Firm News
August 21, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce that Corey Hogan, Diane Tiveron, Nelson Zakia and Kevin Mahoney have been recognized in the 2009 New York Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Mr. Hogan was recognized in the area of personal injury; Ms. Tiveron in corporate and business law; and Mr. Zakia and Mr. Mahoney in the area of family law.
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August 3, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Cheryl A. Aloi, who will focus her practice in our Matrimonial and Family Law Department. Ms. Aloi graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School where she was a Publications Editor for the Buffalo Law Review. Ms. Aloi has focused her practice in matrimonial and family law since admission to the New York State Bar in 2004 and Florida Bar in 2008.
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August 1, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce its merger with the law firm of Lorenzo and Cohen. This merger marks the most significant growth in the firm’s history as we crest the 30-attorney marker. HoganWillig is suburban Western New York’s largest full service law firm with 31 attorneys and a total staff of 90 employees.
Lorenzo and Cohen attorneys Steven M. Cohen and Steven Bachmann Dietz, along with two support staff members, Mary Ann Giacomozzo-Kline and Patricia J. Schenk, will join HoganWillig’s litigation department. Harry E. Lorenzo has announced his retirement after 58 years of distinguished practice.
Mr. Cohen is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School and will assume the position as the Chairman of HoganWillig’s Litigation Department. He has tried high profile civil and criminal cases, including civil rights and constitutional law cases, for the past 20 years. Mr. Cohen is a Co-Founder of Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council (LEOAC) and represents law enforcement officers from numerous federal and municipal agencies, defending them in civil, criminal and administrative proceedings.
Mr. Dietz is also a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School where he served as a Publications Editor for the Buffalo Law Review. Mr. Dietz will continue his practice in personal injury and commercial litigation as an associate attorney with HoganWillig.
For the next few months, the former Lorenzo and Cohen team will be located at HoganWillig’s Lockport office on Davison Road. The two offices will be reunited in late fall when HoganWillig’s new office building, located at 2410 North Forest Road in Amherst, is scheduled for completion.
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July 31, 2009
The medical malpractice team at HoganWillig has successfully obtained three verdicts in favor of the plaintiff in medical malpractice suits in the past year, including the second largest verdict (Crane v. Stubbe) in New York State for a medical malpractice failed diagnosis suit in 2008. The verdict is one of the top 25 largest verdicts awarded in New York State in 2008 according to Verdict Search's Top NY Verdicts of 2008.
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July 22, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce that a New York State Supreme Court jury awarded our client, a Wyoming County resident, $223,000 for past pain and suffering in a medical malpractice case against a Genesee County orthopedic surgeon. The verdict is the largest to be awarded in a medical malpractice suit in Genesee County in the past ten years.
After three and a half hours of deliberation that followed a trial that lasted, on and off, for three weeks, the jury in the courtroom of Justice Rose H. Sconiers returned the verdict in favor of the plaintiffs, represented by HoganWillig attorneys John Licata, John DeFazio, MD and Jennifer Fay. The jury voted 5-1 that the defendant physician was negligent and ascribed 100 percent of the liability to the physician.
Mr. Licata, Dr. DeFazio and Ms. Fay argued that the doctor deviated from the standard of care by failing to put in the proper size hip prosthetic, which necessitated multiple revision surgeries.
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June 2, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Deborah R. Gauny, RN, CLNC, Monica S. Tronolone, and Scott A. Mitchell to the firm.
Ms. Gauny joins the firm's Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Department as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. She has over 19 years of nursing experience.
Ms. Tronolone joins the firm's Real Estate Center where she will focus in residential and commercial purchases and sales and mortgage lending. She has over 20 years of experience as a real estate paralegal.
Mr. Mitchell joins the firm's Marketing Department where he will focus on business development. He has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience.
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May 18, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome associate attorney Mary Moorman Penn. Ms. Penn will focus her practice in the firm’s Personal Injury and Malpractice Department. She received her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School and has focused her practice in litigation since admission to the New York State Bar in 2000. Ms. Penn is a current Board Member of the UB Law Alumni Association and past Board Member of the UB Law G.O.L.D. Group.
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May 8, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce that associate John B. Licata was elected to the Buffalo School Board. Mr. Licata received the top vote for one of three at-large seats on the Buffalo Board of Education. He is a lifetime resident of the City of Buffalo with four children currently attending Buffalo City schools. Mr. Licata has been a trial attorney with HoganWillig's personal injury and medical malpractice department since 1996.
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April 20, 2009
This month, Corey J. Hogan and the personal injury team at HoganWillig obtained a significant settlement* on behalf of our clients who lost four family members in a 2003 aviation accident in Florida. While this settlement cannot replace the lives of their loved ones, we hope that they can now begin to find peace and enjoy greater financial security. As stated by our client, "It has been a long road, but we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is important that we never gave up that we would be able to obtain justice. Without the team at HoganWillig, these results would not have been possible."
Our clients also found comfort through a grief counseling program called ACCESS (AirCraft Casualty Emotional Support Services). Given the recent aviation accident in Clarence, NY, it is important to know that many support services, such as ACCESS, are available. For more information, visit www.accesshelp.org.
*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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April 13, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce that Mark L. Sebastian has been named as the firm's Real Estate Center Coordinator. Mr. Sebastian has maintained a career in real estate for over 15 years, focusing on residential and commercial mortgage foreclosures.
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April 7, 2009
HoganWillig participated in the 3rd Annual Buffalo's Smartest Company to benefit Cradle Beach Camp. The team included Linda Grear, Diane Tiveron, Amy Stromberg, John Licata and Megan Misiti. HoganWillig placed 7th overall out of 39 teams!
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March 27, 2009
HoganWillig is the 12th largest law firm in Western New York according to Business First. The list of the top law firms are ranked by the number of attorneys. HoganWillig continues to be the largest law firm in suburban WNY and is the only suburban firm to make the list.
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March 18, 2009
Today, the structural steel at HoganWillig's newest office building, located at 2410 North Forest Road in Amherst, was completed. This milestone in the construction process was commemorated by mounting an American flag to the last piece of steel as it was raised into place.
Scheduled for completion this fall, the three-story, 80,000 square foot building is located at the intersection of John James Audubon Parkway and North Forest Road. HoganWillig will be the anchor tenant in the building, occupying the entire third floor. Upon completion, the building will be one of the area's first LEED-Silver certified, multi-tenant office buildings, incorporating the latest in productivity
enhancing features including an under floor air distribution system, daylighting and uninterruptable power.
Developer Paul Iskalo, of Iskalo Development Corp., stated "Our goal with the development of 2410 North Forest is to deliver a building of outstanding, timeless design and performance that represents the next generation in office space."
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February 26, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce that associates Amanda L. Lowe and Amanda J. Kelly have been admitted to the New York State Bar. Both are 2008 graduates of the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. Ms. Lowe will concentrate her practice in the areas of personal injury and medical malpractice, while Ms. Kelly joins the firm's matrimonial and family law department.
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February 18, 2009
HoganWillig has been named as a finalist for this year's Best Places to Work in the Western New York area. On March 27, 2009, Business First will publish a special section featuring the Best Places to Work.
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February 9, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Lisa A. Stidham, who will focus her practice in the firm's Corporate and Business Law Department. Ms. Stidham graduated cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School where she served as a Senior Editor of the Law Review. She has focused her practice in corporate and business law for nearly 20 years. Ms. Stidham is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
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January 30, 2009
HoganWillig successfully obtained a verdict for a recent malpractice suit won against two obstetricians. After two days of deliberations that followed a three week trial, the Niagara County jury returned a verdict in favor of our clients for $860,000.00.
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January 25, 2009
HoganWillig is pleased to announce that Diane Tiveron has been named partner at the firm. Ms. Tiveron joined HoganWillig in 1989 and has focused her practice in the areas of business and commercial law, civil litigation and bankruptcy issues. Ms. Tiveron has been the firm’s managing attorney for a number of years and will continue her position as managing partner.
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December 2, 2008
From time to time, we are reminded that many people who seek the services of a lawyer are concerned that the “clock starts running” from the moment the call begins. We understand that sometimes people are presented with legal questions that can be quickly resolved in a single conversation. However, they hesitate to call because of concerns about the cost of doing so. We want to remind our valued clients that, as a member of the HoganWillig client family, if you have a legal question, we want you to feel free to call us. If the question or concern can be addressed in a short telephone conversation, you will not receive a bill. If it is apparent to the attorney taking your call that the issue will require more than a short telephone conversation to analyze or resolve the issue, the attorney will let you know and discuss the options available to you in retaining HW for these more complicated issues. (This courtesy offer cannot be extended for pending legal matters that are being billed.)
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November 11, 2008
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Lisa Romeo to the firm. Ms. Romeo joins the firm's Matrimonial and Family Law Department as a paralegal. Ms. Romeo received her Associate's Degree from Bryant & Stratton and has focused her career in litigation and family law for over 20 years.
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November 3, 2008
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Matthew S. Feldman. Mr. Feldman joins HW's Corporate and Business Law Department as a law clerk as he awaits admission to the New York State Bar. Mr. Feldman received his J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School this past May.
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October 17, 2008
Corey J. Hogan, Diane R. Tiveron, Nelson F. Zakia and Kevin S. Mahoney have been recognized in the 2008 Super Lawyers Upstate Edition. Mr. Hogan was recognized in the area of personal injury, medical malpractice and family law; Ms. Tiveron in corporate and business law; and Mr. Zakia and Mr. Mahoney in the area of family law.
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October 15, 2008
HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Karl F. Kofod, CPA to the firm. Mr. Kofod received his MBA in finance from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has been licensed as a Certified Public Accountant since 1978. For over 30 years, Mr. Kofod has worked with CPA firms, private companies and government entities on complex financial matters, tax problem resolutions and tax compliance. At HoganWillig, Mr. Kofod will assist with the day-to-day financial operations of the firm, budgeting, forecasting, as well as preparing estate and client tax returns.
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September 24, 2008
This Saturday, September 27th, the Eastern Hills Mall in Williamsville, NY will be hosting a "Women in Business Expo" from 12:00 - 4:00 pm. HoganWillig will have a booth and managing attorney Diane R. Tiveron will be speaking around 1:30 to fellow exhibitors and attendees. The event will showcase a wide variety of women-owned and managed businesses, professional organizations and women focused services.
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September 24, 2008
HoganWillig is pleased to announce we now offer a 15% discount to all college students, faculty and staff with a valid ID.
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September 22, 2008
Nelson F. Zakia has been selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of Family Law. Mr. Zakia has been selected as one of a distinguished group of attorneys who have been listed in Best Lawyers for ten years or longer.
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September 18, 2008
Attorney Linda Grear appeared on LCTV (Lockport Community Television) as a guest on Center Spotlight, hosted by Maureen Wendt of The Dale Association. The program will air on LCTV 20 on Monday, September 22 at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, September 24 at 12:30 pm, Thursday, September 25 at 10:00 am, Friday, September 26 at 12:30 pm and 7:00 pm, Saturday, September 27 at 5:00 am and 2:00 pm, and finally on Sunday, September 28 at 5:00 pm.
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September 11, 2008
Managing attorney, Diane R. Tiveron, will be a guest speaker at presentation on Landlord-Tenant Law that will be held in Rochester on November 5, 2008. The program will cover drafting leases, landlord and tenant obligations, the eviction process and more.
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June 30, 2008
On June 30, 2008, HoganWillig’s dedicated medical malpractice team obtained a substantial verdict on behalf of our client. A Niagara County jury awarded over $9 million to our client’s family after determining that her physician failed to timely diagnose breast cancer which led to her death.
HoganWillig sued the Western New York physician after the 2004 death of our client. The two week trial included testimony from five physicians in addition to the defendant. Ultimately, after two hours of deliberation, the jury determined that the physician was negligent and deprived our client of a chance for a cure of the disease. It is believed to be one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in Niagara County.
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Summer 2008
Earlier this summer, Iskalo Development Corp. broke ground on HoganWillig’s future office building. This state-of-the-art office building is located at the corner of North Forest Road and John James Audubon Parkway in Amherst, New York.
We are pleased to announce that this new office building will be one of the first multi-tenant office buildings in Western New York to achieve LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This building will feature numerous amenities to benefit our clients and staff, including underground parking.
Below is a rendering of the 80,000-square-foot office building that is set to open by September 1, 2009. HW will occupy the entire third floor, approximately 26,000 square feet, a substantial increase from our current space of just 15,000 square feet. With 26 attorneys and a total staff of over 75 employees, we look forward to the increased space to accommodate our continued growth.
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