August 2025

This year, Syracuse Law is proud to welcome five exceptional faculty members whose combined expertise spans elite corporate practice, federal judicial chambers, and cutting-edge legal scholarship.

Eugene McCarthy brings Skadden Arps experience and interdisciplinary scholarship spanning corporate law and legal history. Grace Orsatti combines Harvard Medical School bioethics training with Pennsylvania Supreme Court clerkship experience. Brian Sirman is a former Ropes & Gray complex litigation attorney who now researches law and human behavior. Richard Wallach offers 16 years of federal courtroom insight as a career law clerk. Casey Weismann-Vermeulen brings seven years as a federal trial attorney to our Housing Clinic.

Their arrival strengthens our commitment to providing students with the most relevant and practical legal education available—taught by practitioners who've shaped the very fields they now teach.

Sincerely,
Terence Lau
Dean and Professor of Law

Professor McCarthy teaches Contracts, Business Associations, and related courses.

Before joining Syracuse Law, McCarthy was an Assistant Professor of Business Law at James Madison University and an Assistant Professor of Legal Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield. He was also a corporate associate in the Los Angeles office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

McCarthy’s research addresses corporate law, white-collar crime, public health, education, and U.S. legal history. His recent scholarship appears in the Brooklyn Law Review, Rutgers University Law Review, and Syracuse Law Review.

McCarthy received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law and his Ph.D. in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley.

“To me, the law is the most interesting area of study because it directly implicates history, sociology, philosophy, language, and just about every other academic field that I find fascinating.”

Professor Orsatti teaches Bioethics, Wills & Trusts, and The Law of Healthcare Decisions.

Before joining the faculty at Syracuse Law, Orsatti served as an Assistant Clinical Professor and Externship and Pro Bono Director at Duquesne Kline Law School. Prior to her academic positions, she practiced law in the private sector and clerked for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Her scholarly interests lie at the intersection of health law, aging, and bioethics. Orsatti seeks to advance justice through interprofessional and experiential learning initiatives. Her research examines legal and bioethical aspects of end-of-life planning, aging, and health. She has published articles in the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Northeastern Law Review, and Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education.

Orsatti received her B.S. from Duquesne University, her J.D. from the Duquesne Kline School of Law, and her M.S.Sc. in Bioethics from Harvard Medical School.

“The study of law and the pursuit of justice is a lifelong commitment.”

Professor Sirman teaches Civil Procedure, Health Law, and Business Associations.

Sirman was most recently a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Massachusetts School of Law. Previously, he was a litigation associate in Ropes & Gray’s Boston office, where he worked on complex civil litigation matters and regulatory inquiries, with an emphasis on healthcare fraud claims. He has also taught humanities and social sciences courses at Boston University and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.

His current research focuses on the relationship between law and manners, exploring both the philosophical considerations and the practical implications for individuals, businesses, courts, and lawmakers. Sirman’s most recent article, “Loophole Entrepreneurship,” appeared in the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law.

Sirman received his J.D. from William & Mary Law School. He earned his Ph.D. from Boston University’s American & New England Studies Program.

“I believe intellectual curiosity is essential both in law school and in the legal profession.”

Professor Wallach teaches courses in the Legal Communications and Research Program.

Prior to joining Syracuse Law, Wallach practiced immigration law at Hiscock Legal Aid Society in Syracuse, and in private practice. From 2006 until 2022, he served as the Career Law Clerk to the Honorable Kathleen Cardone in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Wallach earned a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law, an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Yale University, and a B.A. in Economics from Haverford College.

“I spent sixteen years assisting a judge with legal research and writing and observing the law in action.  I want to share what I learned about legal analysis and communication with others.”

Professor Weissman-Vermeulen teaches the Housing Clinic course and supervises student attorneys participating in the Housing Clinic.

Prior to joining Syracuse Law, Weissman-Vermeulen worked as a staff attorney at CNY Fair Housing, Inc. Before CNY Fair Housing, Weissman-Vermeulen served as a trial attorney for seven years in the Fair Housing Enforcement Division of the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C.

Weissman-Vermeulen received a J.D. and master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.S. in natural resources from Cornell University.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to advance the Housing Clinic’s efforts to expand access to housing-related legal services while teaching student attorneys how to manage all aspects of their clients’ cases.”