SUNY BUFFALO LAWPHILANTHROPY

S U N Y B u f fa l o L aw S c h o o l • Th e S tat e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k

MARGARET W.WONGINCREASES HER ENDOWMENT

TO $1.5 MILLION

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More than at any othertime in the history ofhigher education,alumni-led

philanthropy has become thecornerstone of building academicexcellence.This has always been true ofprivate universities.But now it is alsotrue of public research universities.Acontracted economy and politicshostile to funding university educationthrough public dollars have sappedstate support.Huge state deficits,including here in New York,have leftthe SUNY system severelyunderfunded.This means that to buildand retain an excellent public researchuniversity,we more than ever need thegenerous support of our alumni andfriends.

“This is already happening at theUniversity level, where, under theleadership of our new president,Satish Tripathi, UB recently receivedits largest gift ever – a $40 millionanonymous gift to the School ofMedicine. I am very pleased to saythat the Law School – the only lawschool in the SUNY system – is help-ing lead the way. SUNY Buffalo Lawhas for some time now been a leaderwithin UB in mobilizing the supportof its alumni.You – our alumni andfriends in the legal community – areamong the most generous alums in thecountry.Your support and giving areconsistently in the top quartile of alllaw schools.Thanks to you,we havebeen able to avoid the worst effects ofstate cuts and the economic downturn.In fact,we have been able to make wiseinvestments in our academic programsduring one of the most savage reces-sions in history.But our ambition isnot simply to “hold the line”or toavoid the worst excesses of a bad econ-omy.No – we must grow and becomeamong the top 50 law schools in thecountry.

That is why we are using your sup-port to invest in the pillars of academicexcellence.In the last four years,wehave hired 14 faculty with star poten-tial.We will need resources for faculty

chairs,professorships and summer re-search support,and excellent facilitiesto support and retain them.We haverecruited a stellar IL class.We will needmore scholarships and great learningfacilities to attract another impressiveclass next year.This is especially criticalin view of a dwindling state and na-tional pool of qualified applicants forlaw school.This year,applications weredown by 12 percent nationwide.Wehave put modern technology in severalof our large classrooms,and will “techup”more classrooms this year.We haverefurbished the first floor,the mostlived-in space in the Law School.Wemust keep up these improvements.

As SUNY’s only state law school,weare a crown jewel.But we want ourcrown to shine and light up UB.I be-lieve this is not an idle ambition,be-cause of the progress that we are mak-

ing.We are on the cusp of great things.Over the past two years,you havestepped up your giving to the LawSchool.This issue of SUNY BuffaloLaw Philanthropy is a testament toyour generosity.But we have further togo.That is why,as I thank you for allyour support,I ask you to dig deeper sothat together we can realize our goals.

I wish all of you a wonderful andenjoyable holiday season.

Makau MutuaDean

Message from Dean Mutua

’’‘‘

Investing in academic excellence

“Thanks to you,we have been able to avoid the worst effects ofstate cuts and the economic downturn. In fact,we have beenable to make wise investments in our academic programsduring one of the most savage recessions in history.”

Su provided a little coaching,andnow – “every Tuesday at 6 o’clock”–she finds herself imparting the lessonsof her fruitful career to the next genera-tion of would-be immigration lawyers.

Wong’s personal journey is as well-known at SUNY Buffalo Law School asit is in Cleveland.Born in Hong Kong,where her parents had fled followingthe Communist takeover of China,shebecame an immigrant herself,comingto the United States on a student visaalong with her younger sister,Cecilia.

Between themthey had four

suitcases and$200.

Wong’s bags-to-richesstory began when sheworked her waythrough college inIowa and then Illi-nois as a waitress(though she lostjobs because shecouldn’t tell a RobRoy from a Man-hattan from a mar-tini),and spent sum-mers doing hotel workin New York’s Catskills re-sorts.A full scholarship toSUNY Buffalo Law School,she says,made her dream of becoming a lawyerpossible.

She passed the bar,but could notfind a job in law.She worked a tempo-rary position as a legal and financial of-ficer for the City of Buffalo,then movedto Cleveland to become a managementtrainee at a bank there.After a brief stintat a Cleveland law firm,she struck out

on her own,with a $25 desk and noteven a secretary.She called every-

one she knew and handed outher business card on buses.Slowly the business built up,tothe point a few years ago when

Wong moved it into a beautifulnew building on downtown

Chester Street and christened it theMWW Center.Margaret Wong &

Associates now has additional offices inChicago,New York City,Columbus,At-lanta and Detroit,serving both individ-ual and corporate clients throughout

the United States.She and her husband,pharmacist

Kam Chan,have two children, includ-ing daughter Allison Chan,a 2011graduate of SUNY Buffalo LawSchool.

“It is my firm belief that the UnitedStates is still the best country in whichto live, thrive,and become somebody,”she writes in her book The Immigrant’sWay.“I am living the American dream.

… Most foreign-borns in the UnitedStates are tenacious survivors.

We work hard to save andto bring our families to

America to enjoy a better life –in living standards,personal free-doms,and envi-ronmental condi-tions.We also tendto be stoic,do not

voice our opinionsoften,and are more

generally accepting andaccommodating to the

not-so-great things that hap-pen to us or around us,while beingthankful for the good things that dohappen.”

Wong makes the three-hour drivefrom Cleveland for meetings of SUNYBuffalo Law School’s Dean’s AdvisoryCouncil,of which she has been a mem-ber since 2006.The Law School hasrecognized her extraordinary level ofinvolvement with her alma mater bypresenting her with the DistinguishedAlumna Award for private practice in2007, and the 2010 Dean’s Medal atCommencement.

That involvement has extended tosubstantial financial support of theLaw School.This year Wong has in-creased her previous commitment of$850,000 by an additional $650,000.That $1.5 million endowment will bedivided: half for scholarships,and halfto establish a professorship in immi-gration law.

The scholarship support,she says,

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Leadership Giving

Sharing the fruits of a dream

It was only when she began teaching immigration law this fall as an adjunct

professor at Case Western Reserve University,says Margaret W.Wong ’76,

that she realized what a high-wire act it is to hold your own before a class-

room full of bright law students.

So Wong,who has spent a career building her Cleveland-based practice into an

immigration law powerhouse,called on SUNY Buffalo Law School for advice.She

e-mailed Associate Professor Rick Su,whose teaching and research includes work in

immigration law,with a rookie question:“How do you talk for two hours?”

Receiving the Dean’s Medal atCommencement 2010.

“I am living the American

dream.”

— Margaret W.Wong ’76

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is partly intended to advance theschool’s efforts to attract the very beststudents regardless of financial need.“We’re trying to get really top-rate stu-dents,”she says,“and it’s nice to bewanted.For many of these top-tier stu-dents,three schools will accept them,and the decision comes down to whichthey can afford financially.”The abilityto offer significant scholarship money,she says,means SUNY Buffalo LawSchool can enroll students of the high-est caliber – thereby enhancing the edu-cational experience for all the school’sstakeholders,while also helping theschool’s reputation and rankings.

But also,Wong says,herscholarship giving recog-nizes the help she herself re-ceived all those years ago.“Itreally did some good for

me,”she says of that assistance.“I wentmost of three years for free.I thought itwould be neat to plan such a gift andsee some kids enjoy it. It’s a good in-vestment.”

In addition,the new gift to endow aprofessorship in immigration law re-flects her commitment to that legal

field and her recognition that it’s anuncommon specialization.“I did notrealize how hard it is to recruit goodteachers who care about immigration,”she says.“It’s such a niche practice.Itincludes issues of Constitutional law,human rights, international trade – weneed to encourage professors to doscholarly research in that field.”

She recognizes that the gift mayseem showy,and that’s the last thingshe wants. In reality,she says,she was “alittle shocked”at the amount she wasasked to give.But the gift becomesmanageable,she says,when paid over anumber of years,and partly as a be-quest – and the tax deduction,shenotes, is immediate.

Wong,who marked her 61st birth-day this year, turns reflective whenasked about the timing of her gift.“Youcome to a time in your life when youask,what impacts you the most? Youwant to do some good,”she says.“Afterthe kids are grown and all the tuition ispaid,what do you care most about?You want to help other people,not justyour immediate family and children.”

Upper left, Margaret Wong ’76 participatingat a DAC meeting; top, surrounded by therecipients of Margaret W.Wong Scholar-ships in 2010; above, as a DistinguishedAlumni Award recipient in 2007.

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Leadership Giving

A great teacher’s namelives on

whose practices aren’tbased on tax nonethelessrecognize the ways theirtime in Del Cotto’s class-room shaped their skillsin analytical and creativethinking.

Now a series of gifts,including a major dona-tion by Brian Baird ’83,ofcounsel with the Buffalolaw firm Kavinoky &Cook,will establish anamed professorship forDel Cotto,ensuring thathis legacy will be a perma-nent part of the schooland that the next genera-tions of law students canwrestle with tax law andcome out on top.

Baird’s $370,000 giftcompletes the circle increating a named profes-sorship,for which$130,000 was raisedamong many alumnidonors several years ago.He says the gifting oppor-tunity appealed to hiscommitment to the Law School’s edu-cational quality as well as to his respectfor Professor Del Cotto,who passedaway in 2005.

“To have funds available to hire ex-cellent professors is an important as-pect of the Law School and the qualityof the education the students receivethere,”says Baird,who has served onthe Dean’s Advisory Council since2006.“Professors have an obligation to

both teaching and research,and Loudid both;however, I am more focusedon the quality of the teaching.To have aprofessorship with Lou’s name wouldmake funds available for hiring facultyto carry on his teaching and hopefullybecome the kind of extraordinary pro-fessor Lou was.”

Baird says he was one of those whofell into tax practice – his legal practiceinvolves tax and estate work,as well as

general business with tax implications –at least partly because of his experiencein Del Cotto’s courses,specifically Tax 1and 2,and Corporate Taxation.

“When people talk about professorswho had an impact on their lives,Lou isone of the people who is mentionedmost,”Baird says.“He was adept atteaching students how to think andhow to approach tax.He was very goodat focusing on concepts.He was also avery demanding teacher,but he had agood sense of humor.”

“I think this is a marvelous thingthey’re doing,”says Josephine “Bea”DelCotto,wife of the late professor.“ButI’m not surprised.Students always heldLou in very high esteem and were veryhappy with his teaching quality andmethods.He worked very hard.All theyears that he taught,he constantly at-tempted to refine his teaching methods,trying to make it easier for the studentswhile still imparting knowledge tothem.He was always willing to go theextra mile with students if they werehaving difficulty.”

Mrs.Del Cotto says that SUNY Buf-falo Law was “an important part of ourlives.He was aware of everything thatwent on.”But it was the students andtheir lives after law school that mostconcerned the professor.

“One of the things that wascrucial to him was thesuccess of the peoplehe taught,”she says.“The job field wasopen to them.Many are doingquite well,and Iknow thatwould makehim very,veryproud.”

Only later – sometimes many years later – did his students find them-selves comparing memories and realizing they had come to the sameconclusion:Of all their experiences in law school,the best teacherthey ever had was Professor Louis A.Del Cotto ’51.

Great teachers change lives.For more than 40 years,Lou Del Cotto did just that,introducing generations of students to the intricacies of the tax code,statutes andregulations,and in the process redefining the school’s curriculum in tax law.Manyof his students surprised themselves by choosing tax law as a career path.Others

Professor Louis A. Del Cotto ’51Dec. 29, 1923 – April 9, 2005

“When people talk about professors who had an impact on theirlives,Lou is one of the people who is mentioned most.”

– Brian Baird ’83

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Over the years, a lot ofnon-profit organizationshave asked Pamela DavisHeilman ’75 to serve on

their boards. She has said yes, a lot,and groups from the United Way tothe Shaw Festival to the University atBuffalo have claimed her as their own.

But throughout her career at theBuffalo-based law firm Hodgson Russ– where she is a lead lawyer in thefirm’s cross-border Canada/U.S. prac-tice, counseling Canadian businessesand organizations considering expan-sion into the United States – one con-stant has been her unwavering sup-port for SUNY Buffalo Law School.Amember of the Dean’s AdvisoryCouncil since 2004, Heilman bringsher strategic and analytical skills to theLaw School’s mission. She sees the re-cent major gift of $100,000 she madeto the school with her husband,Robert, a business consultant and1975 graduate of UB’s MBA program,as one piece of the puzzle of how tomake SUNY Buffalo Law the best itcan be.

“I’ve come to recognize the needfor dollars to be given to support fac-ulty chairs and scholarship,”Heilmansays,“and to support scholarships forstudents so we will be able to attractthe absolute best and brightest. Ourtuition may be set lower than some,but those other schools are offeringmore in scholarship aid.Withoutscholarships, we in fact are not alwaysthe most affordable choice, and very,very good students often go else-where. To maintain the quality andthe diversity of classes we need in or-der to be a great law school, we needto provide funds for student scholar-ships.”

As a member as well of the UBCouncil, she recognizes that the repu-tation of the Law School reflects onthe quality of the University at Buffaloas a whole.And, she says proudly,Hodgson Russ “employs more SUNYBuffalo Law graduates than any other

law firm in the country. It’s very im-portant to us that the high reputationof the Law School and UB be main-tained and enhanced as much as pos-sible, because this has a direct impacton the reputation of our firm.”

This also is a personal timeof transition, as Heilmanprepares to retire from herlaw practice at the end of2011.“It has been a fabu-

lous career at a fabulous firm,”shesays.“I am very, very satisfied withwhere I am today. I’ve had an ex-tremely active and engaging and insome ways cutting-edge practice,which has been intellectually fulfill-ing. There is nothing else I need to docareer-wise.”

As she reflects on that career, Heil-man says,“Much of my success isbased on my Law School education atUB and the opportunity that it afford-ed me to join Hodgson Russ 36 yearsago and then become a partner.With-

out that legal education and withoutUB being there for someone who didnot come from wealth, it would nothave happened.Affordable, high-quality public education is so impor-tant.”

And on a practical level, as she re-discovers concepts like the weekendand the quiet e-mail inbox, Heilmansays it has been helpful to be able tostructure the couple’s gift to make itaffordable, structuring a paymentschedule over several years and in-cluding a bequest component as well.

“Given our current transition toretirement, we appreciated the LawSchool’s flexibility in tailoring theability to make a gift to our particularcircumstances,”she says.

Transition and tradition

“I’ve come torecognize theneed for dollarsto be given tosupport facultychairs andscholarship andto supportscholarships forstudents so wewill be able toattract theabsolute bestand brightest.”

– Pamela DavisHeilman ’75

Dean Makau Mutua and Pamela Davis Heilman ’75

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Leadership Giving

SCHOLARSHIPS: Making a

From left, Carrie Zimbardi ’14, Logan C. Geen ’14, Tricia DeFilipps ’14 and Emily Dinsmore ’14

It was a very good day, says CarrieZimbardi, when she learned she wouldreceive the Carmen P.Tarantino ’77Memorial Scholarship,which covers$15,000 a year of her Law School ex-penses. The scholarship, which honorsthe late Buffalo litigation attorney, isoffered to a student pursuing studies inlitigation.

“Honestly, I’m still in shock,”Zim-bardi says.“It motivates you to want tolive up to those expectations and thename of the attorney. But it also takes ahumongous weight off my shouldersabout all the debt I would have had af-ter law school. It means a lot more tome, maybe, than other people, becauseI’m a single mom, with 2-year-old twinsons.”

Zimbardi, a West Seneca native whocontinues to work as a paralegal at asmall Buffalo law firm, majored in legalstudies as a UB undergraduate.“I wasalways a member of the mock trialteam,”she says.“I ran the undergradu-ate team here at UB for four years, andwe traveled to Yale, Cornell, all the big-name schools.”And she did well, regu-larly winning honors as best attorneyin the competitions.“Ever since then,”she says,“hearing feedback from theattorneys who serve as judges, I knewthat I wanted to be in court. I feel like

that’s what I’m meant to do. I want tobe in the heart of it.”

She had offers from other lawschools, including a major offer fromOhio Northern University.But,she says,“I’ve always wanted to stay local.Every-body I’ve ever known lives here in Buffa-lo.”

Now her leap of faith in choosingSUNY Buffalo Law is paying off – eventhough,like all first-year law students,she is learning that the time demands oflegal education are “huge.”

“In undergraduate school you go toclass,but you can get by without toomuch extra studying and time.It’s totallydifferent from that in law school,”shesays.“You have to put the time in and doall the readings.I do feel like I have a littleleg up because I’ve worked in the lawand know civil procedure.”

Balancing that first-year work withher personal and work responsibilities,she acknowledges,is “a huge jugglingact,”but one she’s negotiating with thehelp of a supportive family.“When I hadmy twins,”she says,“I hadn’t gotten ac-cepted to law school,and a lot of peopleassumed I wasn’t going to go.I neverwanted to think like that.Having themwas not a deterrent to going to law

7W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

difference for ourlaw students

Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee,”said Ralph Waldo Emerson,and SUNY Buffalo Law School alumni whose giving supports student scholarships are true to that ideal.Scholarship giving makes all the difference for the recipients of that aid – and on a wider level, it helps to build

the overall quality of each entering class of students.“As the admissions dean,I am immensely appreciative of the generosity of our

alumni to create scholarships that help us so much in our efforts to attract the best students to the Law School,”says Lillie Wiley-Upshaw,vice dean for admissions and financial aid.“In recent years, law schools across the country have significantly increasedtheir scholarship dollars in the millions.These alumni-funded scholarships help us to compete for the best students.The students who receive the money are so grateful,and it makes a positive impact on their SUNY Buffalo Law experience.”

Meet some of the beneficiaries of alumni-supported scholarship aid – bright,motivated students whose presence lifts SUNY Buffalo Law School even as they acquire the tools of the legal trade.

• • •

Continued on page 8

‘‘

school.It lit more of a fire underneathme.I want to show them that you canpursue your dreams no matter what.I’m just so grateful that I’m able to pur-sue my dream.”

• • •It was never a given that Emily

Dinsmore would end up in O’BrianHall – in fact, she says,“the joke is thatI avoided law school as long as Icould.”

After earning a biology degree atCornell University,Dinsmore workedfor eight years and continues as a para-legal for Simpson & Simpson,a Buffa-lo intellectual property firm.“I just re-ally like that area of the law,”she says.“We actually have clients who are indi-viduals rather than corporate clients.It’s really interesting – a lot of goodideas come from people who havesome experience in an industry or justsee something and say,‘I think thisshould be done better,’and they comeup with something.”

At the small firm,she says,“I tookto the work right away. I’m definitely adetail-oriented person,and it’s nice tobe in a place where that is re-warded.There’s a lot ofwriting,preparing corre-spondence and keepingfiles in order,and prob-ably the biggest part ofmy job is trackingdeadlines,because IPpractice is very dead-line-driven. I alsodid a couple ofspecial pro-jects,prepar-ing reportsfor some bigclients onthe state oftheir trade-mark files inother coun-tries.”As well,she says,workingin a law firm helpsher keep perspec-

tive,knowing that there’s light at theend of the three-year tunnel.“As lawstudents,we can be really hard on our-selves,”she says.“This helps me to keepthe goal in mind.”

As a first-year SUNY Buffalo Lawstudent benefitting from the Carole E.Brevorka Scholarship,Dinsmore says,“It’s a really exciting time to be atSUNY Buffalo Law.And the scholar-ship was part of the reason I decided togo to UB.I was weighing UB against anumber of highly ranked law schools.But with the way the economy is andthe amazing burden of debt so manyyoung graduates are faced with, Ichose UB because of its value.Thescholarship allows me to not worry asmuch about my debt load,which willgive me more options when I gradu-ate. I am absolutely certain that I madethe right choice to go to UB.Lawschool is challenging,but the incredi-ble faculty and supportive studentbody make this school a special place. Ican’t imagine being anywhere else.Myfamily is here,my life is here, I loveBuffalo; this is where I want to be.”

In addition, she says,because thescholarship aid has allowed her to cut

back on her work hours as a parale-gal, she can devote more time tothe panoply of experiences SUNYBuffalo Law offers, such as work-ing on the Buffalo Journal ofGender,Law & Social Policy.“I re-ally want to have the full LawSchool experience,”she says.“Thescholarship is allowing me to

pursue those opportunities.”• • •

Tricia DeFilipps,who isbenefiting from the GarryGraber ’78 Scholarship,willbe the first person in her

family to become a lawyer.A native of the village of

Holley,northwest of Rochester,she wasa psychology and political science ma-jor at UB,graduating in 2009.Sincethen,she has worked as a server at anOlive Garden restaurant,paying downher undergraduate loans so she couldenter law school in a good position.

“Law school is something I’ve al-ways thought about,”DeFilipps says.“Originally I had wanted to do a Ph.D.program in social psychology,but I de-cided I wanted something more applic-able to people’s daily lives than strictlyacademic research.”

She says her interest is drawn towork in the public interest,a signaturestrength of SUNY Buffalo Law.“Whoknows what I’ll end up doing at the endof three years?”she says.“I would loveto be able to use my degree to helpthose less fortunate.”For example,shesays,she’s interested in the work of theLaw School’s Affordable Housing Clin-ic,knowing that the skills she could ac-quire there would be marketable inWestern New York and she would beable to live and work close to her home-town.

Of the scholarship she says:“I’mtaking out loans to pay for everything,because I want to focus on getting thebest grades I can.A lot of people I talkto are continuing to work 20 hours aweek.I have chosen not to go thatroute.So to not have to take out that ex-tra money in loans,that really helps.”

As for the transition from UB un-dergraduate to Law School student,shehas found one challenge:She’s so usedto studying in the University’s mainLockwood Library,she says,that it’s dif-ficult to concentrate in the Law Library.She finds herself walking down thecampus spine to get her work done.

• • •The new University at Buffalo Law

Alumni Scholar – funded by continu-

8S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Leadership Giving

Scholarships:Continued

“It’s an exciting time to be at SUNY Buffalo Law School.And the scholarship was part of the reason I decided to gohere.”– Emily Dinsmore

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Sometimes life comes full circle.That’s how it has been for first-yearSUNY Buffalo Law student MoiraCooper,newest recipient of the Pro-

fessor William R.Greiner Scholarship. Thescholarship,endowed by contributions inhonor of the late Law School professor andthe University at Buffalo’s 13th president,provides $15,000 a year in assistance for threeyears.

Cooper is a local product– she grew up in the LakeErie shoreline town of Der-by,and she comes from afamily of lawyers that in-cludes six SUNY Law alum-ni.One of them is her father,Timothy J.Cooper ’80,aFamily Court judge in Nia-gara Falls and Evans townjustice.And as an under-graduate political sciencemajor at UB,she took anhonors seminar on Consti-tutional law with Bill Grein-er.

“I have so much respectfor him,”Cooper says.“His dedication to hissubject was just contagious.It was probablythe toughest course I took as an undergradu-ate,but he was so intelligent and so fascinat-ing to have as a professor.I loved that class.”

Now,as the Law School’s latest GreinerScholar,she says the financial assistance ismaking it more possible to achieve a dreamshe has held since the second grade.“It’s sohelpful,”says Cooper,who waits tables at aCheesecake Factory restaurant to help payher way through law school.“Knowing I havethat extra financial support is wonderful.It’stough to go to work after class,so now I’vebeen able to cut back on the hours I’m work-ing and to focus more on school,whichmakes it so much easier.”

As an undergraduate,she says,she wasvery interested in politics,even serving in-ternships with U.S.Sen.Charles Schumerand Rep.Brian Higgins.But she has sincebeen drawn especially to health law,a special-ization that offers plenty of opportunities inWestern New York.

And she does want to stay close to home.

“I love the area,”Cooper says.“I really havesuch a strong passion for it.I want to practicehere,and that’s what I wrote my whole per-sonal statement about in the admissions ap-plication.”

It was the SUNY Buffalo Law graduatesin her family – besides her father,they in-clude four uncles and an aunt – who encour-aged her to choose Buffalo when it was time

for her legal education,andUB was the only law school towhich she applied.“They allhad a great experience in theLaw School,”she says.“Thatwas a big driving force.I alsogot the warnings, like to beprepared to read five hours aday,all the hard-work warn-ings.And it is tough.It’s morework than I have ever done.Every day is like studying foran exam in undergraduateschool.But it’s also really in-teresting,reading the cases.”

The Greiner Scholarship isone of several legacies that paytribute to the professor,whose

career at UB began and ended in the LawSchool.Another is Greiner Hall,a state-of-the-art residence hall accommodating 600students on the North Campus.The resi-dence hall,which was dedicated this summer,blends residential,recreational and academicspaces to create a vibrant living and learningenvironment in an arrangement known asthe “learning landscape.”

“Bill was a visionary and an achiever wholoved people and loved UB,”says Law SchoolVice Dean Alan S.Carrel ’67.“He was charis-matic and genuine,delegated extensively andnever micromanaged.He never lost his tem-per and raised his voice only when cheeringfor the Bulls.… I was in awe of his gift fortackling and resolving the most contentiousand difficult problems with ease and grace.His patience,wisdom,kindness and valuesput him in a class by himself.He taught methat students come first,and that compas-sion,sincerity and persistence can movemountains.”

Moira Cooper ’14

Newest recipient ofBill Greiner’s legacy

ing gifts from the SUNY Law AlumniAssociation – carpools to the LawSchool from his hometown Spencer-port with two other Rochester-area lawstudents.

Logan C.Geen is a business manage-ment graduate of Roberts WesleyanCollege and earned a master’s degree inhealth administration at Cornell Uni-versity.He followed that with an admin-istrative internship in the nursing ad-ministration office of Duke UniversityMedical Center,where,he says,“I foundout that I didn’t like working withspreadsheets.”

But he had taken some law courses atCornell,and after an internship with aRochester law firm,he decided that law,not hospital administration,was thebest fit for him.“I continue to have a re-ally strong interest in health care,”Geensays.“But I’m probably not going tostudy it too much here.I want to get across-section of different substantive ar-eas,and then I hope to go into practicesomewhere in the health or life sciencesfields.I want to stay in upstate NewYork,preferably Rochester.”

The annual merit scholarship,hesays,“made a fairly considerable differ-ence for me.I chose UB mainly becauseof the price,which was extremely rea-sonable.With the scholarship I did nothave to get a private loan; I can useStafford loans to cover pretty much myentire bill,and money from the scholar-ship helps to cover gas and my other ex-penses.”He also can pick up some perdiem administrative work in the radiol-ogy department of the University ofRochester Medical Center.

Even as a commuter, Geen says, he’strying to get involved with lots of LawSchool activities, joining a studenthealth law organization and trying outfor the Law Review. He’s also servingas a student ambassador for theschool’s admissions office – introduc-ing potential members of the nextgeneration of SUNY Buffalo Law stu-dents to his adopted school.

Alden-Baldy ScholarshipKatelyn E. Dieffenderfer ’11Frank H. Ewing ’12Melissa C. George ’11Francis K. Graham ’11Leah M. Hardy ’11Manuel P. Karam ’11Regina S. Malta ’11Lawrence P. Mancuso ’11John A. Mosychuck ’11Brian Roy ’11Leia D. Schmidt ’12Kimberly M. Thrun ’11Zachary J.Woods ’11

Varkis A.Baligian and Hon.Jacqueline M.KoshianScholarship Ryan R. Seher ’11

Tom and Bridget BlackScholarshipWilliam S. Calleri ’12Patricia L. Cifuentes ’12Brian M. Eberle ’12Andrew Kleehammer ’12Rafael F. Pignataro ’12Anthony R. Scalia ’12

Henry W.Box Scholarship Andrew R. Borelli ’13Kinsey A. Davidson ’13Galena D. Duba ’13Tyler M. Ellis ’13Nicole K. Intschert ’13

Hon.Frank J.ClarkScholarshipEric T. Glynn ’13

Harold A.Dautch MemorialScholarshipKristen L. Grabowski ’11Jennifer L. Hilburger ’11Shayna A. Hutchins ’11Anant Kishore ’11Michael J.Yonkovig ’11

J.Mason Davis Jr.ScholarshipRody Damis ’12

Dean’s Advisory CouncilScholarship Caitlin E. Howe ’11

Douglas W.DimitroffScholarshipDainia J. Jabaji ’13

Diversity ScholarshipShatorah N. Roberson ’12

Frederick C.EbertScholarshipFloyd M. Huntz ’12

Martin A.FeinriderScholarshipKathleen J. Gabel ’12

Ellen and Kenneth ForrestScholarshipStephen G. H. Bennett ’12Adam J. Dotzler ’12Benjamin T. Hussong ’12Jennifer L. Karnes ’12William A. Lorenz Jr. ’12Sarah E. Sternick ’12

Richard E.GottliebScholarshipCaitlin M. Higgins ’13

Stanley GrossmanScholarshipSarah A. Bertozzi ’13Janet E. Curry ’13Adam J. Penna ’13

Charlotte Cunneen HackettScholarshipLeigh A. Jones ’13Frances H. Stephenson ’13

Jacob D.Hyman ScholarshipAdam G. Giangreco ’11Rachelle M. Hoeflschweiger ’11Laurie A. Murphy ’12William G. Sacks ’11Brent C. Seymour ’12

Harvey L.KaminskiScholarshipLuke I. DeBruin ’12Paul D. Shapiro ’12Andrew J. Spears ’12

Barbara D.KlippertScholarshipJasmine Paul ’12Monique A. Tronchin ’12

John F.,Mary A.and Robert J.Lane ScholarshipEmily G. Catalano ’11Rita N. Georges ’11

Norman B.Lewis ScholarshipJennifer L. Estleford ’13Ashley M. Fasso ’13Caitlin M. Higgins ’13Emery T. Lewis ’13Brittany A. Nasradinaj ’13

Lipsitz Green Scime &Cambria ScholarshipMitsie Smith ’11

James M.McMahonScholarshipNicole D. Harris ’11Joseph A. Petti ’11

Ira S.Meiselman ScholarshipMichael S. Das ’13Tyson R. Prince ’13Kimberly A. Rowles ’13Michael A. Turbush ’13

Adelbert Moot ScholarshipDaniel F. Brennan ’12Kathleen A. Ellis ’11Caitlin A. English ’12Lynn M. King ’12Andrew Kleehammer ’12Michael T. Logan ’12Mary-Ellen E. Stockwell ’11Monique A. Tronchin ’12

Marie Nesbitt Promise PrizeDuwaine T. Bascoe ’12

William M.North andCarolyn B.North ScholarshipKimberly A.Worling ’13

Joseph P.Peperone MemorialScholarshipGarrett T. Lyons ’12

Phillips Lytle ScholarshipKenneth L. Bostick ’13Rody Damis ’12Anika H. Patterson ’13Shatorah N. Roberson ’12

Savino-Martin ScholarshipMengyi (Melle) Xu ’13

Matthew J.SchnirelScholarshipMelissa L. Overbeck ’11

Phyllis G.Smith ScholarshipRebecca M. Guerra ’12Erica C. Smith ’12

Hon.Michael A.TelescaScholarship Letecia N.Whetstone ’12

SUNY Buffalo LawScholarshipJohn P. Fenski ’11Daniel T. Hawes ’12Harminder Khosa ’12Parker R. MacKay ’12

Vogel Book ScholarshipChristopher J. Tyrpak ’11

Mark Jay WeinsteinScholarshipRyan P. McCarthy ’12Karen M. Oddo ’12Benjamin D. Ritter ’12

Jacob Weissfeld ScholarshipPatrick J. Reinikainen ’12

Brent L.Wilson ScholarshipPaul T. Iya ’13

Margaret W.WongScholarshipAlexander Bouganim ’12Jonathan P. Cantil ’12Leigh A. Chute ’12Laura A. Groschadl ’12Joseph L. Guza ’12Floyd M. Huntz ’12Christina M. Hynes ’12Daniel P. Kelly ’12Michael T. Logan ’12Arthur J. Martorana ’12Kelly A. O’Brien ’12Marc D. Rider ’12Shao Shuai Zheng ’12

Scholarships awarded 2010-11

10S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Leadership Giving

11W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

Sometimes serendipity makesall the difference – but some-times it needs a little help.So it was for Mark K. Suzu-

moto ’82, who burned the midnightoil and then some to get into SUNYBuffalo Law School.

A native Californian, he was livingin Rochester and engaged to his futurewife, Sonia, a native of the FingerLakes city of Canandaigua. They hadmet in the Midwest as volunteers withVolunteers in Service to America, andshe had returned to Rochester toteach. Suzumoto, who had been re-cruiting SUNY Buffalo Law studentsto work on VISTA projects, had al-ready been accepted at another lawschool when Alan S. Carrel ’67, nowvice dean, took him to lunch andmade a pitch for SUNY Buffalo Law .

It sounded good, but there was ahitch: It was May, and the applicationdeadline was two months past. If youreally want to be considered, Carrelsaid, your application has to be donefirst thing tomorrow morning.

So Suzumoto picked up an appli-cation, drove back to his VISTA/PeaceCorps office in Rochester, typed until1 a.m. on an IBM Selectric typewriter,drove back to Buffalo with the com-pleted application, and was back at hisdesk in time for work at 9 a.m.

He got in – and that long night be-came the seed for a long and support-ive relationship between Suzumotoand his law school alma mater.Alongtime donor, recent co-chair of theAnnual Fund campaign, a member ofthe Dean’s Advisory Council since2004 and one of the hardest-workinglawyers you’ll ever meet, Suzumotohas further cemented his ties to SUNYBuffalo Law with an unrestricted$100,000 gift.

“There’s no time like now,”he saysof that decision.“The school needs tobe able to have scholarships that helpto bring in talented students, and it’s

just the right thing to do. I hope thatmy classmates and other alums willhelp out as well. I still have such re-spect for the Law School.”

His own experience at the school,Suzumoto says, was leavened withboth academically enriching pursuitsand a healthy dose of fun. He servedon the Buffalo Moot Court Board,and went with his team to the region-als of the National Trial Competition,in Syracuse. He worked on a short-lived consumer mediation board, inwhich students helped consumerswith such matters as negotiating war-ranty coverage for products. But healso played intramural softball; hiscoed team had some success againstmen’s teams, he says, partly because“we had a couple of women ringerswho had played in high school.”Thenthere was the law student-producedplay.

Now, as a business lawyer and civillitigator, he draws on the lessons ofSUNY Buffalo Law in his practice,which focuses on consumer productcounseling and regulatory compli-ance, including business and litigationadvice on intellectual property, prod-ucts liability and trade regulation is-sues. His new firm, formed just acouple of years ago, is Van Etten Suzu-moto & Sipprelle, with offices inWestlake Village, Calif., and Los Ange-les.

“I am exceptionally proud of myassociation with UB and would rec-ommend the school to any studentwho believes that he or she has the ca-pacity to grow,”Suzumoto has said.

Mark and Sonia Suzumoto havethree sons – all of them Eagle Scouts,and one a UB undergraduate.

‘No time like now’

“The school needs to be able to have scholarships thathelp to bring in talentedstudents,and it’s just the right thing to do. I hope thatmy classmates and otheralums will help out as well.”

– Mark K.Suzumoto ’82

UB Law School was a verydifferent place whenRobert M. Kornreich ’67began his legal educa-

tion. For one thing, it was still locatedat 77 W. Eagle St. in downtown Buffa-lo, a brisk walk away from the city’scourtrooms.“The school was tiny –the class was much smaller than it isnow – but it had a very high-qualityfaculty,”Kornreich says.“And it had anexcellent reputation, not just in Buffa-lo but generally, and it aspired to be anational law school.”

After graduation, Kornreich tookthe train back to his native New YorkCity and built a premier securitiesfraud practice with the firm WolfPopper, where he now is a senior part-ner.A specialist in securities class andderivative litigation in federal andstate courts, he is a member of thefirm’s Executive Committee and co-chairs its Litigation Department.

But he had little occasion ever tobe in Western New York, and it wasonly when his class’s 40th anniversaryapproached that he reacquaintedhimself with SUNY Buffalo Law –and was surprised at what he found.

“I hadn’t been there in 30 years ormore,”he says.“But having personalcontact with the school, meetingsome of the professors, the dean,some of the students, and hearingwhat was going on, that made me feelI had a genuine interest in the school.”

Responding to an invitation lastyear to join the Dean’s AdvisoryCouncil, he says that service on theDAC has further impressed upon himthe progress SUNY Buffalo Law hasmade and the necessity for alumnisupport for its mission.

“Until I became a member of theDAC,”he says,“I didn’t have a full ap-preciation of the Law School’s prob-lems and the constructive ways theyare dealing with them. I find it ex-tremely exciting to see what’s beingdone to develop the faculty, improvethe infrastructure, and increase theschool’s ability to fund-raise. … It hasopened my eyes to all that is going onat the Law School. Because I was aDAC member I felt I could play moreof a role – that I had some input intowhat was going to happen.”

That involvement now has trans-lated into a major gift of $100,000 insupport of the school’s mission, a giftthat Kornreich says reflects his grati-tude for the three years that launchedhis legal career.

“I have reached the point in my ca-reer where I feel grateful that I pur-sued law as a profession,”he says.“When the school called me, Ithought I should show my apprecia-tion for having received such a goodeducation that launched my career. Itwas a combination of guilt, the feelingthat I should give back, plus the factthat this was a good time to get inter-

ested in what’s going on at the LawSchool.”

He says he is impressed with DeanMakau Mutua’s ambitions for theschool’s national standing.“The deanhas set the goal at a much higher lev-el,”Kornreich says,“and it’s alwaysgood to have a goal that’s substantiallyabove where you are, because thatmakes you reach for it.”

In addition, he says, the school –though substantially larger than it waswhen he was sitting in torts class andworking on the Law Review – is still asmall enough organization that hisgifts of time and resources can make adifference.“I felt I had a more person-al contact to the recipients of my do-nation,”he says.“With some largecharities, your donation gets lost.Andwhere the state has historically beensupportive of the University and stillis, it can’t make the same level of con-tribution it previously did.

“The Law School needs the alumninow more than ever.”

12S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Leadership Giving

Gift reflects his gratitude

“When the school calledme,I thought I shouldshow my appreciation forhaving received such agood education thatlaunched my career.”

– Robert M.Kornreich ’67

13W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

The resume of Barbara Klip-pert,a member of the LawSchool’s Class of 1975, listsa Seven Sisters college

where she did some of her undergrad-uate work and a well-known Manhat-tan university where she earned amasters of tax law degree.But neitherof those institutions, she says,holdsthe same kind of emotional attach-ment for her that SUNY Buffalo LawSchool does.

She says her continuing involve-ment with the school – she has servedon the Dean’s Advisory Council since2004 and teaches a class in the school’sNew York City Program in Financeand Law – has grown that sense of at-tachment.“The more involved I’ve be-come,”she says,“the more connected Ifeel to what’s going on in the school.”

That involvement has extended togenerous financial support, recentlyincluding a gift of $145,000 – partmultiyear donation,part bequest – tobe used in large part to support schol-arship aid for deserving students andthe New York City Program.

Klippert practices ERISA law in theNew York office of the Boston-basedlaw firm Bingham McCutchen LLP.

“It would have been virtually im-possible for me to go to law school if Iwasn’t able to go to SUNY Buffalowith the tuition it had,”she says.“Inaddition, I got an incredible educa-tion there. I didn’t have any idea whatI wanted to do after law school, andthen I discovered tax in Lou Del Cot-to’s class. It was so engaging to me thatI decided to become a tax lawyer. I re-ally owe the success I’ve achieved inlife to my ability to go to UB and theeducation I received. It is very impor-

tant to me to give back to the LawSchool and to try to help studentswho are in the same position that Iwas.”

Klippert’s class was one of the firstto use the newly constructed O’BrianHall, moving from the Law School’sprevious location in downtown Buf-falo.“It was not what we expected, butit was what happened,”she says of thatmove to what was then the onlybuilding on the new Amherst cam-pus. But, she says, it was a small class,and “the people were very close.”Shealso served as case and comment edi-

tor of the Buffalo Law Review.And in another accident of timing,

Congress passed the Employee Retire-ment Income Security Act – whatwould become Klippert’s area of spe-cialization – in the fall of 1974, justmonths before her Law School gradu-ation. Similar to tax law, she says,ERISA is “like doing a puzzle.Youhave to be comfortable with codesand very abstract analysis, becausethere are no answers.You have to beable to live in gray.”

As she thought about making asignificant gift to the Law School,Klippert says, she was able to structurethe gift to make it feasible financially.“You try to give as much as you feelcomfortable giving on a current ba-sis,”she says.“It would be a normalthing for me to think in terms of a be-quest, which doesn’t immediatelycome out of my pocket. But you alsoneed to be willing to commit certainfunds on an ongoing basis, eventhough in some years it may be moreof a stretch than others. It’s muchmore helpful to the Law School tohave that money now.”

Her work with the Dean’s Adviso-ry Council, she says, has shown herthat she’s not alone in her enthusiasmfor the Law School’s prospects.“These are people who are very com-mitted to the Law School, continuingits legacy, increasing its reputationand making things good for its stu-dents and graduates,”she says.“Theyfeel pretty passionately about theschool. I am pleased to be part ofthat.”

A growing connection

“It would have been virtuallyimpossible for me to go to

law school if I wasn’t able togo to SUNY Buffalo with the

tuition it had. I got anincredible education there.”

– Barbara Klippert ’75

14S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Leadership Giving

Conference center namedfor Cellino & Barnes Two well-known alumni returned to O’Brian Hall on May 26 as the school’s elegant fifth-floor

conference center was officially named in their honor. The Cellino & Barnes Conference Center was

dedicated to recognize a major gift to the school by Ross M. Cellino Jr. ’82 and Stephen E. Barnes ’83. They are shareholders

in the personal injury law firm Cellino & Barnes, with 42 attorneys in six offices across New York State.

From left to right,Stephen E. Barnes’83, UB President

Satish K. Tripathi,Dean Makau Mutuaand Ross M. Cellino

Jr. ’82.

Below, from left toright, Stephen E.

Barnes ’83, UB Presi-dent Satish K.

Tripathi and Ross M.Cellino Jr. ’82

Left to right,Annmarie Cellino ’14,Anna Marie Cellino ’81, Ross M. Cellino Jr. ’82, Jeanna Cellino ’12and Brigitte CellinoVice Dean

Alan S.Carrel ’67.

Vice Dean Ilene R. Fleischmann,UB President Satish K. Tripathiand Kamlish Tripathi

Stephen E.Barnes ’83, cen-ter, with parentsJohn “Jack”andMarian Barnes

Left to right, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Charles Patrick Ewing, JeannaCellino ’12 and Ross M. Cellino Jr. ’82

Left to right,Ross M. Cellino

Jr. ’82, and parents Jeanette

Cellino andRoss M. Cellino

Sr. ’56

Far right,Stephen E.Barnes ’83

and Ellen B.Sturm ’01

With many thanks to ourloyal donors and vol-unteers,SUNY BuffaloLaw School closed out

the 2010-11 fundraising year with suc-cesses all around.Overall commitmentsand gifts increased over last year,as didthe Law School’s endowment.And for afourth year in a row,SUNY Law’s Annu-al Fund raised more than $1 million –another milestone year.These accom-plishments are a testament to the dedi-cation and loyalty of the over 2,000alumni and friends who express theirbelief in the importance and value ofSUNY Buffalo Law School throughtheir investment of time,talent and re-sources.Thank you so very much.

Highlights from the 2010-11 fiscalyear include:

• A 46 percent increase in pledges tothe Law School.

• A significant increase in the num-ber of six- and seven-figure commit-ments, including those from MargaretWong ’76,Brian Baird ’83,Pamela DavisHeilman ’75,Mark Suzumoto ’82,Robert Kornreich ’67 and Barbara Klip-pert ’75 profiled in this edition of SUNYBuffalo Law Philanthropy.

• An 18 percent increase in the LawSchool’s endowment.

• A 9 percent increase in total contri-butions to SUNY Buffalo Law .

• A record-setting Annual Fund drive,raising a total of $1,180,985.

• Over 1,500 meaningful contacts bythe development team with prospectsand donors to cultivate support for theLaw School.

Two talented development profes-sionals also became part of our team:Jeff Piscitelli,who joined us as develop-ment officer in February,and LucyDadd ’04,the new Annual Fund direc-tor,who joined us in May.Jeff and Lucyhave brought energy,enthusiasm andfresh ideas to the development program,and we are already seeing the results oftheir efforts through the new Circle of

Leaders program,a remodeled 3L classgift program and reinvigorated reuniongiving.

Fiscal year 2011-12 is well under way,and we have ramped up our fundraisingefforts on all fronts.The developmentteam is focused on more outreach andmore contacts with our alumni andfriends in an effort to cultivate greatersupport for the Law School.Our Annual

Fund – led this year byMichael Battle ’81,DianeBosse ’76 and Richard Gott-lieb ’85 – kicked off in Sep-tember with the LeadershipLetter Signing,and additionalregional events are plannedfor the spring.In addition,the groundwork is being laidfor an ambitious fundraisinginitiative to be launched inthe not-too-distant future –so stay tuned!

None of these accom-plishments would be possiblewithout you – our alumni,friends and dedicated volun-teers – whose loyal and gen-erous support makes the dif-ference.Thank you for your

generosity and for all that you do to helpcontinue the momentum at SUNY Law.

Karen R. Kaczmarski,Associate Dean for DevelopmentPhone: (716) 645-6429E-mail: krkacz@buffalo.edu

15W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

Development Report

Next time you’re in John Lord O’BrianHall, take a look at SUNY Buffalo Law ’snew Leadership Donor Wall, recently un-veiled on the first floor.The installation,which will be updated periodically, recog-nizes and honors donors whose giving tothe Law School over a lifetime totals at least$100,000.

The momentum continues

Associate Dean Karen Kaczmarski ’89with DeanMakau Mutua

How difficult would it befor your family to planits budget if you didn’thave a ballpark idea of

what your income will be from year toyear? Starting with good informationis half the battle, and that’s true forSUNY Buffalo Law School as well.

The need for solid planning is atthe center of Circle of Leaders, a newpledge-based way to give to the LawSchool. Charter members are now be-ing accepted; all you have to do iscommit to three years of leadershipgiving and you’re in the Circle!

Circle of Leaders members pledgea minimum of $1,000 for each year oftheir three-year commitment. Giverscan choose to give at the Jacob D. Hy-man level, $1,000 to $2,499 annually;the John Lord O’Brian level, $2,500 to$4,999 annually; or the Edwin &Erma Jaeckle level, $5,000 or more an-nually. Members of the GOLD Group,graduates from 2002 to 2011, can jointhe Circle of Leaders with a minimumgift of $500 per year.

All members receive a chartermember certificate, suitable for fram-ing, and a Circle of Leaders lapel pin.

“By serving as a focal point for LawSchool philanthropy, the Circle ofLeaders helps the Law School plan, aswell as connect with more alumni andfriends who would like to be involvedwith the future of SUNY Buffalo Law .It is a positive program all the wayaround,”says Lucy Dadd ’04, assistantdirector of development, who over-sees the program.“The Circle of Lead-ers helps secure the Law School’s place

on a national stage of ideas and ac-tions – a place where our past is re-membered and our future is playedout with energy, intellect and pas-sion.”

In addition, by enabling the LawSchool to plan three years out andcount on these pledged resources, theschool is able to progress more effi-ciently and effectively in the areas ofstudent scholarships, academic pro-grams, faculty hiring and facility im-provement. Long-term private sup-port is key to securing SUNY BuffaloLaw ’s place as a world-class lawschool.

Although undesignated gifts givethe school the most flexibility in ad-

dressing areas of critical need, you candesignate your gift to any area of theLaw School. Circle of Leaders mem-bers do not receive phone solicitations– their pledges serve as their AnnualFund commitment.

For information on joining theCircle of Leaders, contact Lucy Daddat (716) 645-2113 or ladadd@ buffa-lo.edu.

16S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Circle of Leaders

A new standard of giving from our most loyal donors. Join a new generation of leaders.Become a charter member of UB Law School’s Circle of Leaders

by committing to three years of leadership giving – at the Jacob D. Hyman level,the John Lord O’Brian level or the Edwin & Erma Jaeckle level.

Introducing

T H E C I R C L E O F L E A D E R S

A new standardof giving

“The Circle of Leaders helps the Law School plan, as well as connect with more

alumni and friends who would like to be involved with the future of

SUNY Buffalo Law.”

– Lucy Dadd ’04, assistant director of development

Unique among SUNY Buffa-lo Law School’s diverseprogram offerings,theschool’s New York City

Program in Finance and Law is fundedentirely by alumni donations – a primeexample of what focused alumni givingcan accomplish.

The New York City program is animmersive experience in which a selectgroup of students spend a semester oftheir second or third year in Manhattan,learning from their professors and fromcutting-edge practitioners.

“The program doesn’t work withoutthese alumni who contribute their ex-pertise and their time and their money,and some people do all three,”says Pro-fessor Philip Halpern,who heads theprogram for the Law School.“The oneswho give the most in terms of their timeand teaching are usually the ones whogive the most money as well.There’s astrong sense of wanting to give back.”

Because SUNY Buffalo Law’s afford-able tuition draws many students frommodest family backgrounds,he says,“sometimes it’s a bit of a social and cul-tural leap”to imagine themselves in thehigh-stakes world of law and finance.“Soit’s very impor-tant,”he says,“for our students to go andlisten to UB graduates who are at thepinnacle of the profession,and have thesense that they too can go there if they’rewilling to harness their energies.It ex-pands the horizons of our students.”

Programs like this,Halpern notes,areincreasingly important as law firms,squeezed economically like many otherbusinesses,are doing less training oftheir first- and second-year associates.“That puts pressure on law schools to domore for students than to simply teachthem to think like a lawyer,”he says.

But Halpern emphasizes that theprogram is about much more than skillstraining – it’s about the context of prac-tice.“There’s a lot of contextual under-

standing that goes into the practice oflaw,”he says,“whether it’s a global con-text,understanding a bureaucracy,rep-resenting someone before one agency asopposed to another,understanding thecontext of the political economy.That’san amazing opportunity for the stu-dents.”

David E.Franasiak ’78,a principal inthe government affairs law firm Williams& Jensen,is one of the prime movers ofthe New York City program in financialsupport and academic instruction.“Youcan’t pay back the people who helpedyou,”Franasiak says in reflecting on hiscontributions.“What I can do is do whatthey did for me – help young people getto their next step.That’s where the pas-sion comes from.”

The program is a distinctive attributeof SUNY Buffalo Law,one that attractshigh-quality students with interest in fi-nance and one that takes advantage ofthe Law School’s geographical locationas well.“This has always been a corecompetency of the school,”Franasiaksays.“SUNY Buffalo Law is the SUNYsystem’s only public law school,and be-cause we’re in New York,it seems like ano-brainer to have a program that focus-es on New York City and its cottage in-dustry,financial services.”

He also notes that the program pro-vides an entrée for students to the some-what insular world of high finance:“There’s a big world out there,and forpeople who want to take a chance andrelocate and get involved in financial ser-vices,this is a tremendous gateway.”

Andrew Devine ’11 spent his finalLaw School semester in Manhattan andfound the program eye-opening andproductive. “The program was a majorreason I came to UB,and I learned a tonof new information,”Devine says.“Dif-ferent speakers came in that put on aweeklong course in capital markets,bankruptcy,commercial lending – theyreally gave us an opportunity to learn.”

18S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Annual Giving

Professor PhilipHalpern, center, withstudents in the NewYork City Programin Finance and Law

Alumni givingpowers NYCprogram

19W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

The GOLD standard

The post-law school years,newly minted lawyers say,aren’t the easiest in one’s life.There’s the hurdle of the bar

exam,of course,and the uncertain legalemployment market to negotiate,andthe fiscal reality of beginning to repaystudent loans stretching back to the firstyears of college.

But for a solidcontingent ofSUNY Buffalo Lawgraduates in theirfirst decade out oflaw school,thoselife complicationsdon’t get in the wayof their continuingengagement,bothfinancial and ener-getic,with theschool and its mis-sion.Sure,thecheckbook can be a challenge – but,they say,the Law School has been tooimportant in their lives to set it aside.

“For people my age who have grad-uated more recently, it’s about wantingto honor what UB gave us,”says AnneJoynt ’05,who heads the Law School’sGOLD group for graduates of the last

decade.“There’s a real acceptance that we had so many opportunities inschool that alumni support has madepossible.”

Joynt,who practices in the area oftoxic torts,particularly asbestos litiga-tion,with the Buffalo law firm Lipsitz &Ponterio,says she finds about a 50-50

split in the group:“Some people arenaturally really in-terested in givingback,others not yet.When you leave lawschool many thou-sands of dollars indebt, it may feelgood to put theschool behind you.”

But,she says, inher own giving sherecognizes the for-mative impact that

three years in O’Brian Hall has had onher life.“I loved my Law School experi-ence,”she says.“But also,I really do feel Iowe my career to SUNY Buffalo Law.Iwas recommended for the job I cur-rently have by a research and writingprofessor – it was an unadvertised posi-tion.I honestly feel that,absent that,I

probably wouldn’t be here.And I’mgrateful for that.”

Jim and Christy Lilley,both mem-bers of the Class of 2004,have an emo-tional attachment as well – they met atthe Law School,where she earned theJ.D.and he completed the jointJ.D./MBA program.They were marrieda month after the bar exam;weddingplanning,he says,was a welcome breakfrom the stress of the bar review grind.

The Lilleys,natives of Western NewYork,moved first to Pittsburgh,whereshe did merger and acquisitions workwith a large law firm and he worked as afinancial planning adviser to high-levelcorporate executives.They now live inCharlotte,N.C.,where Jim works forWells Fargo in financial planning,estateplanning and income tax consulting;Christy serves as assistant general coun-sel for Corning Cable Systems in nearbyHickory,N.C.They are the parents oftwo small children: James,2,and Diana,born this past July.

“I always knew I wasn’t going topractice law,”Jim Lilley says.“I was oneof those who said,‘I don’t know what Iwant to be,but I know this will helpme get where I want to go.’”And thathas proved true,he says:“Being intro-duced as an attorney creates instantcredibility.”

They,too,have been giving at a lead-ership level to SUNY Buffalo LawSchool – not that it’s effortless,giventhat both still carry student loan debt,mostly from their undergraduate uni-versities.“We were lucky enough tograduate in a very-low-interest-rate en-vironment,”he says,“and carrying loandebt should not prohibit us from givingback to the school.We’ve been success-ful,relatively speaking,in our jobs,andto not give something back to the uni-versity would be a mistake.On top ofthat, it’s like a 401(k) match – our giftsare matched by Wells Fargo,and to notgive a dollar here means we would notgive the dollar from the company.”

Anne Joynt ’05 and Annual Fund Director Lucy Dadd ’04

Jim ’04 and Christy Lilley ’04 withchildren James and Diana

20S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Annual Giving

Help continue the momentum!

The numbers are up!• Thomson Reuters, the largest legalpublisher in the United States, ranksSUNY Buffalo Law 48th nationwideand No.1 in upstate New York for thenumber of Super Lawyer graduates.

• We ranked 40th under a newmethodology created by MalcolmGladwell in the New Yorker magazineand implemented by Paul Caron ofTaxProf Blog – based on value, LSATscores and faculty publishing.

• Up 19 spots in U.S. News & WorldReport to No. 84, compared to 190other ABA law schools.

Extensive opportunities abound• Over $1 million awarded in scholar-

ships to students in the 2011-12 aca-demic year.

• Over $275,000 will be awarded forstudent fellowships in 2011-12.

• Alumni mentoring matches eachmember of the first-year class withone of more than 200 mentors, inBuffalo and elsewhere, who sharetheir experiences in the legal world.

• Career development alumni pro-grams such as Network the Nation,D.C. Day, Rochester Day and JudicialCareer Panels provide our students

with insights from UB Law gradu-ates on career choices and opportu-nities.

• LAWR (Legal Analysis,Writing andResearch Program), recently extend-ed to three semesters, includes analy-sis and writing at every level of acase, and incorporates moot court,trial technique, law journals, profes-sional development initiatives andlegal externships.

• New York City Program in Financeand Law, a one-of-a-kind 12-weekprogram, allows students to live inNew York City, work with top practi-tioners, gain exposure to financial in-stitutions and courts, and combinetechnical expertise with contextualunderstandings.

• Clinical Legal Education Programutilizes a law firm model. Studentsreceive hands-on, everyday practicalexperiences in eight specialized areasand learn the basics of legal practicedown to time sheets and billablehours.

• Trial Advocacy Program is directedby two respected legal talents, Hon.Thomas P. Franczyk and attorneyChristopher J. O’Brien. Our studentscompete in seven moot courts acrossthe country, gaining valuable court-room experience.

• Moot Court Program headed byProfessor George Kannar gives fu-ture lawyers the experience ofpreparing for and arguing the “bigcase”in front of esteemed membersof the judiciary, and competing withtheir colleagues.

• Bridge Courses, accelerated one-credit courses during winter break,focus on practical skills and an insideview of the lawyer’s world.

• Externships and Judicial Clerkshipsin 2011 provided over 140 place-ments and invaluable opportunitiesto help our students prepare for legalcareers.

2010-11Annual Fund National Co-Chairs

Michael A. Battle ’81National Co-Chair,Annual FundSenior PartnerSchlam Stone & Dolan LLPNew York City

Diane F. Bosse ’76National Co-Chair,Annual FundOf CounselHurwitz & Fine, PCBuffalo

Richard E. Gottlieb ’85National Co-Chair,Annual FundMember, Dykema Gossett PLLCChicago and Los Angeles

Your support of the 2011-12 Annual Fund will help make the difference,building on UB Law’s successes in the following key areas.

21W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

Outstanding faculty• Professors Guyora Binder and James

Gardner joined Dean Makau Mutuain being named SUNY DistinguishedProfessors, the highest academic rankin the SUNY system.

• Four new faculty hires with practicebackgrounds will teach in the keycurricular areas of civil procedure,civil litigation, criminal law and pro-cedure, Constitutional law and laborlaw.We welcome Professors MatthewSteilen,Anthony O’Rourke, Saman-tha Barbas and Matthew Dimick.

• Two new LAWR instructors with ex-ceptional analysis, research and writ-ing credentials and experience werehired this year, Monica Wallace andBernadette Klor, expanding the num-ber of instructors in the departmentto nine.

Improved facility creates the right first impression • Renovations on the first floor create asense of professionalism and prestigeupon entering O’Brian Hall.A staffedinformation area will provide detailsto students and visitors about eventsand programs at the Law School.

• Technology improvements through anew student information portal willgather all student e-mails and calen-dars in one place. Flat-screen televi-sions provide daily updates on theLaw School to students and faculty.

• A newly refurbished student loungeoffers hard-working law students anarea that is comfortable and pleasingto regroup, share information withtheir colleagues and prepare for theirupcoming tasks.

To make a gift to the Annual Fund,please contact Lucy Dadd ’04 at (716)645-2113 or ladadd@buffalo.edu. Orgo online to www.law.buffalo.edu/giv-ing to make your gift there.

Plaque dedicated forMatt Schnirel ’11

Melissa Overbeck ’11,right,first recipient of the Matthew J.SchnirelMemorial Scholarship,joins Kevin Schnirel,his father,and LaurenSchilling,Matt’s girlfriend,at the unveiling of a plaque in Matt Schnirel’smemory at O’Brian Hall.

Schnirel,who was practicing with the small Buffalo law firm Doran& Murphy,was killed along with Michael Doran ’82 in the crash of theirsmall plane in Ohio during a business trip in 2009.Schnirel’s family andfriends established the scholarship in his honor.

The eldest of four children,Schnirel earned his undergraduate de-gree from the University at Albany.He worked his way through SUNYBuffalo Law as a law clerk at Doran & Murphy,graduating in 2008,andwas hired there as an associate after graduation,practicing civil litiga-tion.

42S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Annual Giving

This year,the Annual Fund is led byMichael Battle ’81 (New York City),Diane Bosse ’76 (Buffalo) and RichardGottlieb ’85 (Chicago/Los Angeles).We thank them for serving as our2011-12 national co-chairs,and for in-vesting their energies and resources inthis leadership role.We know we willhave another successful year with themleading the way.

Our Annual Fund kickoff event –the Leadership Letter Signing – was agreat success thanks to those who vol-unteered to write personal notes tofriends,former classmates and col-leagues,encouraging leadership giv-ing.Our volunteers’notes truly make adifference – last year,more than 60percent of those who received a notemade a gift.And we are already seeingan increase in donations this year dueto these notes, including many Circleof Leaders pledges.

We also wish to express our appre-ciation to our reunion class gift volun-teers for their loyalty,enthusiasm andencouragement of their classmates.This year,the Class of ’76 led the waywith the largest reunion class gift –over $247,000! Many thanks to the de-voted members of the reunion giftcommittees,and thanks to all whocontributed.

Last but not least,thank you tothose who serve on our development

committee,providing advice and sup-port of our long-term fundraising ef-forts.These individuals have dedicatedtheir time to help lead the way for-ward,prepare for the future and en-sure that goals are met.We are so grate-ful to have this group involved inbuilding upon SUNY Buffalo Law’sextraordinary foundation.

Our deepest thanks to all of the vol-unteers listed at right.Your gifts oftime,talent and treasure positively im-pact the Law School,and the studentsof today and the future.We could notdo it without you!

Our loyal volunteers Thank you – we could not do it without you!

SUNY Buffalo Law School extends its warmest thanks to the manyalumni and friends who volunteer to help the school achieve its No.1goal of providing an excellent legal education to the best and most de-serving students.Our volunteers’participation and tireless efforts make

the difference,and we are very grateful to them for all that they do to help theLaw School.Thank you!

A very special thanks to our 2010-11 Annual Fund national co-chairs – Dou-glas W.Dimitroff ’89 (Buffalo),Mary Joanne Dowd ’80 (Washington,D.C.) andMark Suzumoto ’82 (Los Angeles) – for leading the campaign upward to newheights.Under their leadership,the 2010-11 Annual Fund was the most success-ful to date – over $1.18 million in gifts – and the fourth consecutive million-dol-lar-plus year.They have set the bar high for this year’s national co-chairs!

Kenneth W.Africano ’85Thomas C.Bailey ’74Brian D.Baird ’83Michael A.Battle ’81Richard S.Binko ’82Thomas E.Black Jr. ’79Laurie Styka Bloom ’83Jill M.Bond ’85Diane F.Bosse ’76Daniel E.Brick ’69Marc W.Brown ’99Lawrence F.Cataldi ’76Robert B.Conklin ’68Barbara J.Delgross ’77Douglas W.Dimitroff ’89Mary Joanne Dowd ’80Ann E.Evanko ’79Robert J.Feldman ’76John P.Feroleto ’82Cheryl S.Fisher ’76Ellen Katz Forrest ’76Kenneth B.Forrest ’76Lynn D.Gates ’76William A.Gersten ’76Richard E.Gottlieb ’85Garry Graber ’78Richard F.Griffin ’57Gordon R.Gross ’55Brian D.Gwitt ’98Pamela D.Heilman ’75Judith B.Ittig ’71Anne E.Joynt ’05Harvey L.Kaminski ’77Barbara D.Klippert ’75Robert M.Kornreich ’67Karen B.Leeds ’76Francis M.Letro ’79William E.Mathias II ’71Carol M.Matorin ’76Joseph A.Matteliano ’76Dennis R.McCoy ’77Jean Carol Powers ’79

Vikki L.Pryor ’78Howard S.Rosenhoch ’76Elizabeth M.Savino ’92William F.Savino ’75Barbara L.Schifeling ’84Robert C.Schwenkel ’82David F.Smith ’78Mark Suzumoto ’82Jeffrey L.Tanenbaum ’76 Kevin G.Van Allen ’06Brent L.Wilson ’76Margaret W.Wong ’76Stephen L.Yonaty ’94Bruce S.Zeftel ’77

Annual Fund National co-chair DianeBosse ’76 and Dean Makau Mutua

43W I N T E R 2 0 1 1

“What courses are you taking?”That,says Jasmine Paul,student su-

pervisor of SUNY Buffalo Law School’sStudent Call Program,is the No.1question that student callers hear whenthey reach out to alumni during theacademic year.The Student Call Pro-gram is all about connection – renew-ing ties with the school’s alumni,keep-ing them informed about develop-ments at the school,reconnecting withthe energy of eager law students,andfinding opportunities to participate fi-nancially in the life of the school.

“The Student Call Program allowsus to connect with a large number ofour alumni – over 3,200 contacts madelast year by students,”says Jill M.Doma-gala,who as assistant director of devel-opment programs oversees the initia-tive.“It’s not only an important piece ofour Annual Fund,but it’s also a way tokeep in touch with alumni.Spendingjust a few minutes talking with one ofour students is a great way to hearabout what’s new and exciting at theLaw School.”

That sense of connection,Paul says,is what makes the program rewardingon both ends of the phone line.Fromwide-eyed first-year students to sea-soned 3Ls,student callers gather in afifth-floor conference room in theevenings,10 students a night,Mondaythrough Thursday.When they reach analumnus on their list, they update con-tact information and ask what’s new inthe alum’s professional life.Often,Paulsays,the conversation is rewardingly de-tailed,with the alumni relishing thechance to give career guidance to theirstudent callers,and the students sharing news from O’Brian Hall.

“A lot of alums want to talk to us,”Paul says.“They ask about our experi-ence and tell us about theirs. I’ve hadsome really good experiences doingthis. Someone asked me to send himmy resume, and one judge I spokewith over the phone, I actually endedup working with over the summer. Soit’s a good networking opportunity

for us, too.”Paul notes that

for the studentcallers,the experi-ence also developstheir oral advocacyskills.“This is reallyhelping me talk to avariety of differentpersonalities,”shesays.“We have defi-nitely had some in-

teresting phone calls. We are talking toa wide range of people with many dif-ferent experiences. People who gradu-ated a ways back, even in the ’40s,they’re always interesting.And thenthere are the newer grads, who giveadvice about our upcoming years.”

Participants in the Student Call Pro-gram are looking to build on last year’ssuccessful campaign,which broughtover $164,000 in more than 1,300pledges,exceeding its dollar goal.

“We did amazing last year,but wewould really like it to be more,”Paulsays. “We are working harder to makethat happen this year. Participation iskey. Every pledge – no matter the size– counts. As long as they’re pledgingsomething, it also benefits themthrough improving the school’s repu-tation and rankings.”

Members of The University Founders Society

The University Founders recognition society wascreated by the University in 1994 to honor individualswho have given at least $50,000 to the University over alifetime. The names of University Founders whosegifts have benefited the Law School are listed below.

Anonymous Hon. Michael A.Amico ’58Laura AswadBrian D. Baird ’83Stephen E. Barnes ’83Thomas R. Beecher Jr. ’59Joseph W. Belluck ’94Bridget BlackThomas E. Black Jr. ’79Hilary P. Bradford ’53Thomas R. Bremer ’79Peter J. Brevorka ’68Kevin J. Brinkworth ’66David BrownJoan J. CastellaniLawrence P. Castellani Jeanette E. Cellino Ross M. Cellino Jr. ’82Ross M. Cellino Sr. ’56Terrence M. Connors ’71Gary Alan DeWaal ’80Nina A. Doren Robert K. Doren Ellen Katz Forrest ’76Kenneth B. Forrest ’76David E. Franasiak ’78Mary P. FranasiakCarol A. GreinerPamela D. Heilman ’75Robert D. HeilmanErma R. Hallett Jaeckle ’36Karen Jones

Roger J. Jones ’83Harvey L. Kaminski ’77Barbara D. Klippert ’75Hilda S. KorenErik D. Lindauer ’81Lisa D. LindauerJames L. Magavern ’59William J. Magavern II ’62William E. Mathias II ’71Carol M. Matorin ’76Reginald B. Newman IIWilliam A. Niese ’61Dr. Sandra H. OlsenProfessor R. Nils Olsen Jr.Vikki L. Pryor ’78 Jean K. Rachlin Lauren D. Rachlin Ellen S. ReisProfessor Robert I. Reis Arthur A. Russ Jr. ’67Robert C. Schwenkel ’82 Charles Shabsels ’70 Susan ShabselsDavid F. Smith ’78 Lucy Smith Orin C. SmithMark K. Suzumoto ’82Barbara WolfeThomas F.Wolfe ’61 Margaret W.Wong ’76

Members of The University Pillars Society

The University Pillars recognition society was createdby the University to honor individuals who have given $1 million or more to the University over a lifetime. Thenames of University Pillars whose gifts have benefited theLaw School are listed below.

Gretchen S. GrossGordon R. Gross ’55Cindy Abbott LetroFrancis M. Letro ’79Gerald S. Lippes ’64

Jasmine Paul

SUNY Buffalo Law

Annual Fund

716-645-2109

Buffalo,NY

When SUNYBuffaloLaw calls

44S U N Y B U F F A L O L A W P H I L A N T H R O P Y

Annual Giving

Counting people,matching dollars

They’ve been writing tuitionchecks for nearly three years.Now the Law School’s Classof 2012 – mere months

from their graduation day – is workingto make one more contribution to theschool’s economic health.

In a tradition that’s as much aboutbuilding the habit of philanthropy as itis about the dollars raised,members ofthe current third-year class are diggingdeep to collaborate on a farewell gift toSUNY Buffalo Law School.

“We’re trying to get at least 50 per-cent of our class to participate,”saysRobert Grimaldi,who chairs the seven-member Class of 2012 Class Gift Com-mittee.He said past third-year gift cam-paigns have recorded from 33 to 46 per-cent participation by class members,but “we’re looking to exceed prior levelsof participation and,in doing so,makean initial contact with future alumniand build on that.”

The committee is planning a kickoffsocial event and repeated opportunitiesfor students to pitch in for the gift.

Grimaldi,who has worked in theLaw School’s Development Office,ac-knowledges that these are difficult timeseconomically for many young peoplebeginning their careers, including noto-riously cash-poor graduate students.(Though SUNY Buffalo Law graduatesleave with much less debt than those ofmany other law schools.) But,he says“we’re making an appeal to our fellow3Ls,stressing that we’ve all received anexceptional education here at UB,andat the close of these three years,we cancome together and give back,leaving alasting impression on the Law School.”

The goal,he says, is to raise at least$2,500 – or about $20.12 from at leasthalf of the class’s approximately 220students.

That total figure is important be-cause,for the first time,an alumnus hasoffered to match the class’s gift up tothat amount.Michael Mohun ’80,acriminal defense attorney in practice inCowlesville,N.Y.,and a longtime finan-cial supporter of the Law School,saidhe offered to make this challenge giftbecause “the Law School has been goodto me and I thought it was appropriate.The Law School needs private supportas the state’s support for the school di-minishes.It’s necessary for the privatesector to step up to the plate and helpthe school so that others will have theopportunity for a public-school legaleducation like we did.”

Robert Grimaldi, chair of the Class of 2012 Class Gift Committee, withMichael Mohun ’80, right

“It’s necessary for the privatesector to step up to the plateand help the school so thatothers will have theopportunity for a public-school legal education like we did.”

– Michael Mohun ’80

45Alumni DonorsW I N T E R 2 0 1 1

Dean’s leadership donor reception

Hon. H. Kenneth Schroeder ’61and Carol White Gibson ’74

Professor Michael Halberstamand Kate Brown

Dean Makau Mutuaand Robert P. Fine ’68

Dennis R. McCoy ’77 andProfessor Athena Mutua

Allan Lewis’69 andDana Lewis

Carol Greiner and Hon.Ann T. Mikoll ’54

Frank J. Clark’67 and ArthurA. Russ Jr. ’67

Peter Marlette,Rogan Morton ’97and JosephCardinal

Kay Brick and DanielE. Brick ’69

Thomas Doran,AssociateDean Karen Kaczmarski ’89and Julia Doran

Frank Longo ’97 and Katherine Gorham ’97

Members of the Jaeckle,

O’Brian and Hyman

giving societies enjoy themselves at the

June 14 reception, hosted by Dean

Mutua at the Mansion in Buffalo.

SUNY Buffalo Law School

John Lord O’Brian Hall

Buffalo, NY 14260-1100

Address service requested

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDBuffalo NY

Permit No. 311

Please join us to honor

Francis M. Letro ’79with the

2012 Edwin F.Jaeckle Award the highest honor the SUNY Buffalo Law School and the Law Alumni Association can bestow.

Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 Noon to 2 p.m.The Union League Club38 E. 37th St.New York City

For registration information visitwww.law.buffalo.edu/AlumniEvent.asp