Position
Managing Attorney
Education
B.A. American University – 1972
J.D. Western New England School of Law – 1976
Admissions
- Supreme Court, State of New York – 1977
- U.S. District Court, Western District of New York – 1977
- Supreme Court, State of Pennsylvania – 1995
- United States Supreme Court – 2017
Professional Memberships
- Bar Association of Erie County
- New York State Bar Association
- Certified by the US Department of Veterans Affairs
- Accredited Attorney with the National Organization of Veteran’s Affairs
- Former Chair of The Bar Association of Erie County Committee for the Disabled
- Founding member and former vice-president, National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
- Presidents Circle, The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches
- Trustee with U.S. Bankruptcy Court 1977-1985
- Erie County Bar Association Lawyer of the Year
- Superlawyer 2007 – Present
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- World Affairs Council of Palm Beach
- Rotary Club Florida
- Florida Atlantic University Alumni Association
Awards
- Business of the Year Award – Medaille College
- Lawyer of the Year – Bar Association of Erie County
- Volunteer Lawyer’s Project Award for Service to the Community
- New York State Bar Association Pro Bono Award
- Bar Association of Erie County Pro Bono Award
- Business First Who’s Who in Law Award
- Leadership Award received for having served on the Board of Directors Of The Erie County Bar Foundation
- President’s Award given by AIDS Community Services for assisting ACS and patients with AIDS
- Recipient of the Pugash Award for Outstanding Community Service given by Jewish Family Services
- Chautauqua County Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council Award for Excellence
- Recipient of several awards from the Volunteer Lawyer’s Project for Outstanding Service
- Shirley Wittenberg Award for services our firm provided to Lupus patients and to the Lupus Foundation
- Community Partnership Award given by Legislator Demone Smith
- Hispanics United of Buffalo Special Service Award
- Buffalo Board of Education Good Citizen Award for Contributions made to the Buffalo School System
- Leadership Award given by the Nation Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys for being a founding member and having served as Vice President and a Director for 4 years
- Super Lawyer
Author
“Personal Bankruptcy: A Guide to Controlling Runaway Debt”
“Social Security Disability: How to Obtain the Benefits You Deserve”
Miscellaneous
- Testified before the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Washington, DC
- Lobbied in Washington on behalf of consumers concerning legislative matters
- Lectured before numerous national, state, and local groups and appeared on many radio and television talk shows
- Wrote articles on various legal topics for several publications including The Buffalo News, Business First, Democrat and Chronicle, The Bar Association of Erie County’s Bulletin, New York State Bar Association Journal, and The American Bankruptcy Institute Journal