since 2008. Identified by Business First as one of the most powerful and influential people in Western New York, Evanko has also been named to the Power 250 list, which recognizes the men and women who “wield the most clout in the region,” as well as the Power 100 Women list, which showcases the region’s most influential and powerful women. In 2016, Business First honored Evanko with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Women of Influence for her contributions to the community, to the women-focused charitable organizations she champions, and to her firm.
Evanko is a founder and past president of the Western New York chapter of the Women’s Bar Association and served in many leadership positions for the New York State Women’s Bar Association. She is the immediate past chair of the board and currently a director for the Western New York Women’s Foundation. She also is a director of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and recipient of its 2008 Athena Award.
Evanko has maintained close ties with the law school, co-chairing its Annual Fund in 2013 and serving on the Dean’s Advisory Council since 2014. She is an active leader of the law school’s mentor program and an inspiration to its students.
Speakers
Master of Ceremonies: Hon. Barbara Howe, former state surrogate judge and 2018 Jaeckle Award recipient.
Remarks by Marc W. Brown, Law Alumni Association president; Charles Zukoski, UB provost; and Aviva Abramovsky, UB Law dean.
Dan Kohane, a senior member of Hurwitz & Fine and Evanko’s classmate, introduces the honoree.
The Jaeckle Award is presented by Marc W. Brown and Dean Abramovsky.
Ann E. Evanko offers acceptance remarks.
About the Jaeckle Award
The Jaeckle Award is given annually to a person who exemplifies the highest ideals of UB School of Law and the Law Alumni Association and has made significant contributions to the school and the legal profession. It is named for Edwin F. Jaeckle ’15, a founding partner of the Buffalo law firm Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, and a major benefactor of the school.
