Kathy Sweet
While Kathy Sweet is recognized in the courtroom as one of the top attorneys in Western New York, it was her dominance on the court that first brought her notoriety.
On the hardwood at Clarence High School, Sweet led the girls basketball team to four Section VI titles, and along the way she set records for most points in a game (45), in a season (618) and in a career. The Clarence Red Devils won the Far West Regional Championship in 1981 and 1982. In 1982, Sweet was named 1st Team All-WNY, and the MVP of 1982 state basketball tournament. She finished her high school career with 1,484 points, which was the third highest total at the time. While at Clarence, Sweet was also a member of the soccer, volleyball & field hockey teams.
She continued her basketball career at Boston College and became recognized as the “first dominating pivot player in BC history.” When she graduated from BC, she had collected 1,006 points (9.2 avg), which was 3rd in scoring for the Eagles at the time. She also pulled down 597 rebounds (5.5 avg) and is one of only 14 BC players with 500 points and 500 rebounds. In her senior year she recorded a team-leading 42 blocks, and she led the team with 227 rebounds (8.1/gm), which was also 3rd in BC history at the time. She was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team and earned second team All-Conference honors in her junior and senior seasons. In 1987, she was awarded Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year and was named to the Big East All-Tournament team.
Following her graduation from BC, she earned her law degree from Villanova University, and she has been recognized five times as the “Lawyer of the Year, Medical Malpractice Defense (Buffalo)” by Best Lawyers in America (2012, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024) and the “Lawyer of the Year” by the Defense Trial Lawyers of Western New York (2015). Earlier this year Sweet was sworn in as the 128th president of the New York State Bar Association.
Kathy Sweet was inducted into the Boston College Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Clarence High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.