News

Legal briefs.

Legal briefs.

David Pfalzgraf & Jamie Batt Discuss the Importance of Proactive Client Partnerships

David Pfalzgraf Jr. and Jamie Batt sit down with Patrick Connelly from Buffalo Law Journal and discuss proactive corporate client partnerships. When a company is profitable and employees and customers are happy, life is good and legal needs seem nonexistent. At his family business Franco’s Pizza, attorney Anthony Kroese finds himself telling his father, uncle and cousins… Read More

Why hiring a lawyer for a campus misconduct proceeding is a good idea.

There’s no question about it: Campus misconduct proceedings can impact a student’s life long after their college days are over. While hiring a lawyer is far from mandatory, it can give students—and just as importantly, their parents—confidence going into an unknown situation. Here are some reasons why it’s a good idea to enlist representation 1.… Read More

Understanding the impact of proposed Title IX rule changes on student rights.

When it comes to campus disciplinary action, students have long faced an uphill battle laden with unclear procedural rules. A late 2018 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Education seeks to right those wrongs by clarifying the duties of colleges and universities, while also expanding the rights of students under Title IX… Read More

BLJ Highlights Ben Burge as Emerging Attorney

Congratulations to Ben Burge as Buffalo Law Journal’s most recent Emerging Attorney. You can tell that Benjamin Burge is a fun-loving guy by one of his nicknames (he has several): BenJAMIN. But his serious side comes out in his work as associate attorney in the business law and litigation group of Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLC. “The work varies… Read More

Dan Sarzynski Presenting on Lien Law: Protect Your Right to Get Paid

Rupp Baase partner attorney, Dan Sarzynski, head of our Construction & Development practice group, will be presenting on Construction Lien Law: Protect Your Right to Get Paid at the Construction Exchange on March 20th 2019. Join Dan for a mechanic’s lien presentation that will cover: Overview of Mechanic’s Liens | Filing and Timing Requirements |Private… Read More

A lawyer who never took the LSAT

ABA Experiment of not requiring the LSAT helped Chad Davenport find his way to a legal career. Attorney Chad Davenport said it was 2015 when his post-college future came to a fork in the road. A new associate at Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLC, he focuses on litigation at the Buffalo firm. As a senior in college,… Read More

Innovation in Professional Growth

At Rupp Baase we love professional growth. Congratulations to Anne Bowling, Geff Gismondi and Cory Weber for starting the year off right by being promoted to Partner. We would also like to congratulate our new attorneys who were recently sworn in Shawn Byrns, Chad Davenport and Stephen Stachowski. The road to partner does not happen overnight. … Read More

Four Questions to Ask a Divorce Lawyer on the First Visit

Preparing for an initial consultation with a divorce attorney can seem a little intimidating. After months (or even years) of contemplation, it’s only natural, though there’s no need to stress. Really, when it comes right down to it, finding an attorney is less a knowledge-based quest, and more of an interpersonal one, where you discover… Read More

Jamie Batt & Anne Bowling Speak to BLJ on narrowing the gender gap

Jamie Bryant and Anne Bowling  spent time with Buffalo Law Journal’s Patrick Connelly discussing some of our firm’s women’s initiatives. With the #MeToo movement front and center and a recent report by the American Bar Association on bias, closing the gender gap in the legal profession has become a hot topic. To help bridge the… Read More

Dan Sarzynski to Speak on Residential Mortgage Foreclosures & Workouts

Dan Sarzynski to Speak on Residential Mortgage Foreclosures & Workouts Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham partner attorney, Dan Sarzynski will be the speaker for a  New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) CLE on Residential Mortgage Foreclosures & Workouts.  The event will be held on Tuesday, November 13th 2018 at Classics V on Niagara Falls Boulevard in… Read More

Elizabeth DiPirro Speaks to BLJ on Exclusive Possession of Marital Residence

Elizabeth DiPirro shares recent outcomes regarding Domestic Relations Law Sections 234 and possession of marital residence. Actions don’t always speak louder than words. Justice Richard A. Dollinger of the Monroe County Supreme Court granted a mother the right to live in the family home with the children, forcing the father to find different living arrangements,… Read More

16 Lawyers named to the 2018 Upstate New York Super Lawyers List

Congratulations to the following partners, who have been recognized by the 2018 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list.  Tony Rupp, (Commercial Litigation), Jeff Baase, (Products Liability), Tom Cunningham, (Insurance Defense), Marco Cercone, (Property Law), Beth DiPirro, (Matrimony & Family), Bill Kennedy, (Insurance Defense) and Josh Rubin (Insurance Defense). Super Lawyers, is a Thomson Reuters business… Read More

Dan Sarzynski discusses construction and development trends

Dan Sarzynski speaks to the Buffalo Law Journal on the legal and logistical trends that have emerged while construction and development continue to sore in Buffalo. As construction and development continue at a steady pace in Buffalo, several legal and logistical trends have emerged. For one thing, said Daniel Sarzynski of Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham LLP, the state… Read More

Chautauqua Lake Partnership and Rupp Baase proved the naysayers wrong

Rupp Baase Assists Municipalities in Completing Approval Process to Apply Herbicides to Chautauqua Lake On June 11, municipalities surrounding Chautauqua Lake applied herbicides to the lake for the first time in twenty-five years after months of dedicated efforts by the Chautauqua Lake Partnership (CLP) and the assistance of John Kolaga and Anne Bowling of Rupp… Read More

Jill Yonkers Serves as BAEC Panelist

Jill Yonkers Serves as BAEC Panelist Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham partner attorney, Jill Yonkers will serve as one of the panel moderators for the Bar Association of Erie County Municipal and School Law Committee’s CLE: School Safety in Western New York Legal Roles and Critical Responsibilities.  The continuous legal education program will be held from 9:00 a.m.-12:00… Read More

Dan Sarzynski Panelist for SAWNY on May 10th

Join Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham partner attorney, Dan Sarzynski, Bob Stark of CJS Architects, Steve Perrigo of Turner Construction and Sal Sciandra of Frey Electric for a panel discussion about the increasing use of design delegation in today’s construction industry. This panel discussion is hosted by the Subcontractors Association of Western New York (SAWNY).  Dan… Read More

Attention Employers: NYS Clarifies the Employee Weekly Contribution Rate for PFL

New York’s Paid Family Leave (“PFL”) program is one of the most comprehensive employee-benefit programs in the country, but its roll-out has prompted many questions from employers and required occasional clarification from regulators. One issue employers have struggled to fully grasp is the amount of the employee contribution rates to cover the costs of the… Read More

Can Emails Be Binding?

Can emails be binding? Join business law attorney, Phillip Oswald as he discusses the legal effects of today’s most common form of business communication. In today’s technological business world, communicating via email is a common everyday practice. Some people may send close to 100 emails every day, while others may even send well over 100… Read More

Jamie Batt and Matt Miller discuss trending fee structures

Partners Jamie Batt and Matt Miller sat down with Michael Canfield from the Buffalo Law Journal to discuss trends in legal fee structures for business litigation and corporate matters. While contingent and flat fees are nothing new in the legal world, there’s something else that’s taken hold for law firms and clients: payment structures.  “It’s something we have been open… Read More

Rupp Baase Recognized as 6th Largest

Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham Recognized by Buffalo Business First as 6th Largest Law Firm in Buffalo, New York.  In 2000, Rupp Baase Pfalzgraf Cunningham started as a boutique firm of 4 attorneys. Today we’re honored to be ranked 6th on the Buffalo Business First 2018 List of Largest Buffalo Law Firms. We are now a… Read More

Partners John Kolaga & Sean Costello counsel the NF Water Board

In a victory for residents of and visitors to Niagara Falls, New York State has announced plans to contribute $20.5 Million to fund the first phase of the improvements to the Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant.  Rupp Baase partners John Kolaga, a veteran environmental lawyer, and Sean Costello, who focuses his practice on municipal law, continue… Read More

Matt Miller on Paid Family Leave Act

Partner, Matt Miller, speaks with Business First reporter, Allissa Kline, about the different circumstances which employees are eligible for Paid Family Leave. Under what circumstances could employees apply for PFL? There are three categories: 1.  To bond with a child during the first 12 months after birth or placement. That includes cases of adoption or foster care.… Read More