The release of Business First’s 2010 law-firm rankings - an annual barometer of how the Western New York legal community is stacking up - is out.

Local attorneys say while it has been anything but business as usual over the last 12 months, there are signs that things are looking up - or that the sky was never falling as some people forecast.

Nine of 10 firms retained their position in the top tier of the list, with only Harris Beach PLLC dropping from the top 10. Moving into the top 10 for the first time - from No. 13 to 9 - was HoganWillig, which saw double-digit growth within its attorney ranks with its relocation to a new building that owner Corey Hogan said nearly doubled the firm’s space.

“We felt, from our perspective, that we wanted to get to a certain size so we could be effective in providing all of the services our clients want,” he said. “We also realize those needs are changing, and we want to be able to help our clients avoid problems rather than solving their problems once they are there.”

Hogan says business has been up at the firm. The business is out there, he says, and when times are tough, clients look for a firm that can add extra value through their services.

“We have seen some added buzz since the move,” said Managing Partner Diane Tiveron. “But also, it has allowed us to reconnect with some of our clients that we haven’t seen in a while, invite them in, and show them around a building we are very proud of.”

Other mainstays on the law list credit their ability to weather the economic storm on adjusting the size of underworked practice groups, cutting back on operational costs and capitalizing on growth areas typically seen during a down economic period.

See the full article in the Buffalo Law Journal

Tags: buffalo, law firm, Top 10

Diane R.Tiveron will be presenting.

Date: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Registration: 8:00 a.m.
Presentations: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Lunch: (on your own) 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.Location:
Marriott Rochester Airport
1890 West Ridge Road
Rochester, NY 14615

For more information visit Sterling Education Services Inc.

Tags: Event, Landlord, Law, presentation, Tenant

HoganWillig has been named as a finalist for this year’s Best Places to Work in the Western New York area. On March 26, 2010, Business First will publish a special section featuring the Best Places to Work.

Tags: Best places to work, western new york

After nearly two decades at One John James Audubon Parkway in Amherst, we have relocated our main office to 2410 North Forest Road (just across the intersection from our current location). We are excited to serve as the anchor tenant in this 80,000 square foot Class A, LEED registered office building.

With over 100 employees, including 39 attorneys, this move has provided us with the necessary space for our continued expansion. While the amount of space we are occupying must increase as we grow in number, we are also trying to reduce our carbon footprint through the many advantages provided by a “green” building. We are also using advanced computer and communication technologies to enhance efficiency and to keep pace with the rapidly changing business environment.

Our new office building also features industry-leading indoor air quality through the use of an under floor air distribution system. 

Most importantly, we look forward to better serving our clients in a better equipped, more spacious environment. We invite you to stop by for a visit if you are in our neighborhood.

Recent publications regarding 2410 North Forest Road

• The Eco-friendly Firm, Buffalo Law Journal, September 10, 2009
• Businesses Save Green by Going Green, Amherst Bee, August 19, 2009
• Developing with Aplomb, Design, Develop, Construct Journal, Summer 2009
• Iskalo Goes For The Green, The Buffalo News, June 1, 2009

Space is available!  Let the experienced professionals at Iskalo show you the positive impact new office space can have on your team’s productivity and your bottom line.  For more information please contact Eric Eisenried, Iskalo’s Director of leasing at 716-633-2096, or at emeisenried@iskalo.com.

Visit our website at www.hoganwillig.com

Tags: firm news, LEED Registered Office Building, moving notice

HoganWillig is pleased to welcome Thomas R. Cassano as Executive Counsel to our firm’s Matrimonial and Family Law Department. Mr. Cassano has limited his practice almost exclusively in the area of matrimonial and family law for more than thirty years. He was recently appointed to the New York State Matrimonial Law Advisory Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. Since 1981, Mr. Cassano has been a Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a former Vice President of the organization’s New York Chapter. He has also been named as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in the area of family law every year since 1993.

Tags: Executive Counsel, Matrimonial and Family Law Department, Thomas R. Cassano

From www.buffalolawjournal.com

By MATT CHANDLER
Buffalo Law Journal

Though “going green” was once seen as a niche concept reserved for a small segment of the business population, area law firms are seeing the value in adopting green policies.

One Amherst firm has taken green to the extreme, constructing an 80,000-square-foot new building that, when completed in December, will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. HoganWillig PLLC is constructing the facility across from its current location on John James Audobon Parkway in Amherst, under the direction of Iskalo Development Corp. President and CEO Paul Iskalo.

“When we started working with HoganWillig, the desire was for us to research and find out what productivity-enhancing features we could incorporate into the building,” Iskalo said. Highlighting those features: an under-floor heating and cooling system that, in addition to producing healthier air to breathe, is green.

“By introducing the air under the floor and through natural convection, it allows the air to rise up and then be exhausted at the ceiling,” he explained. “This requires less energy to heat and cool the space because we aren’t forcing air in.”

The building is also being fitted with low-flow fixtures that are expected to be 22 percent more efficient than those commonly installed in office buildings. Thanks to a design that will allow every person working in the building to have a view of the outside, natural lighting will reduce energy waste as well.

“We are using ambient light sensors in the lighting so when you have a nice bright day outside, the lighting in the building is dimmed so you are using less energy and relying more on the natural light,” Iskalo said.

The HoganWillig building is reaping green benefits before it is even occupied, with a construction plan that has reduced landfill waste by recycling construction materials and reducing environmental impacts by using a minimum of 20 percent of constuction materials from regional sources.

The whole article:

http://www.lawjournalbuffalo.com/news/article/current/2009/09/10/100956/the-eco-friendly-firm

Tags: attorneys, buffalo, eco-friendly, green firm, hogan willig, law firm

August 1st - 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. Read on…

HoganWillig’s new building (and its interior office space) will be one of the first commercial LEED certified office buildings in Western New York. “LEED “stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The design and construction of the building will be rated in seven different categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation in Design, and Regional Priority. These categories award points (and therefore encouragement) for doing things like Read on…

Tags: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED

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.

Tags: aviation accident attorney, aviation accident settlement, personal injury law firm

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!

Tags: Buffalo's Smartest Company, Cradle Beach Camp