St. John Fisher College honors local attorney

By Daily Record Staff
Posted: 1:15 am Mon, November 19, 2012 1:15 am Mon, November 19, 2012

From left are Dr. Donald Bain; attorney James Vacca, ?80, president of the Justinian Order board of directors; attorney John L. LaDuca, ?65; and state Supreme Court Justice Francis A. Affronti, ?63. Courtesy St. John Fisher

St. John Fisher College on Wednesday awarded its 11th annual Justinian Medal to attorney John L. LaDuca.

The Justinian Medal is given by the college and the Justinian Order, which is comprised of 420 judges and attorneys, all graduates of Fisher, to an individual in recognition of his or her outstanding service and civic leadership in numerous professional, business, and charitable endeavors in the community and at the college.

?It is appropriate that such a distinguished award be presented to John for his devotion to the law, his tireless representation of his clients, his mentoring of young lawyers and college students interested in the legal field and his willingness to share his knowledge with his colleagues,? said attorney William McGinn, who introduced LaDuca.

LaDuca graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School and went to the University of New Mexico on a football scholarship. He continued his education at Fisher, graduating in 1965, and then received his law degree in 1968 from State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

He began his legal career with well-known criminal defense attorney, Robert Napier, and eight years later, joined longtime friends Raymond LeChase and Alan Offen to form LaDuca, Offen and LeChase.

The firm changed to LaDuca, McGinn and Burbank, and then became LaDuca Law Firm with LaDuca?s son, Tony, and daughter-in-law, Heidi LaDuca.

Today, LaDuca remains a partner of the firm with his son and associate, David Pilato. The practice is primarily focused on criminal defense in Monroe County, but LaDuca has also handled trials in the surrounding counties and at the federal level in the Western District of New York. Additionally, he has argued appeals in the Court of Appeals; Supreme Court; Appellate Division, Fourth Department; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He is a member of the New York State Defenders Association.

LaDuca lives in Webster with his wife of 50 years, Becky. They have three children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He is a past member of the St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild board of governors and remains an active coach for the college?s mock trial competition.

The Justinian Order of St. John Fisher College, formed in the spring of 2002, is an academic and legal society intended to create collegiality among Fisher graduates professionally involved in the law. The members have the opportunity to gather socially, bond professionally and pass on the legacy of Fisher?s legal scholarship to younger Fisher alumni and students.

For more information, visit www.sjfc.edu.

Source: http://nydailyrecord.com/blog/2012/11/19/st-john-fisher-college-honors-local-attorney-2/

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