BUFFALO, N.Y. — John J. Christopher, a partner in Hodgson Russ LLP's Labor & Employment and Education Practice Groups, was recently elected to the advisory board of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County's Emerging Leaders Society.

The Emerging Leaders Society provides educational and networking opportunities for leadership donors under 45, including management seminars, board leadership training, and other workshops and events.

Mr. Christopher concentrates his practice in public and private sector labor law and defense of employment discrimination claims. He has defended employers against a full range of employment matters before state and federal agencies and in the courts.

With more than 225 attorneys practicing in all major areas of law, Hodgson Russ is among the 200 largest law firms headquartered in the United States. It is one of approximately 100 firms in the country listed in America's Greatest Places to Work With a Law Degree. In June 2005, Hodgson Russ received the Carol S. Knox Family-Friendly Employer Award from the Capital District Women's Bar Association. The firm, which was established in 1817 and is among the oldest law firms in the United States, is the only law firm that can count two former U.S. presidents, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, among its alumni. Hodgson Russ has offices in Albany, Buffalo, Johnstown, and New York, New York; Boca Raton, Florida; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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