Cristel Taveras FCLC ’14, LAW ’25 has been named a member of the inaugural class of scholars in the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project.

The project was named in memory of the response that the late U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave in 2015 when people asked her when she thought there would be “enough” women serving on the Supreme Court. “When there are nine,” she replied nonchalantly. The program aims to honor the legacy of Ginsburg by furthering her commitment to expanding career opportunities for women in the law and promoting equity and diversity in the legal profession.

“As a former paralegal of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) Women’s Rights Project—a project that Ginsburg herself co-founded—I am in many ways inspired by the creativity of her legal mind,” explained Taveras, “particularly her occasional and clever use of male plaintiffs in equal protection cases to demonstrate that sex-based distinctions harm men and women.”

Taveras, a lifelong New Yorker and daughter of immigrants, said she was overjoyed and felt honored upon learning she had been selected to be part of the new program, which was established last September by alumnae of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), in partnership with the Federal Bar Council and Federal Bar Foundation. 

“This generous scholarship will allow me the opportunity to pursue a career in public interest without a debt burden that too often dissuades public service-oriented attorneys,” Taveras said.

Cristel Taveras FCLC ’14, LAW ’25 met the late U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in February 2016 at the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Distinguished Lecture on Women and the Law at the American Bar Association. (Photo: Courtesy of Cristel Taveras)

Since graduating from Fordham University in 2014, Taveras has worked in different roles with the goal of advancing equity and justice through an intersectional lens. After working at the ACLU, she served as a policy advisor with the New York City Board of Correction and is currently a campaign researcher at Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. In addition to her extensive public interest work, Taveras previously volunteered with Metropolitan Council on Housing, a local housing justice organization, and served as a mentor to a first-generation high school student.

Taveras joins three other first-year law students from Yale Law, Stanford Law, and Columbia Law, who were selected from a pool of approximately 385 applicants based on their academic achievements, commitment to serving communities, and for their perseverance in the face of adversity—all character traits embodied by the late Justice Ginsburg.

Former U.S. Attorney for SDNY and a founding donor to “When There Are Nine” Preet Bharara—who delivered a keynote address at Fordham Law in 2015 and discussed challenges to democracy with Dean Matthew Diller in 2019—explained that he and his colleagues realized that expanding opportunities for women in the law requires more than just financial assistance. “Perhaps the greatest part of this project is that each scholarship recipient will be provided a team of mentors to give career guidance and create networking opportunities,” he said.

“In this way,” Bharara continued, “my colleagues hope to open doors for the next generation of women lawyers with the help of their close-knit SDNY alumnae community and to give thanks for the doors that Justice Ginsburg opened for them.”

That opportunity for mentorship is what drew Taveras to apply for the program.

“As a first-generation law student, I am grateful to have When There Are Nine’s encouragement, guidance, and support throughout law school,” Taveras said. “There’s so much I don’t know about the legal profession and it’s great to know that I now have a group of people behind me, rooting for me, and willing to answer any questions that may come up throughout law school and beyond.”

Karen Patton Seymour, partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and another founding donor to “When There Are Nine,” added that the benefits of participating as a mentor are twofold. “This is an opportunity for those of us who have had the privilege of serving as federal prosecutors to not only pay it forward, but also mentor the deserving recipients to help ensure their success,” she said.

Taveras said she is looking forward to interacting with and learning from the other awardees and other legal practitioners through the project’s mentorship and professional development programming. She also hopes to embody Ginsburg’s spirit during her time at Fordham Law by remaining attentive to the many ways the law can be further advanced to protect all people’s rights across the country.

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On September 30, Fordham Law students attended a virtual panel event about the ongoing crisis at Rikers Island. The event was organized by Advocates for the Incarcerated (AFTI), a Fordham Law student advocacy group run out of the school’s Public Interest Resource Center.

Deteriorating conditions at the correctional facility have garnered headlines in recent weeks, but little has changed for incarcerated people, advocates say. On September 19, a 42-year-old man died while in custody at Rikers bringing the total number of deaths to 11 this year—at least five of which were determined to be suicides.

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi ’12, who represents the district Rikers Island is in, spoke about the appalling conditions she witnessed during a tour last month. “Even from just the first step into this facility, you could see from the get-go that these were just inhumane conditions,” said Biaggi. She described garbage and feces covering the floor, an infestation of lice and bugs, grossly overcrowded cells, and men sleeping on floors without mattresses. 

Even the most basic needs were not being met, said Biaggi, with incarcerated people not receiving adequate food and water, and not being able to access medical attention. “I think that for me, it was clear upon the first interaction that it’s a humanitarian crisis,” she said.

What Role Future Lawyers Can Play 

State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher also addressed the law students in attendance and spoke about what role lawyers can play in serving incarcerated people. “A big part of what clued us into what was going on were lawyers who were coming to us and were asking us, begging us, to come with them [to Riker’s]and insisting that we do this together,” Gallagher said. “So lawyers actually have a really huge role to play in this as well.”

The panel also included testimony from someone who had experienced incarceration directly —Darren Mack, who was charged as an adult at the age of 17 and spent 19 months at Rikers. He  is now an advocate and organizer for Freedom Agenda at the Urban Justice Center.

“In the reports we got back, it’s the worst I’ve ever heard before. This is a human rights crisis that’s happening right in front of our eyes,” Mack said. “Self-harm has exploded, COVID-19 is resurgent, people are not getting access to food, medical care. And the public will never really know the full emotional trauma and dehumanization that occurs there unless they actually experienced it,” he added.

Solutions Do Exist 

Closing Rikers Island, an idea that Mayor de Blasio and City Council have endorsed, is the ultimate goal, panelists say. But in the meantime, lawmakers and advocates are making progress in other ways. 

Gallagher said she is working on two bills that would help address the ongoing crisis at Rikers including one bill that clarifies the human rights of those being held in jails. Another bill would add six new members—including formerly incarcerated people—to the State Commission of Corrections. 

Biaggi also recommended that de Blasio enact the Early Release 6-A program, which would allow those sentenced to less than one year to serve the remainder of their sentence at home. She also advocated for bail reform and releasing those who are in jail for technical parole violation. 

“We hope those who attended the event use the information they learned to take affirmative steps in doing what they can to contribute to ending this humanitarian crisis,” said Aleezah Merali ’23, co-president of AFTI.

The road towards addressing the issues facing Rikers will not be an easy one and coordinated effort will be needed, panelists said. “It’s not a matter of just getting a court order. We’re going to need legislative help. We’re going to need the activists in the streets, we’re going to need organizing,” said Robert Quackenbush, a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society Prisoners’ Rights Project. “We just need a kind of basic return to humanity.”

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This fall, Fordham Law School welcomed 20 students into the Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics. The program is aimed at fostering the next generation of public interest lawyers through academic and specialized discussion series, mentorships, and volunteer work with public interest organizations.

This group of highly motivated Steins, who were chosen from diverse backgrounds for their demonstrated commitment to public interest law and public service, are members of the classes of 2023, 2024 (day division), and 2025 (evening division).

Alan Eiland ’24

Alan Eiland ’24 has a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations and has academically focused on Black labor history and racial justice within the labor movement. He hopes to use his legal education to further understand the role the legal system plays in systemic oppression and the ways in which lawyers can be advocates for broader social justice.

Liam Galligan ’24

Since graduating from McGill University in 2017, Liam Galligan ’24 has interned and worked at NYC Parks, NYC Department of Housing and Preservation and the United States Congress, and most recently the New York State Assembly. While serving as a legislative director for a Manhattan assembly member, Liam helped pass critical police reform and LGBTQ+ rights legislation, and helped draft legislation that would end “no-knock” search warrant raids in the State of New York. Liam currently lives in Ridgewood, Queens, where he volunteers at his local neighborhood mutual aid group and harbors big aspirations of adopting a cat.

Nayab Hayat Khan ’24

Nayab Hayat Khan ‘24 was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2020 where she studied History and Religion, with independent research focused on the relationship between the Cold War and Islamic Law. During college, she volunteered at South Middlesex Correctional Center as a tutor for individuals incarcerated at the facility. This experience laid the foundation for her interest in criminal defense and legal advocacy work. She is also interested in immigration law, housing rights, and juvenile justice initiatives. She is excited to join Fordham Law as a Stein Scholar and looks forward to collaborating with her peers and faculty.

Chloe Kim ’24

In 2017, Chloe Kim ’24 graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with B.S. and M.S. in Accountancy and started working as a regulatory risk consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP in New York City. Right before starting her master’s degree, Chloe found her passion for public interest advocacy through her internship at Citizen’s Coalition for Economic Justice in South Korea, where she had exposure to advocating for workers’ rights through her research on Labor Inequality—particularly focusing on undocumented immigrant workers in South Korea. Additionally, she helped organize boycott campaigns for the consumer victims of toxic cleaning products. She is excited to grow as a public interest advocate through her legal education at Fordham Law.

Titus Levy ’24

Titus Levy ’24 comes to Fordham Law School after spending the last decade working on behalf of indigent defendants caught up in the criminal legal system. Titus started on this trajectory as an investigator at The Bronx Defenders, where he saw firsthand the brutal toll that mass incarceration extracts from communities of color. He also saw how zealous, determined legal advocacy could make a real difference in supporting those same communities. Titus later moved to Texas to work as an investigator and mitigation specialist for an office that represents capital defendants in post-conviction proceedings. His experiences have inspired him to pursue a career as a litigator dedicated to defending vulnerable individuals and underserved communities affected by poverty, violence, and racism.

Joe Marchese-Schmitt ’25

Joe Marchese-Schmitt ’25 graduated with his Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Virginia in 2017. Since graduation, he has worked in intergovernmental relations for the New York City Office of Management and became a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Baldwin, New York. Joe hopes to use his law degree to create and advocate for good policy in healthcare, education, and environmental justice.

Maritza Medina Olazaran ’24

Maritza Medina Olazaran ’24 is a licensed master social worker who completed her clinical internships with the Federal Defenders of New York and The Legal Aid Society’s homicide defense task force. As a social work and mitigation intern, Maritza advocated on behalf of people incarcerated in correctional facilities and local hospitals. Maritza also served as a paralegal for the Innocence Project, a non-profit organization working to exonerate wrongfully convicted people using DNA testing. She earned her B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in 2016 and her MSW from Columbia University in 2021.

Samantha McCarthy ’24

Samantha McCarthy ‘24 has spent the last two years teaching fourth grade in Miami Dade County as a Teach For America corps member. During that time, she worked tutoring programs after school and weekends to help her students reach proficiency and mitigate learning losses due to the pandemic. Prior to teaching, she attended the College of Charleston where she tutored students with learning disabilities, worked at a family law firm, and organized debate events. She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies. Samantha hopes to use her experience as a teacher and what she will learn in Stein Scholars to help all children have access to equitable education.

Karen Normil ’24

Upon graduating from Brown University with a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Africana Studies, Karen Normil ’24 joined Immigrant Justice Corps as a community fellow. In that role, she represented low-income immigrants in their affirmative immigration proceedings. She worked primarily with Black immigrants, which exposed her to the harsh realities of working at the intersection of criminal law and immigration law. After her fellowship, she joined Youth Represent, where she corrected errors on record of arrests and prosecutions (RAP) sheets to enable youth to obtain access to immigration benefits, housing, and employment. At Youth Represent, she also worked on the “Raise the Age” project, legislation that changed the age that a child can be prosecuted as an adult to 18 years of age, as a research assistant. Most recently, she worked as a paralegal at Brooklyn Defenders Services in the Immigration Community Action Project. As a Stein Scholar, she hopes to continue working with low-income communities while discovering new ways to implement change.

Shivani Parikh ’24

After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in development sociology, Shivani Parikh ’24 worked in her county’s domestic violence and sexual assault services nonprofit agency’s education and outreach department. Her ongoing reckoning with her racialization as the daughter of Indian immigrants growing up in New York post-9/11 has led to her passion for grassroots South Asian community organizing. She is especially committed to expanding immigrants’ rights, curtailing the War on Terror’s surveillance project and multi-issue advocacy for marginalized and disenfranchised Desi families.

Gabrielle Aiosa-Perrin ’25

Gabrielle Aiosa-Perrin ’25 joins Fordham Law as an evening student. Before law school, she obtained a MSW degree from New York University, and has spent the past six years working to support children, youth, and families involved in the New York City child welfare system. Gabrielle is eager to combine her interests in both social work and law as she fights the criminalization of black and brown children.

Carrie Plover ’24

As a Vassar College student, Carrie Plover ’24 provided dedicated support to students impacted by sexual assault. For her efforts, she received Special Recognition for Volunteer Contributions to Campus Life. Recognizing her passion for public service, Carrie matriculated at the Columbia School of Social Work. As a licensed master social worker, Carrie advocated for individuals affected by mental illness, homelessness, and domestic violence. In her law career, Carrie intends to bridge her past experience with her future ambition — providing legal services to New Yorkers while organizing to influence progressive public policy.

Yash Ramesh ’24

Yash Ramesh ’24 graduated from The College of William and Mary in 2019 with double majors in history and neuroscience. She has worked with the Northern Virginia Capital Defense Office on capital cases and with the D.C. Public Defender Service as an investigative intern for juvenile clients. Throughout the last year, she worked as an intervention specialist at an upper elementary school in Oregon and researched the overcriminalization of young Black girls in educational systems. She has been passionate about applying neuroscience research and data to criminal justice reform. She is excited to join the Stein Scholars Program and pursue advocacy in public defense.

Diobel Rodriguez ’24

After Diobel Rodriguez ’24 graduated from Cornell University in 2020, he spent a year working as a family treatment and rehabilitation case planner at Forestdale Inc., a child welfare agency. Through the agency, Diobel used preventive measures to counsel families and individuals in crisis intervention regarding domestic violence, corporal punishment, and rehabilitation—all to ensure a more sustainable environment for their children. Diobel’s experiences have inspired him to pursue educational law and, as a Stein Scholar, Diobel is looking forward to working with peers and faculty to explore possible solutions to the affordable housing crisis and the many issues low-income children face within the educational system.

Joan Rosello ’24

Joan Rosello ’24 was born in Santiago, Chile, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Nursing. Over the past three years, she has been working as a registered nurse in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit in Washington, D.C. With experience as a frontline healthcare provider and a passion for social justice, Joan is looking forward to advocating for a more equitable and accessible healthcare system in our country.

Cristel Taveras ’25

Cristel Taveras ’25 is passionate about advancing equity and justice with an intersectional lens. Since graduating from Fordham University in 2014, she has worked as a paralegal with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, a policy advisor in a New York City government agency, and most recently as a campaign researcher with Color Of Change. As a Stein Scholar, Cristel looks forward to cultivating a sense of community with her fellow classmates and further exploring her interest in labor and employment law.

Mayu Tobin-Miyaji ’24

Mayu Tobin-Miyaji ’24 graduated from Rice University in 2018, where she majored in computer science and cognitive sciences. After graduating, she spent three years working as a software engineer in the Bay Area. This experience gave her insight as to how the current technology landscape often rewards exploiting unregulated spaces to extract data, increasing wealth inequality and leaving large swaths of the population to fend for themselves. As a Stein Scholar, Mayu hopes to use her legal expertise to shape a more equitable and accessible world where innovation serves everyone.

Oona Wallace ’24

Oona Wallace ’24 graduated from Wesleyan University in 2017 with a B.A. in History and Spanish. She became interested in attending law school after working as a resource navigator at Boston Medical Center where she assisted patients to connect to immigration legal services. Since then, she has continued to advocate on behalf of immigrant communities in Boston, most recently as a paralegal for immigration lawyers who primarily represent asylum-seekers. Originally from New York City, Oona looks forward to using her law degree and passion for immigrant justice to bring about a more just New York.

Avery Wolff ’23

Avery Wolff ’23 graduated from Vassar College in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Urban Studies, specializing in Political Science and History. After college, Avery worked for five years as an elementary school administrator in Brooklyn. Before starting law school, he additionally served as an organizer for a Congressional campaign, interned at the International Rescue Committee, and was a paralegal at a plaintiff-side antitrust firm. At Fordham Law, Avery is a Crowley Scholar in International Human Rights, a staffer on the Urban Law Journal, and serves as a board member for Fordham’s National Lawyers Guild Chapter and the Immigration Advocacy Project. This past summer, Avery worked for The Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit, focusing on removal defense.

Rachel Zhu ’24

After college, Rachel Zhu ’24 worked in television and film production with the intent on creating stories focused on social justice, predominantly on race, gender, and climate change. At Brandeis University, her passions for environmentalism included chairing the Student Union’s Sustainability Committee and working at a nonprofit that advocated for campaigns such as clean water and limits on the use of antibiotics on factory farms. As a Stein Scholar, she is excited to concentrate on environmental law, particularly land use and regulation and environmental racism.

The post Meet The 20 Newest Members of the Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics appeared first on Fordham Law.

On October 13, Fordham Law’s 27th Annual Student Excellence Awards ceremony took place over Zoom. Presented to the students in the first-year mini-sections, the second-year day and evening programs, and the third-year evening program, the awards honored dozens of students who attained the highest weighted average for their studies throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. 

“Normally, celebrations and honors like this take place at graduation, so it’s very special to be able to pause in the middle of a busy school year to honor you and to celebrate your achievements,” said Dean Matthew Diller during the event’s opening remarks.  

“I also know that the year 2021 was a particularly tough year to be a law student and you all persevered through very difficult situations,” Diller continued. “As your Dean, I congratulate you and we all look forward to working with you and watching you go forth into the world to do great things.”

See this year’s award winners below.

First-Year Day and Evening Programs
Carly Weisen ’23, Section 1
Caroline Whalen ’23, Section 2 
Abigail Tubin ’23, Section 3
Anastasia Lacina ’23, Section 4
Brian Giacalone ’23, Section 5 
Leigh Forsyth ’23, Section 6 
Alexander Breindel ’23, Section 7 
Aydin Benoit-Savci ’23, Section 8 
Michael Hamilton ’23, Section 8 
Wen Zhang ’24, Section 9 

Second-Year Day Program
Ryan Wilkins ’22 

Second-Year Evening Program
Joseph Powers ’23

Third-Year Evening Program
P. Hornbeck ’22

The Fordham Legal Writing Award
Presented to first-year students for scholastic excellence in Legal Writing for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Katherine L. Buoymaster ’23, 1A 
Stephanie J. Scanzillo ’23, 1B 
Emma A. Evans ’23, 2A 
Michael McEvoy ’23, 2B 
Benjamin T. Colao ’23, 3A 
Katherine B. Hyman ’23, 3B 
Luis Miguel M. Del Rosario ’23, 4A 
Emily L. Mandell ’23, 4B 
Shira M. Bergman ’23, 5A 
Katharine Keane ’23, 5B 
Alexis Pawlowski ’23, 6A 
Alysia Lo ’23, 6B 
Danielle L. Cepelewicz ’23, 7A 
Vira Tarnavska ’23, 7B 
Fathia A. Dawodu ’23, 8A 
Amira N. Kingori ’23, 8B 
Matthew A. Bultman ’24, 9A 
Sung Soo Lee ’24, 9B 
John D. McLaughlin ’24, 9C 
Wen Zhang ’24, 9D 
Devon C. Smith ’23, C
Elizabeth Gudgel ’23, D 
Kaleb M. Underwood ’23, E 
Yuchen Xie ’23, E
Kevin S. Green ’23, F
Miles C. Patton ’23, G 
Katharine L. Tubby ’23, H 

The David Dawes Nee II Memorial Award
The David Dawes Nee II Memorial Award is given to a 2L/2E/3E competitor who has demonstrated excellence in oral advocacy and commitment to assisting others in their pursuit of excellence.

Jack Barton ’22

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Fordham Law’s second annual Wellness Week—extended to a two-week series of events this year—took place between October 4 and 15 and was organized by the Office of Professionalism. This new tradition at the Law School expands upon Fordham Law’s annual Mental Health Day and continues to spark conversations about holistic approaches to well-being within the Fordham Law community.

Events included a combination of virtual and in-person presentations and activities that were designed to spread awareness of mental health and wellness. Students of all years had the opportunity to attend seven different events centered around mindfulness, nutrition, meditation, and other topics. 

Students participate in a dance fitness class on Bickford Terrace

Last year’s Wellness Week, created in response to the pandemic, was completely virtual, but this year, students had the added benefit of coming together in person with their peers and professors, both on and off campus. 

“This year’s event was both a celebration of wellness and a celebration of community-building now that we could finally be back together doing it in person,” said Jordana Confino, senior director of professionalism and special projects.

“Nurturing social relationships and community is an essential element of Fordham’s culture,” explained Confino, “so a lot of our wellness activities are focused not just on the individual, but also on bringing people together and promoting the collective well-being of our community in that way.” 

Students Connect to Help Battle Law School-Related Stress

Among the events offered were several “Wellness Walks” that were divided by house number and took students on an hour-long stroll through Central Park.

“I’m really grateful for this Wellness Week” said Professionalism Fellow Brandon Small ’23 who attended a walk on October 12. “I think it’s a nice break, but also a good networking opportunity for the 1Ls to get to know not only their professors, but also administrators, 2Ls and 3Ls, and their BSAs on a more personal level than they were able to in the past.”

Because his first year of law school was marred by the added stress of pandemic-related isolation, Small believes a healthy balance of work and socializing is needed. “The social component holds up the academic component,” he explained, “because if other areas in your life are being neglected, academics can easily fall.”

House 3/4 walk through Central Park as part of wellness week activities

Miles Patton ’23, who was partially remote for his first year of law school last year, agrees that forming these in-person connections has been helpful after more than a year of isolation. “Right now wellness, for me, is about sort of making up for the lack of social contact we had last year with COVID,” he said. “Being on campus and getting to know all the people that we didn’t get to know has been really exciting.”

Still the stress of studying and the pressures of securing internships was intense, said Patton. “The 1L year was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, which, maybe, is a privileged position because I know there are harder things in life that other people have to go through. But emotionally, on the anxiety spectrum, it’s definitely hard,“ he added. 

Anxiety Solutions from a Mindfulness Expert

Another one of the Wellness Week events, titled “Unwinding Anxiety & Other Harmful Habits” sought to tackle the issues of stress and anxiety using the latest research on mindfulness.

Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and director of research and innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, led a Zoom presentation on how students can better understand and counteract anxiety. 

 Brewer described the process he uses to help patients map out their mental habits, from first identifying the behaviors we use to avoid unpleasant feelings to later using mindfulness practices to break unhelpful “habit loops.” 

“The idea is to bring awareness into our experience so that we can change our relationship to feelings of anxiety …  and not get caught in them,” said Brewer. 

Students can view this webinar and other Wellness Week offerings, along with other resources provided by Fordham Law, online via LawNET.

Though Wellness Week has concluded, Confino reiterated that mental health and wellness remains a priority. “Our students already study and work really hard, but what we are trying to show them is that self-care is an essential element of their legal training that will enable them to do their very best work and to become the most effective lawyers they can be.”

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Tara Singh ’22 co-authored an article for Law360 on the best practices for patenting medical devices in a digital age.

Digital technology continues to shake up our health care system, driving innovation and transforming all aspects of health care.

Just recently, for example, we’ve seen a flood of new software programs and medical devices introduced to market in efforts to aid health care providers in detecting and surveilling different COVID-19 strains.

There has likewise been a surge in the development of digital therapeutic applications that purport to help manage or treat a variety of diseases.

…

Meanwhile, companies creating and responding to such digital innovation face an array of challenges, including how to protect their technology. This article explores different strategies for patenting medical devices and software.

Read the full article.

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Elliot Jackson LL.M. ’22 first became interested in fashion law during his first summer of law school in 2018. While waiting in line to go inside a Las Vegas nightclub with a group of friends, Jackson was turned away because of the shoes he was wearing. He was told that the Nike Air Jordans he had paired with his formal jacket and shirt were not permitted in the nightclub.

“That kind of piqued my interest and prompted my research on the intersection of fashion and social justice,” says Jackson. “It’s not just, ‘oh, you’re wearing basketball shoes or you’re wearing athletic clothing. It wasn’t broad,” he continued. “This was a specific item—Jordans.” 

After doing some research, Jackson found that there was at least one bar, restaurant, or nightclub in each state that had racially-biased dress code restrictions. He uses the term “velvet rope racism” to describe the experience of fashion-based discrimination that occurs in places of public accommodations, but specifically nightlife settings. His research interest in the topic led him to Fordham Law where he is now an LL.M. student in the Fashion Law program.

Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Jackson completed an undergraduate degree in forensic biology at Fayetteville State University (“I had the crazy idea that I’d be a doctor,” he says) but soon realized that law was likely a better fit and enrolled in the J.D. program at Florida A&M University. During his time there, Jackson wrote a note, as a part of his membership on the Florida A & M University Law Review, about his experience with fashion-based discrimination at the Las Vegas nightclub. That note then became the basis for a paper, which will soon be published in the Southern Journal of Policy and Justice. 

In his paper, Jackson traces the history of fashion discrimination back centuries to sumptuary laws and fashion-based class distinctions that existed all over the world. In the United States, laws like these are enmeshed in the country’s long history of slavery. 

Jackson notes the example of restaurants that refer to themselves as  “white tablecloth” establishments, invoking (intentionally or not) the history of fine white linens being reserved for white slave owners while coarse, rough textiles—also known as “slave cloth”—were reserved for enslaved people. 

“These are the subtle undertones that are present when it comes to fashion intersecting with just everyday living,” says Jackson. “My research goes into all of that.”

Other issues Jackson has examined include policies against “sagging pants” that are meant to target people of color, as well as “brown liquor bias,” wherein restaurants won’t serve cognac or other liquors they associate with Black patrons in order to discourage them from visiting certain bars and restaurants. 

“I argue that racism is not completely overt anymore because it’s no longer allowed,” Jackson explains. “So it’s covert in the sense that businesses use dress codes, among other things, to target certain groups of people.” 

Jackson is currently enrolled in Professor Kenya Wiley’s Fashion Law and Social Justice course, which he says has opened his eyes to more ways that fashion intersects with legal issues. 

“I never would have thought that fashion had legislative, regulatory, and policy implications before taking this course,” he says. “I’ve since gained an appreciation for that.”

This was exactly the type of research the course was designed to explore, according to Professor Wiley. “I created the Fashion Law and Social Justice course for students to analyze legal and policy developments impacting the fashion industry, and to better understand the steps in building an effective social justice framework,” she says. “Students are encouraged to identify current gaps in fashion law and develop legislative and regulatory solutions that address the industry’s most significant challenges.“

The solution for the fashion-based problems he’s researched, according to Jackson, lie in permitting disparate impact claims through Title II of the Civil Rights Act, which states that “all persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of…goods, services, facilities, and privileges…without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin.”

Jackson says he hopes to pursue a career that helps push forward some of these issues in the fashion industry, whether through litigation or other legal means. 

“The little things, like getting dressed every day, have an impact” says Jackson, explaining that fashion is an industry valued at more than $3 trillion. “With that in mind, I just wish people were more cognizant of their own biases.”

The post Student Spotlight: Elliot Jackson LL.M. ’22 on When Fashion Law Meets Social Justice appeared first on Fordham Law.

Two teams from Fordham Law’s Dispute Resolution Society competed at this year’s virtual American Bar Association (ABA) Competitions held on November 13 and 14. Several Fordham Law students emerged with stellar successes and will be advancing to nationals for their respective practical skills competitions. 

Fordham Law Clinches ABA Arbitration Regional Competition

The Arbitration Competition—hosted by New York Law School this year—promotes greater knowledge in arbitration by simulating a realistic arbitration hearing. Participants prepared and presented an arbitration case, including opening statements, witness examinations, exhibit introductions, evidentiary presentations, and summations.

Bianca Bernardi ‘23, Phoebe Huth ‘23, Alyssa Plascoff ‘23, Alessandro Schooley ‘23, and Paul Tsavoussis ‘23 represented Fordham Law at the regional level of the 2022 ABA Law Student Domestic Arbitration Competition, besting 12 teams on a case that dealt with wills and trusts/elder law. The team will proceed to the national competition for domestic arbitration, which will take place on January 28 and 29, 2022. 

Fordham Law competitors Alessandro Schooley, Paul Tsavoussis, Bianca Bernardi, Phoebe Huth, and Alyssa Plascoff

“In my opinion, both teams’ success was achieved not only because of the strength and specificity of their legal arguments, but procedurally the teams were particularly prepared which enabled the teams to maintain professionalism and composure while mooting for such a long period of time,” said team coach Maggie Revera ’22. “Moving forward the teams can only go up!” 

“Each of the teams worked really hard on this problem and demonstrated their expertise over the course of the Regional Competition,” added coach Perry Zirpoli ’22. “I look forward to helping them prepare for the final leg of the competition in January.” Both Zirpoli and Revera were a part of the Fordham Law team who won last year’s National Competition. 

Solid preparation since August was key to the team’s success, says Professor Deborah Masucci, faculty advisor to the team and an expert in alternative dispute resolution and dispute management. The team spent long hours preparing for the competition including weekly practice classes and one to two moots every week. 

“The Fordham teams met the challenge of the competition with competence and professionalism,” said Masucci. “There is more hard work to face to prepare for the national rounds, but we are confident that Fordham will continue to move forward in the National Competition in late January.”

Fordham Law competitors Hanna Zaretsky and Ian Capell

Going to Nationals for the ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition

The ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition provides a means for law students to practice and improve their negotiating skills. 

Fordham Law competitors Hanna Zaretsky ‘23 and Ian Capell ‘23 competed at the regional level of the 2022 ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition and are both moving forward to nationals.

This competition was hosted virtually by the American University Washington College of Law and consisted of 24 overall teams. Each round centered on a different problem relating to the First Amendment in an educational setting. The competitors were given both general and confidential information, and had just 50 minutes to negotiate the terms and get the best outcome for their clients.

National finals for the ABA Negotiation Competition will be held on February 4 and 5, 2022.

The negotiation team began practicing in late August by using old negotiation problems from prior competitions.

“The negotiation competitors worked extremely hard all semester to prepare for the regional competition, and their exceptional performances at the competition clearly shows that their dedication and commitment paid off,” said coach Allie Lisner ’22. “I am so proud of both Fordham teams, and am looking forward to helping Hanna and Ian prepare for nationals!”

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Fordham Law’s Moot Court started its 2021-22 competition season off strong after a team of 2Ls placed in the top two of 24 teams at the 27th Annual Burton D. Wechsler National First Amendment Moot Court Competition.

Hosted by the American University Washington College of Law, the Burton D. Wechsler National First Amendment Moot Court Competition is a renowned tournament that presents teams across the country the opportunity to argue cutting-edge cases in front of renowned judges in the nation’s capital. Following last year’s cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s competition was held virtually.

Millicent Kastenbaum ’23, Maya McGrath ’23, and Allison Scott ’23 represented Fordham Law in this year’s competition. Eric Szkarlat ’22, who competed in the Spong Moot Court Tournament at William & Mary Law School virtually last year, coached the team this semester.

Previous Wechsler competition problems have addressed a wide variety of First Amendment issues including speech by public officials, municipal regulation of businesses, the rights of public school students, and legislator-led prayer. This year’s hypothetical problem focused on issues that explored different legal arguments about free speech rights and free exercise and establishment clauses.

A Two-Day Marathon of Oral Arguments

To prepare for the Wechsler competition, Szkarlat helped recreate the fast-paced atmosphere of the competition by mooting both in person and over Zoom.

“Even though it was going to be a virtual competition, I wanted [the competitors]to have some in-person arguing experience with their classmates,” Szkarlat said of his decision to have the team meet every Monday in Fordham Law’s moot courtroom during the fall semester. “It was the competitors’ first experience with arguing in person, which they loved, and … I thought it was going to be important that they had that experience in order to carry the torch forward.”

Nine weeks of constantly honing their brief writing and oral advocacy skills came down to two days of rigorous competition rounds in late October. After facing off against two award-winning brief teams in the preliminary rounds on Oct. 23, Fordham Law advanced onto the octofinal round (with the Top 16 teams vying for the Top 8 spots), to the quarterfinals with Mercer University, and then to the semifinals with Syracuse Law the following day.

Adrenaline ran high as the three Fordham Law competitors showcased their knowledge of case law during the four rounds on Oct. 24. Following Kastenbaum’s “pitch-perfect” performance in the semifinals that helped send Fordham Law to the finals, Szkarlat said the team had less than 30 minutes to prepare for the last round against UC Hastings Law.

At that time, McGrath and Scott (who served as the swing throughout the competition) argued the petitioner’s side before a distinguished panel of sitting judges, including the Honorable Judge Tim Dyk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Honorable Justice Leondra Kruger of the California Supreme Court, and the Honorable Judge Reggie Walton of the U.S. District Court for D.C.

“I’m from California,” McGrath explained, “so when we argued in front of Justice Leondra Kruger, that was very special and I was very excited and humbled.”

“By far, my favorite part [of the competition]was arguing in front of all the judges,” she added. “All the hard work really paid off.”

It Takes a Village

The students agreed that they could not have made it so far without the help of Szkarlat, other Fordham Law students, and Fordham Law alumni.

This year’s Wechsler bench team, who helped with mooting, was composed of student coach Myrna Nakhla ’22 and members Ross Jablon ’23, Lauren Kim ’23, Morgan LaPeter ’23, Chloe Marmet ’23, and Tanecia Vasquez ’23. Nine Fordham Law alumni, alongside Professors Abner Greene and Michelle Mancino Marsh ’96, also helped moot the team on Thursday nights.

“They’re all very much an integral part of the [moot court]system,” Kastenbaum said. “This win is also very much theirs as well.”

“This whole experience really pushed all of us to a place where I didn’t even know we could get to,” she added, “I’m forever grateful for Eric, my teammates, and this experience for making me a better writer, better speaker, and hopefully a better lawyer.”

For Scott, this second-place win was a confidence booster as she approaches the halfway mark of her law school career.

“I do feel like I’ve improved in my writing, research, and advocacy skills all around, which are so important,” Scott said. “I’m definitely looking forward to more moot court competitions and events because I think that the power of words and oral advocacy is really special.”

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Stein Scholar Anthony Damelio FCRH ’08, LAW ’22 has been awarded a Skadden Foundation Fellowship, which will begin in the fall of 2022. The program, launched by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in 1988, provides two-year-long fellowships to talented young lawyers who want to pursue public interest law on a full-time basis.

This year’s 28 fellows hail from 19 top law schools and will be partnering with legal services nonprofits across the country. They have been selected not only for their academic performance but also the quality of their proposed project, which they have designed with the organizations that they plan to work with over the next two years. 

Damelio was elated to learn that he was named a Skadden Fellow and said he is honored to have received the opportunity to work at Catholic Migration Services, in partnership with two worker centers (New Immigrant Community Empowerment and Coalition for Immigrant Freedom). He also thanked the Fordham Law School faculty and administration—particularly Professor Jennifer Gordon and Aisha Baruni, director of public interest scholars and fellowships—for their support of his advocacy thus far.

“Getting the call from Kathleen Rubenstein, executive director of the Skadden Foundation, gave me a great sense of joy and trepidation,” Damelio said. “Joy that the intentional vocational steps I’ve taken at Fordham have made possible something I had dreamed for years of achieving. And trepidation because of how important I think this project is and how seriously I take this advocacy.”

He added, “The Skadden Foundation Fellowship will allow me to begin my legal career doing what I came to law school to do, which is mainly to advocate for low-wage immigrant workers.”

Damelio says that previously working at New Immigrant Community Empowerment from 2017 to 2019 cemented his commitment to low-wage workers and shaped his intentional investigation of interventions that most acutely benefit workers, as well as his own role in the movement for workplace justice. Growing out of that experience and in conversation with former colleagues, he has since conceptualized a project that will become a reality during his fellowship. The fellowship will allow him to educate workers about and bring claims under the HERO Act, a New York State law enacted in 2021 that provides groundbreaking health and safety workplace rights.

“Anthony’s project takes on the gaping holes in workplace safety protections that COVID brought to the fore,” said Professor Gordon. “He is extraordinarily well-equipped to move this important idea forward, hand in hand with immigrant workers themselves.”

Damelio believes that his proposed collaborative model is critical for representing low-wage workers who are often excluded from legal service provision. “I’m so thankful that the fellowship will allow me to lawyer in a way that meets the needs of individual workers and the movement for workplace justice,” Damelio said.

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Launched in 2019, Fordham Law School’s 1L House System continues to evolve in order to better prepare first-year students for their law school careers and beyond. The House System activated its alumni mentor program this semester, as a way to connect 1L students with a diverse group of alumni mentors that span different career paths, seniority levels, backgrounds, and experiences.

“From the start, we have strived to foster a strong sense of community within each house, including through our house faculty and administrative liaisons and peer mentorship programs,” said Jordana Confino, senior director of professionalism and special projects. “This year, we’re doubling down on our efforts to extend this support using our robust alumni networks in a house-wide alumni mentorship program.”

During the fall of 2021, approximately 220 alumni volunteered to share their experiences and advice to more than 450 first-year J.D. students across the six houses​​—tripling last year’s alumni mentor numbers, according to Sloane Macklin, stewardship/alumni relations officer and the alumni relations liaison for House 9/10 and House 11. “Mentorship served as a major virtual resource during a time when students couldn’t be on campus, and it really blossomed to this record-breaking number,” Macklin said.

1L House System Alumni Mentor Program Benefits

Students and alumni met one another through small breakout rooms during the program’s virtual kick-off event in late October. Some students inquired about strategies for succeeding as a 1L, asked questions regarding extracurricular activities (e.g. summer programs, journals, and moot court), and sought advice regarding professionalism.

The 1L Alumni Mentor Program will be operating year round so that the first-year students can peruse the house directory and reach out to alumni directly as they continue their law school studies. Mentors, in turn, can serve as a resource on various topics, share strategies for navigating the job market, and field general questions about law practice.

“Our alumni provide an added layer of support and can offer the 1Ls the invaluable perspective and insights they’ve gained through their years in practice,” Confino said. “They can also speak to all of the things that students are learning in law school and how they can use that knowledge beyond the walls of the Law School once they graduate.”

The program will continue through a hybrid model, wherein virtual programming will be offered for the remainder of the fall semester and in-person opportunities for engagement will be considered during the spring. A mock interview program with the Public Interest Resource Center, for example, is slated to take place next semester.

“It is always tremendously helpful when students have the opportunity to do mock interviews prior to interviews, particularly when they have a series of interviews as is often the case at the Public Interest Legal Career Fair,” said Leah Horowitz ’06, assistant dean for public interest and social justice initiatives. “We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Alumni Relations Office and the individual alumni who took the time and energy to support our students in this important way.”

1L Mentorship Chair Greg Xethalis ’05 is particularly excited to see student-alumni engagement increase this year as the 1Ls become more acclimated to the law school environment.

“I believe that, for those who have embraced it, reached out to their mentors, and scheduled one-on-one opportunities, it is one of the most rewarding programs available for 1L students,” Xethalis said. “It brings them early on into the fold of what is one of Fordham Law’s greatest strengths—the alumni network and the network effect that it brings.”

An Early Introduction to the Fordham Law Alumni Association

Echoing Xethalis’ sentiments, Macklin emphasized how the program also serves as an early introduction to Fordham Law’s collective alumni network and alumni association, which current students will automatically join upon graduation. “It really shows how generous our alumni are in donating their time to support students and acting in the service of others,” Macklin said. “They really care and want to support students as they recall and reminisce about their time in law school, which will help the new generation of lawyers.”

Frank Serbaroli FCRH ’73, LAW ’77, a shareholder in the Health Care & FDA Practice of Greenberg Traurig’s New York office, has served as an invaluable resource for Avi Strauss ’24 from House 3/4. “As soon as I heard about the alumni mentorship program at Fordham Law, I made sure to look at all the alumni who were available in my house and made my appointment with Carrie Schulman [assistant director of alumni relations and special events], who advised me how to proceed with reaching out,” Strauss explained. “I was enthused when Frank was willing to take time out and help me translate my prior professional experience into my aspirations in the legal profession.”

The two spoke for nearly 40 minutes over Zoom, learning more about each other’s backgrounds and professional interests. Strauss said Serbaroli was even willing to offer him guidance on elective courses that could be taken next year.

For Serbaroli, this was the opportunity to continue giving back to his law school alma mater. “I will never forget how kind so many different people were to me and I just want to continue to be part of that tradition,” Serbaroli said. “Mentoring law students is something that I find very rewarding and I hope more Fordham Law graduates will participate in the program.”

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A team from the Fordham Dispute Resolution Society—composed of Bianca Bernardi ’23, Phoebe Huth ’23, Alyssa Plascoff ’23, Alessandro Schooley ’23, and Paul Tsavoussis ’23—made it to the final round of this year’s American Bar Association Law Student Arbitration Competition, which took place virtually on Jan. 28 and 29. 

“We are extremely proud of the work the team put into this competition,” said coach Margaret Revera ’22. “I believe their showing in the National finals illustrates how far they have come.” 

The competition brought together 40 law school teams from across the country, offering students the opportunity to learn more about arbitration proceedings by “simulating a realistic arbitration hearing” and allowing them to “experience what it is to be a professional, competent, and ethical advocate,” according to the ABA. 

The same group of students previously represented Fordham Law at the regional level of the 2022 ABA Law Student Arbitration Competition Nov. 19–20, besting 12 other teams and finishing first.

“I am grateful to have witnessed the team’s growth and progress over the course of the past five months and am extremely proud of all they have accomplished,” said coach Perry Zirpoli ’22.

To prepare for Nationals, the Fordham Law team held numerous moots to improve and refine their arguments. The fictional case—regarding a contested will and touching upon issues in elder law and estate law—remained the same throughout the competition, giving the student competitors ample time to carefully consider and look at all aspects of the case. 

Their practice paid off as the team found themselves in the final round of competition. “That final round was by far our best,” said Bernardi. “I was so proud of everyone. I think we all were able to have a great time while also performing really well.“

“The Fordham team was impressive and skilled during the competition,” said faculty coach Deborah Masucci. “They incorporated all the tips and recommendations they received from experienced arbitrators during preparation, but also showed they were nimble, changing course based on their opponent’s arguments and witness testimony.”

All participating teams were judged on the organization and structure of their presentations, their understanding of the law, the quality of their direct and cross examinations, their interactions with witnesses, and how well they could respond to their opponents’ cases. 

“This was one of the more enjoyable experiences I’ve had in law school thus far,” said Bernardi. “We had a really great team, so it made working hard even more fun. There was great communication, great teamwork, and everyone was committed and had all these creative thoughts and ideas. I think that’s part of why we did so well.”

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REAL Scholar Veenay Komaragiri ’24, REAL Scholar Roger Orellana ’24, and Shiva Sachdeva ’24 have been selected to participate in the New York City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program this summer. Komaragiri will spend his summer at Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), Orellana at Viacom, and Sachdeva at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

The program, launched in 1991 as an initiative of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers, provides opportunities for first-year students at law schools in the New York area from underrepresented populations to spend their summer in some of New York’s leading law firms and corporate law departments.

Excluding this year’s cohort, Fordham Law has had 102 students participate in the New York City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program since 1992.

Fellows React to the News

Orellana said he was elated to learn that he was selected as a fellow, but was more excited to tell the news to his parents in Honduras. “The concept of working for a big company in a big city was always very foreign to my family, who came from humble beginnings,” he said. “It is very exciting to set this precedent.”

Orellana hopes to connect with and continue the pipeline for diversity with other students and legal professionals after the fellowship. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the attorneys who work as in-house counsel for Viacom and what their lifestyles are like, because I hadn’t met many lawyers before coming to law school,” he said.

After receiving encouragement from his peers in Fordham Law’s South Asian Law Students Association to apply, Sachdeva found that the fellowship program’s mission—to increase diversity in the corporate legal environment of New York—particularly resonated with him. “As someone who comes from a diverse background and values diversity and inclusion, I thought that this fellowship would be a really exciting opportunity for me to join a larger network, not only of fellows from my year, but also those from previous years,” he said. “As a 1L, I don’t know yet what kind of law within corporate law I want to practice. I’m excited to explore different practice areas, gain meaningful mentorship opportunities, and learn more about what it means to work in corporate law and at a firm through this fellowship.”

Sachdeva added, “I’m really grateful to have such a strong support system at Fordham Law, whether it’s through the Career Planning Center, the student affinity groups, or the 2Ls and 3Ls who have encouraged me to set my sights high.”

Komaragiri said he feels honored and humbled to have received the opportunity to work at TIAA. He thanked all the mentors who, he says, have served as inspirations to him and have been a “major factor in [his]success” thus far—including Asra Najam, senior speech writer at Fenway Strategies; Amol Sinha, executive director at American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey; and Fordham Law’s Realizing Excellence and Access in the Law (REAL) Scholars Program team.

“Director Kamille Dean, Dean Kimathi Gordon-Somers, and Jennifer Haastrup are brilliant and super supportive. The ability to go to them for their deep wisdom in the law and knowledge of Fordham Law, as well as how to be a good law student and balance everything, has been invaluable,” Komaragiri said.

Both Komaragiri and Orellana are first-year scholars from Fordham Law’s REAL Scholars Program. The program, launched in the summer of 2021, aims to expand opportunities for first-year law students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, including underrepresented racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, LGBTQ, and first-generation college backgrounds.

“My initial thought upon learning I was selected as a diversity fellow was that I couldn’t wait to tell the next cohort of REAL students about this process and try to help them get to the stage that I’m at now,” said Komaragiri.

Former Diversity Fellows Share Their Experiences

Ashley Qamar GABELLI ’20, LAW ’23

Komaragiri, Orellana, and Sachdeva also expressed gratitude to older Fordham Law students who took the time to share their advice and experiences as former diversity fellows. One of last year’s diversity fellows, Ashley Qamar GABELLI ’20, LAW ’23, said she felt honored to have represented Fordham while working at BNY Mellon.

“I was happy to go to a financial institution and implement not just what I had learned in my first year of law school, but also what I learned as a graduate of the Gabelli School of Business,” Qamar said, noting that the fellowship served as her first “substantial work experience.” “It not only gave me the opportunity to form friendships with other students—something that I really craved, especially after doing most of my first year online—but also to receive mentorship from practicing attorneys.”

Qamar added that learning the basics of certain business law practices from those attorneys came in handy last semester, the fall of her 2L year. “I realized that the work I did at the bank helped me tremendously in understanding the mechanics of corporate law,” she said. “Through taking that course in corporations, I was able to relate it back to what I was doing at the bank. I’d say, ‘Oh, I understand why this case came out the way it did,’ and was able to understand what the case meant in practice.”

Support Found Within Fordham Law

Prior to the end of the fall 2021 semester, the fellows had undergone a rigorous selection process that included a legal writing requirement, a personal statement, a faculty-led screening committee interview, and a second interview by a panel of attorneys and other law school representatives under the aegis of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers.

Associate Director of Career Planning & Diversity Bryna Beckler-Knoll oversaw the Fordham Law applicants’ processes and, along with Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Kamille Dean, advised the students about the fellowship and its opportunities.

Current and former fellows conveyed how appreciative they were for Beckler-Knoll’s constant support and assistance during the application process, from helping with submitting transcripts and setting up interview and start dates to conducting mock interviews and providing morale boosts.

“This is a well-deserved opportunity for Veenay, Roger, and Shiva. I am confident that they will represent Fordham Law in their respective summer placements with enthusiasm, hard work, and excellence,” said Beckler-Knoll. “Their legal careers are off to a great start.”

“We are very proud of all three of our students selected for this prestigious opportunity, and we are especially honored to have two of the three representatives from Fordham represent the REAL Scholars Program,” Dean said. “Their success is a testament to the innovative initiatives developed at Fordham Law to cultivate leaders who will thrive in the legal profession with a strong foundation in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

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On April 6, students and members of the Fordham Law community gathered together to discuss progressive prosecution and criminal justice reform for the Spring 2022 Dialogue Day.

The event was the fifth in an ongoing series, which began in 2020 to provide a forum for Fordham Law students and faculty to exchange information about issues of concern.

The intimate discussion, titled “The Impact of Progressive Prosecution and Decarceration: Is the Landscape of Criminal Justice Reform Changing?,” included panelists Professor John Pfaff; Mia Jackson-Rosenthal, director of public interest student engagement and counseling; and author and crime researcher Thomas Abt, as well as three Fordham Law students.

At the event, Dean Matthew Diller spoke to the importance of open dialogue on difficult issues and emphasized that personal dimensions should be considered alongside research and scholarship. “Who we are and where we come from will shape how we view these issues,” said Diller.

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Kamille Dean stated that Dialogue Day provides students with a unique opportunity to “come together as a community to discuss difficult issues.”

“We create a space to explore innovative ideas and challenging perspectives in a collegial environment,” said Dean. “Dialogue Day gets the conversation going and invites all of those at Fordham Law to contribute.

“Legal education is a prime platform to convey strategies for constructive dialogue. We are developing future leaders, and this is a transferable skill that will serve our students well,” Dean added.

Previous Dialogue Day discussion topics have included the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, affordable housing and the COVID-19 eviction moratorium, the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, and the impact of 9/11 on politics and policy in America.

Future Dialogue Days will be held once per semester as a part of Fordham Law’s community programs and events.

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Fordham Law School’s Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics is designed to cultivate the next generation of public interest lawyers through academic and specialized discussion series, mentorships, and volunteer work with public interest organizations. Selected students with a demonstrated commitment to public interest participate in the academic and service program during law school to prepare for their careers as attorneys.

This spring, Fordham Law School welcomes four new first-year students to the program. The cohort of highly motivated Steins, chosen from diverse backgrounds for their demonstrated commitment to public interest law and public service, are members of the classes of 2024 (day division) and 2025 (evening division).

Sophia Singh ’24

Sophia Singh ’24 graduated from Fordham University Rose Hill in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and English. During her time in the Bronx, Sophia spent a lot of time researching and writing about New York City’s housing crisis. A first-generation law student, Sophia is especially focused on the challenges faced by immigrants, refugees, and domestic violence victims in the housing system. She hopes to work in direct legal services after law school and eventually make her way into New York City housing policy.

Cameron Smith ’24

Cameron Smith ’24 came straight to Fordham Law last fall, after graduating from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Government. Growing up low-income and openly queer in Ewing, New Jersey, Cameron has always felt a connection with the have-nots in society, and this connection is what drove him to the study of law and politics. His passion for social justice followed him throughout college, and brought him to work with his local public defender’s office, as well as working on political campaigns for progressive candidates in New York and New Jersey (including NYS Senator Jeremy Cooney). Cameron is thrilled to have been selected as one of Fordham’s Stein Scholars and hopes to use everything he learns and all of the resources he gets through the program to help achieve his dream of practicing civil rights and criminal defense litigation.

Diony Sotiropoulou ’24

Diony Sotiropoulou ’24 is a native Brooklynite who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, where she studied Communications with a Critical Media Theory focus. She then worked as a healthcare specialist guiding low-income, mainly Spanish-speaking New Yorkers through Medicaid enrollment, where she saw the difference vigorous advocacy makes in the face of racist and hostile bureaucracies and legal systems. Her subsequent job as a paralegal at an agency providing free legal services to survivors of domestic violence inspired her to become a public interest lawyer. She aims to focus either on indigent criminal defense or housing rights/socioeconomic rights more generally, and is excited to grow alongside her public interest-focused peers at Fordham Law.

Audrey Wainwright ’25

Audrey Wainwright ’25 (1LE) attended Texas State University for her undergraduate degree in Family and Child Development and the University of Texas for her graduate education in Social Work. Audrey founded a fair trade, ethical apparel company employing vulnerable women in Arusha, Tanzania and worked as a youth care specialist in Austin, Texas at both a children’s hospital and an emergency shelter for transitional age youth. During her first semester at Fordham Law, she completed a virtual trip to Jordan with the International Refugee Assistance Project, working directly with refugees on UNHCR Resettlement cases, and served as a 1L OUTLaws Representative. This summer, Audrey is looking forward to working at the Lone Star Justice Alliance, a non-profit that provides pro bono legal services to juveniles facing life sentences. She is most passionate about criminal justice reform, juvenile rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy work.

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Dev Basumallik ’23 cannot wait to wrap up his second year at Fordham Law next month and for summer to begin. He was selected to participate in a consumer protection internship with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Northeast Region, as well as in the New York Bar Foundation (NYBF) Antitrust Law Section Law Student Fellowship Program, this summer.

The fellowship—administered by the NYBF via a partnership with the New York State Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Section—aims to provide law students an opportunity to experience antitrust and government investigations during the summer after their first or second year of law school, increase the representation of lawyers from diverse backgrounds in the practice of antitrust law in New York, and forge relationships among antitrust practitioners throughout the state.

“The FTC, whose goal is to make sure the market is a fair place to do business for all parties involved (i.e. firms, labor, and consumers), does important work both in terms of antitrust and consumer protection,” Basumallik said. “I was thrilled to learn that I was accepted into the NYBF Fellowship Program. It’s an incredible opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of antitrust and to expand my network to include current and future experts in this field.”

Reacting to the News

With a strong interest in government and public service, Basumallik’s goal is to work at a federal agency. He believes these experiences will provide him unique opportunities to meet and speak with antitrust practitioners, including litigators involved with civil cases that deal with unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices.

“It will be a really important summer for me to meet all these people, get right to work, and learn as much as I can,” Basumallik said. “I can’t wait to work alongside dedicated public servants and experience first-hand the day-to-day at a federal agency.”

Basumallik is especially looking forward to learning more about the FTC’s plans to rewrite merger guidelines. “It’s a big, exciting time in antitrust right now, involving not only the law, but questions of economics and power,” he said.

How Agriculture Sparked His Interest in Antitrust

Basumallik’s interest in antitrust stems back to his upbringing on the rural, eastern shore of Maryland, home to many large agricultural companies. He argued that antitrust today is typically associated with technology firms, but that antitrust spans many sectors and agriculture is often overlooked.

“Growing up, I saw how powerful those companies were and, even today, they continue to become more powerful and consolidated, which raises antitrust concerns,” Basumallik explained. “As the sector is becoming more concentrated, antitrust is playing a role in combating abuses. For example, recently, complaints have been submitted to the FTC alleging dubious marketing claims such as chicken products labeled as ‘all natural’ when, in fact, antibiotics and other chemicals are used in production and processing.”

Basumallik said that he feels prepared for this summer, thanks in part to his classes at Fordham Law. “Professor Mark Patterson’s antitrust class last semester gave me a strong, fundamental understanding of antitrust law, which is incredibly important. And the information privacy class I took with Professor Tom Norton [executive director of the Center on Law and Information Policy]delved into FTC enforcement actions against technology companies, such as consent decrees regarding privacy violations, and the role of regulators.”

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New York Solicitor General Barbara D. Underwood accepted the Louis J. Lefkowitz Award at the Fordham Urban Law Journal’s (ULJ) annual Alumni Dinner on April 21. Underwood was selected for the award due to her substantial contribution to the field of urban law throughout her distinguished career in public service. Dean Matthew Diller and ULJ Alumni President Vincent Lesch ’14 presented Underwood with the Award.

Underwood has worked as a top adviser to nine different leaders of law offices across local, state, and federal governments. Early in her legal career, she was a law clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall on the U.S. Supreme Court. She has worked in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and served as a leader in the Queens and Brooklyn District Attorney’s Offices. She was chief assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the first female acting solicitor general of the United States. In 2018, she became the first female attorney general of the State of New York.

After accepting the award, Underwood spoke about the benefits of increasing the representation of women and minority individuals on the courts and in leadership positions in government.

Editors of Fordham ULJ Volume 49. Back row (left to right): Georgia Decker ’22, Kevin Winnie ’22, Shazell Archer ’22, and Tyler Daniels ’22. Front row (left to right): Nicholas Loh ’22, Erica Chan ’22, Caitlin Ramiro ’22, Catherine Engelmann ’22, and Nicholas Liotta ’22.

“It’s not because there is a single woman’s point of view that will change outcomes or a single point of view held by Black people or by any other identifiable group,” Underwood said. “Instead, it’s because there are some life experiences that women and members of marginalized communities have—and those experiences can matter in decision-making.”

Underwood drew on the analysis set forth by Justice Marshall, who wrote about the loss of perspective that occurs when a segment of the community is excluded from jury service. “Justice Marshall was explaining why the exclusion of Black persons from juries was harmful not only to Black defendants, but to all defendants, and indeed to everyone,” she noted. “It was the distinctive experience and perspective that mattered, not some predictable distinctive vote.

“Women, and members of other groups too, bring to decision-making a distinctive life experience—and then they each use it differently,” she continued. “Part of that shared experience is the experience of being different, of being the only woman in a room of men, like being the only Black person in a room of white people, and of needing to work especially hard to be heard and taken seriously.”

Underwood joins a long list of distinguished recipients of the Louis J. Lefkowitz award, including Geraldine Ferraro ’60, Mary Jo White, and Robert M. Morgenthau.

Dean Matthew Diller addresses attendees at the 2022 ULJ Alumni Dinner.

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On Monday, May 23, Fordham Law School will celebrate the accomplishments of the 634 members of the Class of 2022 at its 115th diploma ceremony.

Below, read about some of the outstanding members of the graduating class, previously featured as part of Fordham Law’s Instagram series #futurefordhamlawyers.

 

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Students from Fordham Law’s Dispute Resolution Society (DRS) attended a competition hosted by the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) on April 3, competing against 17 teams from across the world, including countries like India, Brazil, and Kenya. 

CPR is a nonprofit organization that “advocates for a global prevention and dispute resolution culture” and whose members include law firms, academics, and mediators. The CPR competition has been held since 2017 with the goal of providing “a unique opportunity for students to learn and practice mediation and negotiation skills.”

Despite the fact that it was the first time a Fordham DRS team entered the CPR competition, the team performed remarkably well. Grace Brennan ’23, Libby Burke ’23, Steph Diu ’23, and Daobo Wang ’23, reached the quarterfinals of the mediation competition, and Brennan and Wang placed third overall for best counsel. Alyssa Sanders ’23 also came in second place, overall, for the “best mediators” section.

“I am incredibly proud of the five [competitors],” says team coach Pamela White ’22. “No matter what the result had been, I would have been extremely proud, because I saw the hours they put into it and the time and dedication,” said White. “But I was absolutely thrilled to see that hard work recognized by the judges at CPR.”

Because it was their first time at the competition, the team did not have the same experience and resources they usually have when going into a competition. “It was a bit of a challenge being the first person to go to this competition and leading the team,” White said. “We watched a lot of old rounds, trying to see what skills seem to be highly awarded there, and looked at old problems.”

After receiving their topic four weeks out from the competition, the team combed through the details of the case, which involved cryptocurrency and cryptomining. From there, they discussed and analyzed the problems and mooted against each other to work through them. 

Teams were composed of two attorneys, two clients, and one mediator, as well as five bench members—Ronald Britt II ’23, Nico Corti ’23, Eric Hechler ’23, Marc Osian ’23, and Leila Witcher ’23.

For Sanders, who played the role of mediator, the CPR event was her first dispute resolution competition ever, and allowed her to practice new skills.  

“A large part of it is getting people to come to a place where they can recognize each other’s needs and find solutions that address them, or at least potential solutions,” said Sanders. “I was really proud of myself, in that I was able to be there in a supportive way, but also allow both sides to really communicate and be the center of the attention.”

The competition also provided students with some unique experiences, including a mediation training and panel discussions from internationally-renowned mediators on current topics and interest areas, which provided students the opportunity to network and learn more about the field.

Due to the international nature of the competition, students also had the opportunity to interact with lawyers from diverse legal backgrounds. “People in other countries have different ways of interacting with the legal system,” said Sanders. “There were [opportunities to]not only learn how to build relationships, but to learn how to build relationships within different cultural contexts.” 

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Chehak Gogia ’22 felt imposter syndrome in her first days as a law student. No one else in her family had graduated from college in the U.S., and many of her classmates were born with advantages that she never had. But she said that over the past three years, she has realized who she is and what she wants to do.

“I remember sitting with some really amazing, bright people, listening to their questions and hypotheticals. They seemed to have such a grasp on knowledge that I didn’t have, and many of them had previous work experience or parents who were lawyers. I didn’t know how I had snuck in. But what’s helped combat that feeling is working really hard and taking classes that I enjoy,” said Gogia, who will earn her Juris Doctor degree from Fordham’s School of Law this spring and start working as a litigation and government enforcement associate at multinational law firm Baker McKenzie this fall. “I’ve stayed true to myself and forged my own path.”

Chehak the ‘Chirping’ Bird

Gogia was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Indian immigrants who moved to the U.S. in 1995.

“My first name means ‘the chirping of the birds in the early morning,’ but my mom says it also translates to ‘talkative.’ She always jokes that she should’ve named me the Hindi word for ‘calm,’ and that would get me to stop talking,” Gogia said, chuckling.

When her parents became naturalized citizens, she believed that the best way to pay it forward to the U.S. was to become its next president.

In second grade, every president she learned about was a lawyer, she said, so she thought she needed to become a lawyer before reaching the White House. But even after she realized the truth, she continued to pursue the same goal.

In high school and college, she served as an intern for several politicians, including as a foreign policy and defense intern for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin in Washington, D.C., where she said she helped to successfully advocate for the release of a political prisoner in Algeria.

“I’ve always loved being able to break down an argument and convince someone to see my side of things,” Gogia said.

(L-R) Dominic Conoshenti ’22, Chehak Gogia ’22, Dean Corrado ’22, and Thomas Rukaj ’23 became regional champions at the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s National Trial Competition in February 2022.

In 2019, she earned a bachelor’s degree in global liberal studies from New York University, where she also served as captain of the mock trial team. Then she went straight to law school at Fordham.

One of her most influential law school experiences was the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center—a Fordham team that competes in mock trials with law schools across the country—where she said she placed in seven out of eight competitions and will be competing in a ninth this summer. She said her competition experience has helped her learn how to quickly adapt to situations in the courtroom. In addition, her semester-long experience at the law school’s Federal Litigation Clinic showed her how to advocate for real clients under the guidance of professors.

“It’s interesting to be able to work on all sides of the legal argument and to be responsible for the legal advocacy for real people who need our help,” said Gogia, who helped to write briefs that were submitted to courts.

Gogia said she will use these skills in her job at law firm Baker McKenzie, where she will help companies to work through investigations and settle disputes.

“My clinical experience has given me a lot of insight into what litigation will look like when I start working this fall,” she said.

A Fierce and Confident Litigator

Gogia is fierce, determined, and quick on her feet in the courtroom, said her mentor Brittany Russell, FCRH ’11, LAW ’13, a trial attorney at Weitz & Luxenberg who coached Gogia at the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center last year. Russell recalled a competition where Gogia found her way out of a tough situation.

Chehak Gogia ’22 at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

“There were a series of facts that were inadmissible. But Chehak is a very good listener. She heard the other side’s witness say something that opened the door to those facts, and then she made an extremely sophisticated and creative argument—and she executed it beautifully, convincing the judge to agree with her,” Russell said.

Gogia’s confidence in the courtroom often gets the attention of other lawyers, Russell said.

“When you put yourself out there in a competition trial, you get feedback from other attorneys from all over the country. Those attorneys may have different conceptions of what a woman in a courtroom is supposed to sound like. But Chehak has weathered sexist comments and never let them bother her,” Russell said. “She never listened to them or concluded that she should change something about herself. She always carries on with who she is, and being the best and strongest advocate she can be.”

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