2022 was an exciting year for Hurwitz Fine! We celebrated 45 years—our sapphire anniversary— with a new name and tagline, a new look and new practice areas. We continue to look toward the future with the evolution of our name and visual identity and provide innovative solutions to our clients. We are so proud of what we have accomplished thanks to our attorneys, staff, colleagues and clients!
As a firm, Hurwitz Fine ranked as a Tier One Law Firm in eight practice areas by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® and as the eighth largest law firm in Buffalo for the third year in a row. 35 attorneys were named to the Upstate New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists and 22 Hurwitz Fine attorneys were recognized by Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™.
In the community, Anastasia McCarthy was elected as President of the WNY Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. Jody Briandi was appointed to the Amherst Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors. Mike Perley organized the eighth annual James Otis Lecture to educate Buffalo students on the significance of Unexampled Courage and how it affects our world today.
It was a year of important awards for individual attorneys at the firm also. Dan Kohane was awarded the FDCC Lifetime Achievement Award and the UB School of Law’s Ken Joyce Excellence in Teaching Award, Patty Rauh was named the ECBA Volunteer Lawyers Project’s Rising Champion for Justice, Jody Briandi ranked #43 on Business First’s Power 200 Women List, Andrea Schillaci was named a 2022 Woman of Influence, Ann Evanko received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Daily Record, Max Radley received pro bono recognition by the United States District Court in the Northern District of New York, and Jody Briandi was honored as a C-Level executive and Litigation – Insurance “Lawyer of the Year.”
We also welcomed several new attorneys and staff members. Our Medical Malpractice & Nursing Home Litigation team expanded with the additions of Liz Midgley, Steve Sorrels, Beth Adymy and Jon Schutrum. Max Radley joined our corporate team. Mark Nemeth joined our asbestos/toxic tort/environmental law practice group. Rob Caggiano joined our litigation team. We also welcomed four summer law clerks. In Melville, Tom Narducci and Rob Louttit joined the team. Brian Barnas, Anastasia McCarthy and Brian Webb advanced from associates to members. Kathi Kotas and Jen Morgan were promoted to Lead Appellate Paralegal and Lead Litigation Paralegal.
We continued to make diversity a strategic priority at the firm. Halfway through our 18-month Midsize Mansfield Certification process, Hurwitz Fine continued to expand its diversity footprint, expanding its Women’s Forum, partnering with WBASNY on several events and hosting firmwide diversity trainings. Jody Briandi was once again featured on Business First’s Diversity & Inclusion Panel of Experts, speaking on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. She also spoke on the Table of Experts “Women in Law” panel, where she discussed the unique challenges women lawyers face, how they’re working to overcome them and how things look today. For our efforts this year, Hurwitz Fine was selected by The Daily Record and Rochester Business Journal as the 2022 Legal Excellence honoree for Law Firm Diversity.
Our Safety & Wellness and Diversity & Inclusion committees held several drives throughout the year, donating school supplies to KidsPeace, household and personal hygiene items to Haven House for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and adopted two families for the holidays through WNY Heroes.
Our attorneys continued as thought leaders, speaking at conferences across the country, including DRI, FDCC, PLRB and hosting several client trainings. They authored articles and were quoted in Law360, Business First, NYIA’s Your NY Connection, the American Bar Association’s The Brief and New York State Bar Association’s Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law Section Journal.
Cheers to 2023!
