Buffalo legal community celebrates retiring Justice Patrick NeMoyer, welcomes appellate division justices

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Bar Association of Erie County, together with University at Buffalo School of Law and the UB Law Alumni Association, are marking a milestone judicial retirement with a combination of education and celebration.

Justices of the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, which typically sits in the M. Dolores Denman Courthouse in Rochester, New York, will gather in Buffalo this month to honor one of their own in a three-part collaborative program, entitled “Have Gavel will Travel.” Associate Justice Patrick NeMoyer, a 1977 graduate of the UB School of Law, is stepping down after six years on the appellate bench.  

“The Buffalo legal community is thrilled to welcome the justices in person and to collaborate with our partners to bring this important program to Buffalo,” says Jill Bond, president of the Bar Association of Erie County. 

The justices will gather for a private reception with members of the bar on Wednesday, Oct. 26.  The appellate division will be in session at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, in the ceremonial courtroom in the Erie County Courthouse, 92 Franklin St. The proceeding will also be livestreamed at nycourts.gov/courts/ad4/index.shtm and is open to the public.       

The third part of the “Have Gavel Will Travel” series is a continuing legal education presentation on appellate practice. The session will be from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, also in the ceremonial courtroom. It will offer perspectives on appellate court practice from the seven justices as well as a roster of experienced practitioners and the principal appellate court attorney for attorney disciplinary matters. Moderators are the co-chairs of the bar association’s Appellate Practice Committee, Robert C. Brucato Jr. ’90, and Erin A. Tresmond ’13. Registration is open to the public and available on the bar association’s website.  

“The law school is honored to co-host the appellate division here in Buffalo and celebrate Justice NeMoyer’s long and distinguished career,” says UB School of Law Dean Aviva Abramovsky. “We are especially pleased that our students will have an opportunity to watch the appellate division live and witness advocacy in action.”         

NeMoyer began his legal career as a confidential law clerk and later principal law clerk for Administrative Judge James B. Kane of the Eighth Judicial District. He served as Erie County Attorney from 1988 to 1993, when President Bill Clinton nominated him to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, a position he held until his election to the Supreme Court bench in 1997.

His involvement with professional and civic organizations includes his longtime service as a member of the New York State Pattern Civil Jury Instructions Committee and his work on the board of directors of the CHC Learning Center in Amherst, New York. He was named Judge of the Year by the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Western District, in 2006, and by the bar association’s Commercial and Bankruptcy Committee in 2001 and its Family Law Committee in 2000.

A not-for-profit professional association, the Bar Association of Erie County was founded in 1887 to advance the administration of justice through programs and services for the legal profession and the public. 

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