For Buffalo City Court Judge Lenora B. Foote-Beavers ’92, success is about opportunity.
It was a series of opportunities throughout her life and career that led Foote-Beavers to become acting Erie County Family Court Judge in September 2021, where she handles custody, visitation and family offense cases. She also continues to serve in her elected role as Buffalo City Court Judge.
Throughout her tenure, Foote-Beavers has become a well-known advocate for diversity and inclusion, and ensuring fair justice from the bench.
“As a woman of color in the legal profession, I understand the challenges African Americans and minorities face in a field still largely dominated by white males,” Foote-Beavers explains. “That is why I always try to spread the message – the more diverse our voices in the court system, the better our resolutions will be.”
Growing up, her parents moved to Williamsville to ensure a good education for Foote-Beavers and her sister. She took full advantage of the opportunity, playing flute in the band at Williamsville East High School and helping the school win state music competitions.
After high school, Foote-Beavers enrolled in the music program at Buffalo State College but had to change her tune when she became pregnant freshman year. With her parents’ support, the teen mom turned challenge into opportunity and enrolled in the paralegal program at Erie Community College. A professor recommended she continue her studies at Canisius. The college’s Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship made that possible.
Foote-Beavers majored in political science and pre-law, and excelled in her studies. Upon graduation, several Canisius professors encouraged her to take the LSAT and pursue law school.
“I never imagined going to law school but they gave me the confidence I needed,” she recalls. “When I enrolled at the University at Buffalo School of Law, I felt well-prepared by my studies at Canisius.”
After earning her juris doctorate, then city of Buffalo Mayor Anthony M. Masiello ’69, HON ‘96 appointed Foote-Beavers coordinator of the “Save Our Streets” program. In that role, she collaborated with local, state and federal agencies on programs aimed at eradicating drug activity and related crimes. The work led to her appointment as assistant corporation counsel for the Buffalo Common Council, then general counsel for the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency. Erie County later tapped her to become support magistrate for Family Court. Foote-Beavers spent a decade in the position, which eventually would pave the way for her current work as a family court judge.
“These roles gave me a chance to really dive deep into law, help others and address housing inequities within the city,” she recalls.
Opportunity knocked again when Foote-Beavers was named executive assistant and chief of staff to Justice Gerald J. Whalen ‘79 of the state Appellate Division’s Fourth Department. She was the first African American and first Buffalo resident to serve in the position, which she held until her January 2020 election to city court.
When not on the bench, this past president of the Minority Bar Association of WNY champions equity issues throughout the region.
Her conviction that education replaces an empty mind with an open one led Foote-Beavers to become certified in diversity and inclusion training. She now uses her expertise to “elevate the cultural competence” in public, private and non-profit settings, where Foote-Beavers often presents on topics of implicit bias, diversity and racism.
She also advocates for the development of family-sustaining jobs for women and the creation of policies and programs to support via her role on the Western New York Women’s Foundation. Her leadership on the True Community Development Corp. Board is helping to revitalize and restore Buffalo’s most underserved and underutilized communities. And Foote-Beavers’ service on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors abets hundreds of local children to overcome adversity and realize their full potentials.
Empowering young adults to unlock their potential is why Foote-Beavers facilitates judicial internships for female law students, as chair of the Internship Committee for the National Association of Women Judges. It’s why she serves in an adjunct role in ECC’s Paralegal Department, “where it all started for her,” and why she works hard to secure financial support for those students, by way of scholarships, capital campaigns and workforce training partnerships, as a member of ECC’s Foundation.
Foote-Beavers’ fierce advocacy on behalf of young adults is equally extensive at Canisius.
The former Trustee mentored Canisius students contemplating legal careers, as a member of the Desmond Law Society. Similarly, Foote-Beavers offers professional and personal support to female students and young alumnae by way of her seat on the Women’s Leadership Council.
“I was once a single mom starting on a career path to public service that was greatly influenced by Canisius University and the Jesuits,” Foote-Beavers concludes. “I hope others see that if I can do it, anyone can and that they take advantage of any opportunities afforded to them.”
