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Hodgson Russ Attorneys Elected to Board of University at Buffalo Foundation

December 6, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lisa Kane
716.848.1335
lkane@hodsgonruss.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Three Hodgson Russ LLP attorneys are now on the board of directors of the University at Buffalo Foundation. Denise E. O'Donnell, Esq., a partner in the Business Litigation Practice Group, was newly elected to the board. Richard E. Heath, Esq., a partner in the General/International Tax Practice Group, was voted to continue as secretary; Mr. Heath previously served as chairman of the foundation's board. Dianne Bennett, Esq., of counsel in the Employee Benefits Practice Group, was elected non-voting director of the foundation.

The University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 1962 by the Regents of the State of New York as a nonprofit educational corporation. Its mission is to support and promote the activities and programs of the University at Buffalo by providing advice and counsel regarding philanthropy and fund raising, managing gifts and grants, providing financial services, developing and managing real property, and providing a strong base of private-sector support for the university through the foundation's trustees and directors.

A member of Hodgson Russ's Antitrust, Business Litigation, Government Relations, and Health Law Practice Groups, Ms. O'Donnell's areas of practice include government regulatory investigations and white-collar crime. She served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York and as a vice-chair of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee. Ms. O'Donnell received a B.S. from Canisius College, an M.S.W. from SUNY at Buffalo School of Social Work, and a J.D. summa cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York.

Richard E. Heath is a member of Hodgson Russ's Corporate & Securities, Estates & Trusts, State & Local Tax, and General / International Tax Practice Groups. His areas of practice include taxation, corporate, and estate planning law. Mr. Heath has extensive experience structuring personal estate and business succession plans for owners of substantial privately held businesses and business interests and structuring the sale and purchase of businesses. Mr. Heath received a B.A. cum laude from Swarthmore College and an LL.B. cum laude from Harvard University. Mr. Heath is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

A member of Hodgson Russ's Employee Benefits, General/International Tax, and Government Relations and International/Cross-Border Practice Groups, Dianne Bennett has an extensive employee benefits and international practice including corporate and individual taxation (both domestic and international) and cross-border tax planning. Ms. Bennett received a B.A. with distinction from Stanford University, M.A.s from Stanford University and the University of Illinois, and a J.D. summa cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School, State University of New York. Ms. Bennett is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

With approximately 200 attorneys practicing in all major areas of law, Hodgson Russ is the 205th largest law firm headquartered in the United States, as reported by the National Law Journal. It is one of approximately 100 firms in the country listed in America's Greatest Places to Work with a Law Degree. In addition, Hodgson Russ was named one of the country's most admired employers for 2003 by American Employer Digest. The Firm, which was established in 1817 and is among the oldest law firms in the U.S., is the only law firm that can count two former U.S. presidents, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, among its alumni. The eight offices of Hodgson Russ are located in Albany, Buffalo, JFK International Airport, Johnstown, and New York City, New York; Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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