Eight Hodgson Russ Attorneys Newly Admitted to New York State Bar

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Eight Hodgson Russ LLP attorneys were recently admitted to the New York State Bar. They are Jeffrey D. Batt (Insurance & Reinsurance), Alfonzo I. Cutaia (Intellectual Property & Technology), Michelle A. Daubert (Real Estate & Finance), John M. Godwin (Labor & Employment), Joshua K. Lawrence (State & Local Tax), Sarah Liefke (Health Law), and Paul J. Roman (Intellectual Property & Technology). All ten practice out of the firm’s Buffalo office.

Jeffrey Batt concentrates his practice in insurance coverage litigation. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, with a focus on international and human rights law, and his B.A. from Hamilton College.

Alfonzo Cutaia practices primarily in intellectual property law, including patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, and technology transfer. Prior to earning his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, Mr. Cutaia worked for Electronic Data Systems in technical and managerial roles. He earned his B.S. in electrical engineering from Kettering University (formerly GMI) and is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Michelle Daubert practices primarily in commercial real estate and finance. She received her J.D., cum laude, from University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, and her B.S. from Cornell University. She is also admitted to practice in New Jersey.

John Godwin concentrates his practice in labor relations, general employment, employment discrimination, and education law. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, and his B.A., summa cum laude, from University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Joshua Lawrence concentrates his practice in tax law, with a focus on New York State, New York City, and multi-state tax issues. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, and his B.A. from Skidmore College. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Lawrence was a senior writer at a Long Island, New York newspaper and wrote for several New York City-based publications.

Sarah Liefke focuses her practice on health and hospital law and FDA law. Prior to joining Hodgson Russ, Ms. Liefke worked for the Wisconsin Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She is also admitted to practice in Wisconsin and received her J.D. from University of Wisconsin and her B.B.A. from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Paul Roman focuses his practice on patent law and technology transactions. Prior to becoming an attorney, Dr. Roman worked as a researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and as a chemist/process engineer for an international manufacturer of specialty chemicals and materials. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from University at Buffalo. He is the inventor of eight granted United States patents.

Hodgson Russ attorneys facilitate transactions around the world and in every substantive area of law, generally structuring multidisciplinary work teams to serve the specific, often complex, needs of our clients. We serve publicly traded and privately held businesses, ranging from multinational Fortune 500 companies and mature service and industrial companies to emerging start-ups and small family businesses; governmental entities; nonprofit institutions; and individuals. Hodgson Russ has offices in New York City, Albany, Buffalo, and Johnstown, New York; Boca Raton and Palm Beach, Florida; and Toronto, Ontario.