w i N T e r 2 0 1 7 – 1 8

UB LawforUMThe Magazine of the University at Buffalo School of Law • The State University of New York

Super-committed UB School of Law boosters reach back to support students

and recent graduates

Reaching Out, Reaching Back

Dean’s Message1 Embracing community support

Reaching Out, Reaching Back2 On the road with the dean4 A catalyst for success6 The view from corporate8 Extending a hand, opening doors

10 A guide and a friend12 More support for mentoring

Law Alumni Association13 A present from the past14 UB Law Alumni Association’s 2017-18 officers and directors

Philanthropy16 Leaving a legacy in the public interest18 Stepping up for advocacy

Law School Report19 Entering class profile20 Building strength in the courtroom22 New director sharpens tools for students’ success23 Masters of the Earth25 A quick response to Puerto Rico’s urgent need26 Growing the clinics27 Pro se program expands to Rochester28 Solutions that work28 The passing of an interdisciplinary scholar

Faculty29 Professors make their mark30 From the courtroom to the classroom31 Two new faculty books

130-Year Anniversary Celebration and Reunions32 Partying like it’s 1887

Visit us at: law.buffalo.edu

UB Law forUMThe Magazine of the University at Buffalo School of Law

The State University of New York

C ontents

Mailing address: University at Buffalo Law Forum 410 o’Brian HallBuffalo, NY 14260 © Copyright 2017 by University at Buffalo School of Law Volume 32, Number 1 All Rights Reserved

Editor:Lisa M. Mueller ’93Vice Dean for Communicationslmueller@buffalo.edu

Designer:John Davis

Photographers:Lisa BauerJoseph M. CascioDonald DanneckerGreg francisK.C. Kratt

Tyler MahalDenis Nallyamelia PanicoNancy ParisiJohn Schlia

w i N T e r 2 0 1 7 – 1 8

2525

32

On the cover:Top row: Hon. Julio M. fuentes ’75, Hon. e. Jeannette ogden ’83, Michael r.wolford ’68 and randy C. fahs ’88Second row: Tamara S. frazier ’12, Jason J.wawro ’11, Jennifer M. Pacella ’08,Thearthur a. Duncan ’12, Julie M. Haley ’91,Patrick J. reinikainen ’12, Ninteretse JeanPierre ’16 and Leanghour Lim ’18

New clinic serving Puerto Rico

130-Year Anniversary and AllAlumni Reunion Celebration

1

As I brace for my first full winterin Western New York, I can’t helpbut think that Buffalo is a verywarm place. I recognize thathaving lived in Central New Yorkfor most of my life, I have built up apretty strong tolerance for crispair and chilly mornings.Nevertheless, I have beenpleasantly surprised by thenatural sense of warmth andcomfort that Buffalo exudes, and Iattribute that to this community.

During my first few months asdean I have reached out to asmany members of the UB Schoolof Law community as possible –students, alumni, donors,partners, collaborators andfriends. And as I reflect uponeveryone I have met, and on whatmakes Buffalo and the UB Schoolof Law community so special, it allcomes back to each of you. YOUare why this community is sospecial.

At each meeting and every event, I have been asked,“How can I help?”Your genuinecommitment to the law school isclear and undeniable. Yourecognize the significance ofpreparing our students for achanging profession, and youshare a vision for the education we provide.

Our law school has a bright and promising future.However, its progress is dependent upon the cumulativeefforts of every one of us. In this issue of our law schoolmagazine, you’ll read about just a few of our amazingalumni ambassadors who contribute to these efforts incountless ways. The answer to how you can help issimple.

Get involved, reach backand be an activeparticipant in the education of the next generation oflawyers. Mentor our students. Provide them withexternship opportunities. Fund a scholarship. Assist withorganizing events and programming. Advocate for thehiring of our students and act as our eyes and ears forplacement opportunities.

You may have already heard me speak on theimportance of helping every one of our students find a

job after graduation. It is our #1 priority and so it bearsrepeating. We have a moral obligation to use oursignificant influence in this community to ensure that allof our students find employment upon completing theirlaw degree and are fully embraced by the warmth ofthis community.

I am incredibly grateful to know that I have yoursupport. Thank you for your input and guidance, and forall of your contributions to the law school. I look forwardto many new collaborations throughout the new year.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2018,

Aviva Abramovsky

Embracing community support

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

“We have a moral obligation to use our significant influence

in this community to ensure that all of our students find employment

upon completing their law degree and are fully embraced by the

warmth of this community.”

2

Reaching Out, Reaching Back

OUR ALUmNi ARe The LiFeBLOOd OF OUR SUCCeSS — ANd OVeR The pAST SeVeRAL mONThS,

DeAn AvIvA ABRAMOvSkY hAS BeeN ON The ROAd TO CONNeCT wiTh Them. The NewLy iNSTALLed deAN

mAde A LOT OF FRieNdShipS, did A LOT OF LiSTeNiNg ANd ShARed SOme ideAS ABOUT hOw YOU CAN heLp OUR STUdeNTS.

ThAT heLp TAkeS mANy FORmS. • ON The FOLLOwiNg pAgeS, meeT SOme SUpeR-COmmiTTed UB SChOOL OF LAw

BOOSTeRS whO ARe ReAChiNg BACk TO SUppORT STUdeNTS ANd ReCeNT gRAdUATeS. They’Re hiRiNg New LAwyeRS,

pROVidiNg meNTORiNg ANd CAReeR AdViCe, weLCOmiNg STUdeNTS iNTO CLeRkShipS ANd meANiNgFUL iNTeRNShipS.

AND THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR MORE.

July 27, 2017Dean’s AdvisoryCouncil Receptionat The Buffalo Club

Dec. 6, 2017Reception with members of the Eighth Judicial Districtin the Ceremonial Courtroom, Erie County Court

Dean AvivaAbramovsky and DAC Chair

Douglas W. Dimitroff ’89

Dean AvivaAbramovsky

greets LeighannRamirez ’19

Hon. John L. Michalski ’87,Dean Aviva Abramovsky, Hon. Russell P. Buscaglia ’75and Hon. Paula L. Feroleto ’82

Vice Dean for Philanthropy& Engagement Karen R.

Kaczmarski ’89 and Mason P.Ashe ’89

Hon. Erin M. Peradotto ’84,Diane F. Bosse ’76 and Hon. Eugene F. Pigott Jr. ’73

Hon. BettyCalvo-Torres ’98 and Tiffany R.

Perry ’00

July 26, 2017 D.C. Alumni Chapter’s

Reception at U.S. District Court

nov. 15, 2017New York City Alumni Chapter’s Receptionat The Remi Restaurant

3

Aug. 3, 2017Law Alumni Association

Board of Directors Reception in John Lord

O’Brian HallAug. 2, 201750+ Alumni Reunionin John Lord O’Brian Hall

nov. 30, 2017Albany Alumni

Chapter’s Receptionat Olde English Pub

nov. 28, 2017The Advocacy Institute Reception at Connors LLP

Kenneth W. Africano ’85with Dean AvivaAbramovsky

Dean AvivaAbramovskyOct. 4, 2017

Class of 1977 Reunion in NYCat Felidia Restaurant

David L. Evans ’78, Erica L. Pandolfo ’16, DeanAviva Abramovsky and Abib T. Conteh ’04

DonaldJ. Carbone ’77

and Matthew J. Leeds ’77

Duwaine T. Bascoe ’12and Jon P. Getz ’92

Terrence M.Connors ’71 andwife Peggy M.Connors

Alumnigraduating 50

or more years ago

Teia M. Bui ’08,Major Gifts

Officer Loraine L.Yates and Andrea

Schillaci ’82

Robert M. Kornreich ’67and NYC Chapter ChairDaisy A. Tomaselli ’13

Class of1977 inNYC

Anthony R.Scalia ’12, Dean

Aviva Abramovskyand Rochester Chapter

Co-Chair Helen Root Scalia ’11

Gabrielle K. Walter ’18 and

Lauren L. Wardynski ’18

Albany Chapter Co-Chair Caroline

B. Brancatella ’07 andHeather P. Behnke ’98

nov. 2, 2017Rochester Alumni Chapter’s Receptionat the Monroe County Bar Association

For full photo ids and more photos from our events, visit:law.buffalo.edu/forum/extra

LAA PresidentPietra G. Zaffram ’01,Dean AvivaAbramovsky andKevin J. Espinosa ’09

'

Oct. 14, 2017130-Year Anniversary

Celebration. More photos on p. 32-33

Brendan C.Stone ’18,Dean AvivaAbramovskyand Melissa J.

Kathan ’19

4Reaching Out, Reaching Back: Launching Careers

A cAtAlyst fOr succEss

Even now, having taking senior status asa judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, ThirdCircuit, Hon. Julio M. Fuentes ’75hires lawclerks and summer interns – every year, fourof each.

And even now he looks west from hischambers in Newark, N.J., to Buffalo whenhe’s deciding whom to bring aboard.

Five UB School of Law graduates haveclerked for Fuentes – an intensive one-yearposting and a prestigious position that canserve as a springboard to major careeradvances. And the judge has acceptednearly three dozen UB Law students into hisinternship program, a formal program thatinvolves research and writing, exposure tothe federal court system and a lot of facetime with the law clerks and Fuenteshimself.

“I look forward to having clerks andinterns from Buffalo, and I take in as manyas I can,” Fuentes says.

The internship program, aimedespecially at students in their 2L summer, is“very academic,” the judge says. “Theinterns have writing requirements – theywrite two draft opinions each, under thesupervision of the law clerks. They alsoobserve proceedings in the district court,they watch jury selection, they see openingand closing statements and theexamination of witnesses. And they go withme when the Court of Appeals sits in Philadelphia, towatch the oral arguments there.”

The program, he says, is “really meant to give them aboost,” just as his own legal career was shaped in partby his early exposure to Erie County’s Pre-Trial ReleaseProgram where he worked part-time during his first twoyears in law school. “That was an extraordinaryexperience for me,” he says, “and I hope that the internsget that same kind of experience.”

He works with Marc R. Davies ’03 in the School ofLaw’s Career Services Office to find promising students,then interviews them by Skype to choose the next

crop of interns.By contrast, he estimates he gets 400 or 500

applications each year for the four year-long clerkships.About two-thirds of the successful applicants, Fuentessays, have been out of law school for a few years, eitherpracticing litigation or clerking in a district court.

Those he has hired as UB School of Law graduates,he says, “do very well. They’re just as good as those whograduated from the major law schools – they work veryhard, and they’re very smart.”

A federal judge helpslegal talent flourish

Judge Fuentes with Molly F. Spakowski ’19, Joshua S. Wallace ’19 andMargaret McKenzie ’19

5

nicole Grasso ’17had just one year of lawschool under her belt when she interned

with Fuentes.“I don’t even think I realized what I

was getting myself into, but you justwant the best thing that’s going tohelp you in the legal profession.Everyone told me, you really can’tpass this up. The judge gave us

exposure to all of his docket, a lot ofdifferent practice areas. We were

responsible for writing squibs – brief write-ups for thejudge about incoming cases. It really helped with ourwriting, because you had to get pages and pages ofmotion papers into a one-page paper for him.”

Matthew Paris ’17 had finished his secondyear at UB School of Law when he joined

three other Buffalo law students asFuentes’ interns.

“It was a great environment towork in. We primarily worked withthe law clerks, who were awesome.The position is very intimidating, butthe judge is just so welcoming that it

made us all feel comfortable. He wasvery accessible – we had a lot of

interactions with him, and on Fridays we would all eatlunch together with the judge.”

After her clerkship with Fuentes, JenniferPacella ’08 joined the law faculty at

Baruch College, City University of NewYork.

“Because the clerkship is just oneyear, it has to lead to something elseby nature. It’s a great credential tohave when you’re moving intoacademia – it’s looked highly upon. It

absolutely helped me to get noticed. “I think it’s wonderful that he’s

committed to taking on students from his alma mater.The whole clerkship is a fascinating, wonderfulopportunity that is very rare. It’s of immense value toanyone who is lucky enough to be chosen.”

In their own wordsA sampling of Judge Fuentes’ former clerks and interns reflect on their experience:

"...I admire the judge’s

commitment to the law school, as

well as the interest that he takes in his clerks and

interns and their career development. It was both

the opportunity of a lifetime and a great honor to

have clerked for Judge Fuentes.”

— Patrick Reinikainen '12

Patrick Reinikainen ’12clerked for a U.S. DistrictCourt judge in the Southern District of New York andworked in law practice before clerking for Fuentes. Henow works at the New York City office of Ropes & GrayLLP.

“As clerks, we worked very closely with JudgeFuentes on a daily basis. Through that process, I

learned an incredible amount aboutwriting and legal analysis. I alsohad the opportunity to observesome of the country’s top oraladvocates in court as theyargued important and oftennovel legal issues.”

How YOU Can Helpneed a bright and talented addition to your team?Hire a UB School of Law student orgraduate and help launch a legal career.To post a job or schedule an on- or off-campus interview, contact:Marc R. Davies '03Associate Director for Career Services(716) 645-3707mrdavies@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/cso

Phot

o pro

vide

d by

Bar

uch

Colle

ge.

Sometimes the best contribution that a committedalum can make is to help our students and graduatesbroaden their idea of legal practice.

Randy Fahs ’88does just that from his position asmanager of corporate contracts and legal counsel forMoog Inc., the Western New York aerospace, industrialand defense technology company.

Fahs practiced labor and employment law for fouryears before joining a small tech firm that was lateracquired by defense giant Northrop Grumman Corp.He has been with Moog since 2010 – negotiating andoverseeing contracts with U.S. and overseas clients, aswell as sharing responsibility for labor and employmentmatters, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory

compliance, intellectual property, facility leases andlitigation.

It’s a varied portfolio in a company that not onlymakes the motion control systems for satellites, missilesand airliners, but also such exotica as servo controls foramusement park rides, the driving simulator for a well-known Formula One racing team, even the actuationsystem that opens and closes the roof at the Wimbledontennis stadium.

“The great thing about being in-house with a smalllaw department,” Fahs says, “is that we’re the last greatgeneralists. In a large law firm, you become a subjectmatter expert, and it’s a very narrow focus. Here we doeverything from IP work to international commercial

6Reaching Out, Reaching Back: Widening Horizons

thE vIEw frOMcOrPOrAtE

making the case for ‘the last great generalists’

Left to right:Jason J. Wawro ’11,Randy C. Fahs ’88(seated), Janette R.Clarke ’09, PatrickD. Krey ’07 (J.D.), ’08 (LL.M.) and

Julie M. Haley ’91

transactions. Every day isdifferent.”

It takes a special kind oflawyer to do this work, Fahssays – those who can developa working knowledge of thetechnology involved, and whocan work effectively with tech-oriented colleagues on the finepoints of the law. “They tend tolike arithmetic formulas forproblems,” he says. “You haveto be able to talk aboutpotential risks and thelikelihood of their happening.A lot of what we do isproblem-solving. When there’sa problem and our lawyerswalk into the room, I want theMoog team to sigh in relief, because help has arrived.”

In close concert with the School of Law’s CareerServices Office, Fahs has provided help to countless lawstudents as well. “I had great professional mentors, andI’m just paying it forward,” he says. “Any student oryoung professional who has the temerity to reach out tome, I’m happy to bring them in and find out more abouttheir interests, and take them to lunch.” His go-to advice:“It’s very important to target employers andopportunities that you’re going to find fulfilling. Picksomething you’re really going to love.”

His outreach extends to hiring as well. In addition toFahs, Moog’s nine-person law department includes fourother UB Law-trained attorneys.

“I don’t just want people who are talented in the law,”Fahs says. “I’m looking at their interpersonal skills, theirbackground, their ability to be seven times zones awayin a conference room with someone whose firstlanguage isn’t English and be able to read bodylanguage. It’s a competitive process, and our hiringdecisions are based on merit, which not only includeseducation and experience, but their personalcharacteristics as well.”

For example, the most recent UB Law graduate tojoin the firm,Jason Wawro ’11,emerged from a field of98 candidates after an exhausting interview processthat included a telephone interview and an all-daygrind of hour-long individual interviews by his soon-to-be colleagues. “They wanted to be certain that you’re amatch with the culture,” Wawro says. “It’s more aboutgetting to know the person as a human being.”

Wawro, who previously practiced banking law with a

large Buffalo firm, says he made thechange because “I was looking for anin-house role where I could have along career working with good anddecent people who really enjoy whatthey are doing.” Coincidentally, hehad previously sat across anegotiation table from Fahs, who wasdoing pro bono representation of anot-for-profit seeking a loan.

“He is a heck of a negotiator,”Wawro says, “and people work hardbecause they care about him. Randydoes the right thing every time. He’s agreat person to work for and workwith.”

Julie Haley ’91 didn’t have to beconvinced of the attractions ofcorporate law – she worked as in-

house counsel for a number of companies beforejoining Moog in 2015.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” she says. “ButRandy is very creative and knowledgeable – I learnsomething new from him every day. He just has such adifferent way of approaching issues.”

And she has come to appreciate his continuingsupport of UB Law students and grads. “It’s amazing tome, the time he puts in,” Haley says. “I think there’s a realconnection there. He also gives a lot of himself and histime to the community, and because of that he’s got agreat network of people that he can put these aspiringlawyers in touch with.”

7

“I had great professional

mentors, and I’m just paying it

forward. Any student or young

professional who has the

temerity to reach out to me, I’m

happy to bring them in and find

out more about their interests,

and take them to lunch.”

— Randy Fahs ’88

How YOU Can Helpknow of a great opportunity for a recent grad?Share your knowledge and your network, andhelp our students learn about all of the careeroptions available to them. To tell us about jobopportunities for our students, contact:Lisa PattersonVice Dean for Career Services(716) 645-6262lpatter@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/cso

Like climbing a steep cliff, sometimes the hardestpart of the transition from law school to practice isgetting that first foothold. It can be especially difficultwhen a student or new graduate will be the first lawyerin the family.

For more than a decade, Michael Wolford ’68hashelped to serve as that point of entry – with specialattention to extending a hand to UB School of Lawstudents.

Wolford, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, practicedfor 21 years with the Rochester, N.Y., firm Nixon,Hargrave, Devans & Doyle, before founding his ownlitigation firm – now known as The Wolford Law Firm LLP– in 1993. It was during his year as president of theMonroe County Bar Association in 2004-05 that helearned about other bar associations’ efforts to helpgrow the proportion of underrepresented minoritylawyers in the profession. He gathered the managingpartners of Rochester’s biggest firms for lunch, and bydessert they had agreed to start a diversity clerkshipprogram.

Eight firms, including Wolford’s, hired summerassociates that year through the program, all UB Schoolof Law students. The program has been most successfulever since, now with support from the Monroe CountyBar Foundation, the Greater Rochester Association ofWomen Attorneys and the Rochester Black BarAssociation.

Wolford says the goal is to make the Rochester barmore diverse, but a side benefit is a slew ofopportunities for students at New York State’s top publiclaw school, just an hour or so down the Thruway. In total,140 law students have participated in the program sincethe summer of 2005, including 78 from UB.

8Reaching Out, Reaching Back: Building Diversity

ExtEnDIng A hAnD,OPEnIng DOOrs

“Mike always made sure to introduce me to people; he was

always talking me up and giving me confidence. He doesn’t do

things because it looks good. He just does it because he cares."

— ninteretse Jean Pierre ’16 with Michael Wolford ’68

A proud record of growing opportunities for all

“I look at it as a win-win proposition,”says Wolford, who remains active in theprogram. “Nearly all the students we’vehad have been top-notch. We look attheir application, their writing sampleand their grades. They come in Februaryor early March, and they are interviewedbefore they are extended any offers. It’s alittle like the NFL draft – we try to get thebest students. The folks that we’ve had havebeen terrific people and fine students, andthey’ve done very well and contributed to our practice.”

Interns hired through the program earn a salary forlegal tasks including research and writing. They can sitin on trials and hearings, and they’re exposed todifferent practice areas. “We obviously try to convincethem that Rochester is a great place to practice,”Wolford says, “and we try to assimilate them into thelegal community here.”

Besides Wolford, three attorneys at The Wolford LawFirm LLP are UB School of Law graduates. Laura A.Myers ’05, who practices mostly in commerciallitigation, is one of them.

“Mike is a genuinely good and caring person,” shesays, “and he really does believe it’s part of his missionto give back and make the world a better place. He’salso a person who can identify a problem and act on it.That’s really inspiring to the people around him. He hasmore motivation and drive than most of us. It’simpressive.”

Myers also says the office’s most recent interns –Annabelle Gao ’18and ninteretse Jean Pierre ’16 –have been outstanding.

“It’s probably one of the best programs in Rochester,”says Jean Pierre, now an associate attorney at theRochester firm Nixon Peabody. “It was hands-on – I helped with research, legal writing, drafting memos,reviewing and summarizing documents, working oncomplaints and answers. It was a great experience.”

About Wolford he says, “Mike always made sure tointroduce me to people; he was always talking me upand giving me confidence. He doesn’t do things

because it looks good. He just does itbecause he cares.”

Another former intern in theprogram, Tamara S. Frazier ’12, nowserves as associate counsel for the NewYork State Senate DemocraticConference. “I really liked the law firm,” Frazier

says. “It was small, no more than 10attorneys, and they gave you lots of

opportunities to ask questions. It wasinteresting, as an African-American female, to hear acomplainant talk about her experience beingdiscriminated against on the basis of race.

“Mike had a very open-door policy, and he didn’thesitate to introduce me to different people. Ultimately,they want to make sure we succeed in a professionwhere there are not a lot of professionals of color,especially women. Mike is such a genuine person, and agreat mentor.”

9

How YOU Can HelpInterested in supporting the law school’sdiversity efforts?Help support the Discover Law Program andencourage promising undergraduate studentsto consider a career in law. To find out moreabout the program, see Page 17 or contact:Lindsay GladneyVice Dean for Admissions(716) 645-2907law-admissions@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/ScholarsProgram

Tamara S. Frazier ’12

By now, the Hon. e. Jeannette Ogden ’83has losttrack of the number of UB School of Law students andgraduates for whom she has served as a professionalmentor. Not one of them though, has lost track of her.

That’s because Ogden, a former Buffalo City Courtjudge who now serves as a New York State SupremeCourt justice, has made herself accessible to those whoare seeking information, advice or wise counsel aboutanything from career paths to relationship problems. Atfirst, the requests came periodically, by word of mouthor recommendation of former mentees. Later, as thelaw school and local bar associations developed formalmentor programs, she found herself guiding newmentees on a regular basis, in addition to theelementary, high school and undergraduate studentswhom she mentors.

It’s an important role – and one that she approacheswith careful intention. “When we first get together, I askthem what they’re looking for in the mentor-menteerelationship and advise them that it takes work on bothsides to make mentoring work. Their responsedetermines the way the mentorship will go,” Ogdensays. “I tell them that a mentor can help a personimprove their abilities and/or skills through observation,assessment, modeling, listening and providingguidance. I also tell them that I don’t have an end datefor their mentorship – we establish these relationshipsand continue them throughout our professional careers.We eventually become colleagues and sometimes webecome friends. I am committed to helping them findsuccess and gratification in their legal careers.”

Whether she’s meeting regularly with the person orjust on call for questions, Ogden says the topics ofconversation vary widely. “They ask me about the legalprofession and how to navigate within it. Sometimesthey ask me work-life balance questions. The topics varyon a case-by-case basis. Maybe they’re thinking aboutchanging their area of practice from criminalprosecution to civil litigation. We discuss preparation,job searching, law firm politics and whether I’m familiarwith the firm. Sometimes we discuss more personalproblems and/or concerns, their impact on professionalstanding or what recommendations I may have.

“I’ve had students tell me they’re stressed, that they

have family problems that affect their ability to focusand study. I’m always careful to maintain confidences,to be candid and truthful; characteristics that arecrucial to building the trust that a good mentoringrelationship requires. I tell them that I’m extending theattorney-client privilege to them, just as they’ll berequired to extend it to their clients. The duty ofcompetence and confidentiality is not only crucial to agood mentoring relationship, it’s the hallmark of alawyer-client relationship.” She also tells them to “Neverunderestimate the importance of listening. Sometimespeople simply need you to listen to the problem.”

For Ogden, the role of mentor has its roots inguidance that she received as a young lawyer. “I was afirst-generation attorney, which meant I didn’t have anyattorneys in my family who could help me navigatewithin the legal profession,” she says, “but I did meetpeople who mentored me. They taught me that younever get too busy to give back. Therefore, I adoptedthe motto ‘lift as you climb.’ ”

That was a point of connection with Hon. BettyCalvo-Torres ’98, now a Buffalo City Court judge. Shewas an intern in Ogden’s office after her 2L year at UBSchool of Law and became her mentee. It was her goalto become a judge.

10Reaching Out, Reaching Back: Lending Her Expertise

A guIDE AnD A frIEnDLongtime judge shares lifeand career lessons

With Jamella S. James ’15

TheArthur A.Duncan ’12

“I am the daughter of a first-generation immigrant –the first in my family to go to college and to law school.That was really pie in the sky, becoming an attorney,”Calvo-Torres says. But working with Ogden, she says, “Iwas able to obtain the perspective that many lawstudents don’t have. I got to see what happened behindthe scenes and how she prepared for court.

“There was a whole myriad of cases that I sawfirsthand. That was a very insightful experience. It gaveme a leg up in understanding where the judges werecoming from and it made me realize what a differencewe can make as judges.”

Now, Calvo-Torres says, she accepts interns everysemester, “due, in great part, to the fact that Iwas given that opportunity.”

It was also an internship that connectedOgden with TheArthur A. Duncan ’12, aformer City of Buffalo lawyer who hasrecently opened his own general lawpractice.

“If it weren’t for Judge Ogden, Iwouldn’t be where I am right now,”Duncan says. “She was the first person inthe Buffalo law community that Iinteracted with and who took an interest in

me. I got the internship, and it turned into a mentorship.Judge Ogden became a person I could turn to foradvice, whether it was about the legal community,family, or dealing with certain things that I was goingthrough.”

He says that sometimes meant a good talking-to, like she delivered when she learned he was going out onhis own. “She sat me down and grilled me: ‘Is this theright move? Are you sure about this?’ She’s been therefor me and I think the world of her. The mentorship isgenuine. You get a lot of lip service in this field, but this isa relationship where I can call her any time and she’llcall me back.”

Ogden says she is motivated by the words ofLucia Bassas Traynor: “The mediocre mentortells, the good mentor explains, the superiormentor demonstrates, and the greatmentor inspires.” “UB School of Law hasbeen a great mentor,” she says.“Inspiring me, and so many others, to bementors.”

11

I was a first-generation attorney, which meant I didn’t have any attorneys in my family who

could help me navigate within the legal profession, but I did meet people who mentored me.

They taught me that you never get too busy to give back.”

— Hon. e. Jeannette Ogden ’83

With Leanghour Lim ’18With Amanda G.Brennan ’17

“

In a challenging legal marketplace, it’s moreimportant than ever that our law students have everytool at hand to help them find their niche in the legalworld. That’s why UB School of Law is putting additionalmuscle to work to make sure our students begin theircareer search with all of the right connections.

A new initiative, a joint effort between the CareerServices Office, the Office of Alumni Relations and ourincredibly engaged alumni network, expands upon theschool’s existing mentor program offering our studentsmore opportunities to meet with and learn from theseasoned pros.

Ilene Fleischmann, Vice Dean for Alumni andExecutive Director of the Law Alumni Association, hasassembled a group of experienced and connectedgraduates from the Buffalo legal community to partnerwith our newest attorneys seeking that first post-lawschool job. The initiative, now in a limited pilot phase,will enable alumni mentorsto draw on their personalconnections in support ofour graduates’ job search,and extends to coachingthe job-seekers oninterview skills and searchstrategies.

Lisa Patterson, ViceDean for Career Services,says that, typically, 30 to 40percent of studentsgraduate with a job offer inhand. For others, anemployment offer awaitsafter they’ve passed the

bar. Those without a job waiting in the wings can benefitimmensely from some professional guidance and anally within the legal community.

The new 3L and graduate mentorship program,Patterson says, involves “some rather high-level hands-on matching. We have to know the alumnus and thestudent pretty well in this situation, so that weunderstand their needs and can make a good match.Sometimes that means reaching out to them andfinding out what those needs are, and how the alumsmight be able to help.”

In addition to 3Ls and recent graduates, 1Ls are alsothe beneficiaries of a renewed focus on mentoring. Forseveral years, participation in the first-year mentorprogram was optional. But under William MacDonald,the law school’s new Director of Academic Success,participation in the 1L mentoring program is a requiredpart of his first-year Legal Profession course.

Alumni and students sign up for a mentor inDecember, and mentor matches are made in January.This year, a reception for mentors and their matches willbe held onJan. 31 in the Center for Tomorrow on UB’sNorth Campus from 6 to 8 p.m.

To accommodate all 144 first-year students, the LawAlumni Association has taken ownership of the 1Ls, saysFleischmann. Led by Megan Gomez ’05,a LAAMentoring Committee has reached out to other legalorganizations to recruit mentors, including members ofthe Monroe County Bar Association, the Western NewYork Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association, and theMinority Bar Association of Western New York.

Guidance and convenient online training will beprovided so even those who have never mentoredbefore have everything they need to develop a greatmentoring relationship. A mentoring page on the law

school’s website is indevelopment and will includehelpful tips, a Q&A andwebinars, and will enablestudents to connect withmentors of their choicethroughout the country viavideo.

“Hopefully, the matcheswill stick throughout thestudents’ law school years,”says Patterson. “Our alumniare our greatest asset and it iswonderful to see studentsconnecting with them.”

12Reaching Out, Reaching Back: Making Connections

MOrE suPPOrtfOr MEntOrIng

How YOU Can HelpHave you learned a thing or twoalong the way?Volunteer your time and expertise bymentoring a law studentas he or shetransitions to the legal profession. Toparticipate in our mentor program,contact:Ilene FleischmannVice Dean for Alumni(716) 645-7347fleisch@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/mentor

Ashley R. Lowry '09 withDanielle G.

Chamberlain '18

Drawing on the renewed energy of some of its mostsuccessful and committed graduates, the School of Lawis convening a new alumni group for networking,

mentoring and advocacy.As its name indicates, the

Council of UB Law AlumniAssociation Past Presidentsincludes more than a dozenalums who have led the alumniassociation in the past. It’s chairedby the association’s immediatepast president, Brian Gwitt ’98.

“We thought that this was awonderful resource to be able to

tap into for the benefit of the Law Alumni Association,the School of Law and our students,” says IleneFleischmann, Vice Dean for Alumni. “These aresuccessful, well-connected alumni who havemaintained their ties to the Law Alumni Association andwho think it’s a great idea to get together and help us.”

The group’s portfolio, Fleischmann says, is threefold:to provide mentoring to current students and recentgraduates, to help connect them to employmentopportunities in the Western New York legal communityand beyond, and to think about how to raise the Schoolof Law’s profile within the state.

Gwitt says initial outreach to his fellow pastpresidents was well received. “We’ve had a terrificresponse,” he says. “People were very interested.

“The School of Law very much wants to work with thestudent body in promoting their academic andprofessional success. We want to contribute our ideas tothe school, but also tap into this network of people who

can help with mentoring and introduce students to theirnetwork and the firms they work in.”

“A number of our past presidents are justunbelievably successful and connected statewide,”Gwitt says. “We’re the only public law school in the StateUniversity of New York. Supporting public educationand advocating to keep our tuition affordable is crucial.”

13LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Charter members of the Council of UB Law Alumni AssociationPast Presidents include:Laurie Styka Bloom ’83Robert L. Boreanaz ’89Douglas S. Coppola ’75Hon. John M. Curran ’84Richard F. DiGiacomo ’76Robert P. Fine ’68Terrance P. Flynn ’88Hon. Lenora B. Foote ’97Terrence M. Gilbride '88Garry M. Graber '78Leslie M. Greenbaum '74Margaret P. Gryko ’77Brian D. Gwitt ’98Robert P. Heary ’91Hon. Barbara Howe ’80Joseph G. Makowski '79Kenneth A. Manning '77Dennis R. McCoy ’77Brian M. Melber ’96Hon. E. Jeannette Ogden ’83Jean C. Powers '79William F. Savino ’75Samuel L. Shapiro ’65

The UB Law Alumni Association is led by a vibrantand ambitious group of UB School of Lawambassadors under the direction of 2017-18 presidentPietra G. Zaffram ’01.Zaffram is a partner at HarrisBeach PLLC in Buffalo, where she represents clients infederal and New York state tax disputes from the auditlevel through the appellate process. She alsonegotiates and drafts a broad range of corporate andtransactional documents, including businesscontracts, software license agreements, consultingagreements and nondisclosure agreements. She is amember of Child and Family Services’ ambassadorcommittee, and a member of Junior League of Buffalo.

Pietra g. Zaffram ’01 leads law Alumni Association

Alumni leaders step up to helpour students get a foothold

A present from the past

I am proud and honored to serve the LawAlumni Association and to work with ourexceptional board of directors who are eachcommitted to serving the law school’s alumniand students through events, programming,and networking opportunities that are secondto none. The collective experience, dedicationand talents of the board are truly remarkableand are a testament to the quality of a UB Schoolof Law education."— Pietra G. Zaffram ’01

“

14LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Officers • Pietra G. Zaffram '01,Presidentpartner, harris Beach pLLC

• Marc W. Brown ’99, President-Electpartner, goldberg Segalla LLp

• Melissa A. Foti ’03, Vice Presidentpartner, kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLp

• Amy L. Hemenway ’01, Vice Presidentpartner, harter Secrest & emery LLp

• Anne E. Joynt ’05, Vice PresidentJunior partner, Lipsitz & ponterio, LLC

• Tiffany R. Perry ’00, Vice PresidentCourt Attorney Referee, erie County Family Court

• Andrea Schillaci ’82, Vice Presidentpartner, hurwitz & Fine, pC

• Stephanie A. Saunders ’00,Treasurerprincipal Law Clerk to hon. e. Jeannette OgdenNew york State Supreme Court

• Jaime C. Gallagher ’02,Assistant TreasurerAssociate Counsel, New york StateLiquor Authority

• Amy P. Herstek ’04, SecretaryContract and grant Specialist,University at BuffaloTechnology Transfer Office

• Scott C. Becker ’93, Assistant Secretarypartner, kavinoky Cook LLp

• Marion K. Henderson ’65,Secretary emeritaRetired

• Brian D. Gwitt ’98, Immediate Past Presidentpartner, woods Oviatt gilman LLp

Directors• Thomas C. Burnham ’03

Senior partner, Lipsitz green Scime Cambria LLp

• Kevin J. Espinosa ’09in-house Counsel, m&T Bank

• Heather A. Giambra ’04partner, Schröder, Joseph & Associates

• Megan A. Gomez ’05Associate Counsel, Univera health Care

• Thomas M. Gordon ’05partner, gross Shuman Brizdle & gilfillan, pC

• Kenneth M. Gossel ’91general manager, National Fuel gas

• Christopher M. Grant ’05Consultant, Big dog Strategies, LLC

• Hon. William J. Hochul, Jr. ’84general Counsel, delaware North

• Andrew B. Isenberg ’92district executive, New york StateUnified Court System

• Elizabeth A. Kraengel ’07partner , duke, holzman, photiadis& gresens LLp

• Marybeth Priore Mantharam ’03Shareholder, Colucci & gallaher, pC

• Erika M. Marabella ’04Corporate Counsel, Rich productsCorporation

• Richard J. Marinaccio ’07partner, phillips Lytle LLp

• Melissa Hancock Nickson ’97Confidential Law Clerk to hon. eugene F. pigott Jr.New york State Supreme Court

• Hon. Henry J. Nowak ’93Justice, New york State Supreme Court

• Rachel M. Hezel Rzayev ’07Attorney, Cannon heyman & weiss, LLp

• Elizabeth M. Savino ’92Vice president, human Resources,CTg, inc

• Dennis K. Schaeffer ’99partner, Bond Schoeneck & king,pLLC

• Jeffrey C. Stravino ’97partner, hodgson Russ LLp

• Jason G. Ulatowski ’07Associate general Counsel, pCBpiezotronics, inc.

• Dr. Sylvia Valentín ’97 Associate professor, NiagaraUniversity

• Ilene R. Fleischmannexecutive director

uB law Alumni Association’s2017-18 officers and directors

2017-18 LAA Officers, Directors and Past Presidents

15

Albany Chapter• Caroline B. Brancatella ’07

Of Counsel, greenberg Traurig LLp • Patricia C. Sandison ’07

Senior Associate, hodgson Russ LLp

Central new York Chapter• Sam M. Tamburo ’68

Law Office of Sam m. Tamburo

new York City Chapter• Daisy A. Tomaselli ’13

Associate, Jackson Lewis pC

Rochester Chapter• Lawrence K. Bice ’12

Counsel and project manager,Larimer Law

• Helen K. Root Scalia ’11Contract Specialist, UnitedTechnologies

Washington, D.C. Chapter• Meredith Jolie ‘03

Attorney, garfield Law group

2017–18 GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) GroupOfficers• Ryan K. Parisi ’10, President

Associate, Seaman Norris LLp• Aaron M. Saykin ’13, President-ElectSenior Associate, hodgson Russ LLp

• Cristin L. Murray ’12, TreasurerSenior Associate, hodgson Russ LLp

• Christopher S. Safulko ’13,Treasurer-ElectAssistant district Attorney, erie County districtAttorney’s Office

• Lydia H. Beebe Safulko ’12,SecretaryAssociate Attorney, Barclay damon LLp

• Henry A. Zomerfeld ’14, Secretary-ElectAssociate Attorney, kenney SheltonLiptak Nowak LLp

• Jeffrey P. Gleason ’08, ImmediatePast Presidentpartner, woods Oviatt gilman LLp

GOLD Group Directors• Meghan A. Corcoran ’13

Attorney, National Fuel gas• Heather L. Dechert ’10

Associate Attorney, webster Szanyi, LLp

• Lisa M. Diaz-Ordaz ’11Attorney, Law Offices of destin C. Santacrose

• Andrea K. DiLuglio ’15Associate Attorney, woods Oviatt gilman LLp

• Ari M. Goldberg ’17Associate Attorney, Colucci &gallaher, pC

• Kerisha H. Hawthorne-Greer ’14Staff Attorney, Bar Association oferie County’s Volunteer Lawyersproject

• Michael J. Hecker ’09partner, hodgson Russ LLp

• Patrick D. Leavy ’16Associate Attorney, Rupp Baasepfalzgraf Cunningham LLC

• Caitlin E. O’Neil ’15Attorney, Connors LLp

• Seth D. Pullen ’09Attorney, Richardson & pullen, pC

• Nicholas A. Romano ’13Attorney, Connors LLp

• Emily M. Rudroff ’15Compliance Analyst, m&T Bank

• Sarah E. Siracusa ’14Attorney, dempsey and dempsey

• Joseph G. Trapp ’16Associate, greco Trapp, pLLC

• Sarah M. Washington ’16 Attorney, Connors LLp

• Calvin D. Weaver ’17Associate, Rupp Baase pfalzgrafCunningham LLC

• Patricia L. WarringtonAssistant director

2017–18 Chairs of our Regional Alumni Chapters

How YOU Can HelpReady to take the lead?Join the UB Law Alumni Associationandbecome an active part of our engaged andloyal alumni network. The LAA organizessocial, networking and educational events forour 11,000-plus alumni around the world. Toget involved, contact:Ilene FleischmannVice Dean for Alumni(716) 645-7347fleisch@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/laa

2017-18 GOLD Group Officers and Directors

UB School of Law’s proud tradition of supportingits students’ public-interest commitment hasbeen strengthened with a bequest from Terry

M. Richman ’86.Richman, who entered law school at age

39, passed away earlier this year inWilmington, N.C. She leaves behind herhusband of more than 50 years, Ted, andtheir daughter, Lisa. At the School of Law, Richman was a senior

editor of theBuffalo Law Review,and also wonthe intramural Charles S. Desmond Moot Court

Competition. After graduation, she worked in privatepractice, primarily with the Rochester law firmUnderberg & Kessler. She was active with the GreaterRochester Association for Women Attorneys, serving asits president in 1996-97 and receiving the organization’sPresident’s Award in 2000.

Among her many community service interests, shewas on the board of Rochester’s and Wilmington, N.C.’spublic radio stations; served as a labor arbitrator; co-

founded acommunity givingorganization; andwas active inDemocraticpolitics – “all whilementoring womenlawyers, raising awonderfuldaughter andreading bales ofmystery books,”her family notes.

The initial drawfrom her bequestsupported the

summer public-interest internships of two students:Sarah Gardner ’19 and two-year J.D. student LuwingPeche Loayza ’18.

“It’s heartening to see a classmate of mine providefunding so that people can continue in her footsteps

16PHILANTHROPY

leaving a legacy in the public interest

Meet our 2017 PublicInterest Fellows …BPILP Fellows:

Charles e. mann publicinterest Award Recipient: • Kaitlin Kramer ’19U.S. Attorney’s Office,Western District of NewYork, Buffalodean’s Buffalo publicinterest Law program Fellow• Lindsey Johnson ’19Hon. Charles J. Siragusa,U.S. District CourtWestern District of NewYork, Rochester

UB Law AlumniAssociation’s Buffalo publicinterest Law program Fellow• Olenka Masny ’19Legal Assistance ofWestern New York,RochesterBuffalo public interest Lawprogram Fellows• Alana Bernhardt ’19Ontario County PublicDefender’s Office,Canandaigua• Kodai Sinclair Okano ’18Erie County DistrictAttorney’s Office, Buffalo• Genevieve Rados ’19Hon. Lawrence J. Vilardo,U.S. District CourtWestern District of NewYork, Buffalo

Buffalo public interest Lawprogram grantee• Emily Stoufer Quinn ’18Legal Aid Society ofRochester, Family Law Unit,RochesterJulie Freudenheim ’88Fellow:• Kaylan Porter ’18Hon. William M. Skretny,U.S. District CourtWestern District of NewYork, BuffaloGarry Graber ’78 Fellow:• Breanna Reilly ’19Erie County BarAssociation’s VolunteerLawyers Project, Buffalo

kaplan & ReynoldsFellows:• Allyson Kehl ’18Federal Public Defender’sOffice, Western District ofNew York, Buffalo• Amanda Oppermann ’18Journey’s End RefugeeServices, Buffalo

• Luwing Peche Loayza ’18Chautauqua County PublicDefender’s Office,Mayville

Terry M. Richman ’86Fellows:• Sarah Gardner ’19Neighborhood LegalServices, Buffalo• Luwing Peche Loayza ’18Chautauqua County PublicDefender’s Office,Mayville

Suzanne e. TomkinsWomen, Children andSocial Justice AdvocacyFellow:• Chelsie Roberts ’18Wyoming County DistrictAttorney’s Office, Warsaw

Western new York LawCenter Fellow:• Alyssa Bergsten ’19Western New York LawCenter, Buffalo

summers to rememberTwenty-six UB School of Law students spent theirsummer working in the public interest, with financialsupport that made these (typically unpaid) positionstenable.

Luwing Peche Loayza ’18 andSarah Gardner ’19

Terry M.Richman ’86

Our award-winning Discover law Program is back!

Thanks in part to a grant from the University at Buffalo, the lawschool is pleased to announce the sixth summer of Discover Law, ouraward-winning diversity pipeline program for undergraduatestudents. Designed to increase access and diversity in the legalprofession, this four-week “law boot camp” program will be heldagain in June 2018.

Through Discover Law, a select group of up to 20 students willhave the opportunity to learn firsthand about the rigors of law schooland the legal profession, as well as how to best prepare for the lawschool admissions process.

To learn more about Discover Law or to support the program, visit:law.buffalo.edu/ScholarsProgram

colucci gift promotes legal scholarship

A major gift by Anthony J. Colucci Jr. ’58 and his wife, Carmela, has memorialized the couple’s commitment to legal scholarship andthe Buffalo Law Review,and includes an endowed scholarship for Law Review students. In recognition of the Coluccis’ generosity, theLaw Review’s office suite on the sixth floor of O’Brian Hall has beenrenamed the “Anthony J. Colucci Jr. Esq. ’58 Buffalo Law Review Suite.”

17

working in public-interest areas while they pursue theirlegal education,” says Melinda Saran ’86, a law schoolclassmate of Richman’s and now the law school’s vicedean for social justice initiatives. “I’m sure she washoping that other law students will follow her lead andwork in the public interest, either as their full-timeendeavor or doing pro bono activities as she did.”

The first two Terry M. Richman Fellows expressedgratitude for the opportunities that this financial supportafforded them.

“I have learned invaluable skills and information,”says Gardner, who interned at Neighborhood LegalServices in Buffalo. “But, more than anything, my eyeshave been opened as to the need that is present notonly for helping clients, but for new legislation. The lawsthemselves that disadvantage the poorest members ofour communities, but favor those who are more well-off,are unfair and need to be changed. Often, suchchanges need to start with legislation. This is a part ofthe law that I would like to get a chance to pursue morein the future.”

Says Loayza, a native of Peru who worked at theChautauqua County Public Defender’s Office: “I firmlybelieve that the work of the public defender is significantbecause it helps people to be heard and have,sometimes, another chance to change their lives. Theexperience I gained is valuable and has inspired me tocontinue a career in the public service.”

Additional fellowshiprecipients:Catalyst Public ServiceFellows:• Heather Burley ’19Chautauqua CountyPublic Defender’s Office,Mayville • Andrew Plewinski ’18Legal Aid Society, CriminalDefense Practice, NewYork City• Jordan Sieracki ’18Legal Aid Bureau ofBuffalo, Attorneys forChildren Unit, Buffalo

Buffalo Human RightsCenter Fellows:• Chelsea Gonzalez ’19ACLU of Puerto Rico,Women’s Rights Project,San Juan, Puerto Rico• Shazia Khan ’18Amnesty InternationalUSA, New York City• Natalia Marte ’19ACLU of Puerto Rico,

Ending MassIncarceration Project, SanJuan, Puerto Rico• Leighann Ramirez ’19Ayuda, Washington, D.C.• Bethany Taylor ’19Legal Services of CentralNew York, Cancer LegalAdvocacy & ServicesProject, Syracuse

equal Justice WorksAmeriCorps J.D.Program Fellow:• Olenka Masny ’19Legal Assistance ofWestern New York,Rochester

new York BarFoundation Trusts andestates Law SectionFellow:• Nicole Mutignani ’19Hon. Barbara Howe, ErieCounty Surrogate’s Court,Buffalo

Past Discover Law Program participants

President Satish K.Tripathi,Anthony J.Colucci Jr. ’58,Carmela M.Colucci andDean AvivaAbramovsky

18PHILANTHROPY

A Buffalo-based law firm has taken itssupport of the School of Law to the nextlevel with a major gift to support theAdvocacy Institute, which trains students in the critical task of advocating for theirclients.

Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman put out a firm-widecall, and 15 attorneys – both UB Law alumni and non-alums – responded with individual pledges of support.Their gifts totaled more than $100,000 – money that willstrengthen the Advocacy Institute’s skills traininginitiatives including moot courts, trial teams, mediation,legal writing and oral argument.

“The School of Law is a very important feeder for us,”says Kevin J. Cross, managing partner, who says abouthalf of the firm’s 73 attorneys are UB School of Lawgraduates.

Lippes Mathias, he says, has significantly expandedits service offerings over the past five years, making thefirm more of a full-service law firm.“Part of our support for the school,”Cross says, “is to make sure thatstudents are given the opportunityto receive the type of training wethink would be valuable in the legalfield.” Even lawyers who aren’tpracticing courtroom litigation, hesays, need the negotiation, deal-making and mediation skills thatare part of advocacy training.

Dennis C. vacco ’78, whopractices commercial litigationwith the firm, is a member of theAdvocacy Institute’s nationaladvisory board, bringing hisexperience as a former New YorkState Attorney General and U.S.Attorney for the Western District ofNew York.

“I have a lot of respect for thepeople who sit on that board andhave been the backbone of the

Institute,” Vacco says. “There was no Advocacy Instituteback in the 1970s when I was at UB. But there was arobust trial technique program, really the precursor ofthe Advocacy Institute, and I could attribute my entirepublic career to being part of that experience.”

Vacco also has a vested interest in the Institute: Hisson Alex, a second-year UB School of Law student, is amember of one of the school’s trial teams that competesin advocacy competitions across the nation.

eliza P. Friedman ’14was one of several recentgraduates to participate in the firm’s gift; she alsohelped coordinate the campaign internally.

Her law school experience did not specifically centeron trial technique, but sherecognizes the value of the skillsthat the Advocacy Institute imparts.

“Whether you’re a litigator or atransactional attorney, you have toadvocate for your clients,” saysFriedman, an associate in the firm’sCorporate and Securities PracticeGroup. “That means understandingthe client’s position and makingsure that their voice is heard andtheir points are understood. It alsomeans thinking about things theclient isn’t thinking about that couldbe harmful to them.”

Friedman says it wasn’t hard topersuade people to give. “I think itsays a lot about the School of Law,”she says. “It’s very ingrained in thelegal community here, and this wasimportant to everyone whocontributed.”

steppingup foradvocacyLippes mathias gifthelps build theAdvocacy institute

Contributors include:

Sean P. Balkin ’15Brian J. Bocketti ’98Kevin J. CrossJillian E. Deck ’07Eliza P. Friedman ’14John J. Koeppel ’98Gerald S. Lippes ’64Christian M. Lovelace ’06William E. Mathias II ’71Vincent M. Miranda ’10 and Molly L. Miranda ’05

Paul A. Mitchell ’85Brendan J. Rich ’05Richard M. Scherer Jr. ’10Dennis C. Vacco ’78

Dennis C. Vacco ’78, Kevin J. Cross and Eliza P. Friedman ’14

19LAW SCHOOL REPORT

Introducing the class of 2020“i am particularly proud of the Fall 2017

incoming class, the first cohort of students i have

enrolled in my relatively new position as Vice

dean for Admissions. They are a bright and

diverse group that includes engineers, educators,

CpAs, musicians and military veterans. The

range of their backgrounds and experiences will undoubtedly

enhance our interdisciplinary approach to the study of law. Boasting

an impressive cumulative undergraduate gpA of 3.53, i certainly

anticipate great contributions to our legal community from the

Class of 2020. ”

– Lindsay J. gladney, Vice dean for Admissions

How YOU Can HelpDo you know someone with apenchant for the law and apassion for justice?Introduce him or her to the UBSchool of Law community. OurAdmissions team will answer theirquestions, review their optionsand give them a tour of the lawschool. And ournewly reduced tuition forout-of-state studentsmakes a UB School of Laweducation an exceptional valuefor all of our students, whethertheir hometown is Buffalo orBrazil. Refer a future lawyer to:Lindsay Gladney Vice Dean for Admissions(716) 645-2907law-admissions@buffalo.eduwww.law.buffalo.edu/admissions

24Average

Age

33%Age 25+

13%Advanced

Degrees

18%ethnic

Diversity

154Median

LSAT

3.53Median

GPA

42%Males

58%Females

144Matriculates

20–52Age

Range

Entering class profileEntering class profile

From courtroom to classroomHon. Thomas P. Franczyk is stepping down from

the Erie County Court bench, ending nearly twodecades of service as a judge – and stepping up for UBSchool of Law.

The longtime co-director of the school’s trialadvocacy program will add significant teachingresponsibilities to that role. “My goal is to bring 34 yearsof practical experience from thecourtroom into the classroom,and give students a real-lifeperspective on the practice oflaw,” says Franczyk, who spent 14years as a prosecutor before hiselection to Buffalo City Court andthen County Court.

That experience will be in playas he teaches a course inEvidence starting this spring, aswell as a course designedespecially for students in thetwo-year J.D. and master of lawsprograms, many of themforeign-trained lawyers seeking

a further academic credential.Franczyk first got involved with the School of Law’s

trial teams – which travel the world representing the lawschool at high-level competitions – back in 1994. “I gotthe bug back then, but I could only participate on alimited basis,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed workingwith the students, and I still enjoy it. I enjoy watchingthem progress from people who look uncomfortable inthe courtroom to becoming lawyers who are ready to

walk into a courtroom and try acase.”

In his trial advocacy role, hewill continue to coach teams inboth fall and spring semesters,and to oversee the Buffalo-Niagara Mock Trial Competition,the largest such competition inthe nation. He’ll also draft someof the case problems that theschool’s Trial Techniqueinstructors use in their courses.

Franczyk also says he’slooking forward to returning tothe classroom. “As a judge, I’vealways enjoyed doing the

20LAW SCHOOL REPORT

Building strengthin the courtroomOur Advocacy institute just took two giant steps forward with the addition of Tim Franczyk and Jen

Scharf – comparable to the signing of first-round draft choices. Clearly, the institute and the School of

Law continue in the right direction.” — Terrence M. Connors ’71, National Advisory Board Chair

How YOU Can Helpknow your way around acourtroom?Coach a trial team or judge anadvocacy competitionat the lawschool. To be a part of ouradvocacy program, contact:Jennifer Scharf ‘05Co-Director of the TrialAdvocacy Program(716) 220-4875jrscharf@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/advocacy

“

21

research and writing, some of the scholarly aspects ofthe law,” he says. “This gives me an opportunity to digdown a little deeper on the academic side.”

The coach’s corner“The amount of work you put into a trial team is

unlike any law school class,” saysJennifer Scharf ’05.“It’s more like a job than a class.”

She should know. As a UB Law student, she says,being on one of those teams made all the difference.

“It was a pivotal course for me,” says Scharf, newlynamed to succeed Christopher J. O’Brien as a co-director of the school’s trial advocacy program. “It wasreally one of those courses that taught you the skills ofbeing a lawyer. All law school courses are important,but trial team taught you how to do the day-to-day. Itmade you feel courtroom-ready from the day you walkout the door.”

Scharf, whose day job is as legal counsel for ErieCounty Medical Center, will coach teams each fall andspring semester, as she has done since 2007. She’ll alsocontinue teaching as an adjunct instructor, leadingclasses in Trial Technique, and serving as overalladministrator for the trial advocacy program.

In that role, she says, “One of my major goals is torecruit new talent and a diverse and inclusive group ofinstructors.” She’ll also be thinking about how tobroaden the base of students who come into theprogram – reminding them, for one thing, that it’s notuncommon for the lawyers who judge or watch thesecompetitions to approach good performers afterwardwith offers of job interviews or employment. “We’rereally proud of our job placement record for trial teamstudents,” she says.

She has coached a lot of teams over the years.“There are so many high points,” Scharf says. “We’vehad a lot of great successes on my teams. But the thingI’m most proud of is that so many of the students I’vecoached are now my colleagues and my friends.”

Kudosto all of our students who have tested out their new-

found advocacy skills in a recent competition or event.

Below is just a sampling of some of our top advocates:

Left to right: Vicki M.Bell ’19, Amanda L.Oppermann ’18, KaylanC. Porter ’18 and LuwingPeche Loayza ’18 tookthird place in the NYSBar AssociationDispute ResolutionSection’s 2017 Judith S.Kaye ArbitrationCompetition in New York City.

Andrew B. Plewinski ’18 and Allyson L. Kehl ’18, pictured with guestjudges Hon. Kenneth F. Case (far left), Dean Aviva Abramovsky and Hon. Thomas P. Franczyk (far right), took first place in the 2017Desmond Moot Court Competition held at the law school.

Margaret L. McKenzie’19 (left) andAlexandria N.Frainier ’19 (right),pictured with StevenR. Sugarman, directorof the mediationclinic, won the 2017Representation inMediationCompetition held inO’Brian Hall.

Far left: Hon. Thomas P.Franczykexplains juryinstructions.

Left: JenniferScharf ’05provides tips onclosingarguments.

22LAW SCHOOL REPORT

Something happens to law students between theirfirst and third years of law school. They learn to think likelawyers.

It’s a twofold process, saysWilliam MacDonald,the School of Law’s new director of academic success.At first, he says, the challenge is to open up theirthinking, so they can flexibly apply a given set ofprinciples to a variety of fact patterns and situations. Asthey head into their finalyear, though, the focus turnsto the bar exam andamassing the substantivelaw that gets new graduatespast that final hurdle.

Those challenges playout in every classroom, everyday. MacDonald is helpingto give all students the toolsand support they need toflourish academically.

“Law school has becomemore intense than it used tobe,” he says. “There areincreasingly morerequirements in experientiallearning and writing classes,long-term writing projects,and there are a lot ofexpectations that studentswill pursue internships andexternships. Academicsupport is a way for studentsto get up to speed in the skillsthey need to be lawyers andto succeed in law school.”

MacDonald was aprivate practitioner and alegal research and writingprofessor before he decidedto focus his career on student services. He worked as acareer adviser for master of laws students atGeorgetown University School of Law, where he earnedhis J.D., and then in academic support at Whittier LawSchool in California before joining the UB School of Lawfaculty this summer.

Now he’s the go-to person for students who willbenefit from one-on-one coaching in academic skills.More than that, he’s looking to make it clear that allstudents have room to grow and improve, not just thosewho find themselves struggling.

“There’s a perception that these services are about

filling in deficits that some people have,” MacDonaldsays, “and certainly there’s always a subset of peoplewho are just not getting it. You can’t always identify fromtest scores where people are going to falter coming intolaw school. But I really want to reach out to the bulk ofpeople in the middle. We’re trying to turn this into aculture where academic success is seen as a greatresource that is available to everybody in the school,

and you can take advantage ofit to the extent that it’s helpful toyou.”

All first-year students takeLegal Profession, whichMacDonald teaches withadjunct professor Helen“nellie” Drew ’88. It’s a nuts-and-bolts course, he says, thatanswers a lot of standard 1Lquestions: How do you takenotes? What is a legal rule?How do you apply logic? Howdo I manage exams? What is itmy professors really expectfrom me?

In the spring, he’ll also leada teaching team in a barpreparation course for third-year students – not thegrinding review of substantivelaw for which most studentsseek out commercial reviewcourses, but making sure theyhave the study skills that willmake their bar prep fruitfuland effective. The course alsointroduces students to theformats of exams including theMultistate Performance Test,with its emphasis on

demonstrating logical and creative approaches to legalquestions.

MacDonald is also looking to build on the school’sexisting mentor program by collaborating with the lawschool’s Career Services Office and the Office of AlumniRelations. “Ultimately, we’d like to have a seamlessprogram where students are matched up with mentorsand those mentors form a long-term connection withtheir mentee and are a resource for them,” he says. “Inorder to do that, we need to be resources for thementors themselves, and provide them with materialsand coaching, so they can be effective in that role.”

new director sharpens toolsfor students’ success

Academic support is a way for students toget up to speed in the skills they need to belawyers and to succeed in law school.”— William MacDonald, director of

academic success

“

23

At a time when businesses, politicians and activistsare increasingly concerned with care for theenvironment, UB School of Law is equipping lawyerswith the tools they’ll need to make sense of it all.

The school’s newly minted Environmental Law LL.M.program offers students the chance to deepen theirknowledge of environmental law and policy. Like themaster of laws programs in general law, criminal lawand cross-border legal studies, the new one-yearprogram includes specialized courses, experientiallearning and one-on-one academic advising.

Though some make it a professional specialty,environmental law is not just a niche area of practice,saysProfessor kim Diana Connolly,vice dean foradvocacy and experiential education, who co-directsthe program with Professor Jessica Owley.

“Whether advocating the position of a public interestgroup, a corporate client, a government agency or aprivate citizen, almost every area of legal practice todaytouches upon some aspect of environmental law,” saysConnolly, an expert in wetlands law. “At a global level,critically important issues such as climate change,sustainability and transnational pollution require anunderstanding of environmental law and policy.”

In the program, students take at least 24 credits ofcoursework on topics including pollution control,greening Buffalo, land use, climate change law andpolicy, historic preservation law and internationalenvironmental law. They also complete a clinic,practicum or externship where they work directly withclients on real-world environmental disputes, andcomplete a capstone research project that engagestheir skills in analyzing environmental law issues andconstructing arguments around those issues.

Already the program has its first graduate:Benjamin e. Wisniewski,who earned his J.D. from UBin 2014 and received his LL.M. degree (with honors) thisyear. Wisniewski is an associate attorney with theBuffalo-based law firm Lippes Mathias WexlerFriedman LLP, where he practices environmental andenergy law and serves on the firm’s GovernmentInvestigations & Enforcement Actions Practice Team.

“Pursuing an LL.M. is a fantastic way to gain a deeperknowledge of a specific area of the law,” Wisniewskisays. “This knowledge can be used to build a resume,enhance an existing career, or simply gain expertise in agrowing area of jurisprudence. I specifically chose UB topursue my master of laws degree because of the flexiblecurriculum that allowed me to tailor my education to theenvironmental, energy and local government law issues Ideal with on a daily basis.”

That included his final research project, whichaddressed one area of focus in his practice: New YorkState’s process for siting new power plants.

“My capstone thesis addressed the relatively narrowissue of whether the local legislative power described inArticle IX of the state Constitution is in direct conflict withthe state legislature’s delegation of a discretionary pre-emption power to a state-level administrative sitingboard,” Wisniewski says. “I concluded that much of thecase law relating to Home Rule and state legislativepre-emption is based on a version of the stateConstitution that no longer exists. I also concluded thatArticle IX of the state Constitution should be amended tomore clearly state whether the legislative powerwielded by local governments is organic and deriveddirectly from the people, or instead merely derivative ofthe general legislative power vested in the statelegislature.”

The Environmental Law LL.M. program builds on theschool’s strength in this area of law. J.D. students maypursue a concentration in environmental law, work oncases in the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, andpublish in the Buffalo environmental Law Journal. Facultyresearch interests include wetlands law and policy;international environmental law; the transnationalgovernance of forests, animals and biodiversity; localenvironmental law; and conservation.

The University at Buffalo, too, has been an earlyleader in addressing environmental issues. A signatoryof the American College and University Presidents’Climate Commitment, the University has pledged tominimize its adverse impact on the environment andachieve “climate neutrality” by 2030.

Masters of the EarthNew environmental LL.m. program deepens our green commitment

Studying windenergy

24LAW SCHOOL REPORT

Training more than 65 studentattorneys(2016-17)

empoweringvictims ofdomestic

violence tobreak free

from abuse

Seekingaccountability

for veteransexposed to toxic

smoke

Tacklingnational, state

and local policyon animal

welfare issues

Protecting theimmigrant

community inWestern new

York

Helping cancer care

patientsnavigate civil

legal problems 

Providing over 8,130

clinical servicehours

(2016-17)

Reformingcourt secrecy

rules to protectthe public

interest

Advocating forvital and

cutting-edgeenvironmental

issues

HereIS HOW

OUR CLINICS IMPACT OUR WORLD

To learn more about how our clinic students are taught to change the world, visit:www.law.buffalo.edu/clinics

Our clinics

25

In times of crisis, immediate action and collaborativeefforts are crucial to recovery. Recent devastationbrought by Hurricane Maria left thousands of PuertoRicans in critical need of legal assistance. In response,the University at Buffalo School of Law reacted swiftly,launching a new law clinic, the Puerto Rico RecoveryAssistance Legal Clinic, and reaching out to the lawschool community for its support. As a result, through thisclinic, a group of specially trained law students will learnrelevant law in Buffalo, and then travel to Puerto Rico inJanuary to offer hands-on legal assistance, providingdirect access to justice for those in urgent need.

“Puerto Rico is facing not just a natural disaster, but alegal disaster,” sayskim Diana Connolly, professor andvice dean for advocacy and experiential education, anddirector of the law school’s clinical legal educationprogram. “As electricity and other basics have started tocome online for less than half of the island’s citizens –more than three months after the hurricane – the peopleof the island must adjust to a new normal. The demandfor legal assistance has become paramount. Theimmediate needs are vast, and we are working withexperts on the ground in Puerto Rico to identify the bestprojects for UB School of Law students to handle. Needsrange from direct legal representation of individuals andfamilies, to supporting those working within the PuertoRican legal system trying to help citizens best navigatethis tragedy – UB School of Law is working to design thebest response.”

During December and January, students will prepareby doing research for and participating in intensivetraining from law school faculty, alumni and other legalexperts including attorneys in Puerto Rico. Students willacquire the skills and substantive knowledge required toaddress legal aspects of disaster response. Connolly willcoordinate the program, including rigorous classes thatwill take place at the law school.

After the class component is completed, students willtravel to Puerto Rico for a 10-day service experience,providing essential legal assistance as supervisedstudent attorneys. In addition to earning academic credit for their participation, students will emerge withpractical skills and firsthand experience applying therule of law to restore order and justice in an unsettledcontext.

Luis Chiesa,a criminal law professor at the lawschool and a native of Puerto Rico, will act as anacademic consultant. “It is heartening to know that agroup of UB law clinic students will head to myhometown of Puerto Rico to deliver sorely needed legalservices,” says Chiesa. “This will not only benefit Puerto

Rico, but also our students, as it affords them theopportunity to apply the legal skills that they have honedduring the course of their legal studies.”

The greater law school community will participate, asvolunteer alumni and faculty have agreed to consult intheir areas of expertise in order to support the lawstudents serving clients in Puerto Rico. Alumni andfriends have also made generous donations to helpoffset travel and other expenses incurred by the studentswhile providing legal assistance.

“Access to justice is at the heart of everything we do atthe law school and this initiative is a perfect example,”says Aviva Abramovsky, dean of the law school. “Wehave a long history of providing pro bono service andteaching our students to view the world with compassion,knowing that regardless of where they ultimately chooseto work, they have a moral responsibility, as lawyers andas leaders, to use their skills and knowledge to ensurejustice and to give back.”

A quick response to Puerto rico’s urgent need#UBLawResponds

Want to join our efforts?Donations are needed to help offset the costs associated withsending law students to provide critical assistance. To learn more about the clinic or to make a donation, visit:law.buffalo.edu/support-puerto-rico-clinicOr contact:Professor Kim Diana ConnollyDirector of Clinical Legal Education(716) 645-2092kimconno@buffalo.edu#UBLawResponds

How YOU can help

26LAW SCHOOL REPORT

growing the clinicspowered by major new grants, the School of Law's clinical education program is expanding its reach in

serving the community. Our students will provide critical legal counsel to two vital groups of people:

women at risk of lethal family violence, and military veterans and active service members.

new funding to provide legal help to women at high risk of violence

Students in the Family Violence and Women’s RightsClinic will step up their efforts to provide legal help forwomen in perilous home situations, with the support of a major new grant.

The $25,000 grant, from the Buffalo-based GarmanFamily Foundation, will further develop the partnershipbetween the clinic and the Family Justice Center of Erie

County, which providescomprehensive services to clients,mostly women, experiencingintimate partner violence.

In the Domestic Violence HighRisk Collaboration, says clinicdirectorJudith Olin ’85, studentswill work directly with FamilyJustice Center clients who areidentified as being at the highestrisk for serious, even lethal,violence. “We will address legalissues that may be stopping themfrom leaving the situation,” saysOlin, including issues involvinghousing, employment, childsupport, divorce and childcustody. Under her supervision,clinic students will representclients in court on some issuesand refer them to other legalservices providers on others.

This new effort will enablestudents to serve clients inimmediate danger, Olin says, andteach them how to ensure theclient’s safety. Students will meetwith clients in the Family Justice

Center’s Main Street facility, focusing on those whocannot afford a private attorney but earn too much toqualify for other free legal services. The grant money willalso fund a student summer fellowship to carry on thework between academic years.

“The relationship we have with the clinic is critical towhat we do,” says Tiffany M. Pavone ’02, director ofoperations at the Family Justice Center. “The studentswill fill an important gap in representing domesticviolence victims who are at the highest risk of dangerand find it hard to leave because of legal issues.”

A $50,000 “Justice for Heroes” grant – one of fiveawarded by new York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo – willfund the creation of a new veterans Legal Practicumat UB School of Law

The grants, which the governor announced onVeterans Day, are designed to enable New York lawschools to provide legal services to military veterans,active service members and their families.

The UB Law practicum will establish “legal helpdesks” at several locations in Buffalo and other WesternNY locations, aimed at helping veterans with their civillegal needs.

There will be a rigorous classroom component to getlaw students ready to provide service. The service-learning component will be performed under thesupervision of a licensed lawyer. Law students will staffhelp desks and provide other services during thesemester, with student fellows hired to ensure continuingcoverage during the summer months. Students in thepracticum will also develop and maintain a website toinform Western New York veterans, active-duty militarymembers and their families about benefits, programsand services available to them.

The grant is eligible for renewal in each of the nexttwo years.

“This is an important service-learning addition to ourlaw school and community. Making an immediate

difference in the lives of thosewho served while learninghands-on legal skills that can bedeployed in the future is a win-win program,” saysProfessorkim Diana Connolly, director ofclinical legal education. “I amespecially honored to have ourexperiential learning program

launch this effort, because my father was a veteran, andin caring for him during his final years I had the honor tomeet many Western NY veterans and get to know moreabout some of the legal issues they face.”

The students willfill an importantgap in represen-ting domestic violence victimswho are at thehighest risk ofdanger and find ithard to leavebecause of legalissues.” — Tiffany Pavone ’02, directorof operations at theFamily JusticeCenter

“

27

There was one visitor to thePro Se Assistance Programwhose image has stuck withvice Dean BernadetteGargano.He was disabled, nota person of means, butsomeone with importantquestions about a federal courtcase that he was handling onhis own. So he took a bus fromRochester to Buffalo where thelaw school and the BarAssociation of Erie County’sVolunteer Lawyers Projectoffered its pro se legalassistance program – a two-hour ride just to get hisquestions answered.

Plenty of people who aretrying to represent themselvesin U.S. District Court aredesperate for just that kind ofhelp. In response, the School ofLaw has now expanded itsprogram, bringing much-needed assistance to pro seplaintiffs in the WesternDistrict’s Rochester hub.

“It’s about meeting a need, and a pretty importantone,” says Gargano, who teaches a practicum coursethat guides students in their pro se assistance work.“The program provides pro bono services inunderrepresented communities, and it’s great for ourstudents – they have absolutely loved the experience.”

In the program, students staff a help desk at federalcourt, conduct intake interviews, confer with a lawyervolunteering to provide assistance, and then arepresent as the attorney counsels the client. TheRochester program began with a weekly one-daycommitment last spring, continued over the summerand now is offered Wednesdays and Fridays withstudent staff and lawyers from Volunteer Legal Servicesof Monroe County.

The chief judge in the Rochester court, Hon. FrankGeraci Jr., says the help is welcome. “About one-third ofour cases are pro se cases,” Geraci says. “Obviously prose litigants don’t have a legal background, and a lot oftheir motions and complaints are hard to decipher. Withthese volunteers, we get a much better work productand they can also help litigants maneuver through thesystem. The students and lawyers just do an

outstanding job.” In addition, points out

retired attorneyRobert B.Conklin ’68,who helped getthe program going in bothBuffalo and Rochester, somewould-be litigants learn thatthey really don’t have a federalcase to bring. “The backlog forcivil cases in the WesternDistrict of New York is one of thehighest in the country,” he says,“because we have a shortageof judges. Anything that helpsdeal with that volume in anyeffective way at all is a hugehelp.”

And the students, he says,“get the hands-on experienceof working with an experiencedfederal court lawyer on real-time cases. They’re getting theeducational opportunity to seehow a real lawyer works.”

Prior to graduating, vickieconomou ’17was one of thestudents who staffed the helpdesk last spring.

“We saw a lot of employer-employee issues,” shesays. “The most interesting thing to me was how muchwork these people had done. They were doing all thisessentially by themselves, and they just came to askquestions of the attorney. It was inspiring what they haddone – they had binders full of stuff. A lot of people werestuck in the spot they were in and just needed to ask aquestion.”

karen Chung, a staff attorney at Volunteer LegalServices of Monroe County, runs the pro se programday to day. She says advertising and word of mouth arebringing more potential litigants into the program.

“We’ve had great feedback from the volunteerattorneys about the great work the students do,” shereports. “They like that the students are there to do thescreening and intake, so that they know what kind oflegal issue they have before the client consultation.

“The students are also there to provide support. Theycan pull the data sheet to check on the progress of acase, search a case online through the casemanagement system, or quickly look up a provision oflaw – all to better advise the person.”

Pro se program expands to rochester

The program provides pro bono services inunderrepresented communities, and it’sgreat for our students – they haveabsolutely loved the experience.” — vice Dean Bernadette Gargano

“

28LAW SCHOOL REPORT

Richard D. “Red” Schwartz, who served from 1971 to1976 as UB School of Law’s 12th dean, died Oct. 10 at hishome. He was 92 years old.

Schwartz, who earned bachelor’s and doctoraldegrees from Yale University, was a sociologist of law andbrought that focus to his deanship, expanding the school’scourse offerings taught from the perspective of otheracademic disciplines and supporting faculty interest in thefield. He was the first and only dean of the law school whowas not a lawyer.

He held the school’s top position at a time of greatchange in the nation and at UB. As the women’s movementcame into full flower, women began making up a greaterproportion of Buffalo Law students, as did historicallyunderrepresented minorities. Also under Schwartz’sleadership, the School of Law appointed its first African-American lecturer, its first African-American assistantprofessor and its first tenured female professor. The schoolalso hired its first full-time placement director, forerunnerof today’s busy Career Services Office.

When John Lord O’Brian Hall was dedicated in 1974, itwas Schwartz who welcomed the first class of law studentsto the Amherst campus.

“I believe that I am the last full-time faculty memberwho knew ‘Red,’ ” says Professor John Henry Schlegel. “Itwas a great idea to hire him, and doing so made this abetter place.”

Schwartz focused his own legal scholarship on naturallaw, administrative law and the impact of welfare reform.After leaving UB School of Law, he held an endowed chairat Syracuse University College of Law; he also taught atYale and Northwestern universities.

Legend has it, says Professor David engel, that the firstnational meeting of the Law & Society Association tookplace in the Schwartzes’ living room. Schwartz was a co-founder of that scholarly organization, which nownumbers in the thousands and is the world’s premierorganization for the interdisciplinary study of law.

An advocate for global peace, Schwartz also helpedfound the Syracuse-Area Middle East Dialogue Group. Heco-authored and edited numerous books.

Survivors include his wife of 71 years, Emilie; a son,David; two daughters, Jane and Debbie; and threegrandchildren.

To hear an excerpt from Dean Schwartz’s oral historyinterview, visit www.tinyurl.com/richard-schwartz.

From sanctuary cities to immigrant rights, fromcriminal justice reform to the opioid crisis, New York’s stateand local governments are wrestling with some of themost difficult issues of our time. But where can policymakers find solid research and information on solutionsthat work?

Enter the new Center for Law and Policy Solutions,developed by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, theState University of New York’s public policy research arm.UB School of Law will be a key partner in the center’s work,in concert with units of Albany Law School and theUniversity of Albany.

The Center for Law and Policy Solutions will examinepressing societal issues that raise questions of law andpolicy, with special attention to their effects on localcommunities. It will be led by Dr. Katie Zuber, theRockefeller Institute’s assistant director for policy andresearch.

Student interns will play a key role, helping researchersto analyze and interpret research findings and

communicate them to lawmakers and others in a positionto act on them.

“As New York State’s flagship public law school with along-standing history of interdisciplinary education in thepursuit of social justice, the University at Buffalo School ofLaw is particularly suited to partner in this critical effort tocraft real solutions for New York citizens,” says Dean AvivaAbramovsky, who will serve as part of a five-personadvisory committee for the center. “Together we canachieve results none of us could do alone.”

UB Law alum Joseph Belluck ’94,a member of theSUNY Board of Trustees, will also serve on the advisorycommittee.

“The center will be on the cutting edge of analyzingproblems at the intersection of law and policy,” Bellucksays. “The serious issues facing our society in regards toimmigration and criminal justice demand seriousanalysis. The CLPS will pull together the best minds tosignificantly move the dial on these issues.”

solutions that workNew collaboration sheds light on public policy challenges

the passing of an interdisciplinary scholar

Joseph Belluck ’94

Richard D.Schwartz

29FACULTY

Professors make their mark Scholarship bears fruit

In a split decision, Massachusetts’ highest courtabolished felony murder in that state – and both themajority and the minority cited scholarly writing bySUnY Distinguished Professor and Hodgson RussFaculty Scholar Guyora Binder in their rationales.

Previously, participants in certain felonies thatresulted in death were liable for first-degree murder,even if they did not expect death to result. In the 2017case of Commonwealth v. Timothy Brown, however, the

court relied on Professor Binder’sresearch in concluding that theMassachusetts murder statutedoes not require this. It onlyimposes first degree murderliability on those who commitmurder in the course of suchfelonies. The Court held that in thefuture, defendants cannot beconvicted of murder without proofof either intent to kill, intent to inflictgrievous bodily harm, or extreme

indifference to human life. A minority of the judges cited Professor Binder’s

research in arguing that some felons who cause deathinadvertently deserve murder liability. However, themajority responded that such cases would likely stillqualify for murder liability in Massachusetts on thebasis of intent to inflict grievous bodily harm or extremeindifference to human life.

“Massachusetts defines factors like gross reckless-ness and extreme indifference more expansively thanmost other American jurisdictions do. … My historicalscholarship told the majority that they had the power toabolish felony murder, it was a judicially created rule inMassachusetts.”

In the case, Commonwealth vs. Timothy Brown, thedefendant provided a gun and hooded sweatshirts tohis co-defendants, but was not present when theycommitted a robbery and shot and killed two victims.

The appropriateness of the felony murder law wasone of several issues raised on appeal, with thedefendant’s lawyers arguing that it was arbitrary andunjust. Binder says there had been hints in a previouscase that the Supreme Judicial Court was looking for anopportunity to reassess the law.

“They decided it was time,” says Binder, whosescholarly books include Felony murder (StanfordUniversity Press), “and they were waiting for a case withsympathetic facts that illustrated the potential injusticeof the felony murder rules.”

The court’s decision is available atwww.tinyurl.com/y75v3mbw.

decoding the power of stories Can someone whose story keeps changing be a credible witness

for herself? That is the question at the heart of an article by legalanalysis, writing and research lecturer, Stephen Paskey, that takes acritical look at how federal immigration judges decide whether togrant refugees’ asylum requests.

The article, “Telling Refugee Stories: Trauma, Credibility, and theAdversarial Adjudication of Claims for Asylum,” was published lastyear in the Santa Clara Law Review. Now it has been recognized withthe Penny Pether Law & Language Scholarship Award, given

biennially to acknowledge excellence ininterdisciplinary law scholarship, especiallywork drawing on language theory. The awardis named for Penny Pether, a distinguishedscholar who had a particular interest inlanguage and literature and a passion for socialjustice. This is the third time the award has beenconferred; the previous winners were fromHarvard and Columbia Law Schools.

Paskey says the article grew out of hisexperience as a litigating attorney with the U.S.Department of Justice, where he represented

the government in hundreds of asylum hearings. The administrativelaw judges who decide these cases, he says, typically base theirdecisions on whether the petitioners tell a credible story about abusethey have suffered in their homeland, or the threat of persecution ifthey were to return. The issue of credibility often hinges on whetherthe facts of the story stay consistent over the long course of theapplication process, which typically includes both oral testimony anda written declaration.

But an article by an Israeli scholar, noting that people who sufferpost-traumatic stress often tell fragmented, inconsistent narratives,convinced him that factual consistency was not a fair criterion forjudging the plaintiff’s credibility.

With a grant from the Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy, hestudied 369 asylum decisions issued by federal appeals courts in2010. What he found: “When immigration judges conclude anapplicant is not credible, they overwhelmingly rely on inconsistencieswithin or among the various versions of the applicant’s story, andespecially inconsistencies between the testimony and declaration.”

The article uses the approach of structuralist narrative theory todistinguish between the content of the story that a witness tells – itstimeline, characters and events – and the way the story is told. Forsurvivors of traumatic events, Paskey argues, it’s the latter thatcoheres as evidence of truth-telling, rather than absolute consistencyin the details of the story.

His findings may change the way these asylum decisions aremade. “The hope,” he says, “is that further discussion would motivatethe Office of the Chief Immigration Judge to provide training to allimmigration judges on the effects of trauma” – giving them the toolsto make better judgments in these life-and-death cases.

Paskey’s article can be accessed at www.tinyurl.com/yaxkgeet.

30FACULTY

Practical wisdom from a long career

Back when he was a lawstudent, says Christopher Belling’74, the curriculum tilted moretoward the theoretical than thepractical. “There was very littlerelationship between going to lawschool and practicing law,” heremembers. “You stumbled out thedoor, you stumbled through the barexam, and then you werecompletely on your own.” Now, hesays, “the School of Law has movedto a more practical approach, and I

can help with that.”Belling, who recently joined the faculty as an adjunct

instructor, has plenty to draw on in that role. A longtimeand high-profile trial prosecutor in the Erie CountyDistrict Attorney’s Office, he is now of counsel to theChautauqua County DA’s Office. He also has mentorednew trial attorneys as colleagues and taught widely onsubjects including trial advocacy and prosecutorialethics.

He says his Criminal Procedure II course at theSchool of Law “puts the emphasis on the practical issuesthat we deal with on a daily basis in the courts.” Forexample, Belling says, he speaks to the students aboutthe intricacies of jury selection that aren’t reflected in thestatutes; how to negotiate a plea disposition in a case;and how to safeguard a defendant’s rights as his caseprogresses. The emphasis is on the nuts and bolts ofpractice in state court, rather than at the federal level. “Ifthe law students have this information,” he says, “itmight determine whether they want to practice criminallaw at all, and it might impact their development as alawyer.”

Belling previously taught a bridge-term course at theSchool of Law on the state laws that govern decisions onsuppression of evidence. In addition to presenting manycontinuing legal education seminars over the years, hehas trained prosecutors at the state and national levels,as well as police and other forensic professionals.

He also has served as trial counsel for the New YorkProsecutors Training Institute, in Albany; as a consultantto the 62 district attorneys in New York State; and as aspecial district attorney and special counsel in severalDA’s offices statewide.

Focused attention on a crucial skill

As supervising attorney for theFederal Public Defender’s Office inBuffalo,kimberly Schechterrepresented indigent defendantscharged with federal offenses. Herposition involved mentoringyounger associates, as well asdefending her own roster of clients,all while facing multiple deadlinesand responding to a never-endingstream of email.

What a difference retirementmakes. Now, as an adjunct

instructor in the School of Law’s LAWR program, she canbring that same attention to small classes in herPersuasive Legal Writing class, a high-level elective. Theresult is focused attention for second-year students whowant to get even better at persuading a judge to rule intheir favor.

“This course brings it up a notch,” says Schechter,whose career at the Federal Public Defender’s Officespanned 23 years. “It’s a little more intense, and gearedmore toward advocacy as opposed to generalresearch. Students need to learn the case law thatapplies and figure out what the issues are. The maingoal of the course is to convert that research intopersuasive legal argument.”

The course is built around a single hypothetical casebased on a fact pattern of a typical federal criminalcase. The students then research the issues and createseparate documents that track the evolution of a casethroughout the court process. Typically, thosedocuments will be an interoffice memorandumassessing the case, a motion addressing substantiveissues that were uncovered in their research, and thenan appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Schechter took an unusual route to law school. Shewas working as a paralegal on Long Island when sherealized that her work was not all that different fromwhat the firm’s associate attorneys were doing. “Itseemed silly not to go to law school,” she says, and soshe entered Hofstra University School of Law,graduating with honors. She completed Hofstra’s J.D.program in two years. She then started her ownpractice before she was lured away by the FederalPublic Defender’s Office in 1994. “I never regretted thatchoice for a minute. It was a great 23 years.”

from the courtroom to the classroomTwo new adjunct instructors are introducing their hard-won lessons into their teaching

31

Rethinking the voteTiming is everything, and the timing couldn’t be

better for SUnY Distinguished and Bridget andThomas Black Professor James Gardner’snewlyrevised election Law in the American political System(Aspen).

On the heels of the 2016 presidential vote, the secondedition of the casebook includes substantial materials inwhich scholars wrestle with the voting patterns and thecampaign that put Donald Trump in the White House.

But there’s plenty more for students and professors toglean from Gardner’s book, which he co-wrote with

Duke Law School Professor Guy-Uriel Charles. Election law,Gardner says, is mercurial: “Thisarea is changing at an extremelyrapid rate. The Supreme Courtissues three or four decisions everyterm in this field, and they are nottypically decisions that affirm theway things have been.”

Like the 2012 first edition, thetextbook weighs in at close to 1,000

pages. “It’s quite lean in comparison to its competitors,”Gardner says, and law professors can teach the entirebook in a single course if they choose.

It’s not, though, only a casebook. “Typically,” Gardnersays, “legal principles are taught almost exclusivelythrough the reading of cases. Our book is very different.We think that election law is so closely connected toother fields, and other ways of thinking about the topic,that cases are not our exclusive means of instruction.”

The book includes readings from sociologists,political scientists and democratic theorists, as well asexcerpts from historical materials to help studentsunderstand the context behind election law as well ashow the American electoral process plays out inpractice.

“There’s a lot of reporting on empirical politicalscience research,” he says, including updates onresearch into legislative redistricting, how campaignsare financed and how money influences the process.

There’s also discussion of what Gardner called “verysignificant changes” that the Supreme Court made inapplication of the Voting Rights Act, as well as on theCourt’s landmark Citizens United decision, whichopened the door to campaign donations bycorporations and organizations.

And there’s even a section covering breakingdevelopments in the area of “ballot selfies.” That’s thepractice of taking your own photo with your completedballot, then posting that photo on social media. AsGardner notes, in most states ballot selfies violate long-standing prohibitions against publicly exposing a votedballot – laws enacted to guard against buying votes.

hard questions on the genetic frontier

Legal and ethical issues surrounding some startlingnew technologies in genetic engineering were recentlytackled at a UB School of Law conference.

Professor and William J. Magavern FacultyScholar Irus Braverman, who organized the 2016conference, edited the talks and presentations from theconference into a book. The book,gene editing, Law,and the environment: Life Beyond the human, was

published by Routledge in summer2017. The publication collectsessays from ten scholars in fieldsas diverse as law, bioethics,philosophy, biology and wildlifemanagement, a multidisciplinaryapproach to a field full ofcomplexity.

“The technical means to modifyDNA are cheaper, faster, moreaccurate, and more widelyaccessible than ever before,”

Braverman writes in her introduction. “These cutting-edge gene editing technologies raise ethical, legal, andecological questions that are so broad andconsequential for both human and more-than-humanlife that they can be difficult to grasp. What is clear,however, is that the power to directly alter, not just asingular form of life, but also the genetics of entirespecies and thus the composition of ecosystems, iscurrently both under-regulated and under-theorized.”

The volume is especially focused on gene drives,genetic systems which greatly increase the odds that agenetic alteration performed with CRISPR or similartechnologies will be passed on to offspring, eventuallyinstilling the new characteristic in entire populations ofa species. Geneticists have been particularly interestedin applying gene drives technologies to populations ofmosquitoes, for example, creating male-onlypopulations that therefore result in their eradication.

In addition to the book’s introduction, Bravermancontributed a chapter called “Gene Drives, Nature,Governance: An Ethnographic Perspective.” Thischapter delves into the philosophical and ethicalassumptions that govern scientists’ work in this area,including their ideological stance toward nature itself.

Other contributors to the book address issues inenvironmental conservation, gene editing in law andthe arts, human embryo modification, and the “onehealth” approach that seeks to improve the health ofpeople and animals, including pets, livestock andwildlife.

two new faculty books

32130-YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

PArtyInglIKE It’s1887

It seems like just yesterday that UB School of Lawmarked its milestone quasquicentennial. But five yearshave come and gone, and over 200 alumni and friendsgathered at an All Alumni and Reunion Celebration tocelebrate the 130th anniversary of UB Law’s founding.

For many, the Oct. 14 gathering was their firstopportunity to welcome newly installed Dean Aviva

Abramovsky. It was also an occasion to celebrate someexciting developments of just the past few years:

•The creation of master of laws programs in cross-border and environmental law.

•The introduction of a two-year J.D. program for internationally trained attorneys.

•UB Law’s new Advocacy Institute, which – under the guidance of its National Advisory Board –

focuses the school’s efforts on training studentsin the skills of oral and written advocacy.

Plus an increased emphasis on students services,academic success and social justice initiatives.

1

3

5

7

8 9

1312

11

2

4

6

10

14

1. Left to right: Hector F. Chavez ’97, George J.Hamboussi Jr. ’97, Hon. Lenora Foote ’97, Dr. SylviaValentin ’97 and Lourdes M. Ventura ’98

2. Class of 19873. Class of 20074. Class of 1982 with Professor John Schlegel5. Class of 19976. Class of 19627. Left to right: Anne M. Noble ’92, Executive Director of the Bar Association of Erie County, and Pamela D.Heilman ’75

8. Left to right: Kenneth A. Manning ’77, Vice Dean forAlumni Ilene Fleischmann, Hon. Barbara Howe ’80and Peter Brunner

9. Left to right: Professor Michael Boucai, ProfessorChristine P. Bartholomew, Professor MarkBartholomew and Professor S. Todd Brown

10. Left to right: Nadia N. Shahram ’97 and Dean AvivaAbramovsky

11. Left to right: Hon. John L. Michalski ’87 and Frank J.Longo ’97

12. LAA President Pietra G. Zaffram ’01 13. Left to right: Stephen L. Yonaty ’94, Hon. Lisa Bloch

Rodwin ’85, Marla K. Babat-Yonaty ’97 and CarolineA. Wojtaszek ’97

14. Left to right: Major Gifts Officer Lucy A. Dadd ’04 and Anthony J. Spann ’52For full photo IDs and more photos from the gala,visit: law.buffalo.edu/alumni-celebration

Ready to make history? Secure the law school’s future with a giftto support student scholarships, and theinnovative programming and advancedtechnology that is crucial to preparing ourgrads for the changing practice of law.To learn how to structure a gift to suit yourpersonal needs and preferences, contact:Karen Kaczmarski ’89Vice Dean for Philanthropy and Engagement(716) 645-2109krkacz@buffalo.edulaw.buffalo.edu/giving

HereIS HOW

THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES

302

John Lord o’Brian HallBuffalo, NY 14260-1100address service requested

Nonprofit org.U.S. Postage

PaiDBuffalo NY

Permit No. 311

Please join us as we honor

Hon. Barbara Howe ’80Former new York State Surrogate Judge, erie Countywith the

2018 edwin F. Jaeckle Awardthe highest honor the University at Buffalo School of Law and the Law Alumni Association can bestow

Friday, Jan. 26, 2018noon to 2 p.m.The Union league Club38 e. 37th St. new York City

Follow us on:facebook.com/ublawtwitter.com/UBSchoolofLawlaw.buffalo.edu/linkedin youtube.com/ublawschoolflickr.com/ublaw

To register, visit: law.buffalo.edu/Alumnievent or call the Alumni Office at (716) 645-2107

law.buffalo.edu