Aleece Burgio, Esq. McGuire Development 455 Cayuga Rd, Suite 100 Buffalo, NY 14225 [email protected](716) 829-1932 As Senior Counsel, Aleece Burgio is responsible for assisting the Chief Legal Officer with all in-house matters as well as working with the leadership team on the Owner Representation service offering, client development and real estate consulting. Prior to joining McGuire Development, Aleece resided in Portland, Oregon where she was the Associate Attorney at Green Light Law Group, focusing on corporate and real estate law. While in Oregon, she held a Treasurer role for a section of the Oregon State Bar. Through her experience and formal education, she has gained the communication, negotiation, and analytical skills that make her successful in her role as a real estate development associate. Aleece’s familiarity and expertise in working with every l evel of government to obtain business approvals from start to finish will provide unique insight to McGuire. Her unique experience has well-equipped her to understand the resources and needs of the organizations in McGuire’s diverse client portfolio. Originally from Buffalo, Aleece is excited to re-enter the region and extend her excitement and passion into the community. Aleece holds a Bachelor of Arts in History & Political Science from Saint Bonaventure University and a Juris Doctorate from SUNY Buffalo Law School. She is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in both New York and Oregon and is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Erie County Bar Association and the Oregon State Bar Association. Aleece was recognized as one of Buffalo's 30 Under 30 in 2018.
As Senior Counsel, Aleece Burgio is responsible for assisting the Chief Legal Officer with all in-house matters as well as working with the leadership team on the Owner Representation service offering, client development and real estate consulting. Prior to joining McGuire Development, Aleece resided in Portland, Oregon where she was the Associate Attorney at Green Light Law Group, focusing on corporate and real estate law. While in Oregon, she held a Treasurer role for a section of the Oregon State Bar. Through her experience and formal education, she has gained the communication, negotiation, and analytical skills that make her successful in her role as a real estate development associate. Aleece’s familiarity and expertise in working with every level of government to obtain business approvals from start to finish will provide unique insight to McGuire. Her unique experience has well-equipped her to understand the resources and needs of the organizations in McGuire’s diverse client portfolio. Originally from Buffalo, Aleece is excited to re-enter the region and extend her excitement and passion into the community. Aleece holds a Bachelor of Arts in History & Political Science from Saint Bonaventure University and a Juris Doctorate from SUNY Buffalo Law School. She is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in both New York and Oregon and is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Erie County Bar Association and the Oregon State Bar Association. Aleece was recognized as one of Buffalo's 30 Under 30 in 2018.
Norman P. Effman, Esq. Exec Director-Wyoming-Attica
Wyoming Cty Attica Legal Aid Bureau Inc. 18 Linwood Avenue Warsaw, NY 14569 [email protected]
(585) 786-8450
Norman Effman has been the Wyoming County Public Defender since 1990, the Executive Director of the Wyoming County-Attica Legal Aid Bureau since 1981, which conducts prisoners’ rights litigation; and has practiced criminal law in both the private and public sector for fifty years. Mr. Effman has been a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section since 1982, and he currently is Co-Chair of the Correctional Systems Committee of that Section and Chairman of the Awards Committee. He is the past chair of the NYSBA Committee to Ensure Quality Mandated Representation. Mr. Effman has also lectured on post-trial criminal practice for the New York State Bar Association and has taught pre law and law courses at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he received his J.D. in 1968. Mr. Effman is a Vice President of the Board of Directors of the New York State Defenders Association. In 1984 Mr. Effman was the recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Award for Outstanding Contribution to Defense Service. Mr. Effman is also the 1996 recipient of the New York State Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Award for Outstanding Contribution to Correctional Services. From 1992-1998, Mr. Effman served on the Attorney Grievance Commission of the Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department, Eighth Judicial District, and is a member of the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates. Mr. Effman is the elected Vice President of the 8th Judicial District and serves on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association.
Clifford R. Ennico, Esq. Law Offices of Clifford R. Ennico
Since 1996, Cliff Ennico has worked as a "general counsel" or "Wall Street lawyer" to hundreds of small businesses, entrepreneurs, franchise owners, self-employed professionals, not-for-profit entities, and other business clients throughout the northeastern United States. He graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1975, and got his law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1980, where he was Articles Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. During the 1980s, Cliff worked for a succession of law firms in New York City, where he specialized in corporate finance, venture capital and securities law. After a brief stint during the early 1990s as in-house counsel for General Electric Capital Corp., Cliff worked as a corporate/business lawyer for two Connecticut law firms before launching my own practice in 1996. Cliff is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut, and am in good standing in both states. Cliff focuses on representing entrepreneurs, small business owners and self-employed professionals. In addition to being a lawyer, Cliff also is:
• The author of several law books for West Group, a leading U.S. legal publisher, including a best-selling collection of legal forms called Forms for Small Business Entities.
• The author of Succeeding in Your Business™, a weekly business advice column that appears in dozens of newspapers nationwide as well as www.entrepreneur.com and other business-oriented Web sites.
• The former host of MoneyHunt, the popular PBS television show about entrepreneurs;
• An instructor for eBay University, where I advise entrepreneurs nationwide on legal and tax implications of buying and selling goods on eBay, the nation's leading internet auction site.
• The author of Small Business Survival Guide, a collection of useful tricks
for dealing with the 12 biggest enemies you will face when you run your own business.
• The author of The eBay Seller's Tax and Legal Answer Book, the best - and ONLY - comprehensive guide to the legal and tax rules that apply when you're selling on eBay, the world's leading auction marketplace.
• A frequent contributor to Entrepreneur and other small business magazines, websites and blogs.
• A leading authority on entrepreneurship and small business management, giving talks to business groups nationwide.
Nicole E. Fenz, Esq. The Law Office of Gary M. Schaff, Esq.
Nicole E. Fenz, Esq. earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Religious Studies from Nazareth College of Rochester in 2009 and her Juris Doctor from Duquesne University in 2012. After being admitted to the New York State Bar in February 2013, she began practicing at the Law Office of Gary M. Schaff in the Village of Lancaster; she began interning there in 2004 and was grateful to be able to join the firm as an attorney. She continues to grow her practice at the Law Office of Gary M. Schaff in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, small business formation, and landlord/tenant disputes. Nicole is currently the Chair of the Real Property Committee for the Bar Association of Erie County and is also a member of the New York State Bar Association. During her tenure as Committee Chair, Nicole assisted in organizing the annual Real Property Conference in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and has spoken at several New York State Bar Association continuing legal education seminars. When she is not working, Nicole likes to read, drink tea, and be outdoors with her favorite travel companions: her husband, John, and their dog, Kobe.
Sharon Stern Gerstman is of Counsel to Magavern Magavern Grimm LLP, Buffalo, NY, after a 29 year career in New York Supreme Court, as Confidential Law Clerk to Justice Joseph D. Mintz, and as a Court Attorney/Referee. Her practice includes Mediation, Arbitration, Appellate Advocacy and Motion Practice in Civil Litigation matters. She was an adjunct professor, teaching New York Practice, at the Law School of University at Buffalo for 30 years, an Assistant Professor at the Law School of University of Missouri - Kansas City, and an Instructor at the College of Law of the University of Toledo. She holds an LLM from Yale Law School, a JD from University of Pittsburgh and an AB from Brown University. She is the Immediate Past President of the New York State Bar Association, and served the Association as President (2017-2018), President Elect (2016-2017), Treasurer (2013-2016), as a member of the Executive Committee (1999-2002, 2003-2008, 2009-2010, 2012 - present), and as a member of its House of Delegates (1996-2008, 2009 - present). She has chaired the NYSBA Committee on CPLR and Committee on Lawyer Advertising and LRS Regulation, and has co-chaired its Strategic Planning Committee, Task Force on E-Filing, and Committee on Lawyer Advertising. She is a member of the Finance Committee, the CPLR Committee, and the Section on Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law. She has also served on the ABA Board of Governors, the Councils of two of its Sections and Divisions, and continues to serve in its House of Delegates. She is also a lifetime member of the Bar Association of Erie County and a former President of the Erie County Bar Foundation. She is the co-author of New York Civil Practice before Trial (James Publishing) , the author of several chapters of Weinstein, Korn & Miller, New York Civil Practice and the author of numerous journal articles on Civil Practice and Tax.
Attorney Laurie Menzies guides seniors and their families through the aging process by coordinating their legal and financial concerns and addressing potential or existing care needs. Laurie is passionate about helping families create a plan for aging that helps preserve assets, while providing for the wishes and care needs of her clients. Laurie is a Senior Partner at Pfalzgraf, Beinhauer & Menzies, the only law firm in Western New York dedicated exclusively to Elder Law and Estate Planning. Drawing on her professional expertise as an elder law and estate planning attorney, as well as her personal experience as her parent’s sole caregiver well into their 90s, Laurie has recently published Embracing Elderhood, Planning for the Next Stage of Life. She is a frequent speaker at community forums and on local media on issues regarding seniors and planning for successful aging. In addition to handling legal issues related to aging for families, she also works intensively with geriatric care managers and financial consultants to coordinate a comprehensive plan for aging. She has a unique understanding of the stresses and concerns of families regarding their loved ones and works to help create peace of mind for families. Laurie graduated from Vassar College in 1986 and earned her law degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 1996. She received both a University Scholarship for academic achievement, and a Public Interest Scholarship for her work at Legal Services of the Elderly and Disabled. Laurie is well versed in financial issues having worked in the investment and trust administration field in Boston, Massachusetts before law school. She is actively engaged with organizations that serve the elderly, including serving on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Elder Law Section, the Trust and Estate Section, as well as with the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). She was the Seminar Chair of NYSBA’s Elder Law Section’s Fall
Meeting in October 2011 and was the Co-Chair of the Mediation Committee of the Elder Law Section. Laurie is also active with local non-profit organizations that serve the elderly including having served on the Board of Directors of the Network in Aging of Western New York for eight years, and she is currently a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association and Canterbury Woods Continuing Care Community. Laurie has been recognized in Business First of Buffalo’s Who’s Who in Law in 2007 and 2011.
Joseph P. Miller, Esq. was admitted to practice in New York in 2009. He founded the Law Office of Joseph P. Miller on June 8, 2009, in Cuba, New York. He joined the Bar Association of Erie County’s Lawyer’s Helping Lawyers in 2012 and the NYSBA Lawyer’s Assistance Committee in 2014. Joe also serves as an Assistant Professor of Business Management & Law at Houghton College in Houghton, New York. He’s most proud of being the husband of Stephanie, and the father of their four children, Amelia, JD, Caleb and Olivia.
David earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and International Relations from Canisius College in 1983. While at Canisius he interned in Albany with the New York State Legislature and studied abroad at the Loyola University Rome Center. At Canisius, he was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society. He graduated from The John Marshall Law School, having spent his final year as a visiting student at the University of Buffalo Law School. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1988 and was also admitted to the Ontario Canada Bar in 2014. After graduation, David joined Travelers Insurance where he was a Technical Specialist and directed their Alternative Dispute Resolution program. In 1995 he was appointed claims counsel for Ticor Title Insurance Company. He managed a team responsible for title insurance claims in Canada, New York and the New England states. In 2009 he then became the Canada Claims Centre Manager and was named a Sr. Vice President. In 2018 David ended his 23 years with Chicago Title and became an Associate Counsel for the Erie County Water Authority. David has lectured on title insurance topics at seminars given by Chicago Title, New York State Land Title Association, Lorman Education Services, New York State Bar Association and the Bar Association of Erie County. David’s volunteer community activities include past Chairman for 13 years of the Erie County Board of Ethics and past-president and current treasurer of the St. Thomas More Guild. He also served as a Division Captain for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Industry Campaign and as vice president of the Canisius High School Alumni Association. David is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County and the New York State Bar Association where he in on the Executive Committee of the Real Property Law Section.
Michael Perley, Esq. Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. 1300 Liberty Building
Mr. Perley is chair of the Litigation Department and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He focuses his practice in municipal law, product liability, professional liability, complex litigation and catastrophic injury litigation. Mr. Perley has significant experience defending corporations, municipalities, employers, building owners, contractors and insurance carriers in a wide range of litigated matters including labor law, premises and product liability. Mr. Perley has extensive experience in trucking litigation, having represented numerous truck lines in his career and is regularly engaged in complex catastrophic property damage, fire loss and bodily injury litigation. Mr. Perley also counsels on issues pertaining to lien resolution and Medicare Secondary Payer issues and has testified as an expert witness on the applicability of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. An accomplished trial attorney and client advocate, Mr. Perley served as a Town Attorney with 22 years of governmental experience in zoning and land development. In addition to extensive experience in the full range of court proceedings in state and federal court, Mr. Perley’s practice also includes extensive counseling on matters including zoning, environmental review, land development, variances, legislative drafting, tax certiorari and eminent domain representing clients before town and village boards, planning boards, zoning boards of appeals and assessment boards of review. Mr. Perley was the Town Attorney of Boston from 1986-2003. In 1991 he was a member of the Citizen’s Reapportionment Advisory Committee for the Erie County Legislature which redrew the legislative districts based on the 1990 census. Mr. Perley is a Trustee of Buffalo Seminary. Mr. Perley formerly served as President of the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra and of the Youth Orchestra Foundation of Buffalo.
Highly regarded by his peers and in the courts, in 2008 Mr. Perley was named one of the Top 10 lawyers in New York State (outside of New York City) by New York Super Lawyer’s Magazine which conducted a survey of all practicing attorneys in the state. He has also been named to the list of the Best Lawyers in America and the Business First list of Who’s Who in Law. Mr. Perley was presented with the Pro Bono Service Award by Hon. William Skretny of the U.S. District Court of the Western District of New York for his dedicated service to the federal court. Mr. Perley was appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Committee on Character and Fitness for admission of applicants to the New York State Bar Association. Mr. Perley served on the Board of Directors of the Bar Association of Erie County and as President of the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association. He is the National Board Member of the Buffalo Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates where he previously served as President. He is a member of the Municipal and School Law Committee and the Committee on Eminent Domain and Tax Certiorari of the Erie County Bar Association, and is a member of the Municipal Law and the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Sections of the New York State Bar Association
David Shapiro, Esq. Center for Elder Law & Justice
David A. Shapiro has been in practice for 35 years. He was a solo practitioner for much of his career, focusing primarily in family law, bankruptcy, real property and criminal matters. Since 2008 he has been a Staff Attorney at Center for Elder Law and Justice where he is acknowledged as an expert in the rights of grandparents and other relative caregivers. Mr. Shapiro is the past Chair of the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee of the Bar Association of Erie County and is a member of the New York State Bar Lawyers Assistance Committee. He is the 2015 recipient of the Cura Award from the New York State Kincare Coalition as Outstanding Professional.
Kimberly A. Steele, Esq. The Steele Law Firm, P.C.
KIMBERLY A. STEELE, ESQ. is the founding member of the Steele Law Firm, P.C., a multi-jurisdictional practice with offices throughout the United States that represents clients in commercial litigation, commercial transactions, construction law and suretyship. The Steele Law Firm, P.C. was awarded the New York State Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise designation in 2010. The Steele Law Firm, P.C. has extensive dealings in large volume banking and collection matters with attention to commercial foreclosures, loan workouts, UCC Article 9 issues, lender liability, creditors' rights, judgment enforcement, priority disputes, trust diversion and representing creditors in bankruptcy. The Steele Law Firm, P.C. also assists clients with collateral accounting, preservation, seizure and liquidation. In addition, The Steele Law Firm, P.C. represents commercial parties with respect to land development, financing, economic incentive programs, zoning, land use issues, environmental cleanup, minority business status, and multi-party program participation including with the Small Business Administration, Certified Development Companies, and Industrial Development and Community Development Agencies. Ms. Steele graduated magna cum laude from Elmira College on a full academic scholarship, attended the Université de la Sorbonne in Paris, France also on full academic scholarship, and received her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School of Union University. Ms. Steele has previously served as corporate counsel and vice president of commercial sales of a Central New York community bank. In addition to practicing law, Ms Steele is the founding member of H.T. Grace & Associates, LLC, a full-service consulting firm that assists small business owners throughout the country. Ms. Steele is also the owner of Turnaround Credit Repair, providing consumers with credit repair services and business owners with risk rating repair services for purposes of risk management, insurance and bonding. Ms. Steele is also the owner-developer of a $5.8 million-dollar multi-use and outdoor recreational project in Oswego, New York on Lake Ontario.
Ms. Steele is originally from Lake George, New York. Ms. Steele makes her home in Oswego with her four rescued dogs and rehabilitated rescued ducks. Ms. Steele enjoys competitive sailing and teaching sailing on her J24 and J30 sailboats.
Joseph J. Terranova, Esq. 2901 Bowen Road, Suite C
Joseph J. Terranova is a veteran trial lawyer and well known for his representation in some of the most difficult cases in Buffalo. He was the recipient of the Criminal Justice Section’s Michele S. Maxian Award for outstanding Public Defense Practitioner in 2012 for his work on the Erie County Assigned Counsel Panel.
Paul A. Vance, Esq. The Vance Law Firm
1000 Olympic Towers, 300 Pearl Street Buffalo, NY 14202
Paul Vance has limited his practice in the field of matrimonial and family law for the past 32 years. He is the former chair of the Erie County Matrimonial and Family Law Committee and a former fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He has lectured extensively in the area of Matrimonial and Family Law for the New York State Bar, Erie County Bar Association, Office of Court Administration and the Fourth Department Law Guardian Panel Program. He is designated as a Court Neutral Evaluator by the Office of Court Administration in complex matrimonial matters. Since 1995 his name has appeared in consecutive annual editions of the National Directory entitled "Best Lawyers of America" in the field of Matrimonial and Family Law. He is also listed in the editions of the New York Magazine "Super Lawyers" in 2007-2018 in the field of Family Law. Education
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, Cum Laude
Valparaiso University School of Law, Law Review Staff Honors and Awards
National Directory Entitled "Best Lawyers of America", Field of Matrimonial and Family Law 20 consecutive years
New York Magazine "Super Lawyers", Field of Family Law, 2007 – 2018
Lee Williams is Corporate Counsel at the Dent Neurologic Institute, the largest outpatient neurology practice in the United States. Her work spans corporate legal matters, contracting, and compliance. Lee is also the Director of Business Development at Dent, which specializes in developing and implementing new service lines for the practice. Dent runs the largest cannabis clinic in New York State, with over 8,000 unique patients and a robust underlying legal and compliance program. Lee lectures on medical cannabis compliance, patient safety and program implementation. Lee is a graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law and the School of Management. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Cannabis Law and practices in Buffalo, NY.
