The Western New York chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York will launch its Women in the Law seminar series this week. Negotiating Your Way to the Top: Effective Negotiation Skills for Women will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Buffalo Convention Center.

Speakers are Wendy Irving of the University at Buffalo, Sheri Mooney of Damon & Morey LLP, Amy Remmele of Peak of Success and Ginger Schröder of Schröder Joseph & Associates LLP. The cost is $10 members and $20 for others, and lunch will be served. For more information, contact Molly Mallia at mmallia@damonmorey.com or 858-3784.

The chapter, in cooperation with the Bar Association of Niagara County, will present a continuing legal education seminar on practice and procedure before the Court of Claims and Department of Social Services. That will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Lockport Town & Country Club, 717 East Ave., Lockport.

Additionally, WBASNY is seeking mentors for its 8 Minute Mentoring event for UB Law students, to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at UB Law. Mentors are needed in the areas of the courts, in-house and corporate counsel, matrimonial/family law, criminal law, solo and small-firm general practice, business/nonprofit, higher education and nontraditional legal careers. For more information, contact Amanda Warner at awarner@wnylc.com or 847-0662.

Sconiers chairs cardio-vascular health effort

Hon. Rose Sconiers, a New York State Supreme Court justice, has been named chairwoman of the Pillars of Change Advisory Committee for the Buffalo/Niagara chapter of the American Heart Association.

Also known as the Cultural Health Advisory Team, Pillars of Change is a volunteer group that supports efforts to reach disparate communities with information and programming concerning cardiovascular disease and stroke. The Power to End Stroke campaign, which addresses the high risk of stroke among African-Americans, is the program's primary outreach effort.

Freedman named to Grover Hall of Fame

Maryann Saccomando Freedman, of counsel to Cohen & Lombardo PC, has been inducted to the Grover Cleveland High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. A 1952 graduate of the Buffalo public school, Freedman was one of 10 distinguished alumni inducted recently.

She was the first woman president of the Erie County and New York State bar associations, and of the New York Bar Foundation. She is a member of the State Bar's House of Delegates.

Freedman has served boards for organizations including the Better Business Bureau, Zonta Club of Buffalo, YMCA, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Stabilization Committee, Organization of Italian-American Women and Erie County Citizens Committee against Rape and Sexual Assault. She chaired the United Way Task Force on Delivery of Legal Services to the Poor and was a framer of the City of Buffalo's Code of Ethics.

Family Justice Center honors advocates

Carmen Gallardo, court advocate and case manager for Hispanics United of Buffalo, will be awarded the Family Justice Center of Erie County Inc.'s 2008 Susan Still Award, and Darleen Pickering Hummert and the Theatre for Change will receive The Buffalo News Founders Award.

The awards will be presented from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Babeville, 341 Delaware Ave. The event, A New Start, will include an art auction to benefit victims of domestic violence.

Gallardo is a domestic-violence survivor who has gone on to assist other victims. Theatre for Change, under Hummert's direction, has provided area residents opportunities to learn about family violence, community violence and social issues through dramatic presentations.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at www.anewstartbuffalo.com or by calling 558-5281.

Canisius College, JA honor O'Neil-White

Alphonso O'Neil-White, HealthNow president and CEO, received the Business Executive of the Year Award at the 40th annual Canisius College Business Awards Dinner Oct. 14. He will also be honored at Junior Achievement of Western New York Inc.'s annual Business Leadership Hall of Fame Awards Dinner Oct. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

A lawyer, he serves on the boards of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, BlueCross BlueShield Association, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Buffalo State College Council. He is chair of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Buffalo branch.

Colligan honored by Re-Tree WNY

Lawyer David Colligan was honored at Re-Tree WNY's Green 4 Re-Tree WNY party at The First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo Saturday.

Colligan is a partner in the Watson Bennett Colligan Johnson & Schechter law firm, and chair of the Buffalo Olmsted Conservancy. He was recognized for his efforts, as first co-chairman of Re-Tree, to replace trees that were damaged or destroyed in the "October surprise" snowstorm in 2006.

Jaeckle's Battaglia to speak on tax law

Paul Battaglia will present the seminar Accounting, Legal & Tax Basics for Nonprofits at a half-day New York State Society of CPAs program Oct. 29.

The program, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon, will be held at the Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave, Cheektowaga. For more information, call 843-5178.

Battaglia is a partner in the tax and estates-and-trusts practice groups at Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP, and an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo Law School.

- Compiled by Jodi Sokolowski