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Francis M. Letro ’79 - Jaeckle Award 2012

Francis Letro standing in front of UB Law School sign.

Francis M. Letro ’79, a prominent Buffalo trial attorney, received the 35th 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.

About this Interview

Date

Jan. 27, 2012

Occasion

Presentation of the 35th annual Edwin F. Jaeckle Award

Place

Union League Club, New York City

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About Francis M. Letro

Francis M. Letro, who limits his practice to personal injury cases, is a native of Olean, N.Y. He earned his undergraduate degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He has held leadership positions in many professional organizations on the national, state and local levels, and for 20 years has been a board member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is also an active member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Bar Associations of Erie, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.

He is a frequent lecturer for national, state and local bar associations, speaking to lawyers and judges about trial practice and procedure, and at continuing legal education seminars and practice skills programs across New York State. He has served as a member of several statewide and local judicial screening panels for sitting judges.

Letro was just 7 when his father, a supervisor for the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, lost a leg in a railway accident. Seeing his family devastated by the tragedy, the elder Letro retained an attorney who secured a settlement. That experience inspired his son to pursue a career in law so that he could advocate for victims of similar misfortunes.

At UB School of Law, Letro has been a longtime member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and now serves as the group’s vice chair. The law school’s first-floor working courtroom is named in his honor, in recognition of a $1 million gift in 2002 from Letro and his wife, Cindy Abbott Letro, in support of the school’s mission. He is also a past recipient of the UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Speakers

Master of Ceremonies: Dennis R. McCoy.

Remarks presented by Brian Melber, Law Alumni Association vice president; SUNY Distinguished Professor Makau W. Mutua, UB Law dean; Satish K. Tripathi, UB president.

The Jaeckle Award is presented by President Tripathi and Dean Mutua. Francis M. Letro 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.

Explore the Class of 1979

  • Thomas E. Black, Jr ’79 - Jaeckle Award 2011
    8/27/26
    Black, the son of a third-generation steelworker and a native of South Buffalo and West Seneca, and his wife, Bridget, who grew up in the Town of Tonawanda, now live in Texas. His law firm, Black, Mann & Graham LLP, was founded in 1997 and has offices in Dallas, Flower Mound and Houston. With over 130 employees, the firm concentrates its practice on mortgage servicing. It is the largest document preparation law firm in Texas, where preparing a mortgage loan document requires an attorney. The firm represents major mortgage companies and banks, preparing their mortgage loan documentation and counseling them on regulatory compliance issues.
  • Francis M. Letro ’79 - Jaeckle Award 2012
    8/27/26
    Francis M. Letro, who limits his practice to personal injury cases, is a native of Olean, N.Y. He earned his undergraduate degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He has held leadership positions in many professional organizations on the national, state and local levels, and for 20 years has been a board member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He is also an active member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Bar Associations of Erie, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.
  • Ann E. Evanko ’79 (Jaeckle Award 2019)
    8/27/26
    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.
  • NYS Senator Shelley B. Mayer ’79
    8/27/26
    Shelley Mayer grew up near New York City. Her mother and her father, a lawyer active in politics, shaped her values. She attempted to pursue a career as a professional dancer in New York City; however, realizing her passion for politics and law, she changed her mind and earned a political science degree at UCLA in 1975.
  • Michele A. Brown ’79
    8/27/26
    Michele A. Brown, a 1979 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law, was born at Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Illinois. After moving to Buffalo and graduating from Williamsville High School, she attended the University of Northern Colorado to study history. Brown spent a few years working as a waitress, bartender, and bank teller before her parents and mentor, Ward Levy, persuaded her to go to law school.
  • Marilyn Tebor Shaw ’79
    8/27/26
    Shaw was born in Rochester, N.Y., into a Jewish family. Her parents were both self-employed accountants. Her grandmother, who had escaped from Russia, lived with them. She attended the local public schools, where her volunteer work began in the seventh grade as a tutor. Volunteering was always a priority for her parents, who taught English to new immigrants, and Shaw followed their example. She graduated from Brighton High School after three years, then worked for a year to earn money for college.

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