The Harry A. Rachlin (1926) Oral History Project

Featuring some of the best-known names in New York State’s legal community and beyond, the Oral History Project hosts a collection of interviews compiled since 1999 with alumni, faculty members and friends of the School of Law. Scroll down to explore and search all of our interviews.

Pillars of the Legal Community

“The Oral History Project memorialize(s) a great law school, which I think UB is, and a great legal tradition, which is the Western New York legal tradition.”

8/27/26

Lauren Rachlin Esq., son of Harry Rachlin ’26

“The Law School is constantly changing... [however] the values that our Law School established in 1887 are the same values we have today.”

8/27/26

Ilene Fleischmann, Vice Dean Emerita for Alumni Affairs

“The law school experience made me a better student and a better person than I could probably have ever imagined.”

8/27/26

Hon. Craig D. Hannah ‘95

“Law is the conscience of the community. ”

8/27/26

Hon. Ann T. Mikoll ’54

“I remember a great deal about then Professor Hyman and Dr. Lenhoff, whose voices rang through in the Bar Exam. ”

8/27/26

Carl A. Green '50

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Featured Interviews

Hon. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg - A Conversation 2019
8/27/26
W.A. Mozart: String Quartet K.428, first movement
Performed by members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Lillian E. Cowan ’27
8/27/26
Born June 20, 1907—Died Feb. 21, 2010
Jonathan S. Beane ’98
8/27/26
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Beane grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C. He attended Dartmouth College, where he majored in history. He knew he wanted to be a lawyer, but took time off and traveled in China. He went to Buffalo for the joint JD/MBA degree so he could understand how business worked.
Professors Kenneth F. Joyce and Louis A. Del Cotto ’51
8/27/26
Hon. Trini E. Ross ’92
8/27/26
Trini Ross grew up in Buffalo with two siblings. She attended Hutchinson-Central Technical High School for engineering; SUNY Fredonia for her undergraduate degree; Rutgers University in Newark, N.J., for a master’s in criminal justice; and UB School of Law.
Hon. John T. Curtin ’49
8/27/26
Judge Curtin’s father was an only child and attended Canisius High School. A supervisor at Bethlehem Steel, he and his mother stressed the importance of education to their sons. The judge had three brothers—he was the oldest—and all attended Canisius High School, where he studied Latin and Greek. He then went to Canisius College, but left in 1942 to enter the Marine Corps during World War II. After he returned and graduated from Canisius in 1946, he started law school. The military had taught him discipline, organization, dealing with others and dealing with his superiors. He chose law school for practical reasons: It was only three years.

About the Project

The Oral History is a project of the Law Alumni Association, funded in part by the Rachlin family as a tribute to the memory of Harry A. Rachlin, a 1926 graduate. (Read our FAQs to learn more.)

Make a gift to this project Click to make a gift to the Oral History Project.

The first Buffalo Law Review editorial board (1951-52).

Our History

Explore the rich history of the School of Law, including our accomplished alumni, prominent faculty and global impact.

Law School History

Search All Interviews

Search results for names are not limited to interviews with that person; they may return any reference to the name, including mentions within interview descriptions for other individuals.

Filter interviews by clicking one (or more) of the categories below.

Results 1 - 20 of 181. (0.33 seconds)

Professor Lee A. Albert
8/27/26
Professor Albert discusses innovative classes he co-taught with faculty from UB’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He taught and wrote on Constitutional law, administrative law, health care law, and law and medicine. He was instrumental in developing the university’s health law program.
Marc A. Alpert ’86
8/27/26
Marc Alpert appreciates the legal education he received from UB law school, and he pays it forward by helping UB Law graduates find jobs with top law firms in New York City.
Hon. Michael A. Amico ’58
8/27/26
Michael Amico said he always had an ambition to pursue the law. He started as a motorcycle policeman with the Buffalo Police Department. He was a pilot in World War II and was able to afford college under the GI Bill of Rights. He attended UB law school during the day and “bounced law books on the motorcycle at night” until he landed a desk job with the police department.
Hon. John J. Ark ’72
8/27/26
During his time on the bench, Judge John Ark presided over all the court’s toxic torts cases. He also served as supervising judge of the 7 Judicial District’s matrimonial part, where he oversaw the disposition of nearly 10,000 divorce cases.
Mason P. Ashe ’89
8/27/26
Mason Ashe is the founder and CEO of Ashe Sports & Entertainment Consulting Inc. He negotiates compensation, sponsorship, NIL, content acquisition and intellectual property deals on behalf of companies and elite athletes in the NBA, NFL, college, high school and global athletics. He also negotiates live and virtual performance, product endorsement and licensing agreements on behalf of entertainers, celebrities, influencers, content creators, public and private companies, non-profit organizations, and innovators of new media.
Professor James B. Atleson
8/27/26
James B. Atleson authored numerous books and articles on labor law and labor history, including the seminal 1983 book Values and Assumptions in American Labor Law. A labor arbitrator for several decades, he resolved many hundreds of individual employment disputes.
Erin Barclay ’98
8/27/26
When Erin Barclay decided to attend the University at Buffalo School of Law, she was motivated by a commitment to public service and pragmatic financial considerations. As a first-generation graduate student, she initially doubted herself, but soon gained confidence when she became involved in UB’s Domestic Violence Legal Clinic.
Hon. Michael A. Battle ’81 - Jaeckle Award 2020
8/27/26
Currently a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Washington, D.C., Michael Battle previously held several distinguished public service positions. From 2005 to 2007, he served as director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where he coordinated and managed 93 U.S. Attorneys.
Jonathan S. Beane ’98
8/27/26
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Beane grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C. He attended Dartmouth College, where he majored in history. He knew he wanted to be a lawyer, but took time off and traveled in China. He went to Buffalo for the joint JD/MBA degree so he could understand how business worked.
Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. ’59 - Jaeckle Award 2005
8/27/26
Thomas R. Beecher was a longtime partner and is now counsel with the Buffalo law firm Phillips Lytle LLP, where he concentrates his practice in estates and trusts, corporate governance, closely held corporations, foundations and not-for-profit entities. But it is his involvement in myriad business and charitable initiatives that has left a huge mark on Western New York.
Joseph W. Belluck ’94
8/27/26
Lawyer Joseph Belluck has built a career on seeking justice for those with asbestos-related illnesses, a path shaped by his public-interest ambitions and deep-seated compassion. Yet, it's his lifelong passion for music—especially the Grateful Dead—that provides the emotional balance needed for such taxing work.
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.
Hon. Ralph A. Boniello III ’69
8/27/26
Justice Boniello mentions the influence of his late father, Ralph Boniello Jr., also an attorney, whom the justice likes to quote: “If you get bored practicing law, you’re doing something wrong.”
Dean Barry B. Boyer
8/27/26
Barry Boyer was associate dean for academic affairs in the law school and director of the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy prior to being named dean.
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.
Dr. John Lord Butsch
8/27/26
Dr. John Lord Butsch reminisced about his famous grandfather, who lived a long and productive life from 1874 to 1973. Dr. Butsch was one of 13 grandchildren; there are also 25 great-grandchildren. His grandfather spent most of his time in Washington, D.C. It was not a close family.
Paul J. Cambria, Jr.
8/27/26
Paul Cambria received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1973. He has been named one of the best lawyers in America for over 25 consecutive years.
Mary K. Davey Carr ’52
8/27/26
In 1952, at age 25, Mary Kay Davey Carr was one of only five women in a graduating class of 142 at UB law school. She passed the bar exam on her first attempt, then began visiting law firms in downtown Buffalo, where she was told, “We don’t want women!” she wrote in her 2019 autobiography, #MeToo, Circa 1927: The Quest for Meaning.
Ross M. Cellino, Sr. ’56
8/27/26
Ross M. Cellino joined Michael Likoudis in 1958 to establish Cellino & Likoudis, later Cellino, Bernstein and Dwyer. For 25 years, he maintained a small office in the Brisbane Building in downtown Buffalo. When the firm moved in 1990, it had a staff of four attorneys.
Hon. Deborah A. Chimes ’89
8/27/26
The youngest of five, Judge Chimes attended public high school and UB undergraduate. After taking a year off, she entered UB law school. She was a first-generation college graduate and the first lawyer in her family. She chose to attend UB law school because she wanted to stay local.

Results 1 - 20 of 181. (0.33 seconds)

The law school cannot verify the accuracy of the interview content, and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the university, the law school or the Law Alumni Association.

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Info For

The Harry A. Rachlin (1926) Oral History Project

Featured Interviews

About the Project

Our History

Search All Interviews

Filter interviews by clicking one (or more) of the categories below.

Event

Format

Class Year

Career Sector

Law School Experience

Areas of Law

Other Topics

Additional Campus-Wide Resources

Learn More About Our School of Law’s History

Social Media

Information For

Consumer Information (ABA Required Disclosures)

Quick Links

Law Admission Links