Class Action - April '18

James P. Harrington ’69, a partner with Harrington & Mahoney in Buffalo, will receive the Hon. John T. Curtin Profiles in Courage Award from the Bar Association of Erie County at its annual awards dinner in June. Harrington is a past recipient of the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for private practice and is an adjunct faculty member at the School of Law. He lives in Buffalo.

Matthew E. Melmed ’78 received the 2018 Whole Child “Visionary” Award from the Simms/Mann Institute in Los Angeles, Calif. Melmed is executive director of Zero to Three in Washington, D.C. He is a resident of Bethesda, Md. 

Timothy P. Johnson ’80 has been named of counsel with Underberg & Kessler in Buffalo, handling cases involving banking and creditors’ rights. He was previously a member with Harris Beach in Buffalo. Johnson lives in Elma, N.Y.

Gary R. Gaffney ’81 will receive the Rev. Joseph Bissonnette Pro Bono Award from the Bar Association of Erie County in Buffalo on May 1 at the annual Law Day luncheon. He is a solo practitioner in Williamsville, N.Y. Gaffney is a resident of Amherst, N.Y.

Hon. Erin M. Peradotto ’84 will be honored at the Buffalo Law Review’s annual dinner on April 26. Peradotto is associate justice, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Buffalo, where she resides. Peradotto is a past recipient of the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award, and a member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin ’85 received the Lois Haight Award of Excellence and Innovation from the U.S. Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus. Rodwin is an Erie County Family Court judge in Buffalo. She is a past recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award for community service from the Law Alumni Association. Rodwin lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Gayle T. Murphy ’86 of Hamburg, N.Y., will receive the Justice Award from the Bar Association of Erie County in Buffalo on May 1 at the annual Law Day luncheon. She is pro bono coordinator with the Erie County Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyers Project in Buffalo.

Gregory P. Rabb ’86 has been named executive director of the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s New York Municipal Clerks Institute in Albany, N.Y. He is a professor of political science and coordinator of International Studies and Study Abroad at Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, N.Y., where he resides. Rabb is also an adjunct lecturer in political science at Buffalo State College.

Donna L. Burden ’87 was named chairwoman of the 8th annual Themis Advocates Group Conference and Seminar, held in Miami. Burden is a founding member of Burden Hafner & Hansen in Buffalo, focusing on defending catastrophic transportation accidents. She lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Kenneth A. Marvald ’87 was selected by The Daily Record in Rochester, N.Y. for its inaugural class of Corporate Counsel Award recipients. Marvald is vice president and general counsel for Graywood Companies, Inc. in Rochester where he resides.

Lauren E. Breen ’89 was promoted to executive director of Neighborhood Legal Services in Buffalo. She previously served as deputy director. Breen is professor emerita and past director of the School of Law’s New York City Program on International Finance and Law. She lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Douglas W. Dimitroff ’89 of East Amherst, N.Y., will receive the UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for private practice on May 8 at its 56th Annual Dinner. Dimitroff is a partner with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, handling cases involving commercial real estate and telecommunications law. He is chair of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

Karen L. Nicolson ’89 will be honored on May 8 at the UB Law Alumni Association’s 56th Annual Dinner with the Distinguished Alumna Award for public service. Nicolson is chief executive officer of the Center for Elder Law & Justice, in Buffalo. She lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Gregory P. Lomb ’90 has written the book Reality: Just a Thought. The book explores the relationship between subjective perception and reality as an objective truth. Lomb is a solo practitioner in Rochester, N.Y., where he resides.

Bradley M. Gayton ’91 will be honored on May 8 at the UB Law Alumni Association’s 56th Annual Dinner with the Distinguished Alumnus Award for business. He is group vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel with Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich. Gayton lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Steven J. Weiss ’91, a founding partner with Cannon Heyman & Weiss in Buffalo, will receive the UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for community service on May 8 at its 56th Annual Dinner. Weiss is a member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council and a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association. He is a Buffalo resident.

Hon. Craig D. Hannah ’95 will receive the UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for the judiciary on May 8 at its 56th Annual Dinner. Hannah is a Buffalo City Court judge and supervisor of the Opiate Crisis Intervention Court in Buffalo, the nation’s first opiate intervention court. Hannah is a member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council. He is a Buffalo resident.

Rosanna Berardi ’97 has become immigration counsel with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo office. Berardi, founder of Berardi Immigration Law, one of the only women-owned immigration law firms in the Buffalo Niagara region, will retain her immigration firm. She is a resident of Lancaster, N.Y.

Brigid M. Maloney ’98 has become a partner with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in the Buffalo office. She is co-leader of the firm’s health law practice, counseling health care clients including hospital systems, single and multi-specialty medical practices, behavioral health providers, pharmacies, urgent care centers, physicians and dentists on structural, regulatory and reimbursement issues related to mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and complex contractual arrangements. Maloney lives in East Aurora, N.Y.

Bridget E. Niland ’98 has been named the first director of Youth Sports Initiatives by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. She will lead a community-wide collaborative initiative to enhance youth sports in the region. Niland previously served as the director of Athletics and special assistant to the President at Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., where she resides. 

Hon. Amy C. Martoche ’99 of Buffalo will be honored at the Buffalo Law Review’s annual dinner on April 26. Martoche is a Buffalo City Court judge.

Brian S. McGrath ’00 has been named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2018 Fellow. McGrath is a member with McGlinchey Stafford in New York City, where he resides. He represents companies in complex commercial litigation.

Asker A. Saeed ’01 was honored at the Students of Color annual dinner on April 12. Saeed is director of diversity and inclusion at Fried, Frank in New York City. He lives in Glastonbury, CT.

Sheldon K. Smith ’01 has joined Harter Secrest & Emery as a partner in the Buffalo office. He practices litigation and handles complex contract, valuation, trade secret and other matters for financial institutions, health care providers, manufacturers, energy companies, real estate developers and construction companies. Smith was previously a partner with Nixon Peabody in Buffalo. He is a past member of the board of directors of the Law Alumni Association. Smith is a resident of Orchard Park, N.Y.

Aaron J. Hiller ’02, of Rochester, N.Y.,  received a Corporate Counsel Award from The Daily Record. The awards were presented to the inaugural group of honorees on March 28. Hiller is general counsel and secretary for The Bonadio Group in Pittsford, N.Y. 

Tiffany M. Pavone ’02 will receive the Justice Award from the Bar Association of Erie County, in Buffalo, at the annual Law Day luncheon on May 1. Pavone is director of operations with the Family Justice Center in Buffalo. She is a resident of Cheektowaga, N.Y. 

Jodi A. Reynolds ’06, a Pittsford, N.Y., resident, has been promoted to senior associate with Harter Serest & Emery in the Rochester, N.Y., office. She concentrates her practice in intellectual property.

Sarah E. Hansen ’07 has been accepted as a member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association. She is a partner with Burden Hafner & Hansen in Buffalo, concentrating in transportation, municipal liability, product liability, premises liability and labor law. Hansen lives in East Aurora, N.Y.

Steven C. Mindy ’08 was elected a partner with Alston & Bird in the Washington, D.C., office. He counsels clients regarding employee benefits and ERISA litigation related to health and welfare benefits. Mindy is a resident of Vienna, Va.

Emma L. Buckthal ’10 has been promoted to supervising immigration attorney with the Erie County Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyers Project in Buffalo. Buckthal is a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association. She lives in Eden, N.Y.

Jennifer C. Behm ’11 has become immigration counsel with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo office. Behm, a partner with Berardi Immigration Law, one of the only women-owned immigration law firms in the Buffalo Niagara region, will retain her position there. She lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Duwaine T. Bascoe ’12 was honored at the Students of Color annual dinner on April 12. Bascoe is an associate attorney at Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP in Rochester N.Y.  He lives in Penfield, N.Y.

Amy K. Ertel ’12 was promoted to vice president and trust administration officer with Canandaigua National Bank in Canandaigua, N.Y. She is a Rochester, N.Y., resident.

Lauren A. Suttell ’12 has become a senior associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo. Suttell provides corporate and regulatory counsel to health care providers, including health systems, hospitals, medical groups, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care centers, home care agencies and individual practitioners. She lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Raad Ahmed ’13, founder and CEO of LawTrades in New York City, was named one of 18 Millennials Changing the Face of Legal Tech by Legaltech News. LawTrades matches attorneys to applicable casework and provides a plan to help individual attorneys create practice-specific branding based on their work. Ahmed resides in Richmond Hill, N.Y.

Elizabeth A. Bove ’14 is practicing as an associate with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office. She focuses her practice in commercial and environmental litigation. Bove is a past member of the board of directors of the Law Alumni Association's GOLD Group. She resides in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Vanessa A. Glushefski ’14, of Glushefski Law, was honored at the Students of Color annual dinner on April 12.  Gulshefski resides in Buffalo.

Justin T. Atkinson ’15 has become an associate with Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore in Utica, N.Y., practicing matrimonial law. Atkinson lives in New Hartford, N.Y.

Jason T. Daniels ’15 has become associated with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in the Buffalo office. He is a member of the firm’s health care and corporate practices, concentrating his practice in hospital and health care organization matters. Daniels lives in Cheektowaga, N.Y.  

Matthew A. Eldred ’15 is practicing as an associate with Harter Secrest & Emery in the Rochester, N.Y., office. He handles cases involving mergers and acquisitions, business entity formation and organization, restructuring and reorganizations in the firm’s corporate practice group. Eldred lives in North Chili, N.Y.

Benjamin L. Nelson ’15 was named a member of the Buffalo Common Council Police Oversight Committee. Nelson is a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, and resides in Buffalo.

Andrew J. DeMasters ’16 has accepted a position as an agency attorney with the New York City Human Resource Administration, Department of Social Services, Office of Legal Affairs, Support and Lien Recovery Litigation Unit, in New York City. He represents the Commissioner of Social Services in child support and paternity hearings in family court. DeMasters was previously of counsel with Ross L. Schiller & Associates in East Meadow, N.Y. He is a resident of Westbury, N.Y.

Isabelle M. Vladoiu ’16 received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and Gold Medal at the Youth for Human Rights North American Regional Summit in Washington, D.C. She is director of the Buffalo chapter of Youth for Human Rights International. Vladoiu is a human rights advocate participating in many events across the country speaking on issues of gender equality, human rights and women empowerment. She also represents the United States at the United Nations as a youth ambassador for the International Human Rights Summit. Vladoiu lives in Tonawanda, N.Y.

Lauren M. Adornetto ’17 has joined Phillips Lytle as an associate in the Buffalo office. Adornetto counsels clients regarding commercial litigation. She resides in Clarence Center, N.Y.

Vicki Economou ’17 received an Equal Justice Works fellowship to support her public service work at the Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides.  Economou is part of a team that presents “family preparedness” clinics to rural farmworkers, many of whom are from Mexico. 

Olivia T. Paulo ’17 is practicing as an associate with Grashow Long in Williamsville, N.Y. She handles cases involving commercial and civil litigation, real estate, matrimonial, estate planning, probate, and labor and employment disputes. Paulo is a School of Law Advocacy Institute volunteer instructor. She lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Adela Smehlik ’17 was named an Equal Justice Works legal fellow. Smehlik works with Journey’s End Refugee Resettlement Services where she helps newcomers to Buffalo with their green card and citizenship applications, and helps refugees apply to bring their spouse or minor children to the United States. She lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Nlemvo Fidèle Menavanza ’18 (LL.M.) will receive the 2018 Liberty Bell Award, the highest award granted by the Bar Association of Erie County, for his work with refugees and those seeking asylum from repressive and hostile regimes. The award will be presented at the Association’s annual Law Day luncheon held in Buffalo on May 1. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Menavanza is the law school’s inaugural Cross-Border Legal Studies LL.M. student.