Class Action - August 2023

John G. Brenon ’72 has become of counsel with Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC in Buffalo, counseling clients regarding trusts and estate planning. He resides in Clarence Center, N.Y.

Clarence J. Sundram ’72 of Delmar, N.Y., was interviewed by The Capitol Pressroom, a daily public radio program in Albany, N.Y., for the series “Justice for All” about care for people with special needs and needed reform. Sundram is a monitor/special master with the U.S. District Court in Albany, and a member of the law school's Advocacy Institute national board of advisors.

Michael J. Surgalla Jr. ’82 of Silver Spring, Md., facilitated workshops in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Naivasha, Kenya; and Entebbe, Uganda; as a consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The workshops were designed to help prosecutors, diplomats and other government officials in East Africa strengthen international cooperation and prevent and combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling, within the framework of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Hugh M. Russ III ’87 was named to the 2023 Pro Bono Honor Roll for the U.S. District Court, Western District of New York. A partner with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo, Russ is a resident of Snyder, N.Y.

Robert Brucato Jr. ’90 was elected president-elect of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is senior staff counsel with Counsel Press in Buffalo. Brucato lives in Williamsville, N.Y.

Patricia S. Ciccarelli ’93 was elected secretary of the UB Law Alumni Association. She is a partner with Schnitter Ciccarelli Mills PLLC in Williamsville, N.Y. Ciccarelli lives in Amherst, N.Y.  

Hon. Henry J. Nowak Jr. ’93 has been appointed associate justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Buffalo. He previously served as a New York State Supreme Court justice, 8^th Judicial District, in Buffalo.  

Celeste M. Murphy ’97 has become senior special counsel with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of International Affairs, in Washington, D.C. She previously served as legal branch chief, Division of Corporation Finance, with the commission. Murphy, an emeritus member of the School of Law’s Dean’s Advisory Council, lives in Bethesda, Md.

Elizabeth R. Wright ’97 of Grand Island, N.Y., has become associate vice president for academic relations with Daemen University in Amherst, N.Y. She previously served as interim dean of the university’s College of Health Professions.

Hon. Lourdes M. Ventura ’98 has been appointed associate justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, in Brooklyn. She previously served as associate justice on the Appellate Term of the New York State Supreme Court for the 2^nd, 11^th and 13^th Judicial Districts in Jamaica, N.Y. Ventura, an emeritus member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, lives in Richmond Hill, N.Y.  

Hon. Amy C. Martoche ’99 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. Martoche is a New York State Supreme Court justice, 8^th Judicial District, in Buffalo, where she resides.  

John C. Godsoe ’00 was elected assistant secretary of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is a member with Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC in Buffalo, where he resides.

Joel A. McMahon ’00 has been promoted to general counsel with Uniland Development Co. in its newly formed legal department in Amherst, N.Y. He is a resident of Clarence Center, N.Y.

Hon. Patrick G. Radel ’02 of New Hartford, N.Y., has been appointed a bankruptcy judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of New York, in Albany. He was previously a partner with Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore LLP in Utica, N.Y.

Scott J. Whitbeck ’02 has become special counsel with Hurwitz Fine P.C., in the firm’s litigation department, in Buffalo, where he resides.

Heather A. Giambra ’04 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. She is a partner with Schröder Joseph & Associates in Buffalo. Giambra lives in Youngstown, N.Y.

Amy P. Herstek ’04 was elected treasurer of the UB Law Alumni Association. Herstek is senior corporate counsel with Curia Global, a global contract research, development and manufacturing organization with products and services across the drug development field, in Albany, N.Y. She lives in Amherst, N.Y. 

Bethany A. Solek ’04 was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Solek is an assistant district attorney with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office in Buffalo, where she resides.   

Hon. Karen T. Beltran ’05 was appointed a city court judge in Yonkers, N.Y., where she resides. She previously served as a deputy administrator with Westchester County in White Plains, N.Y.

Jennifer R. Scharf ’05 has accepted a position as associate dean for career services for UB School of Law. Scharf, who also directs the school’s Trial Advocacy Program, was previously a partner with The Coppola Firm in Buffalo. Scharf is a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association. She lives in Williamsville, N.Y.  

Scott J. Bizub ’06 of Snyder, N.Y., was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. He practices with the Trial Division of Nationwide Insurance in the Law Office of Robert L. Hartford, in Getzville, N.Y.

Meghan M. Brown ’06 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Brown is a partner with Goldberg Segalla LLP in Buffalo, where she resides.

Crystal J. Rodriguez-Dabney ’06 (JD), ’07 (LLM) has become chief diversity officer and senior vice president with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, where she resides. She previously served as first deputy mayor and chief of staff for the City of Buffalo.  

Nathan A. Shoff ’06 has been promoted to partner with Lacy Katzen LLP in Rochester, N.Y., focusing his practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, and estate litigation. He lives in Fairport, N.Y.

Julie Ann Latham ’07 has become associated with Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC in Buffalo, handling cases involving trusts and estate planning. She is a resident of Kenmore, N.Y.  

Richard J. Marinaccio ’07 was elected treasurer-elect of the UB Law Alumni Association. Marinaccio is a partner with Phillips Lytle LLP in Buffalo and a member of the firm’s Canadian Cross Border team. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.

Jeffrey P. Gleason ’08 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. Gleason is a partner with Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC in the Buffalo office. He lives in Amherst, N.Y.   

Karen Menter Lowe ’08 is practicing as an associate with MCV Law in the firm’s workers’ compensation and Social Security disability departments in Syracuse, N.Y. She lives in Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Daniel J. Altieri ’09 was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. A partner with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in the Buffalo office, Altieri lives in North Tonawanda, N.Y.  

Megan L. Connelly ’09 has become associate staff attorney with the Utah State Bar’s Access to Justice Initiative in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she resides.

Michael J. Hecker ’09 was elected president of the UB Law Alumni Association. Hecker is a partner with Hodgson Russ LLP in the Buffalo office and a past president of the Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. A lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association, he lives in Clarence Center, N.Y.

Dina L. Allen ’10 has become a partner with Webster Szanyi LLP in Buffalo, concentrating her practice in labor and employment matters, with a focus on representing school districts throughout New York State. Allen lives in North Tonawanda, N.Y.

Kathryn G. D'Angelo ’10, general counsel with the Buffalo Bills, was promoted to senior vice president of business administration. She lives in Hamburg, N.Y.

Thomas S. Johnson Jr. ’10 has become senior counsel, Opinions and Research Unit, with the FDIC in Washington, D.C. He previously served as counsel for the FDIC’s Enforcement Section. Johnson resides in Springfield, Va.  

Vincent M. Miranda ’10 was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Miranda is senior attorney, global employment and litigation, with Dun & Bradstreet. He is a resident of East Amherst, N.Y.  

Adam R. Durst ’13 has been admitted as a member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, an exclusive, invitation-only international organization of civil defense attorneys in private practice, in-house counsel, risk managers and insurance claims professionals. Durst is a partner with Goldberg Segalla in the Buffalo and Manhattan offices. He lives in Tonawanda, N.Y.   

Ericka B. Elliott ’13 has been appointed to the board of directors of Lifespan in Rochester, N.Y. She is an associate with Underberg & Kessler LLP in Rochester. Elliott lives in Lima, N.Y.   

Adam M. Brasky ’14 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is a partner with Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC in Buffalo. Brasky resides in Batavia, N.Y.

Henry A. Zomerfeld ’14 was elected president of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. Zomerfeld, a senior associate with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo, lives in Kenmore, N.Y.

Aleece E. Burgio ’15 has joined Colligan Law LLP as a cannabis attorney in Buffalo, where she resides. She is a policy committee member of the Cannabis Association of New York, program executive chair of the New York State Bar Association Cannabis Section and a member of the Buffalo Cannabis Working Group. Burgio previously served as chair of the New York State Bar Association Cannabis Committee.

Todd J. Potter Jr. ’15 was elected president-elect of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. He is a Buffalo resident and solo practitioner, handling cases involving real estate transactions, matrimonial and family law, estate planning, corporate formations and litigation. He is a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Michael J. Kelly ’16 was promoted to partner with Martin Ganotis Brown Mould & Curie P.C., in Dewitt, N.Y., focusing his practice on the defense of physicians and hospitals in New York State. He resides in Skaneateles, N.Y.   

Catherine J. McCulle ’16 of Angola, N.Y., was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. She practices with the Law Office of Lindy Korn in Buffalo.  

Sara B. Sweeney ’16 was promoted to senior associate with Tully Rinckey PLLC, practicing family and matrimonial law in the Albany, N.Y., office. She lives Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Ryan P. DiFlavio ’17 has joined Goldberg Segalla as an associate, handling cases involving workers’ compensation. He lives in West Seneca, N.Y.  

Erin K. Ewell ’17 was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. She is an associate with Wilder & Linneball LLP in the Buffalo office. Ewell resides in Cheektowaga, N.Y.    

Marina A. Barci ’18 was elected treasurer of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. Barci is associate corporate counsel with the architecture and engineering firm Bergmann in Buffalo. She lives in Tonawanda, N.Y.  

Robert C. Freeman ’18 was elected secretary of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. Freeman practices with Nesper Ferber DiGiacomo Johnson & Grimm LLP in Amherst, N.Y. He is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.  

Samantha J. Spicer ’18 has become associated with Melick & Porter, handling civil litigation matters in the Hartford, Conn., office. Spicer was previously an attorney with Liberty Mutual Insurance in Buffalo. She is a resident of Meriden, Conn.

Mohammed A. Alam ’20 was elected treasurer-elect of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. He is an associate with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo, where he resides.

Arrianna Z. Hart ’20 was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. She is an associate with Goldberg Segalla in Buffalo, where she resides.

Natalia Marte ’20 was selected for the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 2023-2025 Leadership Academy. Marte is a litigation associate with Phillips Lytle LLP in the Buffalo office. She is a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Marte lives in Rochester, N.Y.  

Morgann K. Obrochta ’20 was elected secretary-elect of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. She is an assistant county attorney with the Erie County Department of Law in Buffalo, where she resides.  

Franco A. Mirolo ’21 was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. He is an associate with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in the Buffalo office. Mirolo is a resident of Williamsville, N.Y.

Connor T. Godfrey ’21 is practicing as an associate with Lippes Mathias LLP in the Buffalo office, focusing his practice on health care. He lives on Grand Island, N.Y.

Briana N. Krawczyk ’21 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group. She is an associate with Barclay Damon LLP in Buffalo, where she resides.  

Amanda Delle Donne ’22 of Rochester, N.Y., has accepted a position as an associate with Barclay Damon LLP in the Rochester office, handling trusts and estates and corporate matters.

Alexandra S. Heinz ’22 has become associated with Goldberg Segalla LLP, practicing in the firm’s workers’ compensation practice group in Buffalo, where she resides.  

Nicholas A. Ramirez ’22 has become a civil re-entry attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo. He is a resident of West Seneca, N.Y.

American Bar Association 2023 Robert J. Kutak Award

• Diane F. Bosse ’76, Hurwitz Fine P.C., Buffalo

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Buffalo Business First Power 200 Women

• Jennifer J. Parker ’84, Jackson Parker Communications LLC, Buffalo
• Jill K. Bond ’85, Rich Products Corp., Buffalo
  
• Nora B. Sullivan ’87, Sullivan Capital Partners LLC, Buffalo
• Diane R. Tiveron ’89, Tiveron Law PLLC, Amherst, N.Y.
  
• Trini E. Ross ’92, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Buffalo
  
• Carmen L. Snell ’92, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, Buffalo
• Stephanie Argentine ’93, Centivo, Buffalo
  
• Jennifer M. Demert ’93, Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, Buffalo
  
• Cynthia E. Vance ’93, Jensen Marks Langer & Vance LLC, Buffalo
• Angela Zwirecki Miller ’98, Phillips Lytle LLP, Buffalo
  
• Jennifer C. Persico ’98, Lippes Mathias LLP, Buffalo
  
• Jessica M. Baker ’03, Evergreen Health, Buffalo
  
• Erin S. Torcello ’07, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Buffalo
• Shatorah Roberson ’12, Tesla, Buffalo
  
• Sarah E. Tanbakuchi ’14, TechBuffalo, Buffalo  

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Chambers USA 2023
City & State New York 2023 Albany “Power 100 List”

• Shelley B. Mayer ’79, New York State Senate, District 37
• John F. O'Donnell Jr. ’10, O’Donnell & Associates, Buffalo
  
• Latoya B. Joyner ’12, New York State Assembly, District 77

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Daily Record Power 20: Trusts & Estates 

• Robert D. Schultz ’79, Morgenstern DeVoesick PLLC, Pittsford, N.Y.  
• Jason P. Livingston ’05, Pullano & Farrow PLLC, Rochester, N.Y.    
• Holly Adams Beecher ’97, Phillips Lytle LLP, Buffalo   

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Daily Record Power: Personal Injury

• James V. Philippone ’54, Philippone Law Offices, Rochester, N.Y.  
• Jon E. Bonavilla ’96, Evans Fox LLP, Rochester, N.Y.
• Thomas Ferrazzi Ferris ’96, Connors & Ferris LLP, Rochester, N.Y.

Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys 2024 Crennel-Branch Award

• Katherine E. Courtney ’06, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, Rochester, N.Y.

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2022 Hon. Michael F. Dillon Attorney for Children Award

• Alfonso M. Bax ’97, Lewiston Law Center, Lewiston, N.Y.
  
• Carrie L. Conrad ’10, Conrad Law, Buffalo

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Monroe County Bar Association Adolph J. Rodenbeck Award

• Jill L. Paperno ’84, Empire Justice Center, Rochester, N.Y.

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National Foundation for Judicial Excellence 2023 Richard T. Boyette Award

• Dan D. Kohane ’79, Hurwitz Fine P.C., Buffalo

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New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, Attorneys for Children Advisory Committee Lifetime Achievement Award

• Michele A. Brown ’79, Law Office of Michele A. Brown, Buffalo 

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NYS Judicial Commission on Women in the Courts, Eighth Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee Women Lamplighters in the Law Awards

• Michelle M. Parker ’93, Executive Director, ECBA Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society, Buffalo
• Ayoka A. Tucker ’98, Law Office of Ayoka A. Tucker, Buffalo
• Hon. Laura Wagner ’02, Niagara County Family Court, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• Jennifer M. Wilkinson ’04, Wyoming County Attorney’s Office, Attica, N.Y.

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Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award

• Allison T. Chan ’11, Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC, Raleigh, N.C.  

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Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County William E. McKnight Volunteer Service Award

• Sheila S. Dickinson ’00, Retired, Canandaigua, N.Y.