8 | November/December 2021 | BAEC Bulletin FROM THE ERIE COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION
In The Company of Friends You have more friends that you know. You really do! How can I be so confident in that statement? The answer is simple: I am a member of the Buffalo legal community. Ordinarily, were some to ask you to name your friends, you would think of your childhood friends, schoolmates, colleagues, and social acquaintances. However large your personal number is, it does not compare to the thousands of friends you have in our local practice. This message was brought home to me recently when I struck up a conversation with an attorney who had just returned to Buffalo from a practice in the mid-Atlantic area. That attorney was unsure how her return would be received after having been elsewhere for years. She was, of course, welcomed back with open arms. If that response surprised her, it should not have. Camaraderie has been, and remains, a hallmark of our local bar. No one knows how or where this sense of community began. We only know that it exists and has been recognized publicly for years. Whatever its origin, we also know that 64 years ago, the pillars of the Buffalo legal community, people who have become household names such as Edward Kavinoky and Robert Fernbach, and others, important stalwarts of the Buffalo legal community, including Sebastian Bellomo, John Heffernan, Peter Murrett, Jr., and Maryann Saccomando Freedman collaborated to establish what is now the Erie County Bar Foundation. Together they created the vehicle that mobilized the public community and allowed it to act privately and confidentially, assisting attorneys in need. If you think about it for a moment, these founders expanded their advocacy for others, from their clients to their colleagues. It was, and is today, an expression of friendship. All of this brings me to a green bracelet. My friend, Hugh Russ, BAEC current President, and I have been committed this year to promote attorney wellness. Unfortunately, the statistics are alarming. Essentially, the incidence of mental health challenges and other related issues among attorneys is roughly twice the national average, across the board. Together Hugh and I, though our respective boards, purchased green elastic bracelets imprinted with the phrase “Better Together.” Many of these bracelets currently reside at Bar Association headquarters, but that should not be their permanent home. One recently moved to my right arm where it can be found every day. I have personally committed to wear though the end of this year and am likely to continue to do so indefinitely. It is a reminder to me that my health matters – as does the health
MICHAEL F. PERLEY President Erie County Bar Foundation
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