Class Notes

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Lynn Smith was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Corporate Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Peter Hubbard was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

John Michael Caster passed away Jan. 4, 2021. Mike was a survivor. Brain stem tumor in '82, stroke '92, bladder cancer '09, brain surgery '11. Although his body increasingly failed him, the spark in his bright blue eyes never faded until he passed away Jan. 4. He received a B.S. in physics; minor in philosophy from Hobart and his J.D. from Syracuse College of Law. He is survived by wife Jan and his "kiddos" - Amy, Bryan, Rory and Andy. 

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Jack Rudnick was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Corporate Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Kevin McAuliffe was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Project Finance Law

Thompson Coburn attorney, Kent Knickmeyer, has been recognized by the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings). Kent was named as one of the 2022 Lawyers of the Year, Litigation - Securities.

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Bill Gilberti was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Environmental Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Fran Ciardullo was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Health Care Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Gerry Stack was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Tax Law

It is with great pleasure that the American Bar Association Judicial Division National Conference of Specialized Court Judges (NCSCJ) has selected you to receive its 2021 Franklin N. Flaschner Award. You have been nominated for this award by Col. Linda Strite Murnane (Ret.). The Flaschner Award is given to a judge who embodies the high ideals, personal character and competence in performing judicial duties that were exemplified by the late Chief Justice Franklin N. Flaschner of the District Court of Massachusetts who has made significant contributions on local, state and national levels to continuing education of the judiciary and in other ways improved the quality of justice in courts with special and limited jurisdiction.

The New York Bar Foundation has announced that Carla M. Palumbo has been elected president for the Foundation. Palumbo will begin her term as the president of the Foundation’s Board of Directors effective June 1 and will serve a term of up to three years. She has served on the board for 15 years and has been active on the Foundation’s grants review, nominating, and personnel committees, while also serving as vice president since 2018. Palumbo has been a Fellow of the Foundation since 2004 and is currently in the Cardozo Circle of Giving. Palumbo has served as President and CEO of the Legal Aid Society of Rochester since 2014 and recently celebrated her 37th anniversary with the organization, where she began as a staff attorney in 1984. 

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Robert Barrer was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Commercial Litigation

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Lee Alcott was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Commercial Litigation

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Jeff Dove was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Kevin Roe was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Environmental Law

On June 1, 2021, Attorney Ronald K. Weiner began his tenure as the 69th President of the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ). Weiner’s one-year term runs from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022. Steve Pontoni, MAJ Executive Director, made the announcement. “I am incredibly honored that my fellow trial lawyers have entrusted me with the task of guiding MAJ as the 69th president of our organization,” Weiner stated. “This is the proudest moment of my legal career.” Weiner, a partner at Lipton Law Center, PC, in Southfield, handles cases involving medical malpractice, nursing home neglect and automobile/no-fault. He joined MAJ in 1996 and has served as an officer in the association for the past four years. Weiner also co-moderates MAJ’s annual Seminar in the Snow in Bellaire, Mich. 

​Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Bill Foster was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Insurance Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Jim Domagalski was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Commercial Litigation; Construction Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Andrew Leja was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Environmental Law

Bond, Schoeneck & King is pleased to announce that Paul W. Reichel has been named the 2022 "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers in America for Tax Law. Only one lawyer in any practice area in a city is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year."  Paul is a tax attorney who concentrates his practice in public finance transactions and taxation of business and non-profit organizations. He has extensive public finance experience, regularly serving as bond counsel to municipalities, school districts and public agencies. 

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Michael Sciotti was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment

Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit announced today that the Court of Appeals will appoint Wendy A. Kinsella as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of New York in Syracuse. Chief Judge Livingston stated, “Wendy Kinsella is a great addition to an excellent court. We are thrilled to welcome her to the bankruptcy court in the Northern District and look forward to working with her. This is a happy day.” Ms. Kinsella is a partner and the leader of the Financial Restructuring, Bankruptcy, and Creditors’ Rights practice group at Harris Beach PLLC. Kinsella will officially assume her duties on June 7 in a private ceremony. 

The D.C. Bar Board of Governors has unanimously approved the appointment of Vincent H. Cohen Jr., a partner at Dechert LLP, to the District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission (JNC).

Cohen has a long history of service to the District. A former acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Cohen also served as that office’s principal assistant U.S. attorney for five years. He helped establish and expand its Cyber Unit and served as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his professional accomplishments and is recognized as a leading attorney in the area of white-collar crime and government investigations.

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Will Barclay was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Corporate Law

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Dan French was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Buster Melvin was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Labor and Employment

Bond, Schoeneck & King is pleased to announce that Brian Laudadio has been named the 2022 "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Municipal. Only one lawyer in any practice area in a city is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year."  Brian is an experienced litigator bringing business, trust and estates, and employment lawsuits to verdict for clients. His reputation as an aggressive litigator with a focus on commercial cases has helped him successfully handle a wide range of matters, including cases related to real estate and commercial leases, business contracts and torts and corporate dissolution proceedings. 

Henson Efron is pleased to announce that Christopher J. Burns has been selected as a 2021 Minnesota Super Lawyer for his work in Estate Planning Trust and Probate. 

Barclay Damon is pleased to announce Chris Harrigan was included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer - Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Labor and Employment 

Brian T. Flood – Class of 2000, has been named Partner at the law firm of DeWitt LLP of Green Bay, Wisconsin. For many of his clients, Brian takes on the role of corporate counsel, advising them on all aspects business law.  His practice focuses on business transactions, banking, litigation, real estate, and employment law. 

Amy Disel Allman, Director of Advocacy for Virginia Legal Aid Society (VLAS), Managing Attorney of the VLAS Foreclosure Prevention & Consumer Protection Project, and VLAS representative within the ACES Justice Project of the Virginia Legal Aid Community, has received the Virginia State Bar 2021 Legal Aid Award honoring excellence in legal aid society work. Allman was nominated by David B. Neumeyer, executive director of the Virginia Legal Aid Society, who noted that Allman “..has been a strong advocate and program leader since she began work for VLAS in 2008, but she has accelerated her impact since the start of the pandemic.”

Global law firm Goodwin announced June 1st that Cisco Palao-Ricketts joined the firm's ERISA and Executive Compensation practice as partner in the Silicon Valley office. Palao-Ricketts handles the full range of executive compensation and benefits matters, with a particular focus on the executive compensation and benefits aspects of M&A, IPOs, and SPAC transactions. He is experienced in advising startup, emerging growth, and public companies regarding compensation and employee benefit issues. In his prior role, Palao-Ricketts co-led a global law firm’s U.S. Executive Compensation and Benefits practice. 

Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman is pleased to announce the promotion of Stacy Young, an alumna of Syracuse University School of Law, to Senior Counsel effective June 1, 2021. Senior counsel is a promotion given to select associates who have consistently demonstrated strong legal skills and case handling ability, maintain excellent client relationships, and serve as contributing members of the WSHB team. Please join us in congratulating Stacy on this accomplishment!

Bond, Schoeneck & King is pleased to announce that Amber Lawyer (J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, 2017) will become deputy chair of its Cybersecurity and Data Privacy practice.  Lawyer advises clients on cybersecurity and data privacy compliance issues, including state, federal and international cybersecurity and data privacy laws. She conducts technology and software contract review, data protection risk management assessments, privacy and cybersecurity diligence review for mergers and acquisitions, policy drafting, trainings, data audit and compliance reviews. She also advises her clients on response to data subject requests and complaints, security incidents and data breaches under various state, federal, and international cybersecurity laws including NY SHIELD Act. Lawyer has broad experience with various data privacy regimes including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and maintains a certification as a CIPP/E (Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe) attorney.

Hodgson Russ is pleased to announce that Carly J. Cazer has joined the firm’s Buffalo office as an associate. A member of the Trusts & Estates Practice, Carly assists clients on a wide range of estates and trusts matters including planning for complex estates, tax planning, and counseling fiduciaries and beneficiaries on estate and trust administration, including contested matters. Carly earned her BA at Emerson College and her JD at Syracuse University’s College of Law. During law school, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jonathan W. Feldman in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. She also spent two years in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veteran’s Legal Clinic as a student attorney where she represented veterans seeking to obtain VA benefits, and appeared before the Court of Federal Claims where she defended a client’s claim against the Department of Justice.

William Mattar law offices is pleased to welcome William Mattar’s son, Peter Mattar, Esq., to the firm’s attorney staff. As a personal injury attorney, Peter will focus on helping people injured in motor vehicle accidents.   

Peter Mattar attended Binghamton University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Management. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 2021, where he graduated cum laude. He is admitted to practice law in New York.     

Just like his father, Peter Mattar is passionate about making a difference in the community and helping clients whose lives have been severely impacted after a car accident. He has watched the firm grow over the years and is able to step in with the passion for helping people that the firm is synonymous with. In speaking about why he decided to become a lawyer, Peter said, “Becoming a lawyer is in my blood. I have multiple lawyers in my family, and I’m a third-generation attorney. I grew up hearing stories from my family about how they helped their clients deal with very difficult issues. Those stories resonated with me. I became a lawyer so that I could continue that tradition of service.”