Buffalo-based law firm Wilder & Linne-ball LLP has opened a capital office at 90 State St., Suite 1009, Albany, NY 12207.

The firm will initially staff the office with its Buffalo lawyers, but plans to hire attorneys and staff from the Albany area.

"The opening of our Albany office is in direct response to the needs of our many clients all along the Hudson River," said Laura Linneball, managing partner. "After litigation of many cases from the capital region to Long Island, the Albany office is the first next step in the natural progression of our statewide legal practice."

1The 8-year-old firm handles complex litigation including administrative proceedings, construction and commercial disputes, employment-related and EEOC issues, ERISA, insurance-coverage issues, personal injury, property damage, products-liability cases and real estate matters.

French to head Baldy Center at UB Law

University at Buffalo Law Professor Rebecca French will become director of the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy Aug. 16. She succeeds Lynn Mather, a UB law and political science professor who'd headed the Baldy Center since 2002.

An expert in law and anthropology, French has done research on the Tibetan legal system and was instrumental in bringing the Dalai Lama, the exiled Buddhist leader of Tibet, to UB in 2006.

The Baldy Center supports the interdisciplinary study of law and social institutions.

French joined UB Law from the University of Colorado School of Law, where she conducted research for the book "The Golden Yoke: The Legal Cosmology of Buddhist Tibet." She holds a master of laws degree and a doctorate in anthropology from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Washington Law School.

Governor to hire assistant counsel

The New York State Governor's Office is seeking applications for the position of assistant counsel to Gov. David Paterson.

The governor's counsel's office provides legal advice to the governor and executive chamber staff, drafts and negotiates bills, aids in the implementation of policy agency initiatives, oversees significant litigation, and provides advice on bills presented for approval.

Candidates must b2Oppenheimer named to ADR neutrals roster

Randolph Oppenheimer has been appointed to the 8th Judicial District's Roster of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Neutrals by the New York State Office of Court Administration. He is an approved commercial-litigation mediator.

He served on state Supreme Court Hon. Joseph Makowski's panel after completing specialized training for commercial litigators in 2001.

Oppenheimer is special counsel to Damon & Morey LLP, where his practice focuses on labor and employment, commercial litigation and intellectual property.

- Compiled by Jodi Sokolowski