To say that the Erie County Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, on December 3, was well-attended would be a bit of an understatement!  Attorneys and judges filled the ballroom at the Lakeside Country Club in Fairview for business matters, as well as more nostalgic moments of laughter and remembrance from the past year.  After a closely-watched judicial election last month, ECBA members were now able to focus instead on honoring the three Court of Common Pleas judges leaving public service, and the unveiling of their portraits.  The portraits were commissioned by the ECBA, and will be hung in the County Courthouse in January.

Pictured, from left to right, are Judges Michael Dunlavey, who retired in 2012, Ernest DiSantis, who retired in January, and Judge Shad Connelly, who is retiring at the end of 2015.  Attorneys honored at the event included Adam Barnett, who received a PBA Pro Bono Award, Eric Purchase, recipient of the ECBA President’s Award, and Frank L. Kroto, James D. McDonald, Jr., and Norman H. Stark, who all were recognized for 50 years as attorneys.  The evening ended with comments from outgoing ECBA President Rich Lanzillo, followed by a brief presentation from President Elect, Melissa Shirey.