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

Hodgson Russ LLP further cemented its position as a leader in the field of representing school districts with the hiring of two prominent education attorneys last week.

Bernard "Bernie" and Andrew Freedman joined Hodgson after spending the past 16 months as members of the Syracuse-based law firm of Ferrara Fiorenza Larrison Barrett & Reitz PC.

The father-and-son legal team, had joined the Ferrara firm in 2009 after they were the only remaining partners in the Norton Radin Hoover Freedman law firm.

Their latest move, on the heels of their last, came down to a great opportunity and the right fit, according to both men.

"What I think we were joining for with the Syracuse firm was a little bit more personal connection time with the attorneys," Andrew said. "We were looking for depth of practice where I could take an issue to another colleague and be able to collaboratively come up with a solution." With the distance between the Syracuse offices of Ferrarra, and the local office where the Freedmans worked, that collaboration proved elusive.

"We were also looking to expand and represent other school districts and we thought the merger would lead to other school districts wanting to hire us," Bernie says, "and that didn't happen really so we had to think in other directions."

That direction led the Freedmans to Hodgson Russ, where they brought the 10 districts they represent and merged them with Hodgson's educational practice group, Hodgson partner Karl Kristoff, who heads the education law practice group, says the firm represents approximately 80 school districts.

"These gentlemen bring an entirely new dimension to our education law practice and as a result, our strength has increased exponentially," Kristoff says of the Freedmans. "We had actually spoken to Bernie and Andrew in the past about this move but the timing never seemed to be right. This time, the stars just seemed to align."

The Freedmans see joining Hodgson as an opportunity to follow through with the initial plan to expand their practice. It gives them the ability to work with an array of colleagues who have expertise in a wide range of issues that would help strengthen their core business.

"The depth that we are now able to bring to our clients was something we just couldn't resist," Andrew said.

Though the Freedmans are excited about the latest chapter in their collective legal career, Bernie says closing down his office in Kenmore has been difficult.

"I was there for over 30 years at that office and that office is for all intents and purposes, closed," Bernie says. "That office opened in 1926 and to close it was tough, but it happens, especially in these tough economic times."

Emotions aside, Andrew Freedman says their existing clients have been very receptive to the move and none have shown any concern over the attorneys setting up shop under their third firm name in the last year and a half.

"Our existing clients made it through the Ferrarra transition and then stayed with us to the Hodgson transition," Andrew says. "We've had many of them for a long time and they tend to be with us because they like our personality and our style."

Asked whether it is a difficult transition to go from being their own bosses, to now being members of the largest firm in the city, both Bernie and Andrew said it wasn't.Any transitional period, they said, was largely ironed out during the move to the Syracuse firm and they are hitting the ground running with Hodgson.

"The idea here is total immersion," Andrew says. "Our clients have expected and do like to work with us, so that will continue to happen, but there will be no real lines between the districts we brought with us and the districts Hodgson had."

Asked what some of the key issues are that school districts are facing today, the Freedmans say money is certainly a top priority, with districts having to watch every penny, including those spent on legal counsel.

"Parents, especially in the more affluent school districts, they want what they want for their kids and you can't blame them, because their kids are the future," Bernie says. "But it takes a lot of money to get it, and it is tough."

Andrew says another hot-button issue the districts are facing is an increase in performance mandates from the state.

"One thing that has really been important to educators across the state is something called APPR, the annual professional performance review," he says. "It is going to change the way teachers and principals are evaluated."

Freedman says there is some confusion and frustration among educators because people remain unsure of exactly what the criteria for evaluating is going to be.

"We just had the regulations come out probably four or five weeks ago that set down the criteria for how the system is supposed to be implemented by July 1," he says, "and lo and behold, just a week ago, the state decided to redo the criteria and change the formula for the assessment."

Though it may be frustrating for teachers and school district officials, for the two newest attorneys in Hodgson Russ' education law practice, it is job security.

"We may be with a new firm, but our goals are the same as they always have been," Andrew says. "We want to help our clients the best that we can, and at the same time, grow our practice."