Court of Appeals judges attend University at Buffalo Law Alumni

Daily Record (Rochester, NY), Apr 22, 2005 by Kevin M. Momot

Chief Judge Judith Kaye and the six associate judges of the New York State Court of Appeals were honored guests of the University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association at its 43rd annual meeting and dinner on Thursday, April 14 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

The alumni association presented Distinguished Alumni Awards to two graduates of UB Law School, Diane F. Bosse and David R. Pfalzgraf, for their contributions to the legal profession and community.

In addition, an award was presented to Judge Kaye for outstanding service to the university and the community by a non-alumnus. The chief judge was joined at the event by Court of Appeals Associate Judges George Bundy Smith, Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, Albert M. Rosenblatt, Victoria A. Graffeo, Susan Phillips Read and Robert S. Smith.

Earlier that day, the Court of Appeals held a session of court in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the Erie County Courthouse in downtown Buffalo. The last time the court made such a visit in Buffalo was over 150 years ago.

A final presentation was made by Judge Kaye to the recipient of the Justice M. Dolores Denman Scholarship Award - UB Law School student Tara A. Midlik.

Alumni Honorees

Chair of the New York State Board of Law Examiners and partner in the law firm of Volgenau & Bosse LLP, Bosse received the Distinguished Alumni Award for her commitment to public service.

Accepting the award, Bosse thanked Judge Kaye for the privilege of serving the court as the chair of the Board of Law Examiners, whose five members are appointed by the Court of Appeals.

Pfalzgraf, of counsel to the firm of Pfalzgraf Beinhauer & Menzies LLP, received a Distinguished Alumni Award for his many contributions to the betterment of the community. He was recognized for his efforts to educate the legal profession about alcoholism, chemical dependency, stress, depression and other mental health problems. Through his leadership in organizations at the local, state and national levels, Pfalzgraf helped bar associations and lawyer assistance programs in developing and maintaining methods of providing effective solutions for recovery.

Judge Kaye recently named Pfalzgraf chair of the New York Lawyer Assistance Trust, which brings resources and awareness to the prevention and treatment of alcohol and substance abuse among lawyers, judges, law faculty and students.

Accepting the award, Pfalzgraf presented some statistics regarding substance abuse in the legal profession. He noted alcohol abuse among lawyers could be as high as 18 percent, while the general population stands at 10 percent. However, Pfalzgraf also noted lawyers were at the root of the most successful recovery program to date, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Award To Judge Kaye

Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding service to the university and community by a non-alumnus, Judge Kaye first thanked the Buffalo legal community for making the entire Court of Appeals bench feel welcome during their visit.

This has been a great day, Judge Kaye noted, we will not again wait 156 years before coming to Buffalo. The last time the court held a session there was 1849.

Recognizing Bosse and Pfalzgraf for their accomplishments, Judge Kaye noted the award recipients had taken on difficult assignments and expressed her gratitude for their public service.

Accepting her award for accomplishments as a non-alumnus, Judge Kaye offered to consider herself an honorary graduate UB Law School, showing her delight in being connected to the university.

Scholarship Award

Midlik, a UB Law School student who will graduate this spring, received the Justice M. Dolores Denman Scholarship Award which was presented by Judge Kaye.

Dedicated to the memory of Judge Denman, the award is given to a graduating senior who is a custodial parent, with preference given to single parents. It is intended to offset the costs of daycare and other child rearing expenses while studying for the bar exam.

As many know, Judge Denman was a single parent while in law school, and yet managed to graduate as a class valedictorian from UB Law School in 1965.

Midlik has been able to balance the demands as a law school student and a mother, and as such was recognized for her efforts.

A good friend and colleague to Judge Denman, Judge Kaye's presentation of the award to Midlik was emotional and heartfelt.

You know about her love of the law school and that her career was marked by helping others - she was a commanding presence, the chief judge spoke of Judge Denman. We who worked alongside her knew it well.

This award recognizes her role as a mother and the challenges she faced while in law school, Judge Kaye continued. This award would have thrilled her.