BLS Commencement Runs in the Family for Lauren Kreinces ’25
[L to R] Matthew Kreinces ’93, Lauren Kreinces ’25, and Lawrence Katz ’65
Becoming part of the alumni “family” is more than a metaphor for countless Brooklyn Law School graduates. It literally means joining their parents, grandparents, siblings, or other family members who have preceded them in graduating from the Law School. At Commencement, many will follow a treasured graduation day tradition by having loved ones who are also alumni present them with their degrees. This year, 17 members of the Class of 2025 and their families will take part. (See the full list at the end of the story.)
Among these proud grads are two that especially stand out, Lauren Kreinces ’25 and Jason Perlman ’25, because their alumni families span three or more generations.
Besides sharing the story of Lauren, her father, Matthew Kreinces ’93, and grandfather, Lawrence (Larry) Katz ’65, we will also feature Jason, his father, Ira Perlman ’84, and brothers Brandon Perlman ’18 and Adam Perlman ’20. Jason’s late great-grandfather, William S. Perlman, was a member of the Class of 1924.
Traditions of Service, Synchronicity, and Brooklyn Law
When Lauren Kreinces ’25 entered law school, she wasn’t yet sure of the path she should follow. She had earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and had long been committed to serving the community, working as a camp counselor, a Hebrew teacher, and a leader of programs for children with special needs during and after her undergraduate years.
She also had the impactful experience, as a member of synchronized skating teams from eighth grade through college, of working closely with others toward a common purpose. “Skating with those teams was one of the formative experiences of my life,” Lauren said. “It taught me huge life lessons, and I formed some of my closest relationships.”
Then, sometime in her 1L year, it all came together. “I had worked with children with special needs before law school, but hadn’t realized the extent of the legal issues people with disabilities have to deal with,” Lauren said. “I dove in head-first, from family law to disability law to special ed., and found a real passion I wanted to explore. At Brooklyn Law I’ve been given all the resources I needed to deeply understand those issues,” she said.
That included taking on internships in which she advocated for elders, students with disabilities, and clients in the psychiatric wards of New York City hospitals, and participating in the Disability and Civil Rights Clinic. She also became a teaching assistant for Associate Professor of Legal Writing Danielle Tully, whose class Lauren credits with helping her overcome an initial struggle with legal writing. “It suddenly clicked, and I wanted to continue to grow and to help 1Ls who were going through the same struggle,” she said.
Lauren will her begin her new position as an attorney with the New York City Department of Education’s Special Education Unit after graduation, when she will also become the third generation of the Kreinces family to become a Brooklyn Law School alumnus.
There’s a Jewish tradition, said Lauren’s father, BLS alumnus Matthew Kreinces ’93, to live the Hebrew phase “tikkun olam,” to “repair the world.” “Lauren’s mother, Melissa, and I have given our time to the community locally,” said Matthew, who has served on the board of the Suffolk Y/JCC, among other organizations, “and Lauren jumped into the deep end with both feet on that and took it way beyond. There are no words to convey how proud we are of her.”
Equally proud is Lauren’s maternal grandfather, Lawrence (Larry) Katz ’65. “Lauren is such a sweet, loving person and a wonderful granddaughter,” said Katz, who also spoke about his own unexpected opportunities at Brooklyn Law. Coming from a family with limited means, Katz said, he only had enough money to pay tuition for his first semester, but, because he received straight A’s, he was awarded a scholarship from the Law School that allowed him to complete his education. “I had never been a great student as an undergraduate, but at law school I became a different person,” Katz said. “I went to the assistant dean, Gerard Gilbride, and he told me I needed to maintain a ‘B’ average to keep the scholarship. I kept up the straight ‘A’s, got a job in the bursar’s office to help pay my living expenses, and an internship with the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the EDNY, and volunteered with the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn Family Court, doing intake interviews with children who were represented. I loved every minute of it.”
Katz also got his first job interview with a Brooklyn firm through a tip from colleagues at the bursar’s office. He landed the job and eventually took over the practice, focusing on personal injury law, which he ran until retiring in 2019.
“For me, Brooklyn Law was a life-changing experience,” Matthew Kreinces said. He had initially been drawn to the law when he was an undergraduate, then dating Melissa (now a marketing executive), and accompanied Katz (his future father-in-law) to court to observe family law and criminal law proceedings. “I loved Professor Aaron Twerski’s Torts class. And Professor Richard Farrell, who I had for Evidence and Civil Practice, became a true mentor.”
Having practiced with Katz after graduating, Matthew eventually opened his own firm. “Lauren was born on the day I opened my office,” Matthew said. Since 2012, he has been in partnership with fellow BLS alum Edward Tantleff ’92, in the firm Tantleff and Kreinces.
It’s true, said Lauren, that having a family of attorneys (she also has two aunts in practice) may have added to the synchronicity of her decision to study law at Brooklyn. “But my family gave me the space to make my own decision,” she said. “And when it came down to it, I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” “We never tried to push her,” Katz said, although he did share stories with her of the children he had worked with at family court, and of their struggles. “We just gave her a hint,” he said.
In addition to Lauren Kreinces and Jason Perlman, the graduates with alumni family members presenting their degrees include:
Joseph Adams ’25 and father Dan Adams ’00
Matthew Benak ’25and cousins Rita Kaufman ’87 and Zachary Kaufman ’16
Brandon Blum ’25 and father Jeffrey Blum ’92
Mason Brooke ’25 and partner Tallulah Safka ’24
Ethan Fine ’25 and partner Isabel Wolf ’24
Benjamin Grabelsky ’25 and brother Eli Grabelsky ’23
Jacqueline Grundfast ’25 and grandfather Norman Grundfast ’59
Joseph Hennessy ’25 and brother Charlie Hennessy ’24
Elana Konichowsky ’25 and father Mitchell Konichowsky ’93 and aunt Eileen Cohan ’92
Thomas Lewis ’25 and uncle H.J. Willcox ’95
James Macaluso ’25 and mother Donna Fafinski ’89 and father Joseph Macaluso ’90
Anthony Prestigiacomo ’25 and uncle Sylvester Sichenze ’90
Sarah Ryan ’25 and partner Peter Enia ’23
Emily Slavkin ’25 and future mother-in-law Debra Green ’91
Joelle Vilinsky ’25 and father Edward Vilinsky ’89