Class Action - August 2024

Terrie Benson Murray ’79 has joined Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP as of counsel in the Buffalo office. She counsels clients regarding estate planning and elder law, including wills, guardianships, trusts, health care proxies, living wills, powers of attorney, estate tax matters and Medicaid planning. Murray was previously a partner with Cohen & Lombardo P.C. in Buffalo.

David E. Werth ’84, CPA, has been named partner of counsel with Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP, a full-service certified public accounting and business consulting firm in Williamsville, N.Y  Werth focuses his practice in state and local tax/sales and use tax.   

Brian M. Martin ’88 has been appointed chief legal officer with Nutanix, a global leader in cloud software in San Jose, Calif. Martin was previously executive vice president and general counsel with Lyten Inc. in San Jose.

Robert Brucato Jr. ’90 was elected president of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is senior staff counsel with Counsel Press in Buffalo.

Diane M. Perri Roberts ’90 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. Roberts is a senior partner with Lipsitz Green Scime & Cambria LLP in the Buffalo office.

Lawrence D. Wood ’90 has authored the book “Your Caption Has Been Selected: More Than Anyone Could Possibly Want To Know About The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest.” Wood has been a finalist in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest a record-setting fifteen times and won eight contests. He is supervisory attorney with Legal Action Chicago in Chicago, Ill.

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

Stephanie R. Nesbitt ’94 has been named provost and senior vice president, academic affairs, for Utica University in Utica, N.Y. She previously served as dean of the university’s School of Business and Justice Studies.

Kevin E. Raphael ’94 has become a partner in the litigation department of Fox Rothschild, in the Philadelphia office. He was previously a partner with Pietragallo, Gordon, Alfano, Bosick & Raspanti LLP in Philadelphia.

John J. Flynn Jr. ’95, a partner with Lippes Mathias LLP in Buffalo, was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Flynn previously served as Erie County district attorney in Buffalo and is a past recipient of the UB Law Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for public service.

Heather Gresham ’96 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. She is counsel and vice president, people and culture, with RepresentUs, a political non-profit organization based in Florence, Mass. 

Jason A. Yots ’96 has rejoined the affordable housing and community development law firm Cannon Heyman & Weiss LLP as a partner in the Buffalo office. He was a partner with the firm from 2002 to 2008 before leaving to start Yots Law Firm P.C., a firm devoted to historic preservation and community economic development law.

Melissa Hancock Nickson ’97 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Nickson is a court attorney referee and the Civil ADR program administrator of the Martin P. Violante Alternative Dispute Resolution Program for the 8th Judicial District in Buffalo and a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association.  

Joanna L. Silver ’97 has become general counsel with Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. Silver was previously a member with Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC in its White Plains, N.Y. office.  

Kimberly W. Sayoc ’98 has joined Gross Shuman P.C., as senior counsel, focusing her practice in corporate law in the Buffalo office. Before joining the firm, she was senior counsel with Underberg & Kessler LLP in Buffalo.

Mark J. Stuhlmiller ’99 has become counsel with Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in the Buffalo office, handling cases regarding corporate, mergers and acquisitions, privacy and data security, and general counsel services matters. Stuhlmiller was formerly general counsel with Aleron Group in Buffalo.

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

Amy P. Herstek ’04 was elected a member of the board of directors 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.  

Jennifer R. Scharf ’05 has been elected a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. In addition, she participated in the Educating Advocacy Teachers Conference held June 10-12 at Stetson University College of Law in St. Pete Beach, Fla. She presented during two panels, “Gilded Reverence: Bestowing Adoration Upon Our Underappreciated Coaches” and “Building a Pipeline to Employment for Our Advocacy Students.” Scharf is associate dean for career services and director of trial advocacy at the School of Law. She is a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Hon. Meredith A. Vacca ’05 has become a U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of New York. She previously served as an acting justice of the New York State Supreme Court, 7th Judicial District, and Monroe County Court judge in Rochester, N.Y. Vacca is the first Asian-American and the first woman of color to serve on the Western District bench.

Richard J. Marinaccio ’07 was elected treasurer 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.

Stephanie J. Calhoun ’08 was elected treasurer-elect of the UB Law Alumni Association. She is assistant attorney general with the New York State Attorney General’s Office in Buffalo.

Brett P. Gliosca ’08 has accepted a position as deputy general counsel with Beretta Holding, a global manufacturing company, in the Accokeek, Md., office. Gliosca will handle issues related to compliance, import/export, intellectual property, manufacturing, privacy and corporate governance. He previously served as associate general counsel with Amtrak in Washington, D.C.

Michael E. Reyen ’09 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is legal counsel with HSBC Bank USA in Buffalo.

Neil A. Pawlowski ’10 was elected a vice president of the UB Law Alumni Association. Pawlowski is a founding partner of Duggan & Pawlowski LLP in Buffalo. He is a member of the School of Law’s Deans Advisory Council and a lifetime member of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Amanda C. Rossi ’10, a partner with Gibson McAskill & Crosby LLP, in Buffalo, was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.  

Aaron J. Aisen ’11 has been named of counsel with Richards and Jurusik Immigration Law in Buffalo, handling immigration processing delays and other immigration matters in federal court. He is also principal attorney with Aisen Law PLLC in Buffalo and continues to serve as a senior immigration staff attorney with the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project in Buffalo, focusing on appeals and federal court practice.

Meghan A. Corcoran ’13 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. She is senior attorney with National Fuel Gas Co., in Williamsville, N.Y. Corcoran, a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association, is a past president of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group.

Justin L. Hendricks ’13, special counsel with Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLP in Buffalo, was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Nicholas A. Romano ’13 was elected assistant secretary of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is a partner with Connors LLP in Buffalo.  

Robert P. Yawman ’13 has been promoted to partner with Adams Leclair LLP in the Rochester, N.Y. office, focusing his practice on business litigation, commercial landlord-tenant matters and real property disputes.

Kerisha H. Hawthorne-Greer ’14, principal law clerk for Hon. Stephanie A. Saunders ’00, New York State Court of Claims in Buffalo, was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Henry A. Zomerfeld ’14 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. He is a senior associate with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo and immediate past president of the of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group.   

Andrea K. DiLuglio ’15 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. She is a partner with Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP in Buffalo. DiLuglio is a past president of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group and a lifetime member of the Law Alumni Association. 

Ann Dillon Flynn ’15 was elected a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association. Flynn is clerk of court for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in Rochester, N.Y.

Anastasia M. McCarthy ’15, a member with Hurwitz Fine P.C., in Buffalo, was elected to the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.

Sarah N. Rodman ’16 has joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP as senior counsel in Buffalo, practicing civil litigation defense as well as intellectual property. She was previously a partner with Feldman Kieffer LLP in Buffalo.

Farina M. Barth '17 was elected to the board of directors of the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo.  Barth is a lecturer in law in the School of Law’s Legal Analysis, Writing and Research program.

George P. Brown Jr. ’17 has become a lecturer in law in the School of Law's Legal Analysis, Writing and Research program. He was previously an associate in the commercial real estate and corporate legal practice groups with Harris Beach PLLC in the Buffalo office.

Marina A. Barci ’18 has joined the Buffalo office of Kahana Feld, an appellate litigation and consulting group, as an appellate attorney. Previously, she served as associate corporate counsel at Colliers Engineering & Design in Buffalo. Barci is also a member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group.

Patricia A. Rauh ’18 has become associated with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP in the Buffalo office, focusing her practice in estate planning, estate administration and elder law.

James J. Hatton ’21 has joined Daignault Iyer LLP as an associate, practicing patent litigation, in Vienna, Va. Hatton was a special assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Army JAG Corps in Fort Carson, Colo.

Kimberly D. VanOpdorp ’22 has become associated with Hodgson Russ LLP in the Buffalo office, practicing in the firm’s corporate and securities group. She was previously an associate with Fried Frank in New York City.

Michael W. Perlo ’23 has authored the article “The legal implications of private equity in collegiate sports,” published by Sports Business Journal. Perlo is an associate with Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP in Rochester, N.Y.

American Immigration Lawyers Association 2024 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award

• Alberto M. Benitez ’86, George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.

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Bar Association of Erie County

• Liberty Bell Award: John J. Flynn ’95, Lippes Mathias LLP, Buffalo
• Justice Award: Joseph A. Kelemen ’80, Western New York Law Center, Buffalo
• Rev. A. Joseph Bissonette Pro Bono Award: Anna S. McCarthy ’15, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo

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Bar Association of Erie County 2024-25 Board of Directors

• President: Lauren E. Breen ’89, Neighborhood Legal Services, Buffalo
• Vice President: Brian M. Melber ’96, Personius Melber LLP, Buffalo
• Treasurer: Vanessa C. Gabriele ’14, Gabriele Law PLLC, Buffalo; School of Law
• Deputy Treasurer: Nicole Graci ’99, Hamberger & Weiss LLP, Buffalo
• Director: Ericka N. Bennett ’05, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo
  
• Director: Elise L. Cassar ’10, Duke Holzman Photiadis & Gresens LLP, Buffalo
• Director: Joshua E. Dubs ’08, Erie County Surrogate's Court, Buffalo
• Director: Stephen C. Earnhart ’14, New York State Supreme Court, 8^th Judicial District, Lockport, N.Y
• Director: John P. Feroleto ’07, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Buffalo
• Director: Katie L. Kestel Martin ’13, Pusatier Abbott Sugarman & Martin LLP, Buffalo
• Director: Carmen L. Snell ’92, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, Buffalo

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Best Lawyers in America 2025

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Buffalo Business First Power 200 Women

• Jessica M. Baker ’03, Evergreen Health, Buffalo
• Donna L. Burden ’87, Burden Hafner & Hansen LLC, Buffalo
• Jennifer M. Demert ’93, Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, Buffalo
• Carol A. Fitzsimmons ’87, Hodgson Russ LLP, Buffalo
• Amy L. Hemenway ’01, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo
• Angela Zwirecki Miller ’98, Phillips Lytle LLP, Buffalo
• Jennifer J. Parker ’84, Jackson Parker Communications LLC, Buffalo
• Cheryl A. Possenti ’82, Goldberg Segalla LLP, Buffalo
• Amy Habib Rittling ’95, Lippes Mathias LLP, Buffalo
• Shatorah Roberson ’12, Tesla, Buffalo
• Trini E. Ross ’92, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York, Buffalo
• Hon. Rose H. Sconiers ’73, Retired, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 4th Department, 8th Judicial District, Buffalo 
• Carmen L. Snell ’92, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, Buffalo
• Diane R. Tiveron ’89, Tiveron Law PLLC, Amherst, N.Y.
• Erin S. Torcello ’07, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Buffalo
• Cynthia E. Vance ’93, Jensen Marks Langer & Vance LLC, Buffalo

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Buffalo Business First 40 Under 40

• Elizabeth K. Chapman ’12, Columbus McKinnon, Getzville, N.Y.
• William A. Lorenz Jr. ’12, County of Erie, Buffalo
• Lindsay M. McKenna ’11, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Buffalo
• Lisa M. Zaccagnino ’20, Barclay Damon LLP, Buffalo

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Buffalo Prep Distinguished Alumni Award

• Crystal J. Rodriguez-Dabney ’06 (JD), ’07 (LLM), Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo

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Chambers USA 2024

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Cybersecurity Docket’s Incident Response 50 Top 50 Data Breach Lawyers in the U.S.

• Jennifer A. Beckage ’07, The Beckage Firm, Buffalo

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Daily Record Leading Women Under 40

• Megan J. Lyle ’17, The Arc Central Chesapeake Region, Linthicum, Md.  

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Erie County Bar Foundation 2024-25 Board of Directors

• Vice President: Jesslyn A. Holbrook ’11, New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Buffalo
• Secretary: Penny B. Selmonsky ’95, Retired, Neighborhood Legal Services Inc., Buffalo
• Director: Carin S. Gordon ’15, City of Buffalo Law Department
• Director: Mary Moorman Penn ’99, Mary Moorman Penn Attorney at Law, Buffalo
• Director: Hugh M. Russ III ’87, Hodgson Russ LLP, Buffalo

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Florida Bar Recognition of Alumni with 50 Years of Practice

• Richard A. Halpern ’74, Law Office of Richard A. Halpern, Wantagh, N.Y.

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Forbes Advisor Best Immigration Lawyers Columbus, OH of 2024

• Margaret W. Wong ’76, Margaret W. Wong & Associates LLC, Cleveland, Ohio

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2023 Hon. Michael F. Dillon Attorney for Children Award

• Jason J. Cafarella ’05, Jason J. Cafarella, P.C., Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• Mary Anne Connell ’79, Law Office of Mary Anne Connell, Buffalo  

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Intelligent Insurer Cyber Insurance Awards USA: Cyber Law Firm of the Year

• Jennifer A. Beckage ’07, The Beckage Firm, Buffalo
• Scott M. Lupiani ’04, The Beckage Firm, Buffalo 

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Rochester Business Journal and The Daily Record Top Women in Law

• Katelyn M. Korus ’16, Monroe County Conflict Defenders Office, Rochester, N.Y.
• Maureen N. Polen ’10, Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.