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

“Joining the vibrant, warm, and welcoming St. John’s Law community is already a highlight of my career in legal academia and institutional leadership. As we look forward to marking the Law School’s 100th anniversary next year, I’m delighted to serve as your 10th dean and to welcome alma mater’s next century of excellence, prominence, and impact.” Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum shared those reflections and more in a Dean’s Fall Update Letter that went out to all alumni by regular mail and email. If you didn’t receive the letter, you can read it online. You can also update your contact information to receive future Law School communications.

We laughed, we cheered, and we celebrated together on 11/8 at our annual Bar Passage Party. Thanks to all the alumni and friends who gathered at Connolly's in Manhattan to mark this milestone accomplishment! View the Party photo gallery.

Alumni traveled from near and far for a wonderful evening of mixing, mingling, and reminiscing with their classmates at the 2024 Alumni Reunion Celebration. We welcomed members of the Classes of 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019 to the New York Athletic Club on 11/9 where they had the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, meet fellow alumni, and hear from Dean Jefferson Exum about a vision of excellence, prominence, and impact for the Law School. View the Reunion photo gallery.

Our 2024 Future Lawyers Series is underway! Consisting of three virtual panel programs, this series for prospective law students from diverse backgrounds offers opportunities to hear from, and connect with, St. John’s Law admissions counselors, students, and administrators. To date, we’ve hosted two of the three panels, focusing on the experience of applying to and attending law school for first-generation students and students of color. Up next is our LGBTQ+ panel on 11/19. To learn more, visit our Connect with Us webpage.

Congratulations to Center for Bankruptcy Studies Director Laura Schwartz '90, who will receive the New York Institute of Credit's Annual Renaissance Award when the organization presents its 18th Annual Women in Achievement Awards in February. Recognizing "discovery and exploration in the ever-changing business world," the Award goes to individuals who have "served as trailblazers in the business community by dedication to continued learning, community service, mentorship and developing new business and leadership opportunities for others."

In related news, the Center for Bankruptcy Studies has launched its Bankruptcy Alumni Spotlight Series. The first spotlight was on Francisco Vazquez '94, Senior Counsel, Norton Rose Fulbright, while the second installment in the series spotlights Hon. Jil Mazer-Marino '90, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Eastern District of New York. Visit the Center’s webpage to read the Spotlight Series.

The spotlight is also on the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law. Its series featuring alumni who are making their mark in the real estate industry continues with Erik Snipas '14, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP.

The St. John's Law Alumni Association Staten Island Chapter recently hosted a happy hour for alumni living in the area. Head online to learn more about the Law School Alumni Association, its regional chapters, and other chapters organized around shared interests.

Next month, our Virtual Fall CLE Series concludes with two informative programs:

You can attend one or both programs as a veteran or newly admitted attorney. It’s quick and easy to register for Program 5 and register for Program 6.

Professor Noa Ben-Asher’s book, Secular-Christian Social Justice, will be published by NYU Press in 2025. They are also a contributor to Social Movements and the Law: Talking about Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, a new book from University of California Press.

Professor Robin Boyle has co-authored a book, Persuasive Advocacy in Action: A Workbook for Law Students. Published by Carolina Academic Press, the book is designed to help students hone their skills in persuasive legal writing and oral advocacy.

Professor Mark Niles’ new article, “Student Protests and 'Fighting Words': Critical Race Theory and the Regulation of Hate Speech on Campus,” will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Albany Law Review.

Professor Jeremy Sheff’s latest article, “Dividing Trademark Use” (forthcoming in the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts) was workshopped at Harvard Law School’s Trademark and Unfair Competition Scholarship Roundtable.

Professor Benjamin Sundholm’s forthcoming paper, “Navigating the Frontiers of MedTech,” was workshopped at the Seventh Junior Faculty Forum for Law and STEM at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The paper, which analyzes the doctrinal reforms that are needed in response to the use of adaptative and opaque artificial intelligence systems in medicine, will be published in the Arizona State Law Journal.

Professor John Q. Barrett helped plan and spoke at Korematsu v. United States at 80: Reenactment and Re-litigation, a program hosted by the Robert H. Jackson Center and GW Law. The program featured a reenactment of oral arguments in the 1944 U.S. Supreme Court case Korematsu v. United States. It also revisited that infamous decision by presenting a mock civil case as it would be litigated by a similarly situated plaintiff today.

In a story for Reuters, Professor Michael Perino comments on Meta's and Nvidia's efforts in the U.S. Supreme Court to defend against federal securities fraud lawsuits.

To stay up to date with our faculty's scholarly achievements and diverse activities in the field, visit the Faculty Focus blog.

To mark this year’s National Celebration of Pro Bono, the Law School’s Public Interest Center partnered with the Public Interest Law Students Association, the St. John’s Law Alumni Association Alumnae Leadership Council Chapter, and the Mattone Institute to host a Pro Bono Working Lunch. The event brought 100 alumni and students together at St. John’s Law to provide free legal support to low-income New Yorkers through the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers Program, which operates locally as New York Free Legal Answers. Responding to questions submitted online, 30 student-alumni teams worked on issues related to unemployment, immigration, constitutional rights, estates and probate, tenant’s rights, and more. Read more about the Pro Bono Working Lunch online.

The Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development (JCRED) hosted a ceremony to celebrate the winners up of its annual Best Note Competition. This year, Harmonia Peet '25 won for her note, “Pay the Damn Kids! What New York State Can Do to Protect Youth Sibling Caregivers.” Jack Adams '25 was the runner-up for his note, “Soldiers in the Fog of War: Defining, Regulating, and Safeguarding the Rights of Lawful Private Combatants Amidst the Legal Ambiguities of Modern Proxy Warefare.” 

Congratulations to the Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute (PTAI) team of Levi Griesing '26, Lori Kanina '25, Carl Poole '25, and Kellene Rottenberger '25, who bested a crowded field of competitors to advance to the national semifinals of the Quinnipiac Law/ABA Criminal Justice Mock Trial Competition. The team was coached by alumnus Mark Luccarelli '18 and Adjunct Professor Jana McNulty.

Mentor Connect, the Law School's robust online mentoring platform, brings students seeking career guidance together with alumni who are excited to give it. Mentees and mentors connect across aligned professional interests and aspirations and common involvement in St. John's Law journals, co-curricular activities, academic centers, shared identity groups, and other student groups, among diverse connecting points. To learn more about this opportunity to give back and make a difference, view the Mentor Connect Guide. Ready to become a mentor? Register today. Thank you!

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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