William F. Savino

William F. Savino is a Partner in the Litigation Department of Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP, a regional law firm with offices in Rochester, Buffalo and Albany. His practice focuses on matters involving business litigation (including construction, corporate and partnership dissolution, and Uniform Commercial Code matters) and insolvency (both debtor and creditor).

In April 2021, Mr. Savino was selected as a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA), an invitation only international honorary.

Since 2012, Mr. Savino has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University at Buffalo School of Law. In May of 2019, Mr. Savino was named the recipient of the Ken Joyce Excellence in Teaching Award by the University at Buffalo School of Law for teaching commercial litigation within the School’s adjunct faculty. In 2023, Mr. Savino received the Law School’s highest honor, the Edwin F. Jaeckle Award.

From 1979 through 2023, Mr. Savino taught business law annually in the University at Buffalo School of Management. Together with two other professors in the SOM, he was published in 2021 by the Journal of Accountancy. For five years, Mr. Savino was co-author of the commercial law update for the Law Review at the Syracuse University School of Law. Together with fellow Buffalo graduate Brian D. Gwitt, Mr. Savino has also been published by the West UCC Bulletin. Also with Mr. Gwitt, Mr. Savino has presented the annual Civil Practice Law and Rules update for the Bar Association of Erie County since 2016.

In 2023, Mr. Savino gave a presentation on “Business Divorce” to New York’s Commercial Part Judges at Fordham University Law School. In 2024, he was lead counsel for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at trials in Albany and Mineola regarding the New York State presidential ballot.

Mr. Savino was named to the “Legal Elite of Western New York 2020” by Buffalo Business First. He has repeatedly earned the designation as a Top 10 Upstate New York Attorney and was ranked third in 2013 by Super Lawyers magazine. He was named as one of the Top 50 Upstate New York Attorneys in 2015. Mr. Savino has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Bankruptcy and Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Mr. Savino has been named Lawyer of the Year for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law in 2021 by “Best Lawyers in America”, and 2025 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year Buffalo – Litigation -Construction”. Additionally, he has been listed as one of Business First of Buffalo’s Who’s Who in Law” List for the past seven years. Mr Savino is ranked in Chambers annually.