The Honorable Langston C. McKinney

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 4:30 p.m., political, legal and civic leaders from across the state will gather at the Honorable James C. Tormey, III Criminal Courts Building at 505 South State Street, Syracuse, for the dedication of The Hon. Langston C. McKinney Courtroom. The Hon. Langston C. McKinney L’71 served in many critical public interest leadership positions and applied his legal acumen across many practice areas and roles. He was appointed the first Black Syracuse City Court Judge in 1986 and served with honor, distinction and compassion until his retirement in 2010.

Judge McKinney was born in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 27, 1944. He graduated from Howard University in 1965 with a degree in chemistry and was recruited by Carrier Corporation to come to Syracuse to work as a chemist. There, he was the first Black scientist in their research and development division.

Judge McKinney served two years in the U.S. Army and then returned to Syracuse in 1968 to attend Syracuse University College of Law. While in law school, he co-founded the Syracuse chapter of the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council and would spend a summer working in the South on civil rights legal work, fueling his passion for justice. Also, while in law school, he started working for Onondaga Neighborhood Legal Services (ONLS). It was there that he came to understand the plight of people trapped in poverty and social and economic injustice. This experience sharpened the lens through which he saw the need for justice, equality and the rule of law.

Upon graduating from Syracuse Law, Judge McKinney began his legal career at ONLS as a staff attorney. Among the many causes he championed was the issue of tenants’ rights. He would later be honored by having a housing complex named after him–McKinney Manor. Judge McKinney later joined the legal staff at Hiscock Legal Aid Society, where his reputation as a criminal defense attorney began to grow. Eventually, Judge McKinney joined with two other Syracuse lawyers to form the law firm of Maye, McKinney & Melchor, the first Black law firm in Syracuse.

In 1986, Judge McKinney was appointed by Mayor Tom Young to be the first Black American Syracuse City Court Judge. He was then elected in 1987 and re-elected in 1997 and 2007. One of Judge McKinney’s proudest accomplishments was partnering with the Center for Community Alternatives to establish the Syracuse Community Treatment Court.

Although Judge McKinney retired in 2010, he remained active in the pursuit of justice. He was instrumental in founding the first African American Bar Association in Onondaga County, The William Herbert Johnson Bar Association, named after a fellow African American legal trailblazer.

“Judge McKinney had faithfully and respectfully served Syracuse as a jurist, community leader and mentor to many in the legal profession and other disciplines,” says Professor Paula Johnson, who served on the committee securing the courtroom dedication.

The ceremony will be  (passcode 1986). A reception will follow at the CNY Philanthropy Center Ballroom.

Robert Parker

The will hold its eighth annual Supreme Court Preview on Friday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Gray Ceremonial Courtroom in Dineen Hall. , chief of the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, will deliver the Keynote Lecture, “Supreme Court and Appellate Practice at the Department of Justice.”

Afterward, a panel discussion will examine the key cases to be heard during the 2024-2025 Supreme Court term. Panel participants will be:

• , teaching professor;
• , U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York;
• , College of Law dean and professor of law;
• , associate professor of law and director of the Disability Law and Policy Program; and
• , chief of the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The moderator will be , vice dean and Paul E. and Hon. Joanne F. Alper ’72 Judiciary Studies Professor of Law.

This program is open to the public and has typically been approved for three CLE credits. There is no charge for this CLE program. , and contact Chris Ramsdell, office coordinator in the Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media, with any questions.

Local attorneys will dispense free legal advice to veterans during the College of Law’s Veterans’ Advocacy, Law and Outreach (VALOR) Day event on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Hosted by the , Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY, Inc., and Hancock Estabrook LLP, Valor Day will take place during the CNY Veterans Expo and will provide a variety of free legal services to local veterans.

Local attorneys will be available to discuss the following services: Simple wills, powers of attorney, advance medical directives, family law, veterans law, tenant’s rights, debt, real estate and immigration.

Legal consultations are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please before Nov. 7.

The is free and open to all Syracuse-area veterans, including Syracuse University student, faculty and staff veterans who are not enrolled in VA health care and want to learn more about eligibility and how to sign up.

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Enroll in VA health care (with a copy of DD214 and photo identification).
• File a claim with the Veterans Benefit Administration.
• Obtain a Veteran Health Identification Card (with photo identification).
• Learn how the (Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxic Acts) expands health care benefits for veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras and were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances. The PACT Act also extends eligibility to survivors of these exposed veterans.
• Engage with VA professionals.
• Visit with a variety of local community resources.

Representatives from the University’s and will be in attendance. MVLS students will guide attendees and facilitate interactions with partner organizations. For more information, contact Emma.Avellino@va.gov or egkubala@syr.edu.

The College of Law will host the National Military Trial Competition and the Syracuse Deposition Competition in the 2024-2025 academic year.

The College of Law will host two first-of-its-kind intercollegiate trial advocacy competitions in the 2024-2025 academic year. The new competitions are the National Military Trial Competition and the Syracuse Deposition Competition, bringing the total of hosted Syracuse Law competitions to five.

The National Military Trial Competition (NMTC) introduces law students with an interest in military justice and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) to the trial process in military courts. The competition will take place in person in Syracuse March 21-23, 2025.

NMTC will feature between eight to 12 teams competing against each other in a case involving a military court-martial. The case will be tried using the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Rules for Courts-Martial (RCM) applicable to military courts.

Because trying cases in a military court may be unfamiliar to students and coaches, the College of Law will facilitate a virtual non-mandatory introductory training for trying cases in military courts, immediately before the release of the fact pattern. While teams can choose their coach, the College of Law will connect any team who are interested in working with current or former JAG officers with JAG officers who are willing to coach and assist.

The Syracuse Deposition Competition (SDC) fills a training void in legal academia by providing students with a unique platform to expand their arsenal of practical skills. Participants will gain invaluable insight through simulated real-world experience to enhance critical skills for conducting and defending depositions. The competition will take place virtually Nov. 1-3, 2024.

Today, depositions have become the standard and trials the exception. A forum to develop deposition skills is more necessary now than ever. Between the 1930s and 1960s, the percentage of federal civil cases that went to trial fell from 20% to 12%. By 1992, this number dropped to 3.5%.

The competition will feature a minimum of eight teams who will compete by taking and defending depositions. Because of the unique nature of a new deposition competition, the College of Law will host a non-mandatory virtual training session to discuss the basics of deposition practice immediately before the release of the fact pattern.

“The new competitions close a gap in legal advocacy education as these are the first to address the unique challenges of military law and trials and the burgeoning reliance on depositions rather than trials to settle disputes,” says Professor Todd Berger, director of advocacy programs in the College of Law.

The college also hosts the National Trial League, the Syracuse National Trial Competition and the Transatlantic Negotiations Competition (co-hosted with Queen’s University Belfast). Information on all College of Law-hosted trial advocacy competitions can be found on its .

“Syracuse University College of Law has a track record of creating innovative advocacy curriculum and programs that further the practical educational needs of today’s law students,” says Dean Craig Boise. “I am proud that our institution is adding these unique competitions that will help train new lawyers with the skills needed in the legal profession.”

In addition to the five hosted intercollegiate competitions, the College of Law offers the only joint J.D./LL.M. in advocacy and litigation degree that students can complete in three years and at no further cost than the J.D. Its Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society conducts five intracollegiate competitions and participates in numerous intercollegiate competitions across the country.

Photos by Chuck Wainwright

On Friday, May 3, the College of Law held its Commencement exercises for the Class of 2024, which included 208 recipients of the juris doctor (J.D.) degree, 26 master of law graduates (LL.M.) and one doctor of juridical science degree (S.J.D.).

Commencement Speaker the Hon. James E. Graves Jr. G’80, L’80, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Class of 2024 Commencement Speaker the Hon. James E. Graves Jr. G’80, L’80, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, said, in part, “Begin each day expecting that the world owes you nothing, because it doesn’t, and then you will be delighted with every kind word, every helping hand and every little smile, which is given to you during the day. Remember that as you go through life, you will inevitably encounter and interact with people. You’re making memories for those people. Make those memories, those moments, positive.”

Dean Craig M. Boise addresses the students and their families.

Dean Craig M. Boise said to the class, “In a world that is increasingly characterized by division, injustice and inequality, the need for principled, compassionate and courageous advocates has never been greater. You are the future leaders of the legal profession, and the challenges that lie ahead will require vision, integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice. Let your actions speak louder than words and let your commitment to justice be a beacon of hope in a world that is often filled with darkness.”

Teaching Professor and Associate Dean of Academic and Bar Success Kelly Curtis receiving the Res Ipsa Loquitor Award.

During Commencement, the J.D. Class of 2024 awarded Teaching Professor and Associate Dean of Academic and Bar Success Kelly Curtis the Res Ipsa Loquitor Award (voted upon by the graduating class in recognition of a faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional commitment and service to the College of Law) and Assistant Director of Student Experience Vicki Donella the Staff Award (voted upon by the graduating class in recognition of a College of Law staff member in recognition of their support of students and faculty, and their accomplishments that make the college run day-to-day).

The LL.M. Class of 2024 awarded Associate Professor of Law Jenny Breen the Lucet Lex Mundum Award (voted upon by the graduating LL.M. class, it recognizes the professor who has made a significant impact on the success and experiences of LL.M. students during their studies).

The symposium will feature a panel of successful entrepreneurs, financial investors and legal experts in a discussion on the challenges that high-growth, privately held tech companies face as they take on private equity, venture capital or other forms of funding. Panelists will cover investment deals they have completed, trends in financing and their career paths in the technology commercialization space.

Those interested in the legal, financial, business and entrepreneurial aspects of high-growth companies are encouraged to attend. .

, professor of practice and executive director of the ILC, will moderate the discussion.

The event will be streamed live via the ILC and a recording will be made available for those who cannot attend.

The symposium is co-sponsored by the , the College of Law’s Corporate Law Society and Intellectual Property Law Society, and the at Syracuse University Libraries.

The panelists are:

Peter Alfano L’94, Partner,

Alfano represents private equity sponsors, corporations and lenders in a wide variety of domestic and cross-border finance transactions, including leveraged acquisitions, corporate financings, dividend recapitalizations, restructurings and asset-based lending transactions. He has experience across several tech industries and advises companies in connection with intercompany finance arrangements, corporate restructurings and general corporate matters, including for private equity-owned portfolio companies.

Luke Cooper L’01, Founding General Partner and Managing Director,

Cooper is the founding general partner and managing director at Latimer Ventures. Latimer Ventures is an enterprise-focused Venture Capital firm dedicated to helping Black and Hispanic founders build and exit the next RedHat, Datadog or Tableau. He spends most of his time fundraising and nurturing a strong pipeline of early-stage enterprise SaaS companies.

Before Latimer, Cooper was a 2x successfully exited enterprise software founder (Cybersecurity and Insurtech) with both exits to Fortune 300 acquirers. In 2020, he sold his company, Fixt, an enterprise-focused third-party administration software, to Assurant (NYSE:AIZ), a Fortune 300 leader in insurance risk management. After raising a $6.5 million Series A, he became one of three Black founders to reach a profitable exit that year.

James Kelly L’99, Partner and Chair, New York Private Equity,

Kelly is a strategic advisor to private equity funds and operating companies across many industries. He focuses his practice on representing private equity funds in all aspects of their investment activities, recently acting for Atlas Holdings, Bregal Partners, The Carlyle Group, Oaktree Capital Management and Stellex Capital Management, among several others.

He is recognized by The Legal 500 US in Private Equity Buyouts and has been recognized for numerous consecutive years by Chambers in New York M&A, has been featured in Buyouts, including a Buyouts Deal of the Year, The Deal, Bloomberg and Law360, as well as other leading publications. He has presented for several education providers, including Practicing Law Institute and Strafford, and has received recognition for his pro bono work, including the Pro Bono Publico Award from The Legal Aid Society. Kelly is a member of the College of Law Board of Advisors.

Lon Levin L’80, President,

Levin is president of SkySevenVentures, which invests in, advises and provides executive services for space and other technology businesses. He has more than 40 years of experience as an executive and entrepreneur in the telecommunications, media, and aerospace industries.

Recently, from 2017-2023, Levin was an executive for Lockheed Martin Space developing new businesses and markets. He served as president and chief executive officer of GEOshare, an entrepreneurial subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, and as vice president-new ventures.

Levin co-founded XM Satellite Radio and played executive leadership roles in the formation and development of other satellite, space and media companies, including Mobile Satellite Ventures, XM Canada, Slacker Radio, American Mobile Satellite Corporation, TerraStar Networks (mobile satellite), GEOshare (condosats) and Parsec (lunar telecommunications).

He served as a U.S. Delegate negotiating technology treaties at many International Telecommunication Union conferences and holds five telecommunication satellite patents. Levin has served as a special government employee on the Defense Department’s Defense Business Board and the NASA Advisory Council.

Levin is treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of The Planetary Society and Board Member Emeritus of the Space Foundation, where has was chairperson from 2014-16.

Kevin Whittaker L’02, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer,

Whittaker is the chief legal and compliance officer and corporate secretary of Ripcord, a NASA spinoff specializing in the digital optimization of data through robotics and AI. Ripcord is backed by Silicon Valley’s leading investors, including Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures.

Whittaker provides counsel on venture financing, M&A, operations, human resources and governance. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, he plays a pivotal role in aligning the company’s business strategies with legal and compliance standards, fostering collaboration with stakeholders, customers and investors.

Whittaker was a speaker at Match-Up 2023, speaking on “AI Unleashed: Pioneering a New Epoch of Innovation,” which explored the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on diverse industries and its pivotal role in shaping the future. Before becoming an in-house corporate counsel, he was a partner at Reed Smith, and of counsel to Baker McKenzie and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Shubha Ghosh

, Crandall Melvin Professor of Law and director of the Syracuse Intellectual Property Law Institute, has been awarded a 2023-24 Wikimedia Race and Knowledge Equity (WRKE) Fellowship.

The is a one-year fellowship designed to explore the intersection of racial equity, free knowledge and the intellectual property ecosystem and to promote sound policy for achieving social justice through these overlapping disciplines.

For his fellowship grant, Ghosh plans to compile information about existing intellectual property (IP), science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and artistic educational programs, with the goal of creating a map of this landscape, along with an analysis of these programs.

“I selected this focus because educational programs in entrepreneurship and IP at the K-12 level exist but have been understudied. Universities are the major avenues for commercializing technology in conjunction with private industry and government research labs. But by the time students enter college, the issues surrounding entrepreneurship and innovation come across as unfamiliar,” says Ghosh. “The development of entrepreneurship and IP education programs at the K-12 level was established to educate students about these issues earlier as they develop their own educational and career paths. My goal is to work, within existing channels of research, to better understand what these programs involve and whether they can be improved.”

Ghosh will disseminate his research through original writings in journals, book chapters and law reviews. “My research will also connect me with policymakers at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office who have just started to study these issues in depth and with nonprofit organizations like The Henry Ford in Detroit, which works with the Ford Museum and the Ford Foundation, to design programs on entrepreneurship and intellectual property in the Detroit metro area. The Henry Ford is also designing a comprehensive database of these programs throughout the United States. I will be analyzing this database as well as contributing to it,” he says.

About the Fellowship

The role of the WRKE Fellow is to undertake scholarly and other research, produce scholarly publications and public intellectual writings intended to contribute to the body of free knowledge and racial equity scholarship, and to organize and present policy and community educational programming relevant to the Fellowship’s research and education agenda. The WRKE Fellow will work at the direction of supervising Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (IIPSJ) and Howard University School of Law (HUSL) personnel (in consultation with Wikimedia Foundation legal and policy staff), and receive support, guidance and mentorship from the WRKE Fellowship Advisory Board, made up of distinguished legal academics in the field of intellectual property social justice. Members of the Board are on hand to provide the fellow with scholarly insight, policy expertise and general guidance where needed to achieve fellowship goals.

Among other things, the research and programming will examine the role of doctrinal elements within the IP law in contributing to traditions of systemic IP racial inequity and related injustice. The resulting research analyses will be put toward constructing free knowledge initiatives to improve the understanding and use of intellectual property in marginalized and underserved communities. The ultimate goal of the research is to improve racial equities through the IP ecosystem and related socioeconomic aspects of the political economy, and will be available to the general public, IP law and policymakers and IP practitioners.

The fellowship is funded through a grant from the Knowledge Equity Fund at the Wikimedia Foundation and is jointly administered by the IIPSJ and HUSL.

is a highly respected jurist who is known for his integrity and commitment to public service. Before being nominated to the federal bench in 2011 by President Barack Obama, Graves held legal positions in public interest settings, private practice, and state government before being appointed to county and state courts.

His community involvement has earned him local, state and federal recognition for his work to empower Mississippi’s youth. In 2018, Graves was a recipient of the College of Law’s .

Commencement for the is Friday, May 3, 2024, in the JMA Wireless Dome.

College of Law/Maxwell School professor the Hon. James E. Baker (center) is sworn in as one of eight judges on the Data Protection Review Court.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland recently held a formal investiture ceremony for the Data Protection Review Court (DPRC) at the U.S. Justice Department. The , professor of law, director of the and professor of public administration in the , was formally sworn in as one of eight judges on the DPRC.

Last October, the attorney general issued regulations creating the DPRC within the Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties at the Department of Justice. The DPRC serves as the second level of the new redress process established by the president through Executive Order 14086, which also strengthened other safeguards for U.S. signals intelligence activities.

The DPRC will independently review determinations made by the civil liberties protection officer of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in response to qualifying complaints sent by individuals through appropriate public authorities that allege certain violations of U.S. law in the conduct of U.S. signals intelligence activities.

For more information on the DPRC and the bios of the DPRC judges, visit the .

Prospective students applying for entry into the J.D. program for Fall 2024 will have the opportunity to apply for conditional entry to the LL.M. during the admitted student process. Alternatively, any student who has completed their first year of law school can apply for the joint degree up to the first semester of their third year. Upon completion of their first year, students with a GPA of 2.9 or higher are eligible to pursue the joint degree.

The LL.M. consists of 25 advocacy-focused credits. 13 credits are mandatory and 12 are elective credits, six of which may also count toward the J.D., meaning students must take 19 unique LL.M. credits across four semesters. Students can focus their studies on one of the three areas of advocacy: trial, appellate or alternative dispute resolution. Students would take, on average, 17/18 credits per semester which is similar to most joint J.D./master’s degree programs.

“The J.D./LL.M. joint degree reflects our innovative approach to legal education, which focuses on empowering students to obtain the skills, knowledge, and experiences that contemporary law practice demands,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “Many law students enter law school because they want to be in the courtroom, and the practical orientation of this degree offers a distinct advantage when entering the field.”

Required courses are evidence, alternative dispute resolution, appellate advocacy skills and trial practice. Elective courses include advanced litigation skills, selecting your jury and writing for trial and appellate judges as well as participation on an intercollegiate competition team.

“Being able to simultaneously earn your J.D. and a specialized law master’s degree is a game changer for students,” says Kathy Fox, assistant dean for enrollment management. “Many students currently take advantage of our leading advocacy programming and with this joint degree they can maximize their investment with credentials that previously have been available only after completing the J.D.”

The College of Law’s advocacy program features a comprehensive advocacy curriculum concentration and the Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society. The advocacy program hosts the Syracuse National Trial Competition and the National Disability Law Appellate Competition and co-hosts the Transatlantic Negotiation Competition and the Hall of Fame Sports and Entertainment Law Negotiation Competition. In addition, the College created the National Trial League, a unique online competition recognized by Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Program for Student Development.

To learn more and apply online, visit the .

The hearing will begin at noon for the case of U.S. v. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (E-6) Daniel D. Herman. The case concerns an Army soldier who was convicted of wrongfully broadcasting intimate visual images and making a false official statement. Representing the appellant will be Major Mitchell Herniak and Jonathan Potter. Representing the government will be Captain Stu Miller and Major Chase Cleveland. The court commissioners are Captain Andrew O’Grady and Captain Alex Vanscoy.

The three-judge panel will consist of Appellate Military Senior Judge Colonel Elizabeth Walker, Associate Judge Colonel Tim Hayes and Associate Judge Colonel LaJohnne Morris. The oral arguments are open to all.

Herman was tried at Fort Hood, Texas, before a general court martial appointed by Commander, III Corps and Fort Hood, Lieutenant Colonel Scott Z. Hughes, presiding. On May 14, 2022, a military judge sitting as a general court-martial convicted Herman (the appellant), contrary to his pleas, of six specifications of wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images and one specification of false official statement in violation of Articles 117a and 107, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 917a and 907 [UCMJ]. The military judge sentenced Herman to reduction to the grade of E-1, confinement for 13 months and a bad conduct discharge. On May 23, 2022, the convening authority approved the findings and sentence as adjudged. On June 13, 2022, the military judge entered judgment.

Arguments will be heard on the following issue: “Whether the military judge erred by denying appellant’s motion to suppress statements and derivative evidence.”

Professor who arranged the court’s visit says, “this hearing should appeal to a number of students at Syracuse Law. The proceedings may be rooted in military law, but the matters the court will discuss include issues pertinent to all law school students—constitutional rights, the privilege against self-incrimination, custodial interrogation and even policy considerations.”

More information about the case can be found on the . Following the hearing, there will be a Q&A session with the judges, as well as a reception with judges and representatives of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps from Fort Drum in the Levy Atrium.

The College of Law’s Syracuse Law Review is hosting the symposium, “Education Access and Opportunity,” on Oct. 14

During the symposium, three panel discussions will feature leading legal, education, and policy scholars from around the country. The panel discussions are:

• Towards Inclusive K-12 Education: Rights, Restrictions and Reforms;
• Tackling the Major Questions of Student Debt; and
• The Future of DEIA after Students for Fair Admissions

In addition, there will be a lunch and learn session, “Education and Empowerment: Civics, Law and History in the Classroom,” led by the Historical Society of the New York Courts.

The event will culminate with a keynote address from , journalist, legal scholar, Co-Founder of Beyond the Blindfold of Justice, matriculated law student and a formerly incarcerated person. Bourgeois will discuss the topic, “Opportunity Cost: Pursuing Higher Education with Post-Traumatic Prison Disorder.”

Education access has become a prominent legal issue in recent years. In two recent decisions that will greatly impact the field of higher education, the Supreme Court overturned race-based affirmative action policies and struck down the Biden administration’s student debt relief program. Controversies over academic freedom in public school curricula and the consequences of inequitable funding have renewed questions of students’ civil and constitutional rights—or the lack thereof. The proliferation of online instruction accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic has created both opportunities and challenges for students and educators.

These developments raise an urgent question: How do we promote education access within this new landscape? Through this symposium, we seek to analyze the legal implications of this historic moment and to produce a document that may prospectively guide scholars, policymakers, educators and other interested stakeholders.

Co-sponsors are the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission and the Historical Society of the New York Courts.

The Northern District of New York (NDNY) Federal Court Bar Association (FCBA) Hon. Norman A. Mordue ’66, L’71 Law Scholarship provides a student with the means to pursue a legal education and follow in the footsteps of Judge Mordue, a decorated war hero who served as chief judge for the NDNY and taught trial practice at the College of Law as an adjunct professor. The NDNY FCBA established the scholarship after the passing of Judge Mordue in December 2022.

Tyriese Robinson

Robinson, a native of South Carolina, served in the U.S. Air Force. He was a GeoBase engineering technician and lead honor guard trainer at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. After the Air Force, Robinson completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Clemson University where he served as a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs federal work-study student, president of the Clemson Student Veterans Association and in a number of volunteer roles across campus.

After graduating from Clemson, he selected Syracuse Law for his legal studies due to the University and college’s dedication to serving veterans.

“I decided to come to law school because I felt that there was tension between how my community viewed the law, and how the rest of the country viewed the law. I was already familiar with one aspect of the tension, so I decided to learn the other. I wanted to learn the law,” says Robinson.

At the College of Law, Robinson is a student attorney in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, a member of the Military and Veterans Law Society and a volunteer with the Cold Case Justice Initiative.

Judge Mordue served as the senior U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of New York, where he was a judge from 1998 until his passing in December 2022. A 2022 recipient of the college’s , Judge Mordue was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during the Vietnam War as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

When informed that he was receiving the Mordue Scholarship, Robinson said, “The astonishing things that Judge Mordue has done, both in uniform and on the bench, inspire humility. To me, being selected as the inaugural recipient of this scholarship means that I must continue to strive for excellence in honor of Judge Mordue’s legacy. Judge Mordue’s scholarship will serve as a valuable resource so that I can not only graduate, but graduate in a manner that upholds the dignity and reputation of Syracuse Law.” Upon graduation, Robinson plans to become a prosecutor.

The scholarship will be awarded during a tailgate celebration held at the College of Law Saturday morning before the Syracuse Orange take on the Army West Point Black Knights in football at the JMA Wireless Dome on Sept. 23.

Those interested in supporting the Mordue Scholarship, please visit the .

The College of Law’s Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic provides representation to veterans and their families who are seeking benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a to the College of Law’s (VLC). The program is a first-of-its-kind grant opportunity from the VA to fund legal services providers.

To effectively deliver legal services to homeless and at-risk veterans throughout upstate New York, the VLC is partnering with:

• the Syracuse VA Medical Center’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans program;
• the program with the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, which supports social work graduate students interested in working at the intersection of law and social work and promotes a stronger legal system that can address the holistic needs of clients; and
• SyracuseServes, a program of Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) located in the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), which supports a coordinated care network of local and national providers dedicated to serving the military community by collaborating to efficiently connect families to available services.

The grant program partners will identify, coordinate and deliver legal services that include discharge upgrades and complex disability claims assistance to this population.

“The VLC is honored to be part of this first-of-its-kind VA grant opportunity to fund legal service providers to better reach this vulnerable group of veterans. This is an excellent opportunity to deepen our relationship with the VA regarding the breadth of legal services the College of Law’s clinics can provide and to help shape further funding for legal services,” says Professor , executive director of the VLC.

The VLC provides representation to veterans and their families who are seeking benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or upgrading an unfavorable discharge through the various military services. While representing real clients, College of Law student attorneys gain an understanding of military culture, interact with government agencies, develop case management skills, improve advocacy skills and instill the value of pro bono service.

“Our student attorneys benefit from gaining hands-on legal experience with real clients and our community benefits from veterans receiving the much-needed legal services they otherwise could not afford,” says Kubala.

The provides legal representation to veterans and their families seeking benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or upgrading a military discharge through the various military branches. The VLC is staffed by student attorneys in their 2L or 3L year at the College of Law, many of who are veterans themselves or who have a connection to the military and a passion for serving veterans. “Our law school students leverage their critical thinking skills and analytical abilities to help veterans navigate a complex administrative process. We shoulder the legal process so that the veterans can focus on treatment and healing,” says Kubala.

“PTSD is an especially difficult diagnosis because it is often not recognized in veterans for many years after their service. They usually do not see it coming on while in the service because they are focused on their mission. All too often, these early symptoms of PTSD can lead to out-of-character behaviors that, in some cases, result in a veteran’s administrative discharge from service for that misconduct,” says 2L Seth Owens, a student in the VLC.

This summer, many student attorneys are assisting veterans with disability claims for PTSD. “The government has taken steps over the past decade to expand access to VA benefits for veterans experiencing PTSD. But it’s not easy to navigate and secure these benefits, especially for veterans facing the adverse consequences of PTSD in their daily lives. Another student and I are working with a veteran who was not diagnosed with PTSD, nor had he ever heard of PTSD, until after he was discharged. We are helping him connect his undiagnosed PTSD to the circumstances surrounding his discharge, with the goal of getting him full care. I can’t imagine taking that on alone,” says VLC student 2L Natalie Bravo.

“Currently, we are working with a decorated 15-year veteran, separated under unfavorable circumstances, who is struggling to get full care for his PTSD almost 16 years after his discharge. This process has been extremely eye-opening and makes one realize how challenging the process of getting the right care can be. The benefit of hindsight is allowing us to trace the onset of his PTSD symptoms to the trauma he experienced on his last deployment before being administratively discharged,” says Owens

He continues, “As we have learned more about the effects of PTSD, it is especially important to advocate on behalf of veterans who were separated under these circumstances because it impacts their ongoing ability to receive treatment and be compensated for their service to this country. At the Veterans Legal Clinic, we have a tremendous opportunity to use the skills we are learning at the Syracuse College of Law to directly improve the lives of our veteran clients. Providing a direct application of our legal knowledge, outside resources, or simply a compassionate ear to listen to their circumstances can all be beneficial to help that veteran navigate a challenging administrative process to get the right care for their PTSD.”

The VLC serves two critical functions on the Syracuse University campus. The VLC provides legal advice to veterans and their families and provides a training opportunity to empower law school students as veteran advocates.  Student attorneys at the VLC learn about veteran’s law, military law and federal administrative law. Student attorneys manage actual veteran clients and their cases, engage in fact investigation, draft persuasive letters and briefs to the various governmental agencies, and even have the opportunity to orally advocate for clients.

“The clinic is administrative law in action. We are navigating statutes, regulations and department policy to be the best advocates for our veterans. It’s great legal experience, but even more so it’s a fulfilling experience,” says Bravo.

“By incorporating the University’s Office of Technology Transfer within the College of Law’s Innovation Law Center, we leverage the expertise, resources and infrastructure of our renowned program whose faculty, staff and students specialize in intellectual property (IP) protection, licensing and moving new technologies and innovations from lab to market,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise.

Boise also announced that Executive Director of the ILC Brian Gerling L’99, has been appointed a professor of practice on the Syracuse Law faculty. Gerling will provide operational oversight and strategic direction to the OTT as special advisor on Technology Transfer to Syracuse University’s Vice President of Research, Duncan Brown.

“Bringing the ILC and the OTT together will directly benefit the University by accelerating our technology transfer and commercialization processes and enabling law students to work with technologies and clients from within our campus,” says Brown. “With Executive Director Gerling at the helm, we will embark on an extensive strategic planning process to elevate the OTT as a gold standard for tech transfer offices among our peer research institutions.”

“The functions of a tech transfer office are perfectly suited for the ILC,” says Gerling. “Our core competencies in law and IP help to surface important legal issues and challenges early in the commercialization process which benefits clients enormously. We look forward to working with the University’s vast network of innovators and entrepreneurs, while also augmenting opportunities for our students to gain practical skills and prepare them for careers as IP and business lawyers.”

“The College of Law is proud to have Rob as our 2023 commencement speaker. As Syracuse and the surrounding area welcome Micron to our community, I am excited to build a truly symbiotic relationship with Micron, to help it accomplish its ambitious goals and to advance our mission, our students and our surrounding communities,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “We look forward to Rob’s perspective as a C-suite leader of one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, and the important impact the law has on global business and innovation.”

Rob Beard

“I am honored to deliver the commencement address to the 2023 graduating class at Syracuse Law,” says Beard. “These talented lawyers will be the leaders who help move our world forward in sustainable ways, greatly contributing to the communities where they work and live.”

The College of Law commencement will take place on Friday, May 5, at 11 a.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome. Visit the for updates and details.

“Rob is among the many members of the Micron team that were instrumental in bringing this transformational company to our region,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “His experiences and accomplishments will be valuable lessons for our graduates as they make their way in the professional world. It is especially fitting that Rob will speak at this year’s law commencement, the first since Micron announced its $100 billion investment that will revitalize Central New York and its economy, and impact lives for generations to come.”

Beard was involved in Micron’s plans to invest more than $100 billion over the next 20-plus years in Clay, New York, and led the team that negotiated a historic incentive package with Empire State Development. Beard also promoted the CHIPS & Science Act and now co-heads Micron’s CHIPS grant application process. His team of around 100 lawyers and legal professionals at Micron spans 11 sites globally, including the United States, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and the European Union.

Beard joined Micron in 2014 to work with the company’s corporate development team on a wide range of strategic transactions.

Before joining Micron, Beard was an associate at Weil Gotshal & Manges in London and New York, where he focused on M&A and capital markets transactions, and at Shearman & Sterling in London, where he focused on debt capital markets transactions. He has also taught at the University of Illinois College of Law and the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, and clerked for the Honorable Judge N. Randy Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

Beard graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s in political science and received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, summa cum laude. He was a college athlete and continues to be active today through mountain biking, skiing and other outdoor activities.

Professor Todd Berger, director of advocacy programs

The College of Law created and launched the NTL in 2021 as a new trial competition that brings together 12 top national law school trial teams to compete in a season-long format resembling a traditional sports league. The biweekly matches are conducted virtually using short fact patterns.

The NTL is composed of two conferences of six teams. The teams compete in biweekly matches through seven rounds in their conference and in one cross-conference match. The top two teams from each conference advance to the playoffs.  This year, the championship match was held in person at the College of Law.

“The College of Law is honored to be recognized by Bloomberg Law in the Student Development category for our nationally ranked Advocacy Program’s National Trial League,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “At its heart, the NTL is a dynamic experiential opportunity for aspiring trial lawyers across the country to hone their advocacy skills in the courtroom, under conditions that simulate the pressure of appearing before a bench of judges.”

NTL organizer Professor Todd Berger, director of advocacy programs, says, “Before the NTL, inter-collegiate trial competitions occurred over the course of a few days and featured long, complex fact patterns. Most real-world trials involve much shorter fact patterns and are conducted over a few hours, particularly bench trials.”

The College of Law’s Innovation Law Center also received recognition from Bloomberg Law as a high-scoring program in the Innovation and Experience category.

identifies, recognizes and connects law school faculty, staff and administrators who are pioneering educational innovations that benefit their students, their schools, and the legal field. Through the Law School Innovation Program, Bloomberg Law seeks to acknowledge these innovators while raising overall awareness of innovation in legal education.

Brian Gerling L’99, executive director of the ILC

ILC students work with Syracuse University engineering and business school students, advise clients on their intellectual property, and deliver regulatory, patent and market research to support the commercialization of new technologies. ILC faculty conduct classes on bringing technologies to market, and related legal fields.

The program provides extensive hands-on learning opportunities for students to provide guidance to real clients on new technologies. ILC’s clients include both start-ups and established companies, as well as several university tech transfer offices.

This experiential, interdisciplinary education prepares College of Law students for careers in IP law, technology and the innovation ecosystem. Recognized as the sole New York State Science & Technology Law Center, the ILC delivers critical economic development support across the New York state.

“The College of Law is honored to be recognized by Bloomberg Law in the field of legal experiential education,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “The Innovation Law Center pioneered the educational field of technology commercialization law 30 years ago and continues to expand educational options and opportunities for its students and deliver vital research to its clients.”

“What is special about the ILC is that the work conducted by the center benefits so many people and organizations. Our students receive invaluable experience working with real clients that positively position them for success in the job market,” says Brian Gerling L’99, executive director of the ILC. “Our clients benefit from important research that guides them through the commercialization process and mitigates risk during the critical early stages of funding. The ILC’s high placement rate, reflecting our track record of converting student experiences into employment successes, is one of our proudest measures.”

The College of Law’s National Trial League also received recognition from Bloomberg Law as a high-scoring program in the Innovation and Student Development category.

The identifies, recognizes, and connects law school faculty, staff, and administrators who are pioneering educational innovations that benefit their students, their schools, and the legal field. Through the Law School Innovation Program, Bloomberg Law seeks to acknowledge these innovators while raising overall awareness of innovation in legal education.

During the live oral argument, a three-judge panel will hold oral arguments on a current case, Encarnacion v. McDonough (No. 21-1411). The case involves interpretation of federal regulations that guide adjudication of a widow’s entitlement to disability benefits.

Hosting an active court will provide students, faculty and staff, alumni and the local legal community with an opportunity to learn about veterans’ benefits, federal practice and administrative law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is a national court of record, established under Article I of the Constitution of the United States. The court has exclusive jurisdiction to provide judicial review of final decisions by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, an entity within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The court provides veterans an impartial judicial forum for review of administrative decisions by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals that are adverse to the veteran-appellant’s claim of entitlement to benefits for service-connected disabilities, survivor benefits and other benefits such as education payments and waiver of indebtedness.

In furtherance of its mission, the court also seeks to help ensure that all veterans have equal access to the court and to promote public trust and confidence in the court.

“Today, we honor a woman who graduated more than a half-century ago, the only woman in the Class of 1952,” said Boise. Eleanor Theodore, who also earned her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University in 1949, passed away last year at the age of 92. Her estate gift to the College of Law will create the Eleanor Theodore Memorial Law Scholarship Fund to support scholarships for deserving and promising students.

Eleanor Theodore

The amount of the gift was not revealed, reflecting the wishes of the donor, her lifelong modesty and her desire to serve others without fanfare.  “Eleanor was an introvert,” says Mike Bandoblu L’11, Theodore’s close friend, accountant and executor of her estate. “She was a private person, but she always put others first. The first word that comes to mind in describing Eleanor is ‘selflessness.’”

During the dedication ceremony, Boise recalled Theodore’s career of service over nearly four decades in the Department of Law for the City of Syracuse. As assistant corporation counsel, she provided legal advice to mayors, city departments, the Common Council, planning commission and others.

“You name it—whatever happened in Syracuse, Eleanor probably had a hand in it, working through multiple administrations and transitions, and helping to build and protect the city she loved,” said Boise. According to a profile of Theodore published in Syracuse Law Magazine (fall 2007), she was the first woman in the history of the city’s law department and its only female attorney during her first decade there. She served for 37 years, under five mayors and 11 corporation counsels.

Julie Yang ’24, president of the College of Law’s Women’s Law Student Association, unveils the sign for the Eleanor Theodore L’52 Lecture Hall.

“Her education at the College of Law was important to her. She often told people that. What she learned here built a future for her and allowed her to live a life of service,” said Boise. “By putting her name on this lecture hall, we hope our students will remember the woman who was modest in demeanor but fierce in her commitment to serving others and the College of Law.”

In opening the program, Julie Yang ’24, president of the college’s Women’s Law Students Association Julie Yang ’24 said, “The Women’s Law Students Association is committed to empowering women and advancing women in legal education and the legal profession. Our mission is to advocate for gender equity and women’s causes while creating lasting relationships with our mentors and alumnae. It is fitting therefore that we should join in this morning’s unveiling, in celebration of a woman who was truly a trailblazer. I know I speak for all my colleagues when I say that we will remember this day with great admiration and inspiration.”

In the State of the College address following the dedication, Boise noted that the college remains strong, in large part due to the generosity of alumni and friends. In 2021-22, the college exceeded fundraising goals by 40%, with $6 million raised from 1,600 donors, allowing the college “to attract the best and brightest and offer them appropriate financial aid to help make their career dreams a reality.”

The program will examine the impact of the Raise the Age legislation on the courts, legal community, youth and community. It will feature panels of stakeholders involved in all areas of juvenile justice and crime prevention, including district attorneys, defense counsels, judges and attorneys for children.

The bill was passed in 2017 and increased the age of criminal responsibility to 18 years of age. New York was previously one of only two states that automatically prosecuted 16- and 17-year-olds as adults.

“These issues concern all of us, including legal professionals and the broader community. Assessing the law at this juncture is timely and requires that we ask important questions to inform our decision making to guide our actions on juvenile justice and juvenile offenders. We must know empirically and experientially if the law is reaching its objectives, and if it applies equitably across racial, ethnic, gender and other diverse backgrounds,” says Professor Paula Johnson, commissioner of the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission.

The summit, co-sponsored by the , will be both in-person and virtual, but all participants must . The summit is free and open to the public.

The summit features keynote speaker deputy chief administrative judge for Justice Initiatives, New York State Unified Court System; and lunchtime keynote speaker , associate dean of experiential education and professor of law at Penn State Dickenson School of Law.

On Sept. 22, four panel discussions will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom. The discussions will also be available .

“Does Law Matter: The International World Order and Ukraine”

• James E. Baker, professor and director of Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law (former chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, National Security Council (NSC) legal adviser)
• Brian Egan, partner, Skadden, Arps (former Department of State legal adviser and NSC legal adviser)

“The Law of Armed Conflict”

• Beth Kubala, professor and executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic (retired Lt. Col. U.S. Army)
• Rachel VanLandingham, Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School (retired Lt. Col. U.S. Air Force)
• Major William Casey Biggerstaff, military professor at the Stockton Center for International Law at the U.S. Naval College
• Major Jason Harrup, chief of national security law, 10th Mountain Division, U.S. Army

“Intelligence”

• Robert Murrett, professor and deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law (former Director NGA, Vice Admiral USN Ret.)
• Renn Gade, deputy general counsel/intelligence, Department of Defense
• Brian Taylor, professor, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Kristen Patel, professor, Maxwell School
• Laurie Hobart, professor, Institute for Security Policy and Law

“Sanctions”

• Adam Smith, partner, Gibson Dunn (former senior advisor, Office of Foreign Assets Control, director NSC staff)

On Sept. 23, a panel featuring speakers from Thursday be held from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m., including a reception in the David Levy Atrium followed by the keynote in the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom. This event is part of the College of Law’s Alumni Weekend festivities. .

For more information, visit the .

Nazak Nikakhtar L’02, G’02

Syracuse University’s College of Law announced today as its 2022 opening convocation speaker.

Currently partner at Wiley Rein LLP, chair of the firm’s national security practice and co-chair of its foreign investment practice (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS), Nikakhtar specializes in international trade national security law, global competition policy and supply chain resilience. Nikakhtar is also a trade economist and former Georgetown University adjunct law professor.

From 2018-21, with unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Nikakhtar served as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s assistant secretary at the International Trade Administration (ITA). Nikakhtar also fulfilled the duties of the under secretary for industry and security at the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

In these roles, Nikakhtar shaped America’s international trade and national security policies in this new era of intensified economic competition, spearheaded the U.S. government’s first-ever analysis on strengthening supply chains, shaped U.S. investment policy and implemented groundbreaking national security legislations.

During her previous tenure at the Department of Commerce, and immediately upon graduating from Syracuse, Nikakhtar worked at both ITA and BIS advising on the domestic industrial base. She has received numerous award medals from the U.S. government for her work on trade and national security.

Nikakhtar is also a prolific lecturer on trade and national security issues, and most recently, she appeared as the chief legal expert before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence at a hearing on Threats to National Security: Countering the People’s Republic of China’s Economic and Technological Plan for Dominance.

Of her relentless drive to advance U.S. national security, Nikakhtar has said, “I am deeply patriotic to the country that gave me my home, my education and my freedom, and it is my duty to serve this great country through my legal career.“ About her plans to address the entering classes at Syracuse Law this fall, she says, “I am deeply grateful to Syracuse University for giving me the foundational skills and education to succeed professionally, and I look forward to passing forward my knowledge and expertise to enable the new generation of Orange lawyers to succeed in rewarding careers.”

Nikakhtar has served as a distinguished guest lecturer in the College of Law’s externship program in Washington, D.C. Nikakhtar earned juris doctor and master of economics degrees from Syracuse University, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce. The College of Law looks forward to welcoming Nikakhtar back to her alma mater this fall.

“We anticipate great words of wisdom and encouragement from Nazak,” says Dean Craig M. Boise, “and believe she has so much to offer the incoming class considering her breadth of experience on matters of law and national security.”

Opening convocation will be held during orientation week, Aug. 15-19, at the College of Law.

The CASTLE curriculum consists of a minimum of 12 credits, including a foundational course in entrepreneurship offered at Whitman and an applied capstone course offered at the College of Law through its Innovation Law Center (ILC). The ILC offers a unique, interdisciplinary experiential learning program for students interested in the commercial development of new technologies. It is also the designated New York State Science & Law Technology Center by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). Under the leadership of Director Brian Gerling L’99, ILC students and faculty provide research, information, and advisory and support services to the more than 30 universities and research centers in New York supported by NYSTAR as well as New York state entrepreneurs and companies with new technologies.

Students enrolled in CASTLE can choose from courses in the areas of intellectual property, patents, venture capital and startup advising, among others. CASTLE is open to graduate and law students enrolled at Syracuse University, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) and SUNY Upstate Medical College.

“The College of Law’s Innovation Law Center has a twenty-plus-year track record of preparing law students to drive growth in tech-related industries, including emerging medical, pharmaceutical, robotics, computing and manufacturing technologies, by combining real-world practical experience and academics, including courses at Whitman. CASTLE formalizes this interdisciplinary approach with an advanced credential that employers will immediately recognize as an added value in candidates,” says Dean Craig M. Boise.

Whitman School Interim Dean Alexander McKelvie says, “We are delighted to be able to launch this new program with the College of Law. We have a long history of working collaboratively and this new program formalizes our joint work in support of technology entrepreneurs and innovators. This new program is a major benefit to students as they learn both business and legal skills, like how to do market sizing, competitive analyses and commercialization, as well as intellectual property law and how to do patent searches.”

Students interested in CASTLE can apply at any time during their graduate programs. College of Law students should apply in the spring of their 1L year. Tuition follows the current tuition rate per school and course.

For more detailed information about this Certificate of Advanced Study, please visit the College of Law’s . Current College of Law students interested in the certificate should contact the ILC at 315.443.8933 while prospective law students should contact College of Law admissions. Whitman students should email Christopher Wszalek, executive director of graduate admissions and student recruitment.

Judge McKee and Chancellor Kent Syverud (right) at the College of Law’s Commencement on May 6.

The announcement of the scholarship in the name of Judge McKee, a Syracuse University Life Trustee and an honorary member of the College of Law Board of Advisors, came at the college’s Commencement ceremony on May 6, before the Class of 2022 and Judge McKee’s family, including several of his judicial clerks.

The Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75 Endowed Law Scholarship will provide Syracuse Law students with the education and cultural context to enable them to carry forward the legacy of Judge McKee, who has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for more than 27 years.

“This scholarship honors a College of Law legend and one of its foremost pioneers, who as a jurist has earned praise for his fairness, compassion and incisive questioning from the bench, and whose public service is grounded in a deep concern for social justice,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “The Alexanders’ generous gift ensures that Judge McKee’s legacy is enshrined at the college and that, in his name, we can assist and inspire students whose backgrounds and experiences will bring diverse perspectives to the college and the practice of law.”

Judge McKee graduated from the College of Law in 1975 magna cum laude and as a member of the Order of the Coif and the Justinian Honorary Law Society. He began his legal career in private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before entering public service as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He then served as deputy city solicitor for Philadelphia, as a lecturer at Rutgers Law School and as general counsel for the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Judge McKee first took the bench in 1984 on the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. After a decade of service, he was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President William J. Clinton in 1994, receiving his confirmation and commission later that same year. Judge McKee served as the court’s chief judge from 2010-16.

As to the scholarship, Richard and Emily Alexander said, “We are delighted to be able to honor Judge McKee’s distinguished service to our country, his commitment to social justice and his passion for Syracuse University by supporting scholarships to deserving students in the College of Law.”

Upon hearing the news of the Alexanders’ gift, Judge McKee said, “I am humbled beyond words by the generosity and thoughtfulness of the Alexander family in endowing a scholarship in my honor. The legal education I received from Syracuse University has allowed me to compete with graduates of any law school in the country, and I am very thankful that this scholarship will help me to give back to the university that has done so much for me.”

For more information, or to contribute to the Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75 Endowed Law Scholarship, please contact Assistant Dean for Advancement and External Affairs Sophie Dagenais at 315.443.1964 or sulaw@syr.edu.

199 J.D. and 33 LL.M. students comprise the College of Law’s Class of 2022.

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud provided remarks and introduced the Hon. Theodore A. McKee L’75 Endowed Law Scholarship, thanks to the generosity of Board of Advisors member Richard M. Alexander L’82, chairman of Arnold & Porter, and his wife Emily. The scholarship will provide Syracuse Law students with the education and cultural context to enable them to carry forward the legacy of Judge McKee, who has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for 27 years.

Professor Todd Berger was voted by the J.D. Class of 2022 as the recipient of the Res Ipsa Loquitur Award, given to a faculty member for “service, scholarship and stewardship” to the students. Professor Richard Risman was voted by the LL.M. Class of 2022 as the recipient of the Lucet Lex Mundum Award, given to a professor who has made a significant impact on the successes and experiences of LL.M. students during their studies.

In his remarks to graduates, Cooper emphasized the importance of always embracing the most authentic pieces of ourselves and broadcasting how these strengths can play to our advantage in overcoming challenges. Reflecting on his personal journey, he also encouraged students to find their purpose and to find the “mud” that’s beneath and around all of us, and to ask themselves how they will help clear the mud and bring about a more inclusive world. “A great orator once asked, what’s most important…the flower…or the ground that grows it? In order for the flower to fully blossom and mature it must traverse a muddy path slowly, and with intention, bending it toward the light. That muddy path contains the secrets to its beauty…the secrets to its magic.”

Class of 2022 President Gabriella Kielbasinski remarked, “Class of 2022, we have struggled and studied and sacrificed for that idea of a career that we now get to pursue. We have lived through some historic, and sometimes exhausting moments, and while today is a great triumph, I also know that some of us feel like we just need a second to catch our breaths, but I have high hopes for our futures. Because, yes, these have been unprecedented times, but I believe that unprecedented times can only create unprecedented lawyers.”

LL.M. Student Bar Association Representative Sindy Perez Ospino said, “To my fellow LL.M. classmates, I want to acknowledge the unique challenges that we as international students sometimes face. But, in a year rocked by invasions, coups, human rights violations and a pandemic, we must remember that we have to be resilient and continue fighting for our dreams, to speak up and not give up. Thank you, LL.M. students, for showing me the meaning of kindness, resilience and brotherhood.”

The members of the inaugural class, which comprises 45 of the 199 College of Law’s J.D. recipients this year, distinguished themselves in their legal studies. Many are graduating with honors. As students, they were also active in extracurricular activities and pro bono work. Twelve served on the Syracuse Law Review or other journals, many participated in the Student Bar Association and other student organizations, and some started new student organizations.

“I’m extraordinarily proud of all our 2022 graduates, but I’m particularly pleased to see our inaugural JDi cohort earn their law degrees,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “From across the country and around the world, they have studied with us year-round for more than three years, while balancing full-time work and family obligations. They are incredibly talented and motivated, and we’re honored to count them among our Syracuse Law alumni family.”

45 JDi students graduated—alongside their peers in the residential J.D. program—from Syracuse University’s College of Law on May 6.

The College of Law carefully designed JDi to make its J.D. program available to students for whom attending a residential program was not practical. By combining  with self-paced instruction,  and externship opportunities, the program makes a foremost legal education available to students who need flexibility in their studies.

Consistent with the program’s goals of increasing access to legal education, the JDi graduates are a diverse group:

• They hail from 25 different states, including Hawaii and Alaska, and have taken classes while living in multiple countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Japan.
• Eleven are members of the military or military-affiliated, including high-ranking, retired veterans and spouses of active-duty military personnel based in Germany and New Mexico.
• 30% are students of color.
• Their median age is 35.

“These students are the embodiment of the goal at the core of JDi: to expand access to legal education and the legal profession,” says Professor Shannon Gardner, associate dean for online education. “Without this program, this diverse group of talented, accomplished, and ambitious grads would not have been able to pursue their aspirations of becoming lawyers.”

Outside of their pursuits as law students, the Class of 2022 JDi graduates are global industry executives at prominent companies, such as Apple, John Deere and Lockheed Martin. They are national and local government employees, leaders at higher education institutions, public school teachers and administrators, bankers, insurance executives, paralegals, real estate agents, entrepreneurs and accountants. They are parents of one to nine children and caregivers to aging parents. Several already hold advanced degrees.

“Designing JDi required us to rethink how we deliver education and gave us the opportunity to take the best of what we do in our residential program and translate it into the online space,” says Professor Nina Kohn, faculty director of online education, who led the design and launch of JDi. “The College of Law could not be prouder of these students for their achievements here. Their success shows that—with careful planning and an insistence on always putting student learning first—we can deliver a high-quality legal education to students no matter where they may be located.”

For more information about JDinteractive, email onlineJD@syr.edu.

“Fulbright Scholarships are prestigious academic achievements and Professor True-Frost is a deserving recipient and representative of the College of Law in this program,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “Her scholarship at the intersection of international law and politics and the rights of the disabled is being justly recognized. Cora is a gifted classroom teacher and will ultimately enrich this field and our students, building connections between leading international courts and our law school.”

True-Frost answered some questions about her Fulbright Scholarship.

Syracuse University College of Law has appointed four new Board of Advisors members: Peter Carmen L’91, Prashanth (PJ) Jayachandran G’98, L’98, Benita Miller L’96 and David Wales L’95. These appointments reflect the heft of the College of Law’s alumni and underscore the college’s commitment to project on its board the diverse talent and leadership represented by its alumni community.

“The College of Law benefits greatly from our dynamic, engaged advisors who provide essential guidance in support of our mission and our students,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “Peter, PJ, Benita and David bring varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to our distinguished Board. I look forward to working with them closely as we continue to advance our mission and prepare our students for their careers in law.”

“Law schools must anticipate and respond to a rapidly changing legal profession, with innovative educational offerings and opportunities for students,” says Board of Advisors Chair Robert M. Hallenbeck L’83. “These four highly regarded lawyers and community leaders will help provide insight into the future of the profession that will ensure that the College of Law is well-positioned to meet the needs of our students and build a bench of influential and practice-ready Orange lawyers.”

Syracuse Law’s new advisors bring to the boardroom business acumen, corporate and nonprofit leadership, and expertise in antitrust, environmental, social and governance, labor relations, social welfare, and children’s rights law.

Peter Carmen

Carmen is the chief operating officer of the Oneida Indian Nation and its enterprises.

In this role, Pete works closely with Oneida Indian Nation leadership to oversee the daily operations and administration for Oneida Nation Enterprises LLC, which includes Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino & Sports Book, Point Place Casino, Oneida Innovations Group, The Lake House at Sylvan Beach, The Cove at Sylvan Beach, SavOn Stores, Maple Leaf Markets, The Preserve hunting grounds, Salmon Acres fishing lodge, five golf courses, three marinas, two spas and dozens of restaurants. Carmen’s role also includes oversight of Oneida’s administration, including legal, finance, information technology, human resources, governmental affairs, security, marketing and supply chain, and he works with the Oneida leadership in overseeing the Oneida Indian Nation Police Department.

Since Carmen joined the Oneida Indian Nation in 2006, he has played an integral role in the Nation’s growth. Over the last 15 years, Oneida has developed its gaming, hospitality, entertainment, technology and government contracting footprints exponentially. Today, Oneida Nation Enterprises is the No. 1 largest employer in its two home counties—Madison and Oneida—and among the largest employers in the 18-county Central New York region. Oneida Nation Enterprises has become one of the most awarded companies regionally and is now routinely recognized among industry leaders nationally. It partners with a broad range of national gaming, real estate and retail companies, among others.

Carmen was born and raised in Syracuse and has spent most of his life in the Empire State. Before stepping into his current role in 2008, Carmen served as the Oneida Indian Nation’s general counsel, chief legal officer and senior vice president. Previously, he was a partner, department chair and a member of the executive committee at Mackenzie Hughes LLP, a law firm in Syracuse, and he served a federal judicial clerkship with Chief Judge Neal P. McCurn of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Carmen graduated from Brandeis University and received a law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1991.

Prashanth (PJ) Jayachandran

Prashanth Jayachandran is chief supply chain counsel for Colgate-Palmolive Company. As lead counsel for the global supply chain, Jayachandran oversees global commercial contracting, labor relations, legal issues related to logistics, transportation, trade, manufacturing and product distribution. Jayachandran also addresses key global policy issues related to human rights, environmental impact and sustainability. In his prior roles for Colgate, Jayachandran served as chief human resources and benefits counsel and division general counsel for Colgate Asia.

Jayachandran serves as distinguished lecturer for the College of Law’s JDinteractive program, teaching a course related to corporate sustainability (The Corporate Lawyer in a Sustainable World).

In addition, Jayachandran serves on several nonprofit boards in various leadership roles. He is the chair of the Board of Directors for the Princeton, New Jersey, YMCA; co-founder of the New Jersey Youth Civics Coalition; and a member of the Board of Advisors for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Student Affairs. Jayachandran also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Paul, Weiss ESG & Law Institute.

Jayachandran received a bachelor of arts degree (economics and political science) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received a juris doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law and a master of public administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Benita Miller

Benita R. Miller is currently the executive director of Powerful Families Powerful Communities and an executive on loan to the State of New Jersey Department of Children and Families overseeing a five-year demonstration project to re-imagine New Jersey’s child welfare system through a human-centered design process that leverages the voice of community members as co-designers. She previously served as the president and CEO of Children’s Aid and Family Services in New Jersey. Prior to her work in New Jersey, Miller served as the executive director of Brooklyn Kindergarten Society, where she expanded the agency’s early childhood education footprint from five to seven centers as well as building the first sensory gym co-located in a New York City Housing Authority development.

Miller was the founding executive director of the NYC Children’s Cabinet in the Office of the Mayor and served as the deputy commissioner of the Division of Family Permanency Services in the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). Before joining ACS, Miller served as director of scholarships at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where among other responsibilities she implemented programs for undergraduate and law student scholars. She is the founder and former executive director of the Brooklyn Young Mother’s Collective and is the recipient of the Union Square Award and Petra Fellowship on behalf of her advocacy work with young parents. She was also recognized by the American Civil Liberties Union as one of the top nine advocates to influence Title IX implementation. She previously represented children and young people in child protective, delinquency and PINS proceedings in Brooklyn Family Court as a staff lawyer with the Legal Aid Society.

Miller earned a bachelor of fine arts in print journalism from Wayne State University where she was a Rosa Parks Scholar at The Detroit News and received a juris doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law. She serves as a board member for many nonprofit organizations, including Strategies for Youth and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

David Wales

David P. Wales is partner, antitrust/competition at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP’s Washington, D.C., office. He is recognized as a leading antitrust lawyer and has over 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. His practice focuses on providing antitrust advice to U.S. and international clients in a wide range of industries on all aspects of antitrust, including mergers and acquisitions, alliances, criminal grand jury investigations, dominant firm conduct, distribution arrangements, licensing and competitor collaborations.

Wales has the distinctive experience of serving as a senior official in both U.S. antitrust agencies. Most recently, he served as acting director of the Bureau of Competition (2008-09) during a three-year tenure at the Federal Trade Commission, where he oversaw all of the agency’s antitrust enforcement activity, including in the health care, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, technology, chemical, defense, retail, and consumer product industries. He also served as counsel to the assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (2001-03), where he was part of the small front-office team managing all of the agency’s merger and conduct matters.

Wales earned a bachelor of arts from the Pennsylvania State University and a juris doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law. He regularly speaks and writes on antitrust issues and has held various leadership positions in the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Section. Recognized as a leading antitrust practitioner, he is consistently ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists, and Best Lawyers.

“Despite the continued barriers and uncertainties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, this new spring cohort includes foreign lawyers representing the legal systems of six countries,” says Assistant Dean of International Programs Andrew S. Horsfall L’10. “These students come from very diverse backgrounds and expanses and have wide-ranging professional interests.”

The College of Law’s new LL.M. chohort includes, from left to right, Christian Oko, Ahmad Riaz, Francisco De la Parra Villanueva, Noel Omeji, Dessi-Ann Yetman and Lotta Lampela. Not pictured is Savior Welu.

The LL.M. cohort will maintain its wide reach across time zones and locations with students from Ethiopia, Finland, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan. These new students will join the 34 returning LL.M. students who began their studies this past fall and spring along with four S.J.D. students, and five visiting scholars.

In addition, the LL.M. students and visiting scholars will receive advising support from International Programs Academic Coordinator Kate Shannon and LL.M. student mentors Marisol Estrada Cruz, Mazaher Kaila, Anthony Levitskiy, Carlos Negron and Tia Thevenin.

The LL.M. Spring 2022 cohort includes:

• Francisco De la Parra Villanueva (Mexico) completed his LL.B. at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in 2021. As an undergraduate, he participated in two clinics: the Sustainable Development and Environmental Law Clinic and the Clinic for the Improvement of Labor Justice. De la Parra also held several internships that focused on corporate and banking law.
• Lotta Lampela (Finland) holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Oulu University and a LL.M. in international law from Helsinki University. She was the chief superintendent of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service and an intelligence advisor for the EU Intelligence Analysis Centre. Before recently moving to the U.S., Lampela served as a policy advisor for the Delegation of the European Union to the International Organizations in Vienna, where she represented the EU and its member states at the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. She plans to enroll in courses that will prepare her for the New York State bar exam.
• Christian Oko (Nigeria) received a LL.B. from the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 2019. Since graduating, he has worked as a legal consultant for the Sunset Football Club and an intern at the Nigerian Football Association, where he focused on alternative dispute resolution. Oko plans to enroll in courses that will prepare him for the New York State bar exam.
• Noel Omeji (Nigeria) completed his LL.B. at Kogi State University in 2014 and graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 2016. He also completed a LL.M. in private and commercial law at Bayero University. He has been a prosecutor with the Nigerian Police Force since 2017. Omeji will study tax law, ADR and coursework that will prepare him for the New York State bar exam.
• Ahmad Riaz (Pakistan) holds a LL.B. from the University of Punjab, Lahore. Since graduating in 2015, he has worked as a legal associate at a private law firm. He intends to study family law, criminal procedure and civil procedure.
• Savior Welu (Ethiopia) holds a LL.B. from Mekelle University and a LL.M. in public international law from Addis Ababa University. As an undergraduate, he interned at the Mekelle University Legal Aid Center, where he drafted pleadings on criminal and civil cases. Most recently, Welu has served as a law lecturer at Aksum University in Ethiopia, where he teaches international law, refugee law, African Union and human rights law, and business law.
• Dessi-Ann Yetman (Jamaica) obtained her LL.B. from the University of the West Indies in 2018. She plans to study family law and immigration law.

Additionally, the College of Law has welcomed six visiting researchers for Spring 2022. They include:

• Carlos Higino Ribeiro de Alencar (Brazil) works as a tax auditor for Brazil’s Internal Revenue Service under its Ministry of Economics. He is also pursuing a Ph.D. through a joint degree program with the University of Brasilia and the University of Paris, Paris 1, at the Sorbonne. During his visit, he is pursuing comparative research on the evolution of anti-corruption legislation using the American model and other sources under the guidance of Professor Antonio Gidi.
• Natalia Chernicharo Guimaraes (Brazil) teaches civil procedure at University of Juiz de Fora. She is researching comparative civil procedure and class actions under the guidance of Professor Gidi.
• Satoshi Kawashima (Japan) teaches at Okayama University of Science and Kanagawa University’s Graduate School of Law. During his visit, he will pursue the study and research of U.S. disability rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act under the supervision of Professor Arlene Kanter.
• Kihan Lee (South Korea) teaches at Dankook University’s Faculty of Law. He is also chair of the Korea Social Service Policy Institute. He will engage in the study and research of comparative environmental regulation, with specific focus on the United States and South Korea, and economic and legal efforts to combat climate change under the guidance of Professor David Driesen.
• Levan Nanobashvili (Georgia) is a Fulbright Teaching Scholar and a practicing intellectual property lawyer in Georgia. He plans to engage in the study and research of intellectual property law, internet law and the teaching methods and pedagogy of these subjects under the guidance of Professor Shubha Ghosh.
• Patricia Pizzol (Brazil) teaches class actions and civil procedure at Pontificia Universidade Catolica de São Paulo. She will undertake a comparative study of class actions and methods of standardizing judicial decisions under the guidance of Professor Gidi.

In summary, the paper indicates that “Most directly, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is responsible for the genocide of the Uyghur people. Forced concentration camps, disappearances, and slave labor put the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the PRC. However, the PRC does not shoulder responsibility for this atrocity alone.”

The 2022 Winter Olympics and Genocide: A History of Enabling Atrocities and the Path Forward can be downloaded from .

The paper was researched and written by 11 College of Law students, along with students from the University of Michigan School of Law, Suffolk University, and the University of Washington in St. Louis under the direction of SAP founder and project leader David M. Crane L’80, former chief prosecutor, Special Court of Sierra Leone, and professor at the College of Law.

The SAP is a student organization founded at the College of Law and expanded to the University of Michigan College of Law. SAP is affiliated with the Global Accountability Network. The entirety of the report is that of SAP alone, and is not reflective of the views of Syracuse University or its College of Law. For more information, visit .

Paula Johnson

College of Law Professor Paula Johnson will appear on an episode of “Frontline” entitled “American Reckoning” on Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. EDT on PBS and YouTube. The episode examines the unsolved 1960s bombing murder of NAACP and civil rights leader Wharlest Jackson Sr., offering rarely seen footage filmed more than 50 years ago.

“American Reckoning” examines Black opposition to racist violence in Mississippi, spotlighting a little-known armed resistance group called the Deacons for Defense and Justice, woven alongside the Jackson family’s decades-long search for justice amid the ongoing federal effort to investigate civil rights area cold cases.

The episode will also be available for streaming. View the “American Reckoning” and learn more about the program in this .

Johnson was tapped for the episode due to her work as director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) at the College of Law and her ongoing work on the Wharlest Jackson case. CCJI conducts investigations and research on unresolved cases, offers academic courses, public forums and other special events, and serves as a clearinghouse for sharing and receiving information on active cases. College of Law student members of CCJI were also interviewed for the episode.

Johnson and CCJI students work with the Jackson family in sponsoring the Wharlest and Exerlena Jackson Legacy Project, which commemorates the legacies of Wharlest Jackson, Sr. and his wife Exerlena, and their contributions and ultimate sacrifices for racial justice, educational and employment opportunity, voting rights and full participation in United States society. The program includes speakers, and workshops for high school and junior high school students, parents, educators and the public. The program will take place April 1-2 on Zoom. Further details will be available . Inquiries can be sent to The Jackson Legacy Project.

Luke Cooper

College of Law has announced that alumnus and Fixt founder and corporate executive Luke Cooper L’01 will serve as its Commencement speaker on May 6, 2022. Cooper is CEO of Latimer Ventures, a partner at San Francisco-based Preface Ventures and the 2022 Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland Baltimore, which encompasses Maryland’s law school, medical school and other graduate programs.

“Luke has been a strategic planner, technology innovator and product developer for more than 20 years,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “We are honored to welcome him back to Syracuse University and look forward to hearing about his entrepreneurial successes and how his law degree from the College of Law and personal life experiences have shaped his leadership style and professional pursuits.”

In a , Cooper credits Syracuse Law with developing skills in critical thinking, analytical reasoning and advocacy that have fueled his successes. Importantly, Cooper is passionate about building diverse and inclusive work cultures and lifting up Black entrepreneurs.

Cooper, who built and sold his first cyber startup to CACI in 2011, founded the device support platform Fixt, which he sold to Assurant in 2020. He is only the second Black tech entrepreneur to see a company through to a successful exit in Baltimore, Maryland. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation and has been appointed by Gov. Larry Hogan to serve on the board of directors of Maryland’s .

Cooper’s upcoming memoir—”Mud to Magic: A Black Tech Entrepreneur’s Inspiring Journey“ (2022)—will tell his life story and share his powerful message, that showing up as your most authentic self will drive the best outcomes.

Sherman F. Levey

The College of Law and Deborah Ronnen, of Rochester, New York, announce the creation of the Deborah and Sherman F. Levey ’57, L’59 Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship, as part of the , builds on and memorializes the enduring contributions that Levey, who passed away in April 2018, made to his alma mater, his community and the legal profession.

“This scholarship will enable our students to achieve their dream of a career in law and advance diversity and inclusion in our profession,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “The Levey Scholars will bring wide-ranging perspectives to our classrooms, continuing Syracuse Law’s firm commitment to diversifying legal education and the legal profession, just as Sherm imagined it should be.”

Boise continues, “Deborah Ronnen’s vision and generosity—in Sherm’s memory—will not only help ensure that law school is accessible to brilliant minds among the broadest possible group of students, it will actively encourage them to select Syracuse Law as their law school of choice.”

The inaugural Levey Scholar is 2L Kerstein Camilien. “As a Syracuse Law student, there is no greater feeling than knowing that our alumni and their families keep us in mind. It’s a reminder that the rigors of law school need not be dealt with alone and some of them can be soothed,” he says. “Law school is stressful, and this scholarship has eased that stress by giving me one less thing to worry about. It’s made my career goals more achievable. I am deeply grateful for Deborah Ronnen’s generosity and Sherman Levey’s inspiring legacy and am very proud to be a Levey Scholar.”

Born in Rochester on July 4, 1935, Levey earned a full scholarship to Syracuse University. After graduating in 1957, he enrolled in the College of Law, where he graduated with honors in 1959 and was an editor of Syracuse Law Review.

After graduating from law school, he formed the tax law firm of Rubin and Levey in Rochester, with Sydney R. Rubin. The firm eventually merged with Harris, Beach and Wilcox to form Harris, Beach, Wilcox, Rubin and Levey. Later in his distinguished career in tax law and estate planning, Levey joined the Rochester firm Boylan Code as Counsel.

Levey served as an adjunct professor at Cornell University Law School, the Simon Business School of the University of Rochester, and the Syracuse University College of Law.

He noted in a Syracuse Law magazine feature that, as a teacher, his proudest accomplishment was establishing and co-directing the College of Law’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. He helped to secure the clinic’s original funding, in 1998, through a Congressional program.

In 1999, Levey established the Levey Lecture Series at the College of Law, which brings distinguished practitioners to Syracuse, including former American Bar Association President Robert MacCrate. Levey’s daughter—Lynn Levey—followed her father to the College of Law, graduating in 1994 and joining its faculty as a Legal Writing Professor until her departure in 2017 to become Clark University’s Title IX coordinator and assistant dean for wellness.

“Sherm was passionate about his alma mater, and throughout his career, as a lawyer, a teacher and a philanthropic leader and volunteer, he was a strong believer in lifting up his communities,” says Ronnen. “Sherm’s spirit is embedded in this endowed scholarship. It exemplifies all that is great about him: his keen intellect, his kindness and grace, his enduring commitment to his profession, and his open heart and generosity in support of countless generations of students.”

“What I like about practicing law is dealing with real people and real problems,” Levey once told Syracuse Law. “I never quite believed in the grandeur of the law. But I do believe in the rule of law trying to solve problems in a civilized way by an orderly process. The law is basically a framework by which society attempts to solve, or hopefully avoid, problems among people.”

Together, Levey and Ronnen have underwritten multiple artistic projects in their hometown. Among the organizations that have benefitted from their generosity are the George Eastman Museum, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Eastman School of Music and Garth Fagan Dance. Levey also served as chair of the Jewish Home Board of Trustees and Vice Chair of the George Eastman Museum. He worked with the Rochester Area Community Foundation, and he was on the board of Rochester public media company WXXI.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit to learn more.

“These students worked through so many challenges and stayed adaptable and positive throughout what was an exciting and rigorous academic experience under the shadow of a pandemic. While some began their studies in courses offered fully online, I’m thrilled that all were eventually able to join us at the College of Law to take in-person classes in Dineen Hall,” says Andrew S. Horsfall L’10, assistant dean of international programs.

The fall 2021 graduates are:

• Ahmed Al Shattawi (Iraq): Al Shattawi obtained his bachelor of law from Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, Iraq. Soon after his LL.B. studies, he emigrated to the United States, settling in Syracuse, where he obtained a degree in electrical engineering and works for Anaran, a local engineering and technology company. During his LL.M. studies, he chose to focus on courses in American criminal law and procedure as well as subjects tested on the New York Bar Exam.
• Saad Alqahtani (Saudi Arabia): Alqahtani obtained a bachelor of law from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia in 2010. He has worked as a legal investigator in the Public Administration for Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Transportation in Riyadh since 2011. Alqahtani focused his studies on corporate compliance, negotiation and real estate law. While at Syracuse, he earned an Excellence for the Future award in Real Estate Law for Business from the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Education.
• Samuel Alvarenga Goncalves (Brazil): Alvarenga obtained his LL.B. from the University of Itaúna and a master of laws from Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paolo, both in Brazil. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in law from Brazil’s Federal University of Minas Gerais. Alvarenga serves as a state prosecutor in the state of Rondônia where he specializes in public health matters. He pursued courses in class actions and civil procedure.
• Hugo Carrasco Soulé López (Mexico): Carrasco obtained an LL.B. and Ph.D. in law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He is a professor of law at UNAM, where he teaches civil procedure, contracts, class actions and health law. He has published law review articles and books. He is also in-house counsel for Johnson & Johnson. He enrolled in courses such as constitutional law, negotiation skills, European Union law and courses that will prepare him for the New York Bar Exam.
• Sebastian Valenzuela (Mexico): Valenzuela is finishing his LL.B. at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and comes to us under a dual-degree program. During his studies, he has worked as a legal assistant for a casino management company as well as with a federal court. He pursued coursework in tax, regulatory and administrative law during his LL.M. studies.

Fall ’21 College of Law Visiting Scholars [Please note, image does not reflect current public health guidelines.]

• Jakub Domanski (Poland): Domanski is enrolled in the University of Bialystok. During his semester in Syracuse, he pursued courses in business law, administrative law and European Union law.
• Costanza Giuntini (Italy): Giuntini is enrolled in the University of Florence. She focused her studies on evidence and criminal law and the law during her semester in Syracuse.
• Matilde Manfriani (Italy): Manfriani is enrolled in the University of Florence. She studied courses related to business law and corporate finance during her semester in Syracuse.
• Federico Paganelli (Italy): Paganelli is enrolled in the University of Florence. He studied subjects in banking law, negotiations and business law during his semester in Syracuse.

In January, the College of Law anticipates a cohort of approximately 10 LL.M. students, one exchange student and three new Visiting Scholars.

David Driesen

University Professor David Driesen’s important new book—”” (Stanford, 2021)—reveals how the U.S. Supreme Court’s presidentialism threatens democracy and what the United States can do about it.

To celebrate the publication of the new book, Syracuse Law Review is presenting a that will address Driesen’s major themes in panels that bring together the nation’s top legal scholars of constitutional law, the Supreme Court and the rule of law. The symposium—titled “Executive Authoritarianism”—will take place Nov. 12 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Syracuse Law’s Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom. The American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society are event co-sponsors.

Driesen’s new book reflects on the political turmoil of recent years, during which many Americans were left wondering whether the U.S. system of checks and balances is robust enough to withstand an onslaught from a despotic chief executive.

To answer this question, Driesen analyzes the chief executive’s role in the democratic declines of Hungary, Poland and Turkey. He argues that an insufficiently constrained presidency is one of the most important systemic threats to democracy, and he urges the U.S. to learn from the mistakes of these failing democracies.

Driesen’s book “a book for our troubled times” and “an eloquent and powerful account of the framers’ concern about ‘tyranny’” that “lays bare the previously underappreciated role played by unitary executive theory in ongoing processes of democratic erosion.”

Moderated by Syracuse Law Professor Kristen Barnes, the first panel will examine “The Unitary Executive, Autocracy, and American History” with Jed Shugerman of Fordham University School of Law; Jennifer Mascott of the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University; and Noah Rosenblum of New York University School of Law

Syracuse Law Professor Mark P. Nevitt will moderate the second panel. Addressing “The Supreme Court’s Embrace of Executive Power” will be Julian Mortenson of the University of Michigan Law School; Tom Keck of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; and Heidi Kitrosser of the University of Minnesota Law School.

The final panel will look at “Reforming Presidentialism: Comparative and Domestic Perspectives” with moderator Professor C. Cora True-Frost of Syracuse Law and panelists Andrea Katz of Washington University School of Law; Cem Tecimer of Harvard Law School; and Robert Tsai of Boston University School of Law.

To view the full agenda and to register, visit .

Lily Yan Hughes

“I am thrilled that Lily has joined the College of Law to guide our students toward extraordinary legal careers,” says Craig M. Boise, dean and professor of law. “As a seasoned global C-Suite executive with a track record of successfully hiring and developing legal leaders for more than three decades, Lily will be a tremendous resource for our students and will raise the bar for our Office of Career Services. I am confident that her vast network of colleagues in the field and the College of Law’s own extraordinary alumni will prove a powerful combination for our students.”

“I am excited to join Dean Boise’s team at the College of Law and to help him deliver on his vision for a modern, forward-looking, and effective career services operation for our students. The responsibilities of this position align with my deep experience in legal practice and professional development,” says Hughes. “Coaching lawyers is a passion for me, and I look forward to helping Syracuse Law students fulfill their career aspirations. Moreover, my family has deep roots in Upstate New York, so I am doubly excited to be here.”

As an executive expert in mergers and acquisitions, governance, corporate finance and securities, with experience working for highly regulated financial services companies and banks, real estate operating and development companies and global technology companies, and as a member of the Global Board of Directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Hughes brings to the Office of Career Services fresh and timely leadership and global perspectives.

Most recently, Hughes was senior vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary for Arrow Electronics, Inc., a $29 billion, Fortune 150 company. At Arrow, she was a member of the Executive Committee and led the company’s global legal, trade risk, and compliance teams.

From 2015 to 2019, Hughes was senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Public Storage, an S&P 500 and FT Global 500 company. From 1997 to 2015, she served in roles of increasing responsibility, including her last role as vice president and associate general counsel, corporate, mergers and acquisitions and finance of Ingram Micro Inc., the world’s largest wholesale information technology and mobile devices distributor (and a former Fortune 100 company). Prior to that, Hughes was an associate director in the property management department of nationwide leader in cancer treatment and research City of Hope, and a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. She began her legal career as an associate at McKenna, Conner & Cuneo in Los Angeles.

Hughes received the National Diversity Council Power 50 (Women in the C-Suite) award in both 2021 and 2020. She also received American Law Media’s National Women in the Law award as General Counsel of the Year for 2018. Most recently, Agenda—The Financial Times publication focused on board and governance—named Hughes to its Diversity 100 list, a directory of 100 board-ready director candidates from groups historically underrepresented in the boardroom. Hughes also was invited to join the DirectWomen Board Institute program for 2019. She received her J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law and holds a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley.

“I am grateful to Bond, Schoeneck & King’s Virginia C. Robbins for her outstanding service as Interim Assistant Dean of Career Services and for providing essential advice during our search. I’m excited to work closely with Lily and our new Director of Externships and Career Services Dafni Kiritsis ’97, who will report to Assistant Dean Hughes,” says Dean Boise.

Hon. Rodney Thompson L’93

The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Legacy Award recognizes an alum’s extraordinary contributions to the legal profession, legal education, the legal system or social justice through activism, leadership in diversity and equality, and support and mentorship of colleagues, students and members of the community.

Congratulations to the Hon. Rodney Thompson L’93, presiding judge of the family division, New Jersey Superior Court, for being selected to receive the 2021 BLSA Legacy Award, in recognition of his service on the bench; as a public defender in Trenton, New Jersey; and as a tireless advocate for families and youth as chair of Mercer County’s Domestic Violence Working Group and co-chair of the Youth Services Commission and Council on Juvenile Justice System Improvement.

Hon. Ramon E. Rivera L’94

The Latin American Law Students Association Legacy Award celebrates the significant contributions of alumni to their communities, the level of excellence they have achieved in their fields and their leadership toward—and commitment to—overcoming the underrepresentation of Latinas/os/x in the legal profession.

This year’s recipient is the Hon. Ramon E. Rivera L’94, New York State Court of Claims, for his service to immigration, labor and employment law as a partner of Mackenzie Hughes LLP and for his public service as a justice on the New York State Court of Claims, which he joined in 2021 having been nominated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Seuk Joon Lee L’99

The Asian Pacific Island (API) Legacy of Excellence Award recognizes an alum’s demonstrated service to the API community, distinguished accomplishment in their chosen field, and track record of empowering and inspiring members of the API community through work or mentorship.

Congratulations to Seuk Joon Lee L’99, senior foreign counsel, Yulchon (South Korea), for working for more than 21 years across economic, trade, antitrust and business agencies; his excellence in the legal profession as vice chair of the antirust practice at international law firm Yulchon, where he addresses antitrust, medicine and pharmaceuticals, broadcasting, telecommunications and air transportation; and his steadfast support of the College of Law and its Korean Law Alumni Association.

. To learn more about all 2021 Law Alumni Weekend programs and to register, visit .

This new advocacy competition will feature a minimum of 12 teams from law schools across the United States. The competition problem will cover a significant and timely legal issue in disability law and will consist of an appellate brief writing component and an oral argument component. The College of Law’s and the Disability Law Society are co-sponsors of the competition.

“NDLAC is the first national appellate advocacy competition to focus exclusively on disability law. It will enable students to develop their oral advocacy skills while simultaneously navigating a challenging important area of disability law,” says Professor Michael Schwartz, director of the College of Law’s . “The competition will replicate a realistic appellate court setting by exposing students to actual judges and lawyers who are familiar with appellate practice.”

Each team may be comprised of two or three students. Teams will be assigned to represent either the petitioner or respondent and will write an appellate brief on behalf of that assigned party. During the preliminary rounds, each team will argue on behalf of each party. The highest-scoring teams will then move on to the quarterfinal round, the semifinal round and ultimately the final round where a winning team will be decided.

“The College of Law encourages law students from across the country to participate in this new, first-of-its-kind advocacy competition—and to be part of history!” says Professor Todd Berger, faculty director of advocacy programs. “Breaking new ground in advocacy competition, I’m pleased to add NDLAC to Syracuse Law’s two other national and international tournaments, the and the .”

For information, . Applications will open in August 2021.

Dafni Kiritsis

The College of Law is pleased to announce that Dafni Kiritsis ’97 has accepted the position of director of externships and career services. Reporting to the assistant dean of career services, Kiritsis will help to build and implement programs and services for the Office of Career Services and lead the college’s growing Externship Program. Kiritsis begins in her new position on June 15.

Kiritsis joins the College of Law from the University’s Office of Human Resources (HR), where she most recently held the position of senior human resources business partner, serving the HR needs of University business, finance and administrative services and as an HR liaison to the College of Law.

Before joining the University, Kiritsis was an attorney in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of District Counsel. Before that role, she practiced law at Green & Seifter Attorneys PLLC, now Bousquet Holstein PLLC. Kiritsis received a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University and a B.A. from Syracuse University.

“Syracuse Law prides itself on our robust Externship Program and pro bono and clerkship placements, all part of our applied learning-focused curriculum,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “An excellent fit for the position of director of externships and career services, our students will benefit greatly from Dafni’s extensive law and human resources background. I look forward to working with Dafni on the continued expansion of our into new markets and on innovative academic offerings, such as .”

• Olivia Chen (SUNY Upstate) and Natasha Pandit (SUNY Upstate) won first place for “A Proposed Policy Solution to Provide Remote Prenatal Care after the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
• Roland Lindmayer (College of Law) took second place with “The Liquidity Pandemic: A Recent History of the Federal Reserve and Economic Implications of Historically Aggressive Actions during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
• Rebecca Harris (SUNY Upstate) third place article is titled “Extroversion as a Potential Risk Factor for Increased Spread of COVID-19 in the United States During a Global Pandemic.”

In addition to publishing the winning articles, Syracuse Law Review has selected six additional submissions for its journal:

“The Rise in Family Violence During the COVID-19 Era” (Ann Ciancia, College of Law); “A Bioethical Argument to Provide Direct Payments to Undocumented Immigrants in a COVID-19 Economic Stimulus” (Michael Conroy, SUNY Upstate); “A Bitter Pill to Swallow: The Inevitability of the Global Pandemic” (Anthony Corsi, SUNY Upstate); “Is China to Blame for COVID-19?” (Melanie Ngo, SUNY Upstate); “COVID-19 Within the Mass Incarceration System” (Almasa Talovic, SUNY Upstate); and “Only the Rich Can Afford a Free Vaccine” (Connor Wiest, SUNY Upstate).

“A big thank you goes to the Syracuse Law Review staff and the SUNY Upstate AMA/MSSNY Board for making this competition a success. Congratulations to the winners!” says SLR Editor-in-Chief Nikkia Knudsen. “Thank you also to our faculty judges and advisors, who provided their time and unwavering support—from the College of Law: Professor Emeritus Peter Bell, Professor Emily Brown, Professor Robin Paul Malloy, Professor Aliza Milner, and Professor Danielle Stokes and from SUNY Upstate: Dr. Daryll Dykes, Dr. Rebecca Garden, Dr. Travis Hobart, and Professor Edward McArdle.”

“It is wonderfully timely to announce this news during Black History Month,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “February is a time to reflect on the lives and legacies of our Black College of Law community members and to contemplate and help activate the bright future of our students. Congratulations on your trailblazing accomplishment, Hilda. I look forward to learning about the plans you and your team have for Volume 72, and to reading the articles and notes you gather.”

Hilda A. Frimpong

“This is wonderful news for Hilda Frimpong, Syracuse Law Review and the college. I am proud to serve as the Law Review advisor during this groundbreaking and overdue moment in its history,” says Professor Robin Paul Malloy. “Law Review teaches leadership and professionalism, and Hilda’s peers and professors know these are qualities she has in abundance. Best of luck to Hilda and her newly elected executive board on next year’s Volume 72.”

“I am honored to serve in this role because of the trust and support that my peers gave me by electing me editor in chief,” says Frimpong, who is specializing in the law and technology program while at Syracuse Law. “I am honored to break down barriers as the first person of color and first Black woman in this role. I am proud that my expertise and unique perspective will be added to the legacy of Syracuse Law Review.”

Referring to the College of Law’s , which highlights the lives and legacies of its Black alumni, Frimpong says, “The posts remind me that I stand on the shoulders of many great women and men before me. I will continue our legacy of providing distinguished scholarly works to the legal community.”

Addressing her pioneering role at Syracuse Law Review, Frimpong quoted Vice President Kamala Harris, who in January 2021 became the first woman and first person of color elected to her high office: “In the words of Vice President Harris, ‘While I may be the first, I won’t be the last.’ I want to inspire students who didn’t previously see themselves represented on Law Review to seek journal membership and to strive to build and strengthen our position as experts, and in turn our legacy.”

Frimpong currently serves as an editorial staff member for Volume 71 of the Law Review, edited by third-year law student Nikkia Knudsen. Other second-year law students elected to the Volume 72 executive board are:

Managing Editor: Leita Powers

Form and Accuracy Editors: Elisabeth Dannan, Katy Morris, Kayla Pigeon and Hayley Rousselle

Lead Articles Editors: Shannon Cox and Meghan Mueller

Senior Notes Editor: Emily Hildreth

Legal Pulse Editor: Morgan Steele

Business Editor: Lyndon Hall

Computer Editor: Shelby Petro

Alumni Editor: Ryan Marquette

Joseph Warburton

A new paper by Syracuse University Professor Joseph Warburton offers compelling new evidence of the risk of business development companies (BDCs).

Warburton, who holds dual appointments as professor of law in the and professor of finance in the , writes in the new Business Lawyer paper “” that while BDCs may have attractive dividend yields, they are risky investments that significantly underperform market benchmarks.

“This paper is the first of its kind offering empirical evidence that BDCs are not the safe and fast way to grow your investments,” says Warburton. “The fact that many retail investors are encouraged to invest in BDCs due to their high dividends is worrisome, especially since BDCs are often seen as providing extra income for retirees or those living on a fixed income.”

Warburton writes in his paper that BDCs offer retail investors (e.g., nonprofessional investors) the allure of becoming venture capitalists by funding emerging enterprises with the help of professional asset managers. Congress created BDCs to encourage the public to finance American businesses that banks tend to overlook.

Warburton’s study finds that BDCs live up to their reputation for high dividend yields and their total returns (stock returns plus dividends) appear to match or beat the benchmarks.

“However, BDCs incur substantially greater risk than their benchmarks,” said Warburton. “They are highly leveraged and their performance is volatile. On a risk-adjusted basis, publicly-traded BDCs significantly underperform the benchmarks, trailing by more than four to six percentage points per year. In other words, BDCs do not appropriately compensate investors for the risk of a BDC. This study found that investors are better off putting their money in an index fund tracking high-yield bonds or leveraged loans.”

In his research, Warburton says that retail investors and their financial advisors should consider the paper’s findings before investing in publicly-traded BDCs.

“While their high dividend yields are attractive, BDCs are risky investment vehicles that significantly underperform once one accommodates for their greater riskiness. Investors should instead put their money in an index fund tracking high-yield bonds or leveraged loans,” says Warburton.

Warburton also recommends that Congress—which has been promoting BDCs as a vehicle for job creation and economic growth—should consider hard evidence whether they are valuable investment vehicles for the public. Warburton says that this paper contributes much-needed empirical evidence to that policy debate.

Reporters looking to interview Professor Warburton on this new research, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, director of media relations at Syracuse University, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 412.496.0551.

Key Findings and Questions:

The winning entry, selected by a committee of College of Law professors and SUNY Upstate professors, will run in a special edition of Syracuse Law Review. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 31, 2021. .

Entries for the competition should demonstrate original thought on a topic related to COVID-19. Topics may analyze a response to COVID-19, propose a response or policy solution, advocate a position, educate the reader on clinical aspects, or discuss clinical treatments and a potential vaccination. The topics suggested below and the examples provided are not exhaustive; feel free to elaborate on an aspect of the pandemic that speaks most strongly to you.

Possible topics for entries may include:

• COVID-19 has highlighted the “twindemic” of systemic racism and COVID-19 experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in America. What are some policy solutions to address COVID-19, police brutality, and systemic racism?
• As the influenza season approaches, experts warn of a clinical “twindemic.” What are some clinical responses to prevent a “twindemic”?
• Climate change impacts how humans relate to the earth. In this respect, has climate change altered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic?
• The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been significant. As we move forward, what are policy solutions to address the recession?

The competition is presented by SUNY Upstate Medical University American Medical Association, the Medical Society of the State of New York, and Syracuse Law Review. For more information, contact Eunice Choe at  ChoeEu@Upstate.edu.

Format Requirements

• Entries should not exceed 10 pages, including footnote citations. Citations should be in APA style as footnotes (not in-text).
• 12 pt Times New Roman font, single-spaced, 1″ margins, and page numbers. Cover page with entry title and your name (excluded from page count).
• Do not include your name within the essay.
• All submissions must be made through this . The deadline for entries is January 31, 2021 by 5p.m. ET

Described as an “objective snapshot of achievement,” Fordham’s rankings measure a law school’s performance in intercollegiate trial competitions in each academic year, starting with 2016-17. Points are allocated for semifinal and better finishes in single tournament national competitions and major regionals.

Third-year law student Kenneth Knight (left) and Andrew Weekes L’20 compete in the finals of the College of Law’s 8th Annual Bond, Schoeneck & King Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition in 2019.

Syracuse’s seventh-place ranking comes after a notable year for the College of Law’s advocacy program. High-profile team and individual successes included winning the regionals of the National Moot Court Competition and the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition; advancing two teams to the National Trial Competition; winning the New York State Tiffany Cup for the second year in a row; and invitations to the prestigious Top Gun and Tournament of Champions competitions.

Additionally, the College of Law hosted three intercollegiate competitions in fall 2019, including the first annual Syracuse National Trial Competition.

“Our students delivered great results throughout the year, and their hard work and superb trial skill are recognized in our top 10 national ranking,” says Professor Todd Berger, faculty director of advocacy programs. “Volunteer coaches are a big part of our success. I am deeply grateful to our alumni and friends who take time out of their busy schedules to teach our students how to be the best advocates they can be, preparing them not only for intense competition but for their careers as effective courtroom advocates for their clients.”

“Congratulations to Professor Berger, and above all, to the students and graduates of our stellar advocacy program and the Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honors Society,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “What a year it has been! Although not a complete measure of our entire program, our Trial Competition Performance rank rightly sheds a bright light on the sharp skills and unwavering dedication of our student competitors, as well as their coaches and supporters across the entire College of Law community.”

The high placement in the Fordham Law Trial Competition Performance Rankings is just the latest recognition of the College of Law’s renowned advocacy program. In its 2021 rankings, U.S. News & World Report places Syracuse’s Advocacy Program at No. 15 in the nation, up from 27th for 2020.

Hilary Weaver

On Oct. 22 and 23, the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI), housed within the College of Law, and the Syracuse University Humanities Center, whose home is the College of Arts and Sciences, are hosting two virtual events on disability and future thinking. Both events are part of , the Humanities Center’s annual public events series. This year’s programming engages the meaning and impact of “Futures” from diverse perspectives and genres across a range of locations, locally and globally. The events also honor and contribute to National Disability Awareness Month, celebrated each year in October.

“The two-day ‘Futures’ event is an excellent opportunity for those involved in social work, members of the disability community and Indigenous community, and many other individuals and groups to examine methods of change to positively impact those with disabilities,” says Diane Wiener, research professor and associate director of interdisciplinary programs and outreach at BBI. “July 26, 2020, was the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); the two-day ‘Futures’ event could not be more timely. Professor Weaver brings years of expertise and experience in multicultural, Indigenous-centered social work to our collaborative discussion on the future of the disability community and thoughtful, practical ways to imagine and create a more inclusive and accessible world. We are honored and thrilled to have her join us, virtually.”

“(Dis)ability Futures and Indigeneity: Critical Epistemologies for Social Change”
Virtual lecture on Oct. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. ET

Guest Speaker: , associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, University at Buffalo

In mainstream thinking, disabilities are frequently perceived as deficits, emboldened by values borne out of colonization. In this lecture, Weaver instead draws on traditional Indigenous understandings, wisdom, and knowledge to answer vital questions. What can the United States and the rest of the world learn to change our future, by making disabilities and other differences understandable, without applying a deficit model? The future does not need to be as hierarchical as the present.

RSVP by Oct. 16 to receive the link to the event.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and live captioning will be provided. Please indicate any other accommodations requests when RSVPing.

“The Medicine Wheel as a Framework for Understanding Disabilities: Informing Our Future Thinking, Informing Our Future Actions”
Virtual workshop on Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon ET

Guest Speaker: , associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, University at Buffalo

The Medicine Wheel is a powerful symbol for many Native Americans and it contains many layers of meaning. In this workshop, Weaver explores how components of the Medicine Wheel can be used to understand traditional Indigenous ideas about disabilities. Participants will engage with relevant Native American teachings and interpretations to understand how these ideas can shift our understanding of different abilities of Mind, Body, Spirit and Heart. Discussion focuses on how, as individuals and more broadly, we can work toward change, reduce stigma and “othering,” and forge a better future in our shared world.

RSVP by Oct. 16 to receive the link to the event.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and live captioning will be provided. Please indicate any other accommodations requests when RSVPing.

Note: a special opportunity for NY State licensed social workers, the School of Social Work Continuing Education Program is offering free continuing education (CE) contact hours for these events. If you are eligible and interested in obtaining free CE’s for this event, please express interest when you RSVP. Earn up to four Continuing Education contact hours on Oct. 22 (2 CEs) and Oct. 23 (2 CEs). is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0106. Please for more information.

Additional supporters of the two-day symposium are the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics; the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; the Department of Religion; the Native American and Indigenous Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Native American SUNY: Western Consortium.

Shubha Ghosh

“We’re grateful for the professorship that the Merchants National Bank and Trust Company established in honor of the late Crandall Melvin Sr. L’1913, to support the work of College of Law faculty who produce impactful scholarship” says Dean Boise. “This year, consistent with the donor’s intent, I’m pleased to announce that two College of Law professors—leading voices in their respective fields—will receive this prestigious appointment.” Melvin was a former College of Law professor, World War I veteran, successful lawyer and banker, and a voting trustee of Syracuse University from 1934 to 1970.

Shubha Ghosh, Crandall Melvin Professor of Law and director of the Technology Commercialization Law Program and the Syracuse Intellectual Property Law Institute, has held the Crandall professorship since 2016.

Ghosh’s latest projects include two books for Edward Elgar: “Advanced Introduction to Law and Entrepreneurship”—the manuscript for which has been submitted for publication in 2021—and “Forgotten Intellectual Property Lore.” He also has submitted a paper on patents for technology to aid the visually impaired to the Madagascar Conseil Institute Law Review for their special issue on Technology and Intellectual Property.

Other current projects include a chapter on the custom fit movement, patent law and Rawlsian social justice to be published in a book by Cambridge, as well as a chapter on a previously unknown treatise on patent law in colonial India for a book from Oxford. Following upon Crandall Melvin’s work as a professor of torts law, Ghosh will be completing revisions for the Fourth Edition of “Acing Tort Law” (West Academic) to be published in late 2021.

Lauryn Gouldin

Professor Lauryn Gouldin teaches constitutional criminal procedure, privacy law, evidence, constitutional law and criminal justice reform. Focusing her research on the Fourth Amendment, judicial decision-making, and pretrial detention and bail reform, her most recent articles are “Reforming Pretrial Decision-Making” (Wake Forest Law Review, forthcoming 2020) and “Defining Flight Risk” (University of Chicago Law Review, 2018). Earlier this year, she was awarded a New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Grant.

Gouldin is also associate dean for faculty research and the principal investigator for the Syracuse Civics Initiative, a Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) grant initiative to build partnerships with local school districts and educators addressing the crisis of confidence in public institutions. Her teaching excellence has been recognized with a Syracuse University Meredith Professors Teaching Recognition Award, two College of Law Outstanding Faculty awards and a Res Ipsa Loquitur Award, from the Class of 2018.

Adam Liptak (Photo by Zach Gibson / The New York Times)

The College of Law’s fourth annual Supreme Court Preview program will examine the pending cases on the docket for the 2020-2021 term in a virtual environment on Friday, Sept. 25, from 1:30-4:15 p.m.

The preview will open with featured speaker Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent, The New York Times, followed by a panel discussion.

On the panel, Liptak will join Reeves Anderson, Supreme Court litigator, Arnold & Porter; Upnit K. Bhatti L’15, managing associate, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; the Hon. Mae D’Agostino L’80, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York; Professor Paula Johnson; and the Hon. Rosemary S. Pooler, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for a preview of the October 2020 docket.

Moderated by Vice Dean Keith Bybee, among other cases, the preview will address cases involving:

• First Amendment implications surrounding faith-based adoption agencies and same-sex couples
• The potential liabilities imposed on domestic corporations under the Alien Tort Statute
• Eighth Amendment sentencing authority over juvenile offenders
• Constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate
• The “expropriation exception” of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which abrogates foreign immunity when “rights in property taken in violation of international law” are in issue
• The interpretation of “seizure” by use of physical force within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment

The event will be available via Zoom (the registration link will be distributed closer to the event).

This program is open to the public and has typically been approved for 3 CLE credits. There is no charge for this CLE program.

Register at 

The Supreme Court Preview is presented by the College of Law, with the Northern District of New York Federal Court Bar Association; Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics and the Media; Syracuse Civics Initiative and Tully Center for Free Speech.

The inaugural event in the series is the “Racial Justice Community Book Read,” featuring discussion of “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson. The College of Law Library in Dineen Hall is one of the sign up and book pick up locations for the series. Participants can register for the series and receive a complimentary copy of “Just Mercy” . The book is also available through Onondaga County Public Libraries in hard copy and audiobook formats.

Open to all members of the Central New York community, the book read discussions begin on Sept. 14  at 6 p.m. via Zoom and continue on a weekly basis until Nov. 23 (there will be no discussion on Sept. 28 in observance of Yom Kippur).

“The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other unarmed Black people and people of color at the hands of law enforcement compelled the Bar Association and the College of Law to respond in ways that involved, informed and collaborated across our community,” Paula Johnson, professor of law, co-director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative and a project coordinator for Race & Justice in Central New York, .

“Just Mercy” is the true story of how Stevenson founded the (EJI), a nonprofit that provides legal representation to people who have been unfairly convicted or sentenced. It has been described as “a powerful true story about … the importance of confronting injustice.”

One of the goals of “Race & Justice in Central New York” is to help people examine and better understand the structure of local and national legal systems and their impact on disparate outcomes for those in historically disenfranchised groups.

“Stevenson so effectively details the endemic racism, classism and gender bias that permeates the criminal justice system in the United States,” Johnson says. “He also provides windows where the imperative and possibilities for change exist. Members of all communities will find resonance in what Stevenson reveals, which can inform the necessary changes that must take place in their own locations.”

Beginning with the “Racial Justice Community Book Read,” the project is aimed at raising awareness of how the Central New York community can address systemic racism and inequality. “Future series will look at electoral systems, decision making processes, inclusion/exclusion, disparities in distribution of public resources and accountability by offices and office holders to all members of the community,” adds Johnson.

LAW 2020 highlights include:

Craig M. Boise

State of the College Address
In his annual address on Sept. 25, Dean Craig M. Boise will reflect on college achievements in the past year, share challenges and opportunities in the months ahead, and affirm his vision for the future.

Disability Rights at the College of Law: A Retrospective Look at the ADA and the DLPP
The Disability Law and Policy Program (DLPP) will host a panel discussion on Sept. 25 in celebration of its 15th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Moderated by Professor Arlene Kanter, Director of Disability Law and Policy Program and Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence, the panel will include:

• Julie Morse L’05, Legal Services of Central New York
• Jennifer Conrad Wolfsheimer L’06, U.S. Department of Education
• Koert Wehberg L’08, Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on Disability
• Robert Borrelle L‘13, staff attorney, Disability Rights California
• Daniel Van Sant L’16, Disability Rights Iowa
• Carla Villarreal Lopez LL.M.’16, United Nations Office of the Special Rapporteur on Disability
• Ptahra Jeppe L’20, NYC Disability Rights Advocates

Legal and Societal Ramifications of COVID-19 on Marginalized Populations—CLE Credit Opportunity

Join us—and earn CLE credit—on Thursday, Sept. 24, for a panel discussion on a critical contemporary social justice issue. Our expert panel includes:

• Sharon A. Brangman, M.D., F.A.C.P., A.G.S.F., SUNY Upstate Medical University
• Daryll C. Dykes, Ph.D., M.D., J.D., Upstate Orthopedics
• Professor Nina A. Kohn, Syracuse University College of Law

Diversity & Inclusion CLE: 1 credit

Second Annual “Meet the Author”

On Saturday morning (Sept. 26), join the Hon. James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law, for a fascinating and prescient discussion about the topics of his new book “The Centaur’s Dilemma: National Security Law for the Coming AI Revolution.” The discussion will be moderated by Professor Jamie Winders, director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute at Syracuse University, and feature remarks from Dean Boise.

Law Honors Awards and Alumni of Color Awards

Celebrate and recognize the award recipients on Friday, Sept. 25, during the Law Honors Awards ceremony and on Saturday, Sept. 26, during our Alumni of Color Awards ceremony. This year’s Law Honors recipients are:

• Professor Emeritus William C. Banks
• Everett A. Gillison L’85
• Virginia L. Grady L’83
• Professor Emeritus Thomas J. Maroney L’63
• Catherine Richardson L’77
• Koert A. Wehberg L’08

Learn more about the .

The 2020 Alumni of Color Awards recipients are:

• Felicia Collins Ocumarez L’98, G’98, BLSA William Herbert Johnson Legacy Award
• José Bahamonde-González, L’92, LALSA Legacy Award

Learn more about the .

More information about LAW 2020 can be . Register for .

Under the agreement, RIT students who are admitted and enroll through the 3+3 program must complete all coursework required of their School of Individualized Study undergraduate major in three years. Their first year at the College of Law then fulfills the final year of their bachelor’s degree, allowing 3+3 students to finish both degrees in six years.

“The 3+3 agreement with Syracuse provides our students with an accelerated pathway to one of the top law schools in New York State, just 90 miles from Rochester, trimming one year off the total time for an undergraduate and law degree,” says RIT’s Interim Dean for the College of Liberal Arts LaVerne McQuiller-Williams. “This new partnership enables our students not only to get a jump on their legal careers, in many cases student will save on tuition and living expenses.”

“Our 3+3 agreement with RIT places students on a fast-tracked path into the College of Law and our innovative programs, academic offerings and experiential learning opportunities,” says Denée Page, assistant dean of enrollment management, Syracuse University College of Law. “I look forward to meeting talented RIT students and to helping them map their future through Syracuse.”

“Among our multi-disciplinary research centers and institutes, the College of Law’s (ILC) will be of special interest to RIT students,” explains College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “This program attracts top law students interested in intellectual property law, and it is a particularly good fit for students with a science and technology background. ILC is just one of Syracuse’s applied learning opportunities, along with our nationwide externship program and our advocacy program, ranked 15th in the nation.”

Designated the New York State Science and Technology Law Center since 2004, ILC offers a technology commercialization law curricular program for students interested in the technical, legal and business aspects of bringing new technologies to market. In addition to focused doctrinal study, ILC students work on research projects for real technologies on behalf of universities, federal research laboratories, technology development organizations, and established companies and startups. The program provides a solid foundation for careers in law firms, corporations, government agencies, tech transfer offices, and consulting and investment banking firms.

With this agreement, RIT joins other 3+3 schools who partner with Syracuse University College of Law in Upstate New York—Alfred University, Le Moyne College, Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College—as well as Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management and three Atlanta-based Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College.

Interested RIT students should visit the institute’s for more information. More details on Syracuse’s 3+3 programs can be found on the College of Law’s .

“The college requested expansion of the JDi program in order to meet increasing demand from strong law degree candidates for a high-quality, flexible online law degree program that meets their family, work and other needs,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “The ABA’s approval is a testament to the successful design of our program, which includes a carefully calibrated mix of live online classes taught by college faculty, self-paced classes, applied learning opportunities, and short residencies.”

In February 2018, the ABA granted a variance to the College of Law to allow JDi enrollment of up to 65 students per academic year. Since its launch in January 2019, the college has seen a robust increase in interest and applications for the degree program. Under the terms of the expanded variance, the College of Law will be permitted to enroll up to 100 students annually in the JDi program.

The college anticipates substantial demand for the JDi program in the coming year, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty for prospective law students about whether they will be able to attend a residential law program in fall 2020 and beyond.

“Given the uncertain trajectory of the public health crisis, prospective law students—especially those with preexisting conditions or those caring for others—may understandably be more risk-averse going forward and make the choice to limit in-person contact,” explains Faculty Director of Online Education Nina A. Kohn. “Furthermore, mounting job losses and disruption to families across the country may mean that law students cannot relocate or need to care for family members. With this expansion, we’ll be able to allow more students access to our rigorous program of online legal education so that they don’t have to place their future careers on hold.”

JDi is designed to meet the needs and demands of well-qualified law students for whom a residential program is not feasible. More than half of current JDi students are caregivers for young children or aging relatives; the majority have existing careers; and many are military-connected and thus unable to commit to being in one geographic location for the duration of their law school education. By design, JDi is also uniquely positioned to accommodate students with disabilities, which reflects the college’s long history as a leader in disability law and policy.

“The decision of the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recognizes that JDi has the capacity and infrastructure to expand without risk to the quality of either our online or residential J.D. education,” adds Kohn. “Since its launch, our program has seen remarkable success in terms of the academic credentials of the students enrolled, the quality of instruction and support for students, and their academic performance.”

The college will begin to receive applications for the Fall 2021 semester this September.

About JDinteractive

Launched in January 2019, JDinteractive was the nation’s first online law degree program to feature live, interactive class sessions. The program combines these live sessions—taught by College of Law faculty—with highly interactive, self-paced online class sessions that students complete weekly; six in-person residential courses; extracurricular opportunities; access to campus life programs; and applied learning experiences, including externships.

“The team at the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University’s College of Law joins our colleagues at the in gathering and organizing that center on the rights, access and experiences of disabled people during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Diane Wiener, research professor and associate director of OIPO.

Please note that inclusion of a resource on the web page does not necessarily mean an endorsement by BBI, nor can BBI attest to every referenced site’s accessibility.

Wiener has also curated a broad set of of interest during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The of the Burton Blatt Institute seeks to engage disability across colleges and academic disciplines both at Syracuse University and around the world. The aim of this office within the Burton Blatt Institute is to promote opportunities for cooperative teaching, research and social advocacy by recognizing the far-reaching nature of disability in a global age.

The (BBI) at Syracuse University reaches around the globe in its efforts to advance the civic, economic and social participation of people with disabilities. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, former dean of Syracuse University’s School of Education and a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities.

An advanced research doctorate program—which has been approved by New York State Department of Education and received acquiescence from the American Bar Association—the S.J.D. program is similar to Ph.D. programs in other disciplines. While pursuing their advanced legal studies, S.J.D. students will work under the supervision of their faculty advisors to produce an original dissertation that will make a substantial contribution to the field of law.

“Syracuse’s S.J.D. program is designed to foster original research of outstanding legal scholars and aspiring academics from around the world. S.J.D. students will discover that the College of Law is a thriving academic community where the breadth and depth of our faculty’s expertise as leaders in their respective fields will complement the students’ own advanced intellectual inquiry,” says Craig M. Boise, dean of the College of Law. “I look forward to welcoming S.J.D. students whose contributions and international perspectives will enhance the College of Law’s reputation as a global center for engaging in the most pressing legal and policy topics of our day.”

“The College of Law’s new S.J.D. Program builds on our highly successful LL.M. program that offers unique specialties in international and comparative disability law, national and international security law, technology and innovation law, as well as other disciplines,” says Arlene Kanter, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor and faculty director of international programs. “Syracuse also offers S.J.D. students the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary coursework and academic engagement with other academic programs of Syracuse University—an R1 research institution—including at the world-renowned Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Whitman School of Management.”

Andrew Horsfall, assistant dean of international programs, says “the S.J.D. admissions committee is eager to begin reviewing application materials from potential candidates for the fall 2020 cohort, and we will continue to do so on a rolling basis.” Applicants must hold a degree in law, and international applicants are encouraged to have an LL.M. from an accredited law school in the United States. An applicant’s prior academic record and the compatibility of research goals with College of Law faculty expertise are among the other admission criteria.

The S.J.D. program requires a yearlong colloquium course, as well as elective coursework to support the student’s dissertation research and writing. S.J.D. students are expected to complete the program within three to five years, culminating in an oral defense of their dissertation that will be open to the University community.

During semesters in residence, S.J.D. students will engage in coursework and research activities at the College of Law and across Syracuse University. After their first year, students may pursue optional semesters in residence at Syracuse, or field placements and research opportunities away from the College of Law.

For more information about the S.J.D. Program, visit or email Horsfall at SJD@law.syr.edu.

Chimène Keitner

The scheduled speakers are:

Professor Chimène Keitner on “Immunity of Foreign Officials”

Professor of International Law, UC Hastings College of Law

Thursday, Feb. 6
Noon to 1 p.m.
352 Dineen Hall

Kristen Boon

Kristen Boon, Ph.D., on “Immunity of International Organizations after Jam v. IFC”

Professor of Law, Seton Hall Law

Thursday, Feb. 6
5 to 6:30 p.m.
352 Dineen Hall

Margareta Matache

Margareta Matache, Ph.D., on “The Roma Case for Reparations”

Justice activist and scholar from Romania; director of the Roma Program at the Harvard University Francois Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights

(In conjunction with the Syracuse University School of Education’s Atrocity Studies and the Practices of Social Justice program)

Tuesday, March 3
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location TBA

John Sopko

John Sopko

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

(In conjunction with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the SUCOL Institute for Security Policy and Law)

Tuesday, March 10
Time and location TBA

“Through its Distinguished Lecturer Series,  the Journal of Global Rights and Organizations and Impunity Watch News is able to bring leading experts in international law to continue the dialog on dynamic, evolving—and sometimes vexing—issues in international law and legal institutions,” says Professor Cora True-Frost, faculty director of Impunity Watch News and the Journal of Global Rights and Organizations.

“As the international community grapples with difficult questions of rights, laws and norms, JGRO and IWN’s focus is needed more than ever, and our students will be the next generation’s thought leaders on these issues.”

“Syracuse prides itself on a robust and innovative curriculum,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “The College is now adding a new option for incoming students that will enhance our ability to provide them with both the doctrinal knowledge and the practical and professional skills necessary for the 21st-century legal profession.”

The Third Year Away Program builds on the college’s established Externship Program, which features placements and accompanying seminars in London, New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.—with plans to add more locations throughout the United States and beyond. The Externship Program leverages the college’s global alumni network to offer semester-long placements accompanied by faculty-led, substantive seminars focused on building professional skills.

The new option also capitalizes on the College of Law’s JDinteractive (JDi) program, the nation’s first ABA-accredited, fully interactive, online J.D. program. As part of the JDi program, the College of Law already offers an array of online courses in addition to intensive residential courses. Each online course consists of live class sessions and self-paced class sessions taught by the College of Law’s faculty. The JDi infrastructure, which allows the college to teach and support JDi students around the world, will allow the college’s residential J.D. students enrolled in the Third Year Away Program to participate in the academic, intellectual and social life of the college when off campus.

“Increasingly, our J.D. students gain valuable skills and professional experience by working as externs in judicial settings, law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies and nonprofits,” adds Dean Boise. “By allowing students to participate in externships across the nation, while still taking doctrinal classes with our faculty through online courses, we are providing them the opportunity to learn both the substance and the skills they need for success. With Third Year Away, we are truly breaking new ground in legal education.”

“Third Year Away capitalizes on two of the College of Law’s strengths: our first-rate online classes and our far-reaching Externship Program,” says David M. Levy Professor of Law and Faculty Director of Online Education Nina Kohn. “While other law schools are contemplating ways to add remote learning options that increase flexibility for their upper-class students, with JDi fully underway, Syracuse already has the infrastructure, the courses and the faculty expertise to make it happen. Moreover, Third Year Away allows students to get a jump start on their careers by combining their doctrinal coursework with field placements in the communities they seek to work in post-graduation, affording them greater opportunity to develop and strengthen professional networks that can help accelerate their job opportunities.”

Prospective students who wish to learn more about Third Year Away should contact the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid by phone at 315.443.1962 or by email at admissions@law.syr.edu.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals sits in New York City at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in lower Manhattan. Three appellate court judges sit on each case panel, except for en banc appeals on which the full court sits. The appellate court hears appeals from the six district courts (in Connecticut, New York and Vermont) within the circuit.

Previously, the College of Law has hosted the New York State Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Dineen Hall’s state-of-the-art Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom.

“Hosting live court proceedings in our building gives our students a tremendous opportunity to see the law in action at a very high level,” says Lauryn Gouldin, associate professor of law and associate dean for faculty research. “We are grateful to have this opportunity to host the Second Circuit in Dineen Hall. This will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the spring semester for our students.”

The proceedings are open to the public.

The speakers include:

Catalina Devandas Aguilar
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Friday, Jan. 24, 9-10:30 a.m.
Location TBA

Erika George                                                                                                                                                   
Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law, University of Utah College of Law
Thursday, Feb. 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
College of Law Collaboratory
Co-sponsored by the College of Law Office of the Dean

Beth Simmons
University Professor of Law, Political Science and Business Ethics, University of Pennsylvania
Friday, March 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
College of Law Collaboratory
Co-sponsored by the College of Law Office of the Dean

Kathryn Sikkink
Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights, Harvard Kennedy School
Fall 2020

“This slate of speakers, representing the nation’s leading human rights scholars, is part of a two-year-long interdisciplinary CUSE Grant project on the role of human rights treaties in effecting societal change,” says Professor Arlene S. Kanter, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and professor of law, director of DLPP, faculty director of international programs and principal investigator for the grant. “Not only is this CUSE Grant project bringing to the College of Law leading experts in the field of human rights;  it is also bringing together faculty from throughout the University, including my colleagues Professors (Cora) True-Frost and (Corri) Zoli from the College of Law, Professors (Audie) Klotz and (Lamis) Abdelaaty from the Maxwell School, Professor (Michael) Gill from the School of Education and Professor (Anne) Bellows from Falk College,” says Kanter.

Additional speakers and events will be announced in the months ahead.

The CUSE Grant program was designed to be highly interdisciplinary, to spur growth in the research enterprise and to further support the University’s standing as a pre-eminent and inclusive student-focused research university. The CUSE Grant application and merit review processes were designed to emulate the most common practices found in leading external sponsors, with an expectation that CUSE-funded faculty members will seek extramural support for their developed projects and collaboration. The program’s ultimate goal is to increase both extramural funding and high-quality scholarly output, which in turn will increase national and international recognition of awardees, their programs and the University.