Meet Your Newly Elected Officers & Directors for the 2026-2027 Bar Association of Erie County Board of Directors
We are pleased to announce that the following candidates have been elected by the membership for the 2026-2027 Bar Association of Erie County Board of Directors and Nominating Committee.
The Association is incredibly grateful to all the outstanding candidates who ran in this year’s election.
VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT-ELECT
Robert C. Brucato, Jr.
Senior Appellate Counsel, Counsel Press – a Proceed Service
Robert C. Brucato, Jr. has been a Senior Appellate Counsel at Proceed, formerly Counsel Press, since 1992. Rob started Counsel Press’s office in Buffalo and has grown the business over 34 years to be the dominant appellate service in WNY. He has expanded their business through networking and relationships that he has built with attorneys throughout the area and throughout upstate New York. Prior to his time at Proceed/Counsel Press, Rob worked for the United States Small Business Administration and with the small firm of Maghran, McCarthy and Flynn.
Rob was born in Woodmere, NY and moved to Buffalo in 1983, to attend college at the University at Buffalo School of Law, graduating in 1990. Rob was admitted to practice in New York State in 1991 and was also admitted to practice in the Western District of New York. He has been married for 31 years and lives in Williamsville.
Rob has been a member of the bar since 1991 and was a Director of the Bar Association from 2019 through 2022. He has served as Vice Chair of the Appellate Practice Committee since 2022 and is the current chair of the Membership Committee. He served as President of the University at Buffalo School of Law Alumni Association from 2024-2025 and has served on that board from 2019 through 2026. He is also presently serving on the University at Buffalo Alumni Board.
Rob is also a longtime member of WNY-WBASNY. Earlier in his career, Rob also served on the Assigned Counsel Program and handled cases for the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
DEPUTY TREASURER, TREASURER-ELECT
Elise L. Cassar
Partner, Duke Holzman Photiadis & Ritter LLP
As a partner at Duke Holzman Photiadis & Ritter, LLP Elise handles a variety of civil litigation matters, including construction matters, employment disputes, business litigation and personal injury cases.
She is a Past President of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, Western New York Chapter. Elise currently serves on the board of the Bar Association of Erie County, the University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association, and Neighborhood Legal Services.
Outside of the legal profession, Elise enjoys travel, running, gardening and spending as much time as possible with family. She lives in Orchard Park with her husband, John, son, William and daughter, Gwendolyn.
DIRECTORS
Stephanie J. Calhoun
Deputy Assistant Attorney General in Charge, New York State Attorney General’s Office
Stephanie Joy Calhoun currently serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General In Charge of the Buffalo Regional Office at the New York State Attorney General’s Office and is assigned to the State Counsel Division. Her practice focuses on litigation in state and federal court, where she defends state agencies in civil matters. In her role as Deputy, Stephanie also coordinates and delivers presentations at community-based and regional events, providing information on a wide range of affirmative justice initiatives, consumer protection matters, and other topical issues. In this capacity, she works closely with her Office’s intergovernmental affairs and serves as a liaison between the Attorney General’s Office and nonprofit, grassroots, community-based, and issue-focused organizations to support collaborative partnerships and outreach efforts.
Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Stephanie worked as in-house counsel for the Buffalo Public Schools, practicing in all areas of education law, including labor and employment matters, discrimination, and harassment claims. She also previously served as a Manager of the Equal Employment Opportunity Department at the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, where she investigated employee discrimination matters and assisted with compliance with state and federal minority and women owned business law requirements.
Stephanie has taught as an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law for the past thirteen years, where she teaches New York Administrative Law. She is deeply committed to public service and legal education and currently serves on her office’s Diversity Committee, including the Procurement Subcommittee.
An active leader in the legal community, Stephanie has served for over a decade as Chair of the Bar Association of Erie County’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is currently Co-Chair of the Association’s Wellness Committee. She is a past President and Secretary of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York and has chaired numerous committees within the organization. She has also served on the Minority Bar Foundation Board and co-chaired its Education Committee.
Stephanie currently sits on the Board of Directors of the University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association, where she served as chair of the Social Justice and Racial Equity Committee and is currently Co-Chair of the Annual Dinner Committee. She is a strong advocate for mentorship and pipeline development and has participated in the UB Law Mentoring Program and the Medaille College’s TRIO Alumni Mentoring Program, mentored law students, and provided guidance to attorneys she supervises. Her additional leadership roles include service as Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s General Practice Executive Committee (Fourth Department) and as a former Director of the SUNY Buffalo Law Alumni Association’s GOLD Group.
Aalok Karambelkar
Partner, Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLP
Aalok is a Partner at Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak, LLP (KSLN) and a member of the firm’s Insurance Defense and Labor Law Groups. Since joining the firm as an associate in 2014, he has built a practice focused on defending motor vehicle accident, premises liability, construction accident claims and first party insurance claims. Aalok handles all phases of litigation, from initial case evaluation through trial, and is a valued member of the firm’s trial defense team. In addition to New York State, Aalok is admitted to practice in the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York. He was elected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2018 to 2024.
Prior to returning to Western New York, Aalok began his legal career in Brooklyn, where he represented plaintiffs in personal injury and civil rights cases at a boutique law firm. In that role, he gained extensive experience litigating in both state and federal courts, providing him with a well-rounded perspective that informs his defense practice today.
Aalok is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, and his family moved to Westchester County as he was entering high school. After high school, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Rochester. After college, he lived, worked and studied for the LSAT in New York City for a year before attending UB Law School, where he served in leadership roles on the Student Bar Association, Frederick Douglass Moot Court Board and Buffalo Environmental Law Journal.
Aalok currently also serves as General Counsel to the Insurance Club of Buffalo and as a Board Member for the ECBA Volunteer Lawyers Project. Other professional associations include the Defense Trial Lawyers Association of WNY, WNY Trial Lawyers Association, and Buffalo Claims Association.
Outside of his legal practice, Aalok enjoys cooking and discovering new restaurants with his wife Neha, hiking and spending time outdoors with their two children. On those rare occasions when he gets a brief respite from his life as a dad and a lawyer, he also enjoys attending concerts and live music events.
Scott L. Sroka
Special Counsel, Phillips Lytle LLP
Scott L. Sroka is special counsel at Phillips Lytle LLP. His current practice includes both civil and criminal litigation, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, crisis management, higher education, immigration, and issues involving cross-border commerce. He served for 17 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the District of Columbia and the Western District of New York, where he was also the First Assistant United States Attorney. Scott’s work as a federal prosecutor included handling domestic violence, violent crime, narcotics, and national security cases, as well as a diverse array of civil matters. Scott also served as a senior investigative attorney at the Inspector General’s Office of the National Science Foundation. He was counsel to United States Senator Charles E. Schumer on the Senate Judiciary Committee and also worked as the senator’s Western New York Regional Director for five years.
Scott was born and educated in Western New York. He is a graduate of St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute and Canisius University. He earned his law degree at Notre Dame Law School. He lives in West Seneca with his wife, who is an attorney and the vice president of the West Seneca School Board, and their son who enjoys hockey and music.
Scott also serves part-time as the co-director of the Raichle Pre-Law Center at Canisius University. In that role, he works to connect undergraduate pre-law students with members of the legal community, to host speakers at Canisius, and coordinates an annual trip to Washington, D.C. for the students.
Scott serves on the board of directors of Shakespeare in Delaware Park, where he was previously the board chair. He also has worked for over 20 years with students in the Urban Leadership Learning Community (ULLC) Program at Canisius University. The ULLC is a program for a diverse corps of students that uses collaborative learning concepts to shape the leaders of tomorrow.
Christopher J. Phillips
Associate Attorney, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC
Christopher J. Phillips is an Associate at Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC. Chris focuses his practice on trust and estate matters. He counsels clients on complex estate and tax planning, advises fiduciaries on their duties during the administration of all types of trusts and estates, resolves estate controversies, and helps individuals and families navigate a host of legal issues as they age.
Chris started his career at the Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) where he founded and grew the organization’s Aging with Pride project, providing civil legal services to LGBTQ+ older adults. Chris also supported CELJ’s guardianship unit, serving as the court-appointed guardian for approximately 100 individuals at any given time, and the organization’s MedLaw Partnership at the Erie County Medical Center.
Chris was born and raised in Buffalo, having graduated summa cum laude from Canisius College, and magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo School of Law. Chris is an active member of the Bar Association of Erie County’s Elder Law and LGBTQ+ sections.
Outside of work, Chris volunteers his time as a board member on the board of directors for several not-for-profit organizations, including Niagara Pride, Inc., CELJ, and the Alzheimer’s Association of Western New York, where he serves as the board’s Vice Chair. Chris also serves as an advisor to the Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging, awarding fellowships to newly admitted attorneys working in aging and law fields across the country.
Jake Cercone
Founder & Managing Member, Cercone Law PLLC
Jake Cercone is the managing member of Cercone Law PLLC, a sole-practitioner general practice firm in Buffalo, NY. His practice aids clients in whatever stage of life they are in: whether they are starting a business, have a criminal or family court case, buying real estate, or need help with estate planning. Since graduating from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2021, Jake has served clients in matters ranging from the small-town justice courts in Erie County to the Federal Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.
Jake began his legal career at Hodgson Russ LLP in the Real Estate, Finance and Bond practice area. He was also an instructor at Niagara University teaching sports law, hospitality law, and sports finance.
Jake was born, raised, and educated in Buffalo. He graduated from UB School of Law, UB School of Management, and Canisius High School. He now resides in Williamsville with his wife Emily and dog Scout.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Michael F. Perley
Member/Treasurer, Hurwitz Fine, PC
Sarah M. Washington
Assistant General Counsel, National Fuel Gas Company
