Announcing the Rose DiMartino and Karen Sue Smith Professorship 
Incoming Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum will be St. John's inaugural Rose DiMartino and Karen Sue Smith Professor of Law. Established with a generous gift from alumna Rose DiMartino ‘81 and her wife, Karen Sue Smith, the named professorship supports faculty members who teach and study in the area of human rights or social justice. It is the first professorship named for a female graduate of the Law School. Read more about this history-making professorship. 

Students Spend Spring Break Working in the Public Interest
Recently, 46 St. John's Law students dedicated over 1,100 pro bono hours working with 18 organizations across New York City, in Kansas City, MO, and elsewhere as participants in the annual Spring Break Service Program organized by our Public Interest Center. 

Public Interest Center Thrives Under New Leadership
“St. John's Law struck me as a space with a strong focus on community, so it was exciting to think about building community with students and alumni doing public interest work,” says Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz in this story about her pivotal role as Director of the Law School’s Public Interest Center.

In Memoriam
Dean Michael Simons and the entire St. John's Law community mourn the passing of Joseph M. Mattone, Sr. ‘53C, ‘55L, ‘94HON, whose strong work ethic, New York City street smarts, and keen business acumen took him to the heights of local and national real estate development. Read the full remembrance story.

In Case You Missed It
The lower Manhattan skyline served up a stunning backdrop when the Law School community came together for our 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Gala. The evening’s honorees, Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick ‘67, ‘03HON and Valerie Capers Workman ‘90, shared reflections on their impressive and impactful career paths and, together, everyone celebrated the Law School’s deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. View the Gala photo gallery.

Students from our Journal of Catholic Legal Studies/St. John's Law Review teamed with the Mattone Center for Law and Religion to host a symposium addressing the Supreme Court's recent prayer case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. Attendees included Dean Michael Simons and incoming Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum. 

It was great to see alumni and students together at the Student-Alumni Reception hosted by the Italian Law Students Association (ITALSA). Congratulations to the event's honorees, Ron Palmese '03, Chief Legal Officer, Shake Shack, and Hon. Janet DiFiore '81, '17HON, Former Chief Judge, New York State Court of Appeals.  

Alumnae and students gathered at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP for Celebrating Women in the Law, a special event hosted by the St. John’s Law Alumnae Association Alumnae Leadership Council Chapter and the student-led Women's Law Society. As a highlight of the evening, the attendees honored alumnae award recipients Hon. Genine D. Edwards '92 (Trailblazer Award), May Mansour '14 (Rising Star Award), Edda Santiago '14 (Outstanding Alumna Award), and Hannah Yu '09 (Public Service Award).

Mark Your Calendars
May 14, 2024  
Law Review Alumni Reception   
Metropolitan Club  
New York, NY  
Honorees: Cindy Chen Delano ‘04 and James D. Herschlein ‘85  

May 16, 2024  
BLSA 50th Anniversary Celebration  
Brooklyn Chophouse  
New York, NY   
Honoree: Former Admissions Counselor Dorothy Moran   

In the RE Spotlight
The Mattone Institute’s Real Estate Alumni Spotlight Series continues this month with Steven Simicich ‘04, Managing Partner, SL Law Group.

Scholarship in Print
Professor Anna Arons’ article, “Family Regulation Prosecutors,” will be published in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.  

The United Nations–International Labor Office (ILO) report, “Realizing decent work in the platform economy,” cites two articles by Professor Miriam Cherry: “Working for (Virtually) Minimum Wage: Applying the Fair Labor Standards Act in Cyberspace” (Alabama Law Review), and “Regulatory options for conflicts of law and jurisdictional issues in the on-demand economy” (ILO). 

Professor Abel Rodríguez’s article, “Lethal Immigration Enforcement,” appears in the Cornell Law Review. 

Commentary in the Media
In a series of lawsuits, salespeople at agencies under American Income Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Globe Life, Inc., allege that they have been misclassified as independent contractors—denying them minimum wage, overtime, and a host of other employee benefits. Professor Miriam Cherry, Faculty Director of St. John's Center for Labor and Employment Law, weighed in on the actions for a story in The Capitol Forum (subscription wall). 

The latest episodes the Legal Spirits podcast produced by Professor Mark Movsesian are now online. The 4/3 episode explores Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure through a legal lens, 400 years after it was first performed. The latest episode, out on 4/15, features a conversation with Modern Age's Daniel McCarthy on how the rise of the Nones reflects a general fragmentation of American culture: religious, social, and political. 

Work in the Field
Professor Robin Boyle gave this report on her experience teaching a virtual class for Ukrainian law students on the fundamentals of contract drafting: “Since the Russian invasion, this was my fourth remote meeting with academics and students in Ukraine. Seeing students’ faces and interacting with those who live with threats of attack has provided me with first-hand insights into the dire news emerging from the region." 

At a convening hosted by the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Professor Abel Rodríguez co-presented on the intersection of criminal and immigration law, or “crimmigration.” The session explored the ways in which the criminal legal system can improve its treatment of, and minimize immigration consequences for, noncitizens.  

Making Strides in the Profession
Asma Halimi '26 and Abigail Drummond '25 presented alongside a panel of attorneys at the Cybersecurity and AI CLE at the Nassau County Bar Association’s Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court. They led the group, which included St. John's Law alumni, in an engaging, informative, and entertaining discussion regarding cybersecurity and AI related issues facing the legal profession. Victoria Ciminera '25 also helped prepare the presentation.  

Congratulations to Alexa T. Blandeburgo '25, whose paper, "Do You Know Where Your Trademark Is? How the Fourth Circuit's Interpretation of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act Correctly Protects Trademark Owners Online," earned first place in the New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA) Hon. William C. Conner Writing Competition.

. . .  And in the [Mock] Courtroom  
Nathalie E. Amazan, Melanie Dolgonos, Levi Griesing, and Elizabeth Sack teamed to win the Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute's (PTAI) Brian Peterson Memorial 1L Mock Trial Competition. They were coached by PTAI's Executive Director, Krista Apostle '24, and Director of External Competitions, Emily Trumble '24.  

This year’s internal Roy L. Reardon Moot Court Competition was a big success, with these Moot Court Honor Society students excelling in their advocacy skills: Daniella Sesto '25, Best Oralist, Jonathan Schloth '25, Second Best Oralist, and finalists Michelle Gonikman '25 and Lianna Meehan '25. A special thank you to the alumnae who returned to campus to judge the competition: Hon. Genine Edwards '92, Hon. Wilma Guzman '86, and Hon. Robin K. Sheares '86.  

The Moot Court Honor Society team of Kate Manganello '25, Daniel Ruderman '25, and Jonathan Schloth '25 advanced to the semifinals at the Kaufman Memorial Securities Law Moot Court Competition at Fordham Law. Coached by Javier Ortiz '13 and Brigid Lynn '24, the team also won an award for Best Runner-Up Petitioner Brief.  

Ashton Bryan '24 and Takunda Muziwi '24 bested a crowded field of 34 teams to place third at the Siegenthaler-Sutherland National Moot Court Competition hosted by Catholic Law.  

Great job, everyone! 

Spotlight on St. John’s Law LL.M. Students
New on the Law School’s socials is our LL.M. Student Spotlight Series, featuring students in our Master of Laws programs. Recent posts feature Maike Lara '24LL.M., who is earning his LL.M. in Transnational Legal Practice and his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic, and Aylin Castillo '24LL.M., who is in our U.S. Legal Studies LL.M. program and earned her first law degree in Ecuador at the Universidad Catolica de Cuenca sede Azogues. 

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