Leading St. John's Law
In June, Jelani Jefferson Exum started as the Law School’s 10th dean and Rose DiMartino and Karen Sue Smith Professor of Law. In a recent interview, she talked about her new role and the themes that guide her work as she leads St. John’s Law into its second century of excellence, prominence, and impact. Read the interview with Dean Jefferson Exum. 

Welcoming our Newest J.D. Students
Last month, we welcomed a highly credentialed first-year class to St. John’s Law. This year, 246 1L students hail from 24 different countries and 22 different states and, within the group, 104 students speak 37 different languages. The class boasts a median LSAT score of 162 and a median GPA of 3.74. By the numbers, 42% of the 1Ls identify as students of color, and 29% are first-generation college students. A special thank you to Hon. Helen Voutsinas '96CBA, '99L, who returned to campus for 1L Convocation, leading the students as they took a professionalism oath. This application cycle was our most competitive yet, and we can't wait to see all the amazing things this incoming class will do!  

Recapping a Very Busy Year
The latest newsletter from the Mattone Family Institute for Real Estate Law is out! The online publication recaps a very busy 2023-2024 academic year spent helping St. John’s Law students gain practical knowledge and skills and build key relationships with lawyers and others who are leading today’s real estate industry. You can view the newsletter online. 

A Seaside Gathering
Recently, members of the St. John's Law Alumni Association Alumnae Leadership Council Chapter (ALC) came together for a Summer Social in Southampton. The alumnae networked, ate delicious homemade snacks, and took in the beautiful ocean views from the summer home of Professor Emerita Margaret V. Turano '77. To learn more about the ALC and its programs, visit the Chapter’s webpage.

Spotlight on Real Estate
The September installment of our Mattone Institute's Real Estate Alumni Spotlight Series features Nicolette Repaci Sinatra '93, Sales Executive at Fidelity National Title – National Commercial Services. Read all about her work in the dynamic real estate industry and the career path that led her there. 

Join Us at the 2024 Alumni Reunion Celebration!
You’re invited to a wonderful evening of mixing, mingling, and reminiscing with your St. John’s Law classmates and Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum:

Saturday, November 9, 2024 | New York Athletic Club
40th Reunion: Class of 1984 
35th Reunion: Class of 1989
30th Reunion: Class of 1994
25th Reunion: Class of 1999
20th Reunion: Class of 2004
15th Reunion: Class of 2009
10th Reunion: Class of 2014
5th Reunion: Class of 2019

Please register to attend online by Friday, November 1, 2024.

If you're unable to attend, you can still take part in the celebration by making a gift to the St. John’s Law Fund online.

In the Field & In Print
Professor John Q. Barrett introduced Penn Carey Law School Professor Kate Shaw’s Robert H. Jackson Lecture on the Supreme Court, delivered at Chautauqua Institution. He also published an essay, “Felix Frankfurter: Collector of People,” in the Touro Law Review.  

Professor Philip Lee’s article, “Critical Race Thinking in a Pro-Black Space: An Asian American Law Professor’s Reflections on Teaching at an HBCU,” will appear in the Howard Law Journal. 

Over at Law & Liberty, Professor Mark Movsesian contributes “The Path to Power,” an insightful essay on Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, which Professor Movsesian deems “perhaps the greatest political film of all time.” 

It’s been a busy summer for Professor Jeremy Sheff. He presented his paper, “An Empirical Evaluation of the Trademark Modernization Act,” at the University of Houston Law Center’s Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law Annual Symposium. The paper will be published in the Houston Law Review’s forthcoming symposium issue. Professor Sheff presented his work in progress, “A Heap of IP: Vagueness in the Delineation of Intellectual Property Rights,” at the 2024 Intellectual Property Scholars Conference at Berkeley Law School. His latest article, “Dividing Trademark Use,” has been accepted for publication in the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts. 

On the Air
In a special crossover episode of the Practising Law Institute’s Pursuing Justice podcast, Professor Christine Lazaro, who helps to lead our in-house Securities Arbitration Clinic, and former clinic student Elizabeth Allhusen '24 discussed the clinic's work on behalf of underserved retirees. 

In a new episode of the Denise ‘90 and Michael ‘91 Mattone Center for Law and Religion’s Legal Spirits podcast, Professor Mark Movsesian and his St. John’s Law faculty college, Patricia Montana, discuss Professor Montana’s successful legal challenge to a school district's decision to survey students about religion and other sensitive matters. Listen in!   

Applause! Applause!
Please join us in congratulating Ivanka Cuenca '25, who received a scholarship from the Puerto Rican Bar Association, Inc. (PRBA) Scholarship Fund for this academic year. Through the Fund, PRBA awards scholarships annually to law students who "demonstrate contributions or a commitment to the Puerto Rican or LatinX community." Well-deserved recognition, Ivanka! 

Center Piece
The Law School’s Mattone Center has announced its 2024-2025 student fellows. They are: 

The fellows’ contributions to the Mattone Center span the academic year. They write weekly “Around the Web” news roundups for the Center’s blog, the Law and Religion Forum. They also maintain the Center’s social media feeds, produce its Legal Spirits podcast, and help organize and run conferences and other Center events. Learn more about this year’s fellows and their work with the Center. 

Mentor a Student, Change a Life
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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