UB Law Alumni to Honor Six at Annual Dinner

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Five graduates of the University at Buffalo Law School will receive Distinguished Alumni Awards for their contributions to the legal profession and community at the 42nd annual UB Law Alumni Association meeting and dinner to be held at 6 p.m. April 28 in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

The alumni association will also recognize a non-alumnus, Matthew J. Murphy III, Niagara County District Attorney, who will receive a special award for "outstanding service to the university and community."

"As district attorney for Niagara County, Matt Murphy has worked tirelessly and effectively with UB Law School students and instructors in the family violence clinic to enhance the effectiveness and availability of support and prosecution of domestic violence throughout the county, while significantly contributing to the quality of the educational experience for our students," said Nils Olsen, dean of the law school.

The dinner also will mark the end of the Law Alumni Association's membership drive for 2004-05. Alumni who have not renewed or joined the association for this year are requested to send in their $50 dues to the Alumni Office, 312 O'Brian Hall, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y. 14260.

In addition to Murphy, awards also will be presented to:

-- Hon. Eugene F. Pigott Jr., '73, presiding justice, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department. Pigott will be honored "for his conscientious and diligent performance in the judiciary." A trial attorney for nearly 25 years prior to assuming the bench in 1997, he was appointed to his present position in 2000 by Gov. Pataki. Active in several civil and charitable organizations, including law school's Dean's Advisory Council, he resides on Grand Island.

-- Dianne Bennett, '75, chair of the law firm Hodgson Russ LLP, will be honored "for her leadership by example as a private practitioner." One of the few women in the country to chair a large law firm, she is an authority on corporate and individual taxation (domestic and international), employee benefits and cross-border tax planning. She serves on numerous local, state and national boards, and

chairs the Kaleida Health Foundation Board. A member of the board of trustees of the University at Buffalo Foundation, she resides in Buffalo.

-- Oliver C. Young, '80, principal court attorney for the New York State Supreme Court, will be honored "for his commitment to public service." Judicial law clerk to the judges of the Supreme and Erie County courts, he is supervisor of the Eighth Judicial District Staff and serves as a referee in uncontested matrimonial actions. He currently chairs the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Citizenship Education, and is a director of the Bar Association of Erie County and the Western New York Law Center. He resides in Williamsville.

-- Jean C. Powers, '79, a partner in the law firm Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP, will be honored "for her many contributions to the betterment of our community." A member of her firm's real estate practice group, she represents developers, lenders and business entities in the acquisition, financing and disposition of commercial and industrial real property, and is the lead person in her department involved with bond-financed transactions. She serves on the law school's Dean's Advisory Council, and is a vice president of the BAEC's Volunteer Lawyers Project. She is a former president of the UB Law Alumni Association and the UB Alumni Association, and a member of the board of trustees of the UB Foundation. Powers served as chair of the board of trustees of Trocaire College. She resides in Williamsville.

-- Erik D. Lindauer, '81, partner in the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, will be honored "for his exemplary performance in business." Lindauer is a partner in his firm's banking practice and project finance specialty groups. He concentrates his practice in transactional banking, secured lending, commercial law (Uniform Commercial Code), corporate reorganizations and bankruptcy. Lindauer's financing experience includes advising clients in a broad range of complex secured and unsecured financings, including acquisition, project, cable television and media financings. A member of law school's Deans Advisory Council, he resides in Short Hills, N.J.

For more information on the dinner, contact the law alumni office at 645-2107 or email law-alumni@buffalo.edu.