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UB Law Forum Volume 18 Number 1 Fall 2005 Article 45 10-1-2005 A Word from on High: Court of Appeals Judge Addresses NYC Alumni UB Law Forum Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ub_law_forum Recommended Citation UB Law Forum (2005) "A Word from on High: Court of Appeals Judge Addresses NYC Alumni," UB Law Forum: Vol. 18 : No. 1 , Article 45. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/ub_law_forum/vol18/iss1/45 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Alumni Publications at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in UB Law Forum by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact lawscholar@buffalo.edu. Alumni Association106 107U B  L A W  F O R U M  F A L L  2 0 0 5Amember of the state’s high-est court was in New York’sbiggest city on Jan. 28 tomeet with Big Apple alum-ni of UB Law School. JudgeVictoria Graffeo addressed the down-state alumni group at a lunchtime gath-ering in the famed Waldorf Astoria ho-tel.Graffeo mused about the odd wayspeople’s paths cross over the course oftheir careers, and noted: “The truth is,you never really know where the peo-ple you work with and deal with willend up in years to come. How youhandle yourself professionally— andhow you develop your reputation — isso important.“Every time I speak to a group oflaw students, I try to emphasize that,”she said, “because I believe that integri-ty, courtesy and reputation are para-mount to our success as attorneys andto the public’s view of what we do aslawyers.”The judge spoke as well about cur-rent attorneys’ role in advising thoseA Word From On HighCourt of Appeals judge addresses New York City alumniwho will follow them into the profes-sion. “I have been blessed to haveworked with many talented mentorsover the course of my career,” Graffeosaid. “I have been fortunate to work inall three branches of government, and Iworked in private practice before that.“I think we all need to remind our-selves that we need to put the time andeffort into also serving as mentors forthe next generation of lawyers who willwork in the state of New York. It is im-portant for us to carryon that tradition.” Thosementoring opportuni-ties, she said, include atthe Law School, with itspractice-oriented cur-riculum and manifoldclinical opportunities.An undergraduateproduct of the State Uni-versity of New York atOneonta, the judgespoke strongly in sup-port of the SUNY sys-tem.“I am a firm believerthat it is essential that wemaintain a very strongsystem of public education in NewYork State, particularly higher educa-tion,” she said. “SUNY has provided thepromise of opportunity for so manyfamilies who would not otherwise beable to see their children achieve that.“I know it has made a tremendousimpact in my family. My sister, mybrother, I and my stepbrother were allSUNY graduates. My husband in thelast few years has earned his degree inpolitical science at Rockefeller College,which is part of the SUNY system. Mygrandparents were from Italy, and Ithink it was amazing to them that alltheir grandchildren became collegegraduates.“We need to make sure SUNY stayshealthy and strong and competitive,because it is a channel for so manypeople to achieve so much.”Graffeo also put in a good word forthe Court of Appeals’ April session inBuffalo, and acknowledged the court’sinitiative to revise the rules of practicefor practitioners appearing before it.“We are trying to make those rules a lit-tle more understandable and reflectwhat you have to do when you aremaking an appeal,” she said.Honorable Erin M.Peradotto ’84Far left, left toright: ExecutiveDirector Ilene R.Fleischmann andHonorable Barbara Howe ’80Left: PresidentTerrance P. Flynn’88Dean Nils Olsenaddresses theluncheon crowd at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel inNew York City.Left to right: Denise E. O’Donnell ’82,William Flynn and Dennis C. Vacco ’78Honorable Victoria Graffeo, New York State Court of Appeals“We need tomake sure SUNYstays healthyand strong andcompetitive, because it is achannel for somany people toachieve somuch.” Alumni Association106 107U B  L A W  F O R U M  F A L L  2 0 0 5Amember of the state’s high-est court was in New York’sbiggest city on Jan. 28 tomeet with Big Apple alum-ni of UB Law School. JudgeVictoria Graffeo addressed the down-state alumni group at a lunchtime gath-ering in the famed Waldorf Astoria ho-tel.Graffeo mused about the odd wayspeople’s paths cross over the course oftheir careers, and noted: “The truth is,you never really know where the peo-ple you work with and deal with willend up in years to come. How youhandle yourself professionally— andhow you develop your reputation — isso important.“Every time I speak to a group oflaw students, I try to emphasize that,”she said, “because I believe that integri-ty, courtesy and reputation are para-mount to our success as attorneys andto the public’s view of what we do aslawyers.”The judge spoke as well about cur-rent attorneys’ role in advising thoseA Word From On HighCourt of Appeals judge addresses New York City alumniwho will follow them into the profes-sion. “I have been blessed to haveworked with many talented mentorsover the course of my career,” Graffeosaid. “I have been fortunate to work inall three branches of government, and Iworked in private practice before that.“I think we all need to remind our-selves that we need to put the time andeffort into also serving as mentors forthe next generation of lawyers who willwork in the state of New York. It is im-portant for us to carryon that tradition.” Thosementoring opportuni-ties, she said, include atthe Law School, with itspractice-oriented cur-riculum and manifoldclinical opportunities.An undergraduateproduct of the State Uni-versity of New York atOneonta, the judgespoke strongly in sup-port of the SUNY sys-tem.“I am a firm believerthat it is essential that wemaintain a very strongsystem of public education in NewYork State, particularly higher educa-tion,” she said. “SUNY has provided thepromise of opportunity for so manyfamilies who would not otherwise beable to see their children achieve that.“I know it has made a tremendousimpact in my family. My sister, mybrother, I and my stepbrother were allSUNY graduates. My husband in thelast few years has earned his degree inpolitical science at Rockefeller College,which is part of the SUNY system. Mygrandparents were from Italy, and Ithink it was amazing to them that alltheir grandchildren became collegegraduates.“We need to make sure SUNY stayshealthy and strong and competitive,because it is a channel for so manypeople to achieve so much.”Graffeo also put in a good word forthe Court of Appeals’ April session inBuffalo, and acknowledged the court’sinitiative to revise the rules of practicefor practitioners appearing before it.“We are trying to make those rules a lit-tle more understandable and reflectwhat you have to do when you aremaking an appeal,” she said.Honorable Erin M.Peradotto ’84Far left, left toright: ExecutiveDirector Ilene R.Fleischmann andHonorable Barbara Howe ’80Left: PresidentTerrance P. Flynn’88Dean Nils Olsenaddresses theluncheon crowd at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel inNew York City.Left to right: Denise E. O’Donnell ’82,William Flynn and Dennis C. Vacco ’78Honorable Victoria Graffeo, New York State Court of Appeals“We need tomake sure SUNYstays healthyand strong andcompetitive, because it is achannel for somany people toachieve somuch.” 

A Word from on High: Court of Appeals Judge Addresses NYC Alumni

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A Word from on High: Court of Appeals Judge Addresses NYC Alumni

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