New York State Bar Association celebrates accomplishments of our alumni

The New York State Bar Association, the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation, honored four UB School of Law alumni for their outstanding professional achievements at its 2017 Annual Meeting in New York City.

Maryann Saccomando Freedman ’58 received the Association's 2017 Attorney Professionalism Award for her "dedication to service to clients and a commitment to promoting respect for the legal system in pursuit of justice and the public good, characterized by exemplary ethical conduct, competence, good judgment, integrity and civility."

Freedman is of counsel with Cohen & Lombardo in Buffalo. Her areas of practice include arbitration, estates and trusts law, matrimonial and family law, and mediation. She has served as the first female president of the Bar Association of Erie County, the New York State Bar Association, and the New York Bar Foundation.

Gary J. Muldoon ’76, co-director of the law school’s Innocence and Justice Project, was one of six individuals recognized for his "Distinguished Service in Criminal Justice.” He was set apart by his “outstanding contribution in the field of criminal law education.” 

Muldoon is a partner at Muldoon, Getz & Reston in Rochester, New York and an active leader in the UB Law Alumni Association’s Rochester Chapter. An adjunct faculty member at the law school, Muldoon has authored several books including Handling a Criminal Case in New York.  He is also a contributing editor for the 10th edition of Black's Law Dictionary.

Laurie A. Giordano-Vahey ’96 was presented with a John E. Leach Memorial Award recognizing her outstanding service and distinguished contributions to the legal profession as a member of the Bar Association’s Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law (TICL) Section.

Giordano-Vahey is a founding member and partner in the Rochester, New York law firm of Leclair Korona Vahey Cole LLP. She focuses her practice in the areas of insurance law, as well as commercial and personal injury litigation. She is a former chair of the Association’s TICL section, a founding member of the UB Law Alumni Association’s Rochester Chapter, and a past president of the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, a chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.

Jennifer A. Ehman ’09 received the NYSBA's 2017 Sheldon Hurwitz Young Lawyer Award acknowledging her "outstanding contribution to the practice of law in the field of insurance." The Award is presented by the Association's Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section.

Ehman is an associate with Hurwitz & Fine in Buffalo where she concentrates her practice on insurance coverage analysis and litigation, as well as No Fault/SUM arbitration and litigation.