Welcome to another edition of See infra, delivering a sampling of news from St. John's Law. 

St. John's University is pleased to announce that the St. John's Law solarium and lobby have been named in honor of Ruben William Bernstein ‘32. A member of one of the Law School’s earliest classes, Ruben embodied the spirit of St. John’s. He is remembered as thoughtful, insightful, a loving and supportive father, and a true gentleman. We extend our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Barbara Bernstein Lerner, Bernstein’s daughter, and her husband, Dr. Theodore R. Lerner, for their generous bequest that celebrates a remarkable legacy. Read more about the Bernstein bequest.

Please join us in congratulating Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum on being named to City & State New York's 2025 Law Power 100 List. The list recognizes influential members of the legal community throughout New York. Since assuming leadership of the Law School in June 2024, Dean Jefferson Exum has made a significant impact on the St. John's Law community and on the wider legal profession. You can read the full 2025 Law Power 100 List, which also includes St. John’s Law alumni who are leading New York lawyers.

Assistant Dean Vernadette Horne organized the Law School’s 2025 Anti-Racism Day around the theme Toward a More Just Future. Opening the program, Anu Gupta, an educator, lawyer, scientist, meditation teacher, and founder & CEO of BE MORE, addressed the role of lawyers as repairers who work to understand, acknowledge, and break bias. Participants then attended panel discussions on a range of topics intended to inspire students to use their legal education to address injustices. Thank you to the alumni who returned to campus to be part of this important day!

Next Thursday, 3/27, we’ll come together in the Law School cafeteria for this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll-themed Public Interest Auction. This annual fundraiser to support the Public Interest Center’s programs and initiatives is driven by five dedicated Public Interest Center Fellows, with strong support from more than 100 public interest students who work tirelessly to secure donations, engage businesses, market the event, and volunteer on the day of the Auction. Join us in person to bid high and often on wonderful goods, services, and experiences. Get your tickets today! 

St. John’s Law students and generous alumni donors gathered for the Endowed Scholarship Reception at the Harmonie Club in Manhattan. As a highlight of the evening, scholarship recipients Julio Almonte ‘25 and Regina Yoo ‘26 shared their law school stories and gratitude for our alumni community. Thank you to event host Jonathan Sack ‘89 for a wonderful evening.

The Law School’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) hosted a successful Lunar New Year Dinner in Manhattan. The event brought students, alumni, faculty, and friends together for a fun and festive night, which included celebrating this year’s honoree, Megan Rha '97.

The Center for Bankruptcy Studies’ Bankruptcy Alumni Spotlight Series continues in March with Gerard (Gerry) DiConza '94 Partner, Archer & Greiner P.C. The latest installment of the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law’s Real Estate Alumni Spotlight Series features Stephanie Rainaud '14, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP and Adjunct Professor, St. John’s Law.

“Hell Hath No Fury Like A White Man Scorned,” an article by Professor Renee Nicole Allen, has been accepted for publication in the Boston University Law Review. In it, Professor Allen examines a lawsuit filed by Faculty, Alumni, & Students Opposed to Racial Preferences against Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Professor Philip Lee’s latest article, "SFFA v. Harvard: Racial Triangulation and the Invidious Myth of Colorblindness," has been published in the Maryland Law Review.

Giving the keynote lecture at the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society’s meeting, Professor John Q. Barrett spoke about Justice Brandeis, Justice Jackson, Jews, the Holocaust, the Nuremberg trials after World War II of Nazi war criminals, and Zionism, and also about gentle temperament, learning, human rights, religion, tolerance, law, and hope. He delivered a lecture, Nuremberg ‘Remembered by Our Children with Pride’: World War II Victors’ Choices to Heed Conscience, Conduct Fair Trials of Nazi War Criminals, and Leave Clear Records, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Sommerhauser Symposium on Holocaust Education.

Professor Christopher Borgen gave a presentation on International Law, Outer Space, and National Security at the 30th Annual Law, Ethics and National Security (LENS) Conference at Duke Law School. St. John’s Law student Luis Rishi Puno ’25 attended the conference as one of about 30 student LENS Scholars from law schools and service academies. 

Professor Robin Boyle-Laisure presented virtually before a think tank of forensic psychiatrists from the Harvard Medical School – Program in Psychiatry & the Law. Her topic was the subject of her law review article, “Undoing Undue Influence: How the Doctrine Can Avoid Judicial Subjectivity by Omitting the Vulnerability Element,” which was published in the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.

Professor Philip Lee presented At the Schoolhouse Gate: Student and Teacher Freedom of Expression in Public Schools (K-12) to Boston Public Schools’ staff and leaders as part of the Dr. Carol Johnson District Leadership Fellowship.

Professor Jeremy Sheff presented his paper, “Dividing Trademark Use” (forthcoming in the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts), at the 2025 Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium. He also spoke at the University College London Institute of Brand and Innovation Law’s Annual Brand Seminar.

For an episode of The Low of the Land podcast, Professor Elaine Chiu described the evolution and limitations of restraining orders as tools for protecting people from domestic violence. 

Professor Kate Klonick was recognized as one of The Top Legal Scholars of 2024. She has shared her expert insights at the intersection of law, technology, and online content in print publications, as a podcast guest, and in her own Substack, The Klonickles. You can visit our Faculty Focus blog to learn more about Professor Klonick’s publications, appearances, and activities.

Professor Martin LaFalce, director of the Law School’s in-house Defense and Advocacy Clinic, worked with several other law professors in the New York area to draft a letter opposing Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed rollbacks to New York’s landmark 2020 criminal discovery reforms. Read the opposition letter (PDF).

In the latest installment of the Mattone Center for Law and Religion's Landmark Cases in Religious Freedom video series, Professor Mark Movsesian examines a landmark 1878 case, Reynolds v. United States, where the U.S. Supreme Court first interpreted the Free Exercise Clause.

When the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Catholic Charities hosted a free immigration information phone bank to help New Yorkers access legal resources and referrals, Jennifer Acevedo '27, Nicole Castillo Guiracocha '25, and Ermina Sedy '27 were quick to volunteer. Read more about the phone bank initiative.

Madelyn Armes '25 received the Law Student Achievement Award at the 20th Annual Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel (AMEC) Counsel of the Year Awards. AMEC is the leading professional organization for in-house attorneys in the entertainment and media industry.

Julio Almonte '25 and Isaiah Williams '25 discussed the vital role of mentors at a program titled DEI: The Path Forward presented by the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court at Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. in Garden City. Tom Blennau '02, Director of our Lexy and Samuel S. Lionel ’40, ‘10HON Externship Program and Employer Outreach, served as one of the moderators for the panel program, which was attended by Nassau County practitioners and judges.

Securities Arbitration Clinic students Joseph Alfonzetti '25, Chris O’Connor '25, and Jaclyn Rommeney '25 recently filed a comment letter responding to FINRA's request for input on the effectiveness and efficiency of its requirements relating to day trading. Researching and writing comment letters is one of the many ways our clinic students engage with lawyers and others in the field.

Trial Advocacy:
The Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute (PTAI) team of Jack Adams '25, Agustin Bujanda '25, and Jared Rios '26 have advanced to the final rounds of the Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition in April. The team is coached by PTAI alumni Marlee Galvez '16 and Michael Maffei '10.

Representing PTAI, Katerina Denora '26, Alicia Mayo '26, Arianne Philemy '26, and Sarah Wilkinson '26 made the semifinals of the Queens District Attorney's Office's annual Mock Trial Competition. Kat earned individual honors for Best Direct, while Sarah was recognized as Best Overall Advocate. The team was coached by Hon. Eugene (Gene) Guarino '99. 

PTAI’s Nathalie Amazan '26, Zachary Brochu '26, Lucas Immer '25, and Stephanie LaPlante '25 advanced as a team to the regional finals at the American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition.

Moot Court:
Student members of the Law School’s Moot Court Honor Society and the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review helped to run this year’s very successful Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition. The nation's premier bankruptcy moot court competition brought 51 teams from across the country together to argue two difficult Chapter 13 issues.

Let’s hear it for the Moot Court Honor Society team of Michelle Gonikman '25 and Daniella Sesto '25, who have advanced to the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition in April. Earning individual accolades, Michelle was named second best oralist and Daniella placed as a top ten oralist.

As a mother of three young children, Riki Markowitz '25 recognizes that law students who are parents face unique challenges. That's why, as a 1L, she co-founded Mothers in Law and PALS, a student group for parents attending law school. Read more about Mothers in Law and PALS.

Comments, Suggestions, or Content Ideas?
Please email Lori Herz, See infra's Managing Editor and Lead Writer, at herzl@stjohns.edu.

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