Community Service
Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC Is Committed to Improving Life Where We Live and Work
Let Our 69 Years of Experience Work For You
Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC is proud to have a long tradition of community involvement. Over the past 69 years in business, we have and will always support numerous non-profit and community organizations. We are also proud that many of our lawyers sit on these local community organization boards of directors. It’s important that we give back to our community as much as our community has given to us in trust. We firmly believe that being active participants in our community is necessary for a successful law practice. Friedman firmly believes that being an active participant in the
Attorneys are trained to be problem solvers, and our attorneys have been committed to solving problems and serving as community leaders and advising community leaders for over 69 years. In addition to the recognition and respect they we have earned for our legal work, we are also well known for our contributions to the communities in which we live and work. Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC believes in “giving back” and both the firm and its attorneys have applied the same hard work and dedication to community and charitable endeavors as they have to the practice of law.
This commitment to our community, which dates back to 1955 with firm founder, Fred Friedman, remains a vital part of our culture today. He established this attitude and we find new ways to support worthy causes. Members of our firm have served in leadership roles in governmental bodies, nonprofit organizations, civic initiatives, and economic development groups. Our attorneys share their talents and resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where we work and live.
Special Honors:
Fred Friedman was recognized for his community service when he was named 2006 Clarence Chamber Citizen of the Year.
Fundraising Professionals Honor Robert Friedman as an Outstanding Volunteer.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals WNY Chapter honored Robert Friedman of the Clarence Rotary as an outstanding volunteer at its Distinguished Honoree Program National Philanthropy Day luncheon on Thursday, November 12, 2015. Nearly 500 people, including professional fundraisers from numerous Western New York not-forprofit organizations, as well as community leaders and business people from the for-profit sector, gathered at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens to share stories of amazing philanthropic gifts and volunteer efforts that change the world with a giving heart. Mr. Friedman has served on the boards of the Akron Chamber of Commerce, Brothers of Mercy Campus Foundation, the Clarence Chamber of Commerce, the Western New York Prosecutor’s Association, the Clarence Senior Center, Clarence Rotary Foundation and Clarence Rotary Club. He has been legal counsel for a wide variety of WNY non-profits. He is also on the board of Hearts and Hands, a neighbor-helping-neighbor organization which pairs volunteers with care receivers for basic transportation and in-home supports. Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC sponsored their Board to Death! fundraiser. The Clarence Rotary Foundation also supported Hearts and Hands with its 5th Annual Porsche Raffle, chaired by Mr. Friedman
The five ways that we give back to our community are:
Financial Support of Charitable Organizations Serving on Nonprofit Boards Public Service Community Education Pro Bono Legal Services- Akron-Newstead Senior Center(16)
- Amherst Center for Senior Services
- Black Love Resists in the Rust
- Buddy’s Second Chance
- Center for Elder Law & Justice
- Clarence Senior Center
- Clarence-Newstead Meals on Wheels Task Force
- Corfu Food Pantry
- Crossroads House
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Erie County Bar Foundation
- Doctors without Borders USA, Inc.
- Erie County SPCA
- Friends of Night People
- Hearts and Hands-Faith-in-Action
- Helen Keller International
- International Rescue Committee, Inc.
- Jewish Family Services of WNY
- Justice for Children GLOW Foundation
- Lollipop Farm
- New York Adult and Teen Challenge
- Sportsmen’s Americana Music Foundation
- Ten Lives Club
- The Truck Safety Coalition
- Restoration Society, Inc
- Rotary Club of Akron-Newstead
- Rotary Club of Clarence
- Simon Wiesenthal Center of Los Angeles, CA
- Women’s Voices Now
- YWCA Genesee Domestic Violence Crisis & Prevention Services
Hearts and Hands Reopens Akron Office
Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC is glad to continue our sixty-six year tradition of community service by supporting Hearts and Hands Faith in Action’s (HAH) valuable assistance to the elderly residents of Western New York. HAH reopened offices at 70 Main Street, Akron, NY 14001 in space provided by Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC. Read More
Fred Friedman served these organizations:
- Clarence Chamber of Commerce (Director and President)
- Clarence American Legion (Judge Advocate)
- Akron-Clarence Kiwanis Club (President)
- Erie County Judges & Police Conference (Director and First Vice President)
- National Council of International Visitors (Director and New York Chapter President)
- Niagara Frontier Chapter American Youth Hostel (President)
- Rochester Youth Hostel (Co-Founder)
- SCORE (Chapter President, Counselor and Assistant District Manager)
- Clarence Meeting House Board
- Attaché for the Austrian teams participating in the 1993 World University Games
- Advisory Board of the U.S. Attorney of WNY for the “Safe Streets Project”
Robert Friedman served these organizations:
- Akron Chamber of Commerce- board
- Akron Senior Center- legal counsel
- Brothers of Mercy Campus Foundation – advisory board member
- Clarence Chamber of Commerce-board of directors six years
- Clarence Hollow Association member
- Clarence Rotary Club – President
- Clarence Rotary Foundation – legal counsel
- Clarence Senior Center-board of directors
- Crossroads House- legal counsel and board member
- Hearts and Hands-Faith in Action – board of directors
- Prosecutor’s Association of Western New York – Treasurer
Michael Ranzenhofer served these organizations:
- Task force member of the New York Meals-on-Wheels
- S.U.N.Y. Health Services Institutional Review Board of Directors from 1998 – 2002
Sam Alba served these organizations:
- G.O.L.D. (Graduates of the Last Decade) Leadership Group where he co-chairs the sponsorship committee and serves as the deputy treasurer.
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Erie County Bar Association
- Member of the Erie County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers’ Committee, Criminal Law Committee, and the Matrimonial and Family Law Committee.
- On board of the W.N.Y. Media Professionals where he sits on the committee working to restore the Broadway Sattler Theater located at the intersection of Jefferson and Broadway on Rochester’s East Side.
- Past president of the Williamsville, P.T.S.A. Council, and was the youngest person to ever hold this position.
- Helped to restore the Sattler Theater on Broadway in Rochester.
- Re-elected as Erie County Bar Association director – Liaison to the Negligence, Young Lawyers and Judicial Campaign Finance Committees.
Fred Friedman:
- Austrian Consul for New York from 2002 to 2006. He provided information about visas, passports, pensions and other governmental benefits to both Austrian citizens and non-citizens. He also served as the Austrian interpreter and spoke to groups, schools and universities in the United States and Austria.
- Akron Village Attorney
- Genesee County Family Court Hearing Officer
- Chairman of the Committee on Law & Public Safety of the Erie County Charter Review Commission.
Robert Friedman:
- Akron Village Prosecutor- twenty years
- Alden Town-Special Counsel
- Alden Village-Special Counsel
- Amherst-Special Counsel
- Clarence IDA legal counsel-nine years
- Clarence Town Prosecutor-nineteen years
- Clarence Town Attorney-six years
- Newstead Town Prosecutor
- Member of the New York Senate serving the 61st District for twelve years.
- Erie County Legislator for twenty years, Erie County Legislature minority leader (1993 to 1995 and 2004) and majority leader (2004-2005)
- Served on the Erie County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors (2002-2004)
- Senior Deputy Counsel Town of Amherst; and Depew Village Attorney and Deputy Village Prosecutor
Robert Friedman has presented community education programs at the following:
Akron-Newstead Senior Center, Alzheimer’s Association, Amherst Center for Seniors, Brookdale Williamsville, Brother’s of Mercy, Center for Elder Law & Justice, Clarence Schools, Clarence Senior Center, Clarence Town Park Clubhouse, Cornerstone Church, Dale Association, Erie Community College, Frontier Schools, Grand Island Golden Age Center, Hamburg Schools, Hearts and Hands- Faith in Action, Henrietta Senior Center, Hospice of Rochester, Montgomery Park, Ogden Senior Center, Orchard Park Senior Center, and Salvation Army Golden Age Center.
- Justin R. Friedman worked as a law clerk in D.C. Superior Court and was an active participant of the school’s Clemency Clinic, investigating claims for the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and filing petitions for executive pardons and sentence commutations.
- In response to the wave of the protests that swept across Western New York following the tragic death of George Floyd, the criminal defense attorneys at Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC offered free legal defense to protestors who have been arrested while engaged in peaceful demonstrations.
- Attorneys at a Western New York law firm are offering up their services free of charge for anyone in need of legal help after a peaceful demonstration.