Hon. Barbara D. Howe ’80 - Jaeckle Award 2018

Hon. Barbara Howe is a distinguished jurist and academic. The New York State surrogate judge for Erie County until Dec. 31, 2017, she completed 30 years of service on the bench and will now transition into private practice.

Judge Howe began her judicial career in Buffalo City Court in 1988 and served as a New York State Supreme Court justice from 1992 to 2003. From 2004 to 2017, she served as the surrogate judge.

As a judge in one of New York State’s busiest courts, Judge Howe led numerous statewide committees. As a member of the New York State Office of Court Administration’s Legislative Advisory Group, she helped to initiate and implement legislation making Erie County Surrogate’s Court the first surrogate’s court in New York State with an e-filing option. She also played an active role in shaping legislative proposals relating to estate and surrogate’s court practice while serving on the OCA’s Surrogate’s Court Advisory Committee.

Judge Howe is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where she earned a bachelor’s degree with highest honors. She has a master’s and a doctorate in sociology from Cornell University, and a J.D. from UB School of Law.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Howe was a tenured faculty member in the Department of Sociology at UB. While on the bench, she served as an adjunct clinical professor of law at UB and as an adjunct associate professor of sociology.

A former president of the UB Law Alumni Association, she is a past recipient of the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award for the Judiciary. She maintains close ties with the law school, teaching several courses and actively participating in its mentor program.

Master of Ceremonies: Hon. Eugene F. Pigott, New York State Supreme Court justice.

Remarks presented by Marc W. Brown, Law Alumni Association president-elect; Douglas W. Dimitroff, Dean’s Advisory Council chair; Rodney M. Grabowski, UB vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement; Professor S. Todd Brown, vice dean for academic affairs; Kathy Hochul, New York lieutenant governor; Kenneth A. Manning, attorney and friend; Hon. Acea M. Mosey, New York surrogate judge, Erie County.

Award presented by Professor Brown and Marc W. Brown. Judge Howe offers acceptance remarks.