Forty years to the day after he was admitted to the New York State bar, one of UB Law School’s most distinguished jurists accepted the school’s highest honor.

Hon. Eugene F. Pigott Jr., ’73, senior associate justice on the state Court of Appeals, was presented the Edwin F. Jaeckle Award at a New York City alumni luncheon on Jan. 31. The award, given annually “to an individual who has distinguished himself or herself and has made significant contributions to the Law School and the legal profession,” made special note of the justice’s commitment to the advancement of minority attorneys.

A native of Rochester, Pigott graduated from LeMoyne College in 1968 and then served as an Army captain in Vietnam until 1970. After graduating from the Law School, he practiced with the Buffalo firm Offermann, Fallon, Mahoney & Adner, served as Erie County attorney, then became chief trial counsel for Offermann, Cassano, Pigott & Greco. He was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 1997, elected to a full 14-year term, then was designated to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and appointed presiding justice in 2000. His nomination to the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, was confirmed by the state Senate in 2006.

Pigott has served the Law School as a guest lecturer and mentor, and as a longtime member of the Dean’s Advisory Council.