Class Action - October 2024

Victor R. Siclari ’86 was promoted to chief compliance officer with Great Gray Trust Co. LLC in Pittsburgh, a trust company specializing in offering collective investment trusts in the retirement market. He also was elected as a trustee of La Roche University in Pittsburgh and serves on the finance committee.  

Helen “Nellie” Drew ’88, director of the UB Center for the Advancement of Sport, participated on a panel discussing evolving Name, Image and Likeness issues in sports at the 2024 Intellectual Property Owners Association’s annual meeting. The event, attended by thousands of IP professionals from across the globe, was held in Chicago from Sept. 22 to 24.

Stephanie Adams ’99 participated in a panel discussion on “The Library as a Public Good for Flourishing in a Democratic Society” at the American Library Association's National Intellectual Freedom Summit on Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C. Adams was also named a member of the First Amendment Lawyers Association in Washington, D.C. Her firm, The Law Office of Stephanie Adams PLLC, provides legal services to libraries, creative professionals, educators and students.

Tara A. Barry ’00 (LLM) has become director of legal operations with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Chief Counsel in Washington, D.C. Over the past 20 years, Barry has served in the office in various roles including attorney, senior attorney, and deputy associate chief counsel in the Northeast, Southeast and Caribbean regions.

Crystal J. Rodriguez-Dabney ’06 (JD), ’07 (LLM) has been appointed to the New York State Cannabis Control Board. She is chief diversity officer and senior vice president at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo and a past member of the board of directors of the Law Alumni Association.

Shatorah Roberson ’12 was named to the UB School of Social Work’s Dean’s Council. Roberson is managing policy adviser with Tesla in Buffalo. She is a past member of the board of directors of the UB Law Alumni Association.  

Earl K. Cantwell III ’14 was promoted to general counsel with Aleron Group in Buffalo, overseeing all legal matters for the group’s suite of companies and leading the legal, contracts and risk departments. He previously served as assistant general counsel.

Andrew J. DeMasters ’16 has been promoted to senior attorney Level 3 in the Office of Legal Affairs, Lien and Support Recovery Litigation Unit, at the New York City Human Resources Administration in Queens. Previously, he served as an agency attorney Level 2 in the same unit.

Mohammed A. Alam ’20 was elected vice chair of the New York State Democratic Party and will serve on its executive committee. Alam is an associate with Hodgson Russ LLP in the New York City office and treasurer of the UB Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group.

Peter P. Gartner ’20 has rejoined the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo as a staff attorney in the Criminal Defense Unit. He previously served for two years as a staff attorney in the same unit, representing clients throughout criminal proceedings from arraignment to disposition.

Benjamin E. Holwitt ’21 has accepted a position as an assistant district attorney with the Broome County District Attorney’s Office in Binghamton, N.Y. He was previously an assistant district attorney with the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office in Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Ginette Malpartida ’22 has become a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo in the Attorneys for Children Unit. Previously, she worked in the Civil Legal Services Unit, where she represented clients in matrimonial and post-matrimonial matters and gained experience as a law clerk extern in the Attorneys for Children Unit.

Austin S. Mowers ’22 has joined the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office in Rochester, N.Y., as an assistant public defender in family court. He handles cases involving custody and visitation, family offenses and child support.

Rachael M. Sparacino ’22 has joined Berger Berger & Sobieski as an associate in Buffalo, focusing on employment-based and family-based immigration matters. She was previously an associate with Richards and Jurusik Immigration Law in Buffalo.

Yomaris Sanchez-Orona ’23 has become associated with Ogletree Deakins in the employment law group in the Buffalo office, counseling clients regarding discrimination and harassment claims, complex wage and hour issues, protected leave, and discipline and termination decisions.

Ian Hoock ’24 has accepted a new position with Hall Booth Smith, P.C., a full-service law firm headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with regional offices located throughout the United States, including the new Buffalo office.

Nathaniel J. Lent ’24 has joined the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo in the Criminal Defense Unit. Lent has previous experience as a student attorney with the UB Law Criminal Justice Advocacy Clinic, drafting appellate memoranda, researching complex legal issues and working with incarcerated clients.

Dr. Matthew Mitchell ’24 has accepted a position with Lewis & Lewis, P.C, a firm focusing on personal injury and workers’ compensation, with offices serving Buffalo, Jamestown, Batavia, Niagara Falls, and Olean, N.Y.

Jéla M. Paul ’24 has accepted a position with Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC in Rochester.

Brandon R. Small ’24 has joined the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo's Criminal Defense Unit. He previously served as a legal intern with the bureau in the Civil Unit and the Attorneys for Children Unit.  

Alina M. Young ’24 has joined the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo in the Appeals and Post-Conviction Unit. She was previously a law clerk with Lipsitz Ponterio & Comerford LLC in Buffalo. 

AALS Pro Bono Honor Roll

• Melinda R. Saran ’86, vice dean for undergraduate student affairs, UB School of Law

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Bar Association of Erie County

• Special Service Award: Stephanie J. Calhoun ’08, New York State Attorney General’s Office, Buffalo
• Special Service Award: Sharon L. Nosenchuck ’94, Neighborhood Legal Services, Buffalo

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Buffalo Business First 2024 Power 100 Business Leaders of Color

• Joseph M. Hanna ’05, Goldberg Segalla LLP, Buffalo
• Jennifer J. Parker ’84, Jackson Parker Communications LLC, Buffalo
• Ifeoluwa M. Popoola ’19, Erie County Department of Law, Buffalo
• Shatorah Roberson ’12, Tesla, Buffalo
• Crystal J. Rodriguez-Dabney ’06 (JD), ’07 (LLM), Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo
• Hon. 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, 4^th Department, 8^th Judicial District, Buffalo
• Carmen L. Snell ’92, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, Buffalo
• Jacqueline Stover-Stitts ’82, The Golden Cup, Buffalo; Jacqueline Stover-Stitts, Attorney at Law, Buffalo

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City & State New York 2024 Hudson Valley Power 100

• Shelley B. Mayer ’79, New York State Senate, District 37
• Yadira A. Ramos-Herbert ’05, Mayor, New Rochelle, N.Y.
• Thomas M. Roach Jr. ’86, Mayor, White Plains, N.Y.

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Crime Stoppers WNY Prosecutor of the Year Award

• Rebecca L. Schnirel ’14, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Buffalo

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Daily Record and Rochester Business Journal Attorneys of the Year

Leaders in Law:

• Kenneth W. Africano ’85, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo
• Katherine E. Courtney ’06, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, Rochester, N.Y.

Lifetime Achievement:

• Thomas Ferrazzi Ferris ’96, Connors & Ferris LLP, Rochester, N.Y.
  
• Peter T. Rodgers ’76, Lacy Katzen LLP, Rochester, N.Y.

Pro Bono Excellence

• Anna S.M. McCarthy ’15, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo

Up & Coming Lawyers

• Christine M. Naassana ’20, Hodgson Russ LLP, Rochester, N.Y.
• Daniel J. Palermo ’16, Harris Beach PLLC, Rochester, N.Y.
• Michael N. Vranjes ’14, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo 
  

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Detroit 500 List of the Most Powerful Business Leaders in Metro Detroit

• John W. Crowe ’96, Williams Williams Rattner & Plunkett P.C., Birmingham, Mich.

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St. Bonaventure University 2024 Alumnus of the Year

• Lee F. Coppola ’83, retired dean, Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
  

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UB Alumni Achievement Awards

• Distinguished Alumni Award: Jean C. Powers ’79, retired, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP, Buffalo
• Walter P. Cooke Community Leadership Award: Karen M. Andolina Scott ’09, Child and Family Services, Buffalo
• Philip B. Wels Outstanding Service Award: John M. Thomas ’76, professor, Operations Management and Strategy, UB

University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award

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

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Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York

• M. Dolores Denman Lady Justice Award: Elizabeth A. Kraengel ’07, Duke Holzman Photiadis & Gresens LLP, Buffalo
• President’s Award: Hon. Trini E. Ross ’92, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York, Buffalo
• Diversity Leadership Award: Hon. E. Jeannette Ogden ’83, associate justice, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 4^th Department, Buffalo