Hodgson Russ Announces New Partners

Hodgson Russ LLP is pleased to announce the following attorneys have been elected to the law firm's partnership: Brad A. Birmingham (Buffalo, General/International Tax), Anita Coles Costello (Buffalo, Employee Benefits), Kevin K. Gluc (Buffalo, Estates & Trusts), Jason E. Markel (Buffalo, Business Litigation), James P. Milbrand (Buffalo; Torts, Insurance & Products Liability), Eric R. Paley (Buffalo, Employee Benefits), R. Kent Roberts (Buffalo, Intellectual Property & Technology), George L. Snyder (Buffalo, Intellectual Property & Technology), and Noreen DeWire Grimmick (Albany; Torts, Insurance & Products Liability). For detailed information on these and other attorneys, please visit www.hodgsonruss.com.

Brad A. Birmingham concentrates his practice in the areas of federal tax law and business law with a particular emphasis on counseling business entities and their principals on tax and business matters relating to organization, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint venture structuring. He received a B.S. with honors from Rochester Institute of Technology and a J.D. cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law.

Anita Coles Costello focuses her practice on employee benefits, qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, ERISA, tax, and stock and equity-based compensation programs. She received an A.B. with highest honors from The College of William and Mary, an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College, and a J.D. magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York.

Kevin K. Gluc concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and estate administration, with an emphasis on drafting wills and trusts to accommodate various client needs including estate tax planning, business succession planning, Canada-U.S. cross-border planning, and charitable planning. He received a B.A. cum laude from Miami (Ohio) University and a J.D. cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York.

Jason E. Markel concentrates his practice on general civil litigation including commercial disputes, products liability and OSHA consulting. A significant portion of his current practice is devoted to appellate advocacy. He received a B.S. from Cornell University College of Industrial and Labor Relations and a J.D. magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law.

James P. Milbrand's practice includes representation of businesses and professionals with respect to regulatory conformity, "whistle blower" litigation, enforcement of non-competition covenants, and various other matters involving civil and criminal investigations. He counsels corporations on a variety of product and general liability issues including adequacy of warnings and has been lead trial counsel on behalf of major corporations and insurance companies in premises and product liability actions. He received a B.A. from Allegheny College and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University.

Eric R. Paley regularly counsels companies on all matters of pension and welfare benefits as well as compensation issues. He is a co-author of Taxation of Distributions From Qualified Plans and has published articles on employee benefits in both New York and national publications. He earned a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law.

R. Kent Roberts concentrates his practice in intellectual property matters related to patents, trademarks, and copyrights. His practice includes counseling clients on protecting interests in electrical, software, and mechanical inventions. He received a B.S. cum laude in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, a J.D. from Cornell Law School, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering magna cum laude from the State University of New York.

George L. Snyder represents individual, corporate, and university clients. His practice includes counseling and opinions, preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications, intellectual property licensing, and due diligence investigations related to intellectual property. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a J.D. from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York. He has particular experience in the fields of optics and machine tools.

Noreen DeWire Grimmick concentrates her practice in employment law, professional licensing and discipline, insurance defense litigation, and railroad litigation. She is also a registered nurse, and she has been an adjunct faculty member at Siena College and SUNY Utica/Rome. She received an A.A.S. from Maria College, a B.A. magna cum laude from Siena College, an M.B.A. from Union University, and a J.D. from Albany Law School.

With approximately 200 attorneys practicing in all major areas of law, Hodgson Russ is the 205th largest law firm headquartered in the United States, as reported by the National Law Journal. It is one of approximately 100 firms in the country listed in America's Greatest Places to Work With a Law Degree. In addition, Hodgson Russ was recently named one of the country's most admired employers by American Employer Digest. The Firm, which was established in 1817 and is among the oldest law firms in the U.S., is the only law firm that can count two former U.S. presidents, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, among its alumni. The six offices of Hodgson Russ are located in Albany, Buffalo, Johnstown, and New York City, New York; Boca Raton, Florida; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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