Stafford D. Ritchie II

is a solo practitioner concentrating in the areas of contracts and commercial transactions, civil litigation, corporate and limited liability company law, education law, copyright law, real property law, commercial real estate leases, and bankruptcy law. He also serves as co-counsel to the Law Firm of Lindy Korn.

Prior to private practice, he was Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel for Cavages, Inc, where he was responsible for all legal activities of this upstate New York retailer and its affiliates. Ritchie served for eight years as Associate General Counsel (previously Special Assistant General Counsel for Business Administration, Special Assistant General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, Attorney-Advisor) at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for all general business law, administrative law, public contracts/procurement law (including acquisition of computer systems and creation/licensing of software), appropriations/public finance law, and real property law (including the Judiciary's relationship with the General Services Administration) activities arising from the administrative operations of the Federal Judiciary, including the United States Bankruptcy Courts, United States District Courts, and the United States Courts of Appeals. Represented the Judicial Branch in administrative fora and adjudications. Among the many projects for which he was responsible, Ritchie surveyed courts and court interpreters as the initial steps in implementing the Court Interpreters Act and implemented, pursuant to the instructions of the Judicial Conference of the United States, a national program for contract court reporters.

Ritchie received his J.D. from the Law School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he had the honor to serve in the United States Marine Corps (Reserve) as an air traffic controller at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Pennsylvania.

His is a member of the bar in the State of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York.

Ritchie's professional affiliations include the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the New York State Bar Association, and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.

He served as a trustee for the Calasanctius School of Buffalo, and is a member of the Board of Directors and was the immediate past president (2004) of the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, Inc. in Buffalo, New York.