Wolford will be first woman to serve as chief judge for WDNY

Listen to this article

On Wednesday, the Hon. Elizabeth A. Wolford will become the first woman to serve as chief judge of the Western District of New York, and will hold the distinction of being the first woman to serve in the role in any part of the state, outside of New York City.

Wolford was nominated to be a U.S. District Judge by President Barack Obama, upon the recommendation of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, on May 16, 2013. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2013 and received her commission on Dec. 17 of that year, becoming the first and only woman to serve as a district judge in the Western District of New York.

Wolford replaces the Hon. Frank Geraci Jr., who has served as chief judge since 2015. She will serve a seven-year term.

The U.S. Federal Courts are divided into 12 regional circuits, which are further divided into 94 federal judicial districts with 94 chief judges overseeing each of the districts. Wolford will lead one of 94 district courts nationwide.

Born in Buffalo, but spending most of her life in Rochester, Wolford practiced law for more than two decades with the Wolford Law Firm LLP before assuming the bench. The firm was founded in 1993 by her father, Michael R. Wolford, and until 2007 was known as Wolford & LeClair LLP. Judge Wolford, who was named a partner in the firm in 2002, concentrated her practice in the areas of commercial and employment litigation.

Wolford earned her B.A. from Colgate University in 1989 and her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1992. She served as research ad projects editor of the Notre Dame Law Review. Since taking the bench, Wolford has presided over a number of high-profile cases including the fraud case against developer Robert Morgan, as well as a scheme involving five Florida individuals to defraud Xerox Corp. of more than $20 million in toner supplies.

Wolford is a past president of the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar and the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys. Wolford received an Up & Coming Attorney award from The Daily Record in 1999, she received the New York State Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year award in 2002, and she was named as one of Rochester Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 recipients in 2006.

In 2013, the NYSBA recognized Wolford with its Root/Stimson Award, which honors a lawyer who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to community and volunteer service and to the improvement of the justice system.

Wolford currently serves on the board of trustees of the Monroe County Bar Association and has received a number of other awards for her contributions through the years.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021

Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer