John V. Elmore has been an attorney for 40 years. He is a partner with his daughter, Kristen Elmore-Garcia, in The Law Office of John V. Elmore, P.C. where he focuses his practice on representing individuals who are injured in accidents caused by the negligence of others.
Attorney Elmore began his legal career in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office where he served from 1984 to 1987. In 1987, Attorney Elmore returned to Western New York when he accepted employment with the New York State Attorney General’s Office as a white-collar criminal prosecutor.
Attorney Elmore is the author of “Fighting for Your Life – the African American Criminal Justice Survival Guide” and is a popular speaker and workshop presenter on criminal justice issues, the law and education.
Attorney Elmore is a native of Olean, New York and a 1975 graduate of Olean High School. For his athletic and academic achievements, Attorney Elmore was inducted into the Olean High School Athletic Wall of Fame and Academic Wall of Fame.
Attorney Elmore is a 1979 graduate of Mansfield University where he majored in Criminal Justice Administration. While at Mansfield, he was captain of the track team. He was inducted into the Mansfield University Society of Honors. Mr. Elmore is a 1984 graduate of Syracuse University College of Law. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Elmore was a New York State
Trooper.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has appointed Attorney Elmore as the Board of Trustees of Erie Community College and two judicial screening committees. He was re-appointed to those committees by Governor Kathy Hochul. He is the former Chair of the New York State Fourth Department Appellate Division Attorney Grievance Committee. Mr. Elmore continued his service on the Judicial Screening Committee under Governor Hochul until March 2023. Mr. Elmore served on the New York State Commission on Indigent Defense. He is also a certified USA boxing coach referee and judge.
Attorney Elmore has received numerous awards for his community service and civic involvement including the N.A.A.C.P. Medgar Evers Civil Rights Award; Minority Bar Association Community Service Award; Erie County Bar Association Criminal Justice Award; Buffalo Urban League Whitney Young Award; Erie County Bar Association Attorney of the Year Award and The Buffalo News Citizen of the Year Award. In 2023, Attorney Elmore received the Syracuse University College of Law William Herbert Johnson Legacy Award which was established in memory of the first African American graduate from the Syracuse University College of Law. In 2024, the University of Buffalo Law Alumni Association presented Attorney Elmore with the Distinguished Non-Alumni Award. In 2025, Attorney Elmore received the Niagara County Bar Association Jacqueline Koshian Service Award.
In 2018, Attorney Elmore was appointed to serve as the convener of the New York State Supreme Court 8 th Judicial District Nominating Convention. The appointment was based upon the unanimous support of the Democratic chairpersons in each of the eight counties of Western New York. Attorney Elmore was the first African American attorney in history to serve in that
position.
Attorney Elmore is on the Board of Directors for the Urban-Think Tank, Funk Fest Foundation and Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
John is the proud father of three successful adult children. His daughter, Sonya, is a physician, son Justin, is retired from the Army at the rank of Captain and is a commercial airlines pilot, and daughter Kristen, an attorney and law partner in his office.
Attorney Elmore is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
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Leadership & Service
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