Class Action - October '16

Maryann Saccomando Freedman ’58 was honored by the Federation of Italian-American Societies of Western New York at its annual Columbus Day Dinner on Oct. 9 in Depew, N.Y. Freedman is of counsel with Cohen & Lombardo in Buffalo, where she resides.

Robert P. Fine ’68 received the Special Service Award from the U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. Fine is chairman of Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo, a past recipient of the UB Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award, a past president of the Law Alumni Association, an emeritus member of the Dean's Advisory Council and an adjunct faculty member at the School of Law. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Donald A. Alessi ’69 was re-elected chairman of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. Alessi, a solo practitioner in East Amherst, N.Y., is a resident of Clarence, N.Y.

Vincent J. Moore ’69 is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Moore is special counsel with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, practicing real estate law. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Terrence M. Connors ’71 was listed in the Buffalo Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal 2016 Top 10 “Legal Elite of Western New York.” Connors is founding member of Connors & Vilardo (now Connors LLP) in Buffalo. He is a past recipient of the Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor the School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow. Connors is a past member of the Dean's Advisory Council and a recipient of the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He lives in Buffalo.

Raymond H. Barr ’72 is included in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is counsel with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office. Barr counsels clients regarding qualified retirement plans, welfare benefit plans and ERISA matters. He lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

David G. Brock ’72 is named in the Top 50 Upstate New York Super Lawyers 2016. Brock is senior counsel with Kavinoky Cook in Buffalo. He concentrates his practice in negligence, personal injury, products liability, professional liability, legal ethics, insurance coverage and litigation, arbitration and mediation, and trial practice and appeals. Brock lives in East Amherst, N.Y.  

Paul R. Comeau ’73 of Williamsvillle, N.Y., is listed in the 2016 New York Metro Super Lawyers. Comeau is a partner with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, practicing tax law. He is a member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council.

Thomas C. Bailey ’74 is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is counsel with Phillips Lytle, heading the firm’s franchise practice team in Buffalo, where he resides.

Peter D. Braun ’74, counsel with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, is listed in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He practices personal injury law. Braun lives in Snyder, N.Y.

Michele O. Heffernan ’74 is named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Heffernan is of counsel with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, where she resides. She is a member of the firm’s business and transactions practice group.

Robert A. Doren ’75 has been named in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Doren is a member of Bond Schoeneck & King, practicing labor and employment law in Buffalo. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Dale A. Ehman ’75 is included in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is special counsel with Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo. Ehman lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Thomas A. Palmer ’75, a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He is a member of the firm’s business and transactions group. Palmer is a past board member of the UB Alumni Association and a past member of the UB School of Management Dean’s Advisory Council. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Diane F. Bosse ’76 was named among the “Top Women in Law” for 2016 by the New York Law Journal. Bosse is special counsel with Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo. She is a past recipient of the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award and an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Bosse lives in Clarence, N.Y.

Louis P. DiLorenzo ’76 is listed in the 2016 New York Metro Super Lawyers. DiLorenzo is managing partner in the labor, employment, employee benefits and immigration practice group of Bond Schoeneck & King in the New York City office.

Ronald C. Berger ’77 of Cazenovia, N.Y., is named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He is a member of Bond Schoeneck & King in the Syracuse, N.Y., office, practicing in the business and transactions department.

Kenneth A. Manning ’77 is listed in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. He was also appointed to the Buffalo & Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority. Manning is a partner in the Buffalo-based firm Phillips Lytle. He is an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, a past president of the Law Alumni Association and a past recipient of the association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Manning lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Dennis R. McCoy ’77, a senior partner with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, is included in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a past recipient of the Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for private practice. McCoy is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and past president of the Law Alumni Association. He lives in Snyder, N.Y.

Donnalynn Darling ’78 has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers New York Metro list. Darling is chair of the personal injury and education law practice groups with Meyer Suozzi English & Klein in the Garden City, N.Y., office. She lives in Glen Head, N.Y.

Mark J. Moretti ’78 is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner in the Rochester office of Phillips Lytle, practicing in business and tort litigation. Moretti is president of the Monroe County Bar Association in Rochester, N.Y. He lives in Pittsford, N.Y.

Thomas W. Bender ’79 has become a partner with Cohen & Lombardo in Buffalo. He focuses his practice in personal injury and insurance defense litigation. Bender lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Peter F. Brady ’79 has been named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He is senior counsel with Faraci Lange in Buffalo, practicing personal injury. Brady lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Raymond P. Reichert ’79, a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, has been named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017 and the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. He is a Buffalo resident.

Charles C. Swanekamp ’79 of Getzville, N.Y., is listed in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Swanekamp is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in the Buffalo office, practicing business and commercial litigation.

Alan M. Wishnoff ’79 is listed in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Wishnoff is a partner with Phillips Lytle, concentrating his practice in the defense of personal injury litigation in the Buffalo office. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Eric A. Bloom ’80, of counsel with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, is named in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He practices construction litigation. Bloom is a Buffalo resident.

Peter H. Durant ’80 is named in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He is senior counsel with Nixon Peabody in the Rochester, N.Y., office. He concentrates his practice in intellectual property. Durant lives in Pittsford, N.Y.

Timothy P. Johnson ’80 has become a member of the commercial real estate practice group with Harris Beach in the Buffalo office. Johnson was previously vice president and assistant general counsel with First Niagara Bank in Buffalo. He lives in Elma, N.Y.

Paul E. Morrison-Taylor ’80 is named in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office, practicing litigation. Morrison-Taylor lives in Colden, N.Y.

Michael A. Piette ’80 of Lockport, N.Y., has been named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He practices commercial real estate as a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in the Buffalo office. Piette is a past member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Robert J. Portin ’80 is listed in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner with Barclay Damon, practicing health care law. Portin lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Cathy K. Ryan ’80, a partner with Harter Secrest & Emery in Rochester, N.Y., has been named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Ryan practices real estate law.  She is a Rochester resident.

Daniel P. Forsyth ’81 has been named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017 and the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. Forsyth is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King, practicing in the labor and employment department in the Buffalo office. He resides in Lewiston, N.Y.

Larry P. Malfitano ’81, chair of the labor and employment practice group with Bond Schoeneck & King in Syracuse, N.Y., has been named in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. Malfitano is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He lives in Manlius, N.Y.

Brian P. Meath ’81 received the Daily Record’s 2016 Leaders in Law Award. He is vice president and deputy general counsel with Constellation Brands, a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits, in the Victor, N.Y., office. Meath is a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association. He lives in Canandaigua, N.Y.

Herbert J. Glose ’82 of Amherst, N.Y., is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner practicing health care law with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo office.

Vincent O. Hanley ’82 is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. Hanley is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, practicing real estate law. He lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Robert W. Patterson ’83 has been named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Patterson is a member of Bond Schoeneck & King, practicing in the firm’s employee benefits, health care and cybersecurity practice groups in Buffalo, where he resides.

Alan J. Bozer ’84 is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, practicing commercial litigation. Bozer is a Buffalo resident.

George W. Collins Jr. ’84 is included in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Collins is a partner with Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo, practicing personal injury litigation. He lives in North Buffalo.

Sharon L. Wick ’84 of Snyder, N.Y., is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. She is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office, practicing family wealth planning, estate planning, estate and trust administration, and estate and gift taxation.

Mitchell J. Banas Jr. ’85 in named in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list and The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in the Buffalo office, practicing litigation. Banas lives in North Tonawanda, N.Y.

George F. Bellows ’85 is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. He is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, where he resides. Bellows handles cases involving general corporate and business matters.

Brian V. McAvoy ’85 is named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017 in the trusts and estates category. He is a partner with Roetzel & Andress in the Naples, Fla., office. He counsels clients regarding estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate litigation, and general business and real estate law. McAvoy lives in Naples.

Judith G. Olin ’85 of Buffalo has become director of UB School of Law’s Family Violence and Women’s Rights Clinic. She is an assistant clinical professor at the School of Law. Olin previously served as director of the Lee Gross Anthone Child Advocacy Center in Buffalo.

Steven R. Sugarman ’85 is included in Buffalo Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal 2016 Top 10 “Legal Elite of Western New York.” Sugarman is a partner with Pusatier Sherman Abbott & Sugarman in Buffalo and an adjunct faculty member at the School of Law. He lives in Snyder, N.Y.

Catherine T. Wettlaufer ’85 is named in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. She is a partner with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo office, representing clients in estate, trust and business succession planning and administration. Wettlaufer is a Buffalo resident.

Lisa McDougall ’86 is listed in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. McDougall is counsel with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office, practicing health care law. She lives in Eggertsville, N.Y.

Donna A. Milling ’86 received the Trailblazer Award from the Minority Bar Foundation of Western New York, in Buffalo. Milling is first assistant Erie County district attorney in Buffalo. She resides in Williamsville, N.Y.

David J. Murray ’86 is named in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. Murray is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo and Canada offices, practicing corporate and securities law. He lives in East Aurora, N.Y.

David P. Flynn ’87 of East Amherst, N.Y., is included in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office, counseling clients regarding environmental law and energy.

Steven J. Ricca ’87 is named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Ricca is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, practicing property law. He is a Buffalo resident.

Paul F. Hammond '88 is listed in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Hammond is a partner in the litigation group of Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo, where he resides.

Mary Jo Herrscher ’88, an associate with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. She practices chemical exposure and toxic tort defense, products liability and premises liability. Herrscher lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Douglas W. Dimitroff ’89 is included in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, handling cases involving commercial real estate and telecommunications law. Dimitroff is chair of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council. He is a resident of East Amherst, N.Y.

Tamara R. Fowlston ’90 has been named director of affordable housing with MJ Peterson Real Estate in Amherst, N.Y. Fowlston is a Buffalo resident.

Susan S. Jennings ’90 received the Daily Record’s 2016 Leaders in Law Award. Jennings is senior vice president and general counsel with Conifer Realty LLC in Rochester, N.Y. She lives in Hilton, N.Y.

Paula Eade Newcomb ’90 is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. She is a partner with Bouvier Partnership in Buffalo. Newcomb lives in West Seneca, N.Y.

William Greener ’91 is named in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Greener is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King, specializing his practice in intellectual property and technology in Ithaca, N.Y., where he resides.

Robert P. Heary ’91 of Lancaster, N.Y., is listed in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. He is a partner with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo office, practicing labor and employment law. Heary is a member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council and a past president of the Law Alumni Association.

Ella L. Krzanowicz ’91 has become senior counsel with Underberg & Kessler in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides. She handles cases involving corporate and business law, commercial lending and bank regulatory matters. Before joining the firm, Krzanowicz was general counsel for Farm Credit East in Batavia, N.Y.

Christopher D. Thomas ’91 is named in the 2016 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Thomas is a partner with Nixon Peabody in the Rochester, N.Y., office, focusing on civil litigation. He is a Rochester resident.  

Preston L. Zarlock ’92 of Orchard Park, N.Y., is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo and New York City offices, practicing commercial litigation. Zarlock is a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Michael J. Berchou ’93 has become a partner with Harter Secrest & Emery in the Buffalo office, practicing intellectual property. Berchou previously practiced with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, where he resides.

Andre A. Vitale ’94 served as a faculty member in trial skills programs for the Bronx Defenders Trial Academy, the State of Kentucky Litigation and Persuasion Institute, the King County Public Defender Litigation Training Academy in Seattle, Harvard School of Law’s Criminal Justice Institute Trial Advocacy Workshop, the Office of the Missouri State Defender and the Legal Aid Society’s DNA Defense College. He is also a core faculty member with Gideon’s Promise. Vitale is special assistant public defender in the Monroe County public defender’s office in Rochester, N.Y., and serves as its training director. He is also a presenter and blog contributor for the National Association of Public Defense. Vitale is a Rochester resident.

Charles D. Grieco ’95, a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King, has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. He focuses his practice in environmental litigation, environmental compliance, land use planning/environmental review and municipal law. Grieco lives in Buffalo.

Tracy A. Kachur ’96 co-authored the conference proceedings “Adult Learner Perceptions and Experiences in a Community College Engaged in Intensive Student Success Reforms” at the 2016 Adult Education Research Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Kachur is working on a Ph.D. in education policy analysis, focusing on adult learners and community colleges, at North Carolina State University. She is an adjunct professor at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C., where she resides.

Brian M. Melber ’96, a past president of the UB Law Alumni Association, is listed in the 2016 Top 10 “Legal Elite of Western New York” by Buffalo Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal. He is a partner with Personius Melber in Buffalo and resides in Kenmore, N.Y.

Jeffrey B. Scheer ’96 of Manlius, N.Y., is named in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in the Syracuse, N.Y., office, specializing in business and corporate law.

Rosanna Berardi ’97 was appointed director of the American Chamber of Commerce, Peel-Halton-Niagara Region, in Canada. She is the founder of Berardi Immigration Law, one of the only women-owned immigration law firms in the Buffalo Niagara region. Berardi is a resident of Lancaster, N.Y.

Lenora B. Foote ’97 received the Community Service Award from the Minority Bar Foundation of Western New York, in Buffalo. She is executive assistant to Hon. Gerald Whalen ’83, presiding justice, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 4th Department, in Buffalo, where she resides. Foote is a past president of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Craig A. Leslie ’97 is included in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. Leslie is a partner with Phillips Lytle, focusing his practice in products liability, tort litigation, commercial litigation and real property valuation dispute and tax assessment challenges in the Buffalo office. He lives in Elma, N.Y.  

Kathleen M. Bennett ’98 is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. Bennett is a member with Bond Schoeneck & King in the Syracuse, N.Y., office, practicing environmental and property law. She lives in Cicero, N.Y.

Claire T. Brookins ’98 has become an associate with Goldberg Segalla in the Syracuse, N.Y., office. Brookins practices in the firm’s workers’ compensation practice group. She is a resident of Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Edward J. Grabowski ’98 of Medina, N.Y., received the Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching from Genesee Community College in Batavia, N.Y. Grabowski is an adjunct instructor in the college’s social science and business programs.

Kevin C. Kelleher ’98 has been named head of St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster, N.Y. He previously served as athletic director and vice president for development and operations. He is a Lancaster resident.  

Angela Zwirecki Miller ’98 is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. Miller is a partner with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, specializing her practice in bankruptcy and creditors' rights. She resides in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Tasha E. Moore ’98 has become senior management analyst with the Office of Court Administration, 8th Judicial District in Buffalo. She previously served as regional director for the New York State Division of Human Rights in Buffalo, where she resides. Moore is a past member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, a past vice president of the Law Alumni Association and a past president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York, in Buffalo.

Eric C. Naegely ’98, a partner with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, is included in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. Naegely handles cases involving medical malpractice, nursing home negligence defense and other health care related matters. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Bridget M. O’Connell ’98 received the M. Dolores Denman Lady Justice Award from the Western New York chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, in Buffalo. O’Connell is a confidential law clerk in New York State Supreme Court, 8th Judicial District, in Buffalo, where she resides.

Joseph M. Reynolds ’98 has become associated with Hurwitz & Fine in the Buffalo office. Reynolds is a member of the firm’s commercial real estate development and finance practice group. He is a Buffalo resident.

Stephen A. Sharkey ’98, a partner in the litigation department with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He is a past member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Sharkey lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Heath J. Szymczak ’98 is included in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. Szymczak is a partner with the Buffalo firm Bond Schoeneck & King, handling cases involving business-related torts, complex commercial litigation and civil litigation. He lives in Java Center, N.Y.

Dennis K. Schaeffer ’99, a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, is listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2016. He is a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Amy E. Schwartz ’99 will co-chair a new initiative to improve access to legal services for domestic violence victims by the New York State Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. Schwartz is a staff attorney and coordinator of the domestic violence unit with the Empire Justice Center in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides.

Edward J. Cosgrove ’00 is named in Buffalo Business First and the Buffalo Law Journal 2016 Top 10 “Legal Elite of Western New York.” He practices civil litigation with Cosgrove Law Firm in Buffalo. Cosgrove lives in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Mark A. Moldenhauer ’01 is named in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers. He is a member with Bond Schoeneck & King, practicing employment and labor law in the Buffalo office. Moldenhauer lives in East Aurora, N.Y.

Carly M. Speyer ’01 has become associated with Hurwitz & Fine in the Buffalo office. Speyer concentrates her practice in estate planning, elder law, and business and real estate. She lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Hon. Joshua Farrell ’02 has been appointed a city court judge in Albany, N.Y. He previously served as assistant attorney general in Albany, where he resides.

Paul J. Avery ’05 has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. He practices business law with Bond Schoeneck & King in the Syracuse, N.Y., office. Avery lives in Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Anne E. Joynt ’05 received the Daily Record’s 2016 Leaders in Law Award. Joynt is a junior partner with Lipsitz & Ponterio in Buffalo, practicing childhood lead paint litigation and personal injury law. She is vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association and a past president of the School of Law’s GOLD Group. Joynt lives in East Amherst, N.Y.

Sean C. McPhee ’05, a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office, is included in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. He practices civil litigation. McPhee is a Buffalo resident.

Jessica Ortiz ’05 has become a partner with MoloLamken in the New York City office. She counsels clients regarding complex litigation matters. Ortiz previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, in New York City. She is a past recipient of the Trailblazer Award from the UB School of Law Students of Color. Ortiz resides in East Newark, N.J.

Fatimat O. Reid ’05 has been named chief of staff to the superintendent of the Rochester City School District in Rochester, N.Y., where she resides. She previously served as associate general counsel. Reid is a past president of the Rochester Black Bar Association.

Kimberly M. Colaiacovo ’06 has been named in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Colaiacovo is an associate with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, focusing her practice in commercial litigation. She lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Jennifer G. Flannery ’06, a partner with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo and New York City offices, is listed in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. She handles cases involving trust and estate litigation, planning and administration. Flannery is a Buffalo resident.  

Mindy Menke ’06 is included in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2016. Menke is an associate with Barclay Damon in the Buffalo office, representing clients regarding personal and family planning matters. She is a Buffalo resident.

Kevin J. Mulvehill ’06 of Pittsford, N.Y., is included in the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. He is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Rochester, N.Y., and Buffalo offices, practicing commercial litigation and labor and employment litigation.

Jennifer A. Beckage ’07 is listed in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. She is a partner with Phillips Lytle in the Buffalo office and a member of the national advisory board of the UB School of Law’s Advocacy Institute. Beckage lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Richard J. Marinaccio ’07, a partner with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, is included in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. He is a member of the firm’s Canadian Cross Border team and counsels clients regarding international and domestic business transactions, corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, franchise law, licensing and technology transactions, and privacy matters. Marinaccio lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Erin S. Torcello ’07 has been named in the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. She practices labor and employment law as an associate with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, where she resides.

Amanda L. Lowe ’08, a senior associate with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, is included in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. Lowe handles cases involving civil litigation in federal and state courts. She lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Daniel J. Pautz ’08 of Syracuse, N.Y., is listed in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2016. He is an associate with Bond Schoeneck & King, practicing litigation in the Syracuse office.  

Michael J. Hecker ’09, a senior associate with Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Stars list. Hecker practices environmental law. Immediate past president of UB School of Law’s GOLD Group, he lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Michael E. Hickey ’09 of Snyder, N.Y., has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. Hickey practices with Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, concentrating his practice in employment and labor law.

Emma L. Buckthal ’10 received the Carol A. Condon Outstanding New Lawyer Award from the Western New York chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, in Buffalo. She is a senior immigration attorney with the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project in Buffalo. Buckthal lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Tyler T. Hendry ’10 has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. Hendry is an associate with Bond Schoeneck & King in Syracuse, N.Y., where he resides. He practices employment and labor law.

Max R. Lafer ’10 has joined MendenFreiman as an associate in Atlanta. He counsels small and medium-sized businesses on corporate and transactional matters, including business and corporate representation, entity structuring, incentive plans, licensing agreements, employment law and related agreements, trademark and copyright clearance and related registration. Lafer lives in Brookhaven, Ga.

Richard M. Scherer Jr. ’10 has been promoted to senior associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in the Buffalo office. He focuses his practice on state and federal business litigation and environmental compliance matters. Scherer lives in Amherst, N.Y.  

Jeffrey M. Monaco ’10, a senior associate with Phillips Lytle in Buffalo, is included in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. He practices in banking and financial services. Monaco is a resident of Lancaster, N.Y.

Thomas J. Fennell ’11 was appointed to the board of directors of the Western New York Land Conservancy in East Aurora, N.Y. He is an associate with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman in Buffalo, practicing real estate law. Fennell resides in Hamburg, N.Y.

Kenneth A. Grossberg ’11 of Williamsville, N.Y., is listed in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. He counsels clients in estate planning.

Lydia H. Beebe ’12 has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. She is an associate with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, practicing in the trusts and estates practice group. Beebe is a Buffalo resident.

Anthony W. Carroll ’12, an associate with Barclay Damon in Buffalo, has been named to the 2016 Super Lawyers Upstate New York Rising Stars list. He concentrates his practice on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, joint ventures, and private equity and venture capital transactions. Carroll lives in Lancaster, N.Y.

Andrew P. Devine ’12 is included in the Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016. He is an associate with Phillips Lytle, practicing in the litigation department in Buffalo, where he resides.

Shane M. Costa ’13 founded Pillar Sports Management in Buffalo. He is a certified agent and director of football operations with the company. In addition, he is of counsel with VanDette Penbarthy in Buffalo, where he resides.

Micelle M. Ragusa ’13 has become associated with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria in Buffalo, practicing in the business and corporate department. She was also named to the 2016 Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. Ragusa is a Buffalo resident.

Irene Rekhviashvili ’13 was named interim Office for New Americans legal counsel with Journey’s End Refugee Services in Buffalo, where she resides. She was previously a staff attorney.

Samuel A. Alba ’14 has joined the executive council of the Bar Association of Erie County’s Young Lawyers Committee in Buffalo. He practices in Akron, N.Y., handling cases involving criminal defense, divorce and separation, personal injury, and contracts and agreements. Alba is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Peter D. Cantone ’14 has become associated with Bennett Schechter Arcuri & Will in Buffalo, practicing in the defense litigation department. Cantone lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Talia E. Rodriguez ’15 received the Education Award from the Minority Bar Foundation of Western New York, in Buffalo. She is coordinator of the Erie County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project program SAY YES Legal Clinics in the Buffalo Public Schools. Rodriguez is a Buffalo resident.

Maisha Huggins-Blakeney ’16 accepted a position as an associate with Feldman Kieffer in the Buffalo office, practicing civil defense litigation. She is a resident of Cheektowaga, N.Y.

Amanda M. Karpovich ’16 of Williamsville, N.Y., has become associated with Harter Secrest & Emery in Buffalo. She is a member of the securities practice group.

Chloe J. Macdonald ’16 has joined Harter Secrest & Emery as an associate in the Buffalo office. She practices labor and employment law. Macdonald is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Isabelle M. Vladoiu ’16 was selected to participate as a youth country delegate at the 2016 International Human Rights Summit at the United Nations. She is involved with the program Cities for Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Buffalo, a diverse coalition of allies committed to ensuring the equity and equality principles enshrined in the United Nations CEDAW are incorporated into city policy in Buffalo. Vladoiu is secretary general at the International Union of Bilateral Chambers of Commerce and Industry. She is a Buffalo resident.

To Katie Kestel Martin ’13 and James Martin, a daughter, Sophia Renee, on Sept. 27, 2016, in Tonawanda, N.Y.