Kara A. Buscaglia, Esq., Williamsville South High School, Class of 1995
Kara A. Buscaglia, Amherst Town Justice, made history when she was elected in November 2013, becoming the first woman to serve as town justice in Amherst’s 195 year history. She is also the youngest person ever elected to the post.
As a student in Williamsville, Ms. Buscaglia was a member of the Varsity Gymnastics Team from seventh grade through her senior year at South. She qualified for the New York State Championships each of her four years in high school. She was president of the school’s PEP Club during her junior and senior years and was a member of South’s DECA Club, winning the national championship in the area of Business Law her senior year. Yet, she says her most rewarding experience during high school was her involvement in Mock Trial tournaments where she learned, first hand, what it takes to be a trial attorney and affirmed her decision to pursue a career in law. Ms. Buscaglia attended Cornell University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. At Cornell, she was on the Women’s Gymnastics Team and was named a Division I Scholar Athlete. She returned home to attend the University at Buffalo School of Law, where she concentrated in Criminal Law and Labor Law.
Her professional career began as an Assistant District Attorney in the Erie County, working in almost every town, village, and city court in the county, including the Amherst Town Court. After prosecuting for nearly three years, Ms. Buscaglia opened her own practice in the Village of Williamsville specializing in Criminal Defense and Family Law. In addition to her roles as town justice and solo practitioner, Ms. Buscaglia volunteers for the Erie County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer Project which provides free civil legal services to low income individuals and small not-for-profit groups. She also volunteers for the Bar Association’s Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society or Assigned Counsel program, which represents individuals who are unable to afford a lawyer in criminal, Family Court, parole-related, and appellate cases.
In addition to being a contributing member of local, state, and national professional organizations, Ms. Buscaglia is involved in Women Interested in Cystic Health, a fundraising and advocacy nonprofit organization that supports research on cystic fibrosis, and is a member of the fundraising committee for the Sister’s Hospital NICU. She also serves as a mentor for the Williamsville South’s Career Exploration Internship Program.
A member of a family that has called the Town of Amherst home for four generations, Ms. Buscaglia resides in East Amherst with her husband, Frank, and their four young children. Their oldest son currently attends Maple East Elementary School.