Scholarship Honors Alum, Former Buffalo Litigator

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- David E. Brown, a law partner of the late Carmen P. Tarantino, has honored Tarantino's memory with a $313,500 memorial scholarship to the University at Buffalo Law School. The gift will support a full-tuition scholarship for three years for a deserving student in perpetuity.

Brown, a partner with Brown & Tarantino, LLP, in Rochester, and Tarantino, who received his bachelor's degree in social sciences from UB in 1973 and his juris doctor degree from the UB Law School in 1977, met at a trial in 1992. They forged a friendship and built Brown and Tarantino, LLP, into a firm with locations in Buffalo, Rochester and White Plains, expanding from five lawyers to 27 lawyers during the 12 years they were partners.

"He was like a brother to me," Brown said. "This scholarship is a meaningful way for me to remember him and help students who want to follow in Carmen's footsteps in pursuing a law career in litigation. As long as there is a UB Law School and students who want to pursue an education, there will be a scholarship with Carmen's name on it. This living memorial was the right thing to do."

"It's an honor to have a scholarship at UB named in memory of the accomplished litigator and UB grad Carmen Tarantino," said Nils Olsen, dean of the UB Law School. "This scholarship will provide needed assistance to a worthy UB student who indicates an interest in trial practice."

Bachir Karam has been named the first recipient of the Carmen P. Tarantino Memorial Scholarship. He earned a bachelor's degree in history in three years from Boston College, where he was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society and a recipient of the Congressman's Medal of Merit for Citizenship. At UB, Karam plans to earn his juris doctor and an M.B.A. concurrently.

"The scholarship means so much to me because I believe that the cost of education is often the greatest barrier that prevents students from acquiring it," Karam said. "Scholarships like this one help recipients achieve the educational goals they set for themselves, and for that I am endlessly appreciative."

In the courtrooms of Western New York, Tarantino was known as a fiery and combative lawyer who sometimes made his points by battling with judges, hurling briefcases or yelling at witnesses. But friends also knew him as a quiet, patient bird-watcher who spent countless hours in the woods, waiting with his camera for the arrival of some rare species.

Tarantino, who lost his battle to cancer in September 2004, was a medical malpractice defense attorney and senior partner in the law firm of Brown & Tarantino in Rochester. After graduating from law school in 1976, he worked 17 years for Damon & Morey before starting his own firm with attorney Brown in 1993. The Buffalo News called Tarantino one of the city's four most flamboyant lawyers. His peers nominated him to the Business First/Buffalo Law Journal's "Who's Who in Law" list. He was a member of the Buffalo Ornithological Society and Wanakah Country Club.

Since its founding in 1887, the UB Law School -- the State University of New York's only law school -- has established an excellent reputation and is widely regarded as a leader in legal education. Its cutting-edge curriculum provides both a strong theoretical foundation and the practical tools graduates need to succeed in a competitive marketplace. A special emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, public service and opportunities for hands-on clinical education has placed the school among the nation's premier public law schools.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York.