Kevin Cross

Kevin J. Cross serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Western New York Scout Council, BSA based in Buffalo, New York. In that role, Kevin serves as the conduit between the board, the professional staff, and the Western New York Scouting community. Kevin believes that Scouting is one of the best programs for our youth, his goal being to reach as many boys and girls as possible with leadership development skills, helping to set a moral compass, and building self-confidence to take on the world. He embraces the Board’s vision of a sustainable council that continually grows to meet the needs of our youth, that provides life-changing program experiences, and that is a true difference maker in our community.

Kevin began scouting at the age of 11 and had the fortune of growing up in Troop 286 in Tonawanda, where he fell in love with scouting and camping. Kevin is a proud Eagle Scout who was a member of the Order of the Arrow, attended the 1989 National Jamboree, trekked thru Philmont and is now a father to two Scouts, one an Eagle and one a Life Scout. Scouting has laid the groundwork for developing Kevin’s leadership abilities as well as instilling in him the Scouting values of citizenship, community service, and integrity. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Canisius College, Kevin found a calling for the law. He graduated from the Villanova University School of Law, where he was the Environmental Law Journal Editor-in-Chief. He clerked for a Federal Court Judge and large Philadelphia law firm and then began his full-time practice with Lippes Mathias, which in 1999 was a boutique corporate Buffalo law firm and Kevin was their 17th lawyer. He now has been the Managing Partner and Chairman of the firm for almost 10 years.  Under Kevin’s leadership Lippes Mathias has grown to be one of the region’s largest corporate law firms with over 315 employees, including almost 175 lawyers in 14 different cities from Florida to Canada.

As the firm's Managing Partner, Kevin is charged with responsibility for all of the firm's offices, attorneys and staff. He coordinates the firm's strategic direction, implementation of initiatives and goals, and attorney recruitment. One of his main focuses is centered on positive culture and the promotion of a collegial and collaborative professional environment where team members focus on client objectives and the betterment of the firm as a whole. Kevin has been repeatedly recognized as a skilled and experienced lawyer who concentrates his practice on state and federal business litigation, as well as environmental litigation matters.  With almost 25 years of experience, he has handled cases in many areas of complex high-stakes litigation, consistently obtaining exceptional results for his clients.