Four UB alumni have been named by Black Enterprise Magazine as some of the top 100 black lawyers in the country.
Michael Battle, Brent Wilson, Michael Banks, and Vincent Dunn all received awards.
Carolyn Brown, editor at large of Black Enterprise, said a majority of the lawyers selected are partners in the nation's top law firms. Rounding off the list are several executive directors and heads of organizations like the NAACP and the Legal and Federal Defense Fund.
"The list was broken down into certain sectors because there are over fifty types of practices," Brown said. "But for this article we only looked at fifteen, for example civil rights, patent, criminal law and liability (law)."
According to Brown, the lawyers were nominated and selected based on peer recommendations.
"We spoke to leading law school professors, prominent attorneys, and leading organizations such as the American Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Minority Corporate Counsel," Brown said.
With such a diverse list of lawyers, it is only fitting that the four UB alumni chosen have diverse backgrounds.
Originally from the Bronx, Michael Battle attended Ithaca College and then went on to UB law school, graduating in 1981.
"After I graduated from Buffalo I worked in New York City for four years and then came back here in 1985," Battle said. "I have been here ever since."
Battle, who was appointed by President Bush to be the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, is one of just 93 such attorneys around the country who head their regional Department of Justice offices.
"President Bush goes by the recommendation of the Senate," said Battle. "There is an application process and we get a certificate signed by the President and the Attorney General."
Battle's office was directly involved with the prosecution of the Lackawanna Six, a group of Lackawanna residents who were convicted of attending an al-Qaeda training camp.
Brent Wilson was born in New Orleans, La., and attended Morehouse College in Georgia. Wilson began law school in Atlanta, but transferred as a second year student to UB, where he graduated in 1976.
"My wife got a job in Rochester so it made sense for me to move and go to law school at UB," said Wilson.
He then went on to become an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board at a regional office in Atlanta as a sealed attorney.
"I went into private practice in 1980 with Elerbee, Clark, and Paul," Wilson said. "Later we became Elerbee, Thompson, Sapp, and Wilson. I confine my practice to management representation, and employment discrimination matters."
According to Wilson, his selection by Black Enterprise was a pleasant surprise. Prior to the publishing of the list, Wilson had no knowledge that he was being considered for it.
The third UB alumnus selected, Michael Banks from Freeport, N.Y., graduated from the School of Law in 1989 and is currently an attorney for mergers and acquisitions at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.
Vincent Dunn from Rockville, N.Y., is currently a partner with Chadbourne & Park in New York City. A graduate from UB law school in 1986, Dunn was recognized in Black Enterprise for his expertise in banking and financial services.
