By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

The University at Buffalo Law School earned the No. 1 ranking in Thomas Reuter's 2010 Super Lawyers list of law graduates practicing in Upstate New York.

The rankings examine 54 of the 62 counties in New York state.

Selection for Super Lawyers is determined by 12 indicators of professional achievement and, according to Reuter's, it is intended to "create a credible comprehensive and diverse listing of the top 5 percent of the lawyers in each state."

In announcing the rankings, UB Law School Dean Makau Mutua said the honor is "a testament to their (the UB graduates) talents and outstanding work."

He said he is proud of the program that UB offers law students and credited the curriculum, in part, for the school earning the top spot.

"This ranking reflects how our current legal skills curriculum, which is a cornerstone of our law school, prepares our students for their careers," Mutua said.

The ranking is a much-needed boost for UB Law School, which fell from the top 100 U.S. law schools in the current ranking by U.S. News and World Report, released earlier this year. At the time, Mutua called the news "dismaying and shocking,"

Dring a sit-down with The Buffalo Law Journal in April, Mutua said one of his goals was to raise awareness of the good things happening at the law school, adding that reputation played a role in the various ranking systems.

Ann Evanko, meanwhile, is president of Hurwitz & Fine PC and a 1979 graduate of UB Law.

"We have long-known that UB is a training ground for attorneys that are well-trained, well-rounded and committed to high standards of excellence," Evanko said. "As a firm, we look for those kinds of traits when we hire."

In fact, more than two-thirds of the attorneys at Hurwitz & Fine are graduates of the University at Buffalo Law School, she added.

"We also have lawyers at our firm who teach at the law school," she said. "There is a real fondness there and an understanding that the school provides fertile ground for grooming top-notch lawyers. And I think it speaks well to the relationship between the alumni and the law school."

Ken Africano is a partner in the Buffalo office of Harter Secrest & Emery LLP. In addition to being named a 2010 Super Lawyer, like Evanko, he is a graduate of UB Law School (class of 1985) and a current member of the alumni board.

As for his Super Lawyers honor, it's "nice to be recognized" as an individual attorney, he said. And as far as the university's ranking, he "wasn't surprised at all" to see UB Law named No. 1.

"I think the quality of both the faculty and the student body continues to remain incredibly high," Africano said. "People who are active in the law school know it is a top-tier law school and sometimes you have to play to those U.S. News and World Report criteria to get those rankings. But we all know it is a top school, and I think Super Lawyers helps validate that."