Class Action - March/April '20

Terrence M. Connors ’71 received the Thurgood S. Marshall Award from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Connors is founding partner with Connors LLP in Buffalo, where he resides. He is chair of the national advisory board of UB School of Law’s Advocacy Institute, a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association and an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council.

Clark W. Lackert ’76 was recognized as one of the world’s top trademark professionals in the 10th edition of WTR 1000. Lackert is a shareholder with Carlton Fields in the firm’s New York City office. He lives in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.  

Keith N. Bond ’83 received the John W. Cegielski Award from the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association in Buffalo. He is a partner with Walsh Roberts & Grace in Buffalo. Bond lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Laurie M. Rose ’83 of Lake Forest, Ill., was appointed to Lake Forest’s Zoning Board of Appeals. She is president of the League of Women Voters of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Area and founder of Visionairie in Lake Forest.

Brian P. Madrazo ’92 received the Corporate Counsel Award from the Rochester Business Journal and the Daily Record. He is director, legal, with Paychex Inc. in Rochester, N.Y. Madrazo lives in Pittsford, N.Y.  

Hon. Javier E. Vargas ’92, a Kings County Family Court judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., was honored at the School of Law’s Annual OUTLaw Dinner and Awards Ceremony on March 5. Vargas is a resident of New York City.

Hon. Karen A. Bailey Turner ’96 was elected a Monroe County Court judge in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides. She is the first African-American judge on that bench.

Stephen M. Kelley ’98 was admitted to practice at the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a solo practitioner in Geneseo, N.Y., where he resides.   

Hon. Lourdes M. Ventura ’98 received a Medal of Merit from Danilo Medina, president of the Dominican Republic, in recognition of becoming the first descendant of Dominican emigrants to hold the position of New York State Supreme Court judge, 11th Judicial District, in Jamaica, N.Y. Ventura is an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. She lives in Richmond Hill, N.Y.

Brian S. McGrath ’00 has joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP as a partner in New York City, where he resides. He advises clients in the mortgage lending sector, representing companies in lender liability litigation and litigation under federal consumer protection statues, TILA, RESPA and FCRA.

Jennifer N. Weidner ’02 received the Corporate Counsel Award from the Rochester Business Journal and the Daily Record. Weidner is general counsel with Canandaigua National Bank and Trust in Pittsford, N.Y. She lives in Victor, N.Y.   

Esther Dittler ’03 has rejoined the Office of General Counsel with the National Indian Gaming Commission in Washington, D.C. She was previously general counsel with the Seneca Nation’s Tribal Gaming Commission in Niagara Falls, N.Y. She is a resident of Tonawanda, N.Y.

Melissa A. Foti ’03 has been promoted to a managing partner with Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLP in Buffalo, where she resides. Foti practices in the insurance defense practice group.

Joseph M. Hanna ’05 received the Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness Award from Buffalo Business First. He is a partner with Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo. Hanna resides in Amherst, N.Y.

Elizabeth A. Kraengel ’07 has been selected as a Diversity Fellow by the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law. She is a partner with Duke Holzman Photiadis & Gresens in Buffalo, where she resides. Kraengel is a past president of the Western New York Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. She is a vice president of the Law Alumni Association, and a lifetime member.

Jessica DeMichiel ’11 has become of counsel with Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP in the Buffalo office. She counsels clients regarding health care law. DeMichiel lives in Lockport, N.Y.

Patrick T. Fitzgerald ’11 has been promoted to partner with Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo, practicing environmental law. He is a Buffalo resident.   

F. Kenneth Graham ’11 has been promoted to partner with Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo, where he resides. Graham is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council.

Kenneth A. Grossberg ’11 was elected partner with Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo. Grossberg practices in the areas of family wealth planning and tax. He lives in East Amherst, N.Y.  

Daniel J. Hebert ’11 has become a faculty member and adviser in the College of Business Management at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, N.Y., where he resides.  

Hon. Nicole D. Morris ’11 was elected a City Court judge in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides. She is the youngest judge on the court and in the 7th Judicial District.  

Stewart E. Forbes ’13 has accepted a position as an attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel for Civilian Nuclear Programs, in Washington, D.C. He previously served as an attorney with the Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations. He is a resident of Springfield, Va.

David J. Rudroff ’15 of Elma, N.Y., has become an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, in Buffalo. He was previously practicing as an associate with Phillips Lytle LLP in the Buffalo office.

Edward A. Sundquist ’15 was elected mayor of Jamestown, N.Y. He previously practiced with Lewis & Lewis, P.C., in Jamestown, where he resides.   

Joseph G. Trapp ’16 was featured in a “Bytes & Pieces” article in Buffalo Business First discussing his company, Third Estate Analytics, and its work in community development and assisting neighborhoods with their affairs. He is a member of the Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group board of directors and is a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association. He lives in Alden, N.Y. 

Sean M. Esford ’17, an Orchard Park, N.Y. resident, has joined Lipsitz & Ponterio LLC as an associate in Buffalo. He concentrates his practice in representing individuals suffering from occupational diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Ari M. Goldberg ’17 has joined Barclay Damon LLP in the Buffalo office, practicing in the areas of land use & zoning, project development and real estate. He is a member of the Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group board of directors. Goldberg resides in Clarence, N.Y.

Krystal C. Chapin ’18 has become associated with Hodgson Russ LLP in the Buffalo office. She is a member of the real estate and finance practice. Chapin lives in Tonawanda, N.Y.  

Carolyn L. DeVaughn ’19 of Buffalo has joined Gross Shuman P.C. as an associate in the Buffalo office. She concentrates her practice in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and education law.