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At this year’s annual Brooklyn Book Festival on Sept. 22, Dean Michael Cahill welcomed festival-goers to the day’s events in the Moot Court Room, which aired live on CSPAN, and served as moderator for a panel discussion presented by the Law School: Criminal Justice and Injustice in One of the Most Imprisoned Democracies in the World: America. The panel featured Bennett Capers, Stanley A. August Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, an authority on criminal law, whose forthcoming book The Prosecutor’s Turn (Metropolitan Books) argues for a turn away from public prosecutors and toward entrusting the work of justice to citizens. He and Cahill were joined by Fordham Law School Professor John F. Pfaff, author of Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform (Basic Books, 2017); and NYU Law School Professor Rachel Elise Barkow, author of Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration (Harvard University Press/Belknap, 2019). They engaged in a lively discussion about the rise of mass incarceration, the role of prosecutors, and how the criminal justice system and society at large might address the problem. An afternoon panel Not My Homeland—But My Home, moderated by Maryellen Fullerton, Suzanne J. and Norman Miles Professor of Law, an expert on asylum and refugee law, explored the critical importance of the narratives of migrants and refugees and how they can help us gain a deeper understanding of the immigrant experience. She led a powerful and candid discussion with Dina Nayeri, author of The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You (Catapult 2019), who herself was a refugee from Iran as a child; and Susan Kuklin, author of We Are Here to Stay: Voices of Undocumented Youth (Candlewick Press 2019) which presents the stories of nine young adults living in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The festival also welcomes more than 200 publishers, presses, booksellers, and literary organizations to the popular Festival Day Literary Marketplace across the street from the Law School in Columbus Park. The Brooklyn Law School booth was staffed by faculty authors selling their recent books. Titles included: Animus: A Short Introduction to Bias in the Law (NYU Press 2017) and Enforcing the Equal Protection Clause (NYU Press 2016), by Professor William Araiza The Common Law Inside the Female Body (Cambridge University Press 2018), by Professor Anita Bernstein Untangling Fear in Lawyering (ABA Publishing 2019) and The Introverted Lawyer (ABA Publishing 2017), by Professor Heidi K. Brown Social Enterprise Law (Oxford University Press 2017), by Professors Dana Brakman Reiser and Vice Dean Steven Dean Understanding Bankruptcy, Fourth Edition (Carolina Academic Press 2019), by Professors Edward Janger and Jeffrey Ferriell Sports and the Law: Text, Cases, and Problems, Sixth Edition (West 2019), by Professor Jodi Balsam, with Paul Weiler, Gary Roberts, Roger Abrams, Stephen Ross, Michael Harper, & William Berry III The Brooklyn Book Festival is the largest free literary event in New York City, presenting an array of national and international literary stars and emerging authors. One of America’s premier book festivals, the event draws thousands of booklovers to Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights. The Law School is a Cultural and Programming Partner for the festival and hosted a full day of panels and speakers in the Moot Court Room and the Student Lounge. Watch CSPAN coverage: Brooklyn Law School Presents: Criminal Justice and Injustice in One of the Most Imprisoned Democracies in the World: America Not My Homeland – But My Home View photos of the festival here

Twenty-two federal judges from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York took part in EDNY Day at Brooklyn Law School on Thursday, Oct. 17. The judges, who serve as Article III judges, magistrate judges, and bankruptcy judges, visited nine classes throughout the day with 400 students, spoke at lunchtime sessions hosted by student organizations, and participated in a town hall meeting in the evening, followed by a reception. The day offered students a unique opportunity to meet and learn from prominent federal jurists, including those who also are alumni of the Law School, including former dean I. Leo Glasser ’48; Sterling Johnson Jr. ’66; Edward Korman ’66; Robert Grossman ’73; Nancy Hershey Lord ’80; and Ramon E. Reyes Jr. ’92, a member of the Board of Trustees. More than 300 students attended the four lunchtime panel discussions with judges on Working in Chambers: Interning and Clerking; Effective Advocacy in the Courtroom; Pro Bono and Pro Se Litigation; and Well-being in Law School and Law Practice. An early evening town hall moderated by Dean Michael Cahill drew more than 200 students and faculty members to the Moot Court Room. Chief Judge Dora Izizarry was joined by Glasser, Korman, Hershey Lord, and Reyes, along with Judges Ray Dearie and Lois Bloom, to discuss the role of the judiciary and share their personal experiences with law students. The town hall included a lively debate among the judges on topics as varied as the value of clinical education, challenges and opportunities presented by new technology, and the prudent way to manage social media. “In classes and conversations throughout the day, the EDNY judges provided our students with a window into the life of the law—practical lawyering tips, career paths, professional challenges, the state of the justice system, and the role of the courts in our constitutional democracy,” said Professor Jodi Balsam who, along with Professor Maryellen Fullerton, spearheaded the program. “We were privileged to have them share their wisdom and experiences with us and look forward to continuing this program for the benefit of our students.” The Eastern District of New York (Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties) has a diverse population of 8 million people and encompasses major international air and sea ports and commercial activity. It is one of the most active federal courts in the country for cases involving national security, complex white-collar crimes, bankruptcy, civil rights, public corruption, and more. With the Court’s main building located just several blocks from the Law School, the EDNY offers students a range of opportunities to enhance their law school experience and interact with federal judges, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys, and court staff. Many alumni of the Law School over the years have served as law clerks for members of the EDNY bench. Dong Lee ’13, who serves as law clerk for Chief Judge Irizarry, took part in the Working in Chambers lunch panel. The planning committee also included Professors Stacy Caplow, Michael Gerber, Cynthia Godsoe, Joel Gora, and Cecilia Silver, who were assisted by Linda Harvey, Chief of Staff and COO, and Christopher Gibbons and Clorinda Valenti from the Office of External Affairs. View pictures of EDNY Day Town Hall here

Professor Kate Mogulescu, a national expert on human trafficking issues, has co-authored a new report “Workable Solutions for Criminal Record Relief: Recommendations for Prosecutors Serving Victims of Human Trafficking” on behalf of the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence’s Survivor Reentry Project (SRP), a national training and technical assistance initiative on criminal record relief for survivors of human trafficking. Mogulescu developed SRP and has led it since 2016. The report, co-authored by Jessica Kitson of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice in New Jersey, identifies guiding principles and best practices for prosecutors who handle post-conviction cases involving trafficking survivors. It also makes recommendations for policy and practice across the country. In 2010, New York became the first state to allow trafficking survivors to clear certain criminal charges from their records if they occurred as a result of their victimization. Since then, almost every state has followed suit and enacted some form of criminal record relief for trafficking survivors. This report provides much-needed guidance for prosecutors in these states. “Prosecutors wield a tremendous amount of power in the criminal legal system,” explained Professor Mogulescu. “‘Workable Solutions’ encourages them to utilize that power to assist human trafficking survivors seeking to clear their criminal records and to collaborate with the advocate community.” Andrew King-Ries, chair of the Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, highlighted how the report’s recommendations “recognize the critical role of prosecutors—through criminal record relief—to reducing vulnerability and isolation of trafficking survivors and to reducing human trafficking itself.  Ultimately, this is about prosecutors treating trafficking survivors as victims and doing their ethical duty to provide justice for victims of trafficking offenses.” The legal community welcomed the report as a way to further develop criminal record relief practice nationally. The report has received a favorable reception from advocates and prosecutors alike, including Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus J. Vance. “This report is so important because it bridges the gap that often exists between advocate/attorneys and prosecutors,” said Rachel Johnson, Senior Staff Attorney for the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation. “It brings us together so that we may collaborate to right the legal wrongs that trafficking survivors have suffered.” Mogulescu joined the Law School as a Clinical Law professor in 2017 after 14 years with The Legal Aid Society, where she served as a supervising attorney in the Criminal Defense Practice. Her work and scholarship focus mainly on gender issues in the criminal legal system. Mogulescu is founder and director of the Criminal Defense & Advocacy Clinic, working with students at the Law School to provide critical representation for people arrested because of their involvement in the commercial sex industry and incarcerated survivors of gender-based violence. Read the full report here. Read the coverage in Law360.

The Public Service Awards Ceremony, which honored the accomplishments of the Class of 2025, as well as three legal professionals who stand out for their excellent work in the field, brought a celebratory crowd to the Forchelli Conference Center for an awards ceremony and reception Tuesday night.     President and Joseph Crea Dean David D. Meyer welcomed guests and said the annual ceremony is one of his favorites, not only because it recognizes the success of students, alumni, and other public interest officials, but because public service is an integral part of the school’s mission.   “Public service is central to Brooklyn Law School’s identity, and it goes back to our very founding as a law school,” Meyer said. “As some of you may know, from the very first three or four Brooklyn Law School classes, starting in 1901, many of our graduates went on to distinguished public service careers as judges, as lawyers working with city government, working in DA’s offices, and in all forms of public service, not only in New York but also across the country. And that tradition of public service, of course, remains central to who we are and very much a part of our lifeblood.”  The evening featured the presentation of three awards to individuals, and saluted the accomplishments of students who performed exceptional public service at organizations ranging from the Law School’s own clinics and pro bono projects to organizations such as Access Justice Brooklyn, Sanctuary for Families, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the United Nations. All told, the students devoted more than 64,000 hours to assisting those in need of legal assistance, including immigrants, small business owners, survivors of gender-based violence, and people threatened with eviction, among others.   “Standing Up for the World I Want for You”  The Distinguished Commitment to Public Service Award was presented to Camille J. Mackler, a champion for the legal rights of immigrants locally and nationally. Mackler is currently the founder and chief executive officer of Immigrant ARC (I-ARC), a collaborative of more than 80 legal service providers, and a senior visiting fellow at the Truman Center for National Policy. The award was presented to Mackler by Professor Faiza Sayed, director of the Safe Harbor Project.  “For those of you who work in the immigration field, whether as attorneys or as interns, Camille really needs no introduction,” Sayed said. “Every immigration advocate that I know, including myself, has at some point reached out to Camille, whether it is for help when we have hit roadblocks in individual immigrant client cases, or to address systemic immigration issues that we have noticed in our practice.”   Prior to her work at I-ARC, Mackler led groundbreaking advocacy campaigns for the New York Immigration Coalition, including helping to coordinate the evacuation of Afghans after the 2021 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, Sayed noted.  She also coordinated legal efforts to respond to the busing of migrants to New York City and State and the family separation crisis at the southern U.S. border. Additionally, when the 2017 Muslim travel ban took effect, she organized lawyers to assist those impacted at JFK International Airport.  In accepting the award, Mackler said that there are many reasons that attorneys are inspired to do public service work, and her own story is just one.   “Each of us carries different experiences, different communities, different motivations. But the important thing is we all show up,” Mackler said. “I have been reminded that being a lawyer, especially being a public service lawyer, isn’t about prestige. It’s about presence. It’s about what we choose to do with the training we have received, and the platform that we have been given, and those moments, the small, quiet, persistent ones, are just as defining as the big ones, maybe even more so.”   In an emotional moment, she called out to her daughter in the audience, who accompanied her to JFK during the travel ban. She was 3 years old at the time.   “I hope you know that every time I’ve raised my voice, every time I’ve stood up in a courtroom or a city hall or an airport terminal, I’ve also been standing up for the world I want for you and for a future that includes all of us,” Mackler said.  “It Nourishes the Soul”  The Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service was presented to Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law Deborah Berkman, who teaches numerous classes relating to poverty,  public interest, and civil rights law, and is also the director of the Shelter and Economic  Stability Project at New York Legal Assistance Group’s (NYLAG’s) Public  Benefits Unit. The award was presented to Berkman by Associate Dean for Academic and Student Success and Associate Professor of Clinical Law Karen Porter.  “Deb Berkman has been at the cornerstone of the law school’s pro bono projects, a position that allows her to leverage her long and rich career as a legal advocate for individuals and families at the margins of society, and her deep knowledge of the law related to poverty, public interest, and civil rights,” Porter said. “This makes her the perfect person to instruct young attorneys on the power of the law to make a difference, to seek justice, and to effect change.”  She added that Berkman, whose parents are both Brooklyn Law School alumni and in the audience, was born into the work. In accepting the award, Berkman said that many of her students have gone on to work in the public interest or public service sector, and their decision is a testament to Brooklyn Law School’s commitment to public service.   “Their dedication affirms what I believe to be a fundamental truth about public service. It nourishes the soul,” Berkman said. “Now these are undoubtedly challenging times for this community, for our community, but I am confident that each of us can make a meaningful impact in creating a better world. So how can we do that? Well, by remaining committed in our values through service to those in need. This service provides us with the moral clarity to continue this very hard fight.”  “Finding Community”  The Alumni Award for Excellence in Public Service went to Michael H. Williams ’93, who since 2007 has worked as general counsel of Safe Horizon, the nation’s leading victim services organization, where he provides legal, strategic, and operational leadership.   The award was presented to Williams by Rose L. Hoffer Professor of Law Elizabeth Schneider, who is the cofounding director of the Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship.   “I am thrilled to be able to introduce today, Michael Williams,” Schneider said. “He was a Sparer fellow and an extraordinary young man who was deeply committed to public interest work and has devoted his career in a variety of different ways to public interest.”  She noted that Williams was a cofounder with Jane Landry-Reyes ’93 of a popular student group, the Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI). He started his career as a litigator at the New York City Law Department, but transitioned to roles as in-house counsel at nonprofits, beginning in 1999. He also served as board chair and helped establish the New York Peace Institute, a nonprofit that assists people in navigating conflict.   Williams, who noted that he initially wanted to go into the music business, said he found his way to a satisfying career, starting at Brooklyn Law School, where alongside classmates such as Landry-Reyes, he felt a sense of purpose.    “It was pretty amazing to find community with a group of law students who were passionate about doing work with the public good and making a difference with their law degree. So that really changed my life,” Williams said.   He has been at his current position for “18 fulfilling years,” and continues to find inspiration.   “I’ve learned so many areas of the law and have been able to work with my legal and non-legal colleagues to help the organization grow, mature, and double in size,” said Williams. “The work has been challenging, meaningful, and often fun, and it’s rewarding to work for an organization where you can see and regularly experience the results of your efforts.”  “Fighting for the Rule of Law”  Associate Dean of Experiential Education Susan Hazeldean, who is also a professor and director of the LGBT Advocacy Clinic, presented the awards to students who performed service at anywhere from 100 to more than 1,000 hours.   “It is so inspiring to me to think of all the things that you've accomplished, all the people that you served, and how important that is right now, when we are all called upon to take our place as people who are fighting for the rule of law, for justice, for legal rights, to mean something,” Hazeldean said.   Public Service Law Center Executive Director Amy Hsieh’11, who coordinated the event, called out the work of Pro Bono Project Leaders.   “Over the past three years, these dedicated students have gone above and beyond, not only giving their time and energy, but also stepping into leadership roles that made a real difference in our community,” Hsieh, said, noting that the students organized classmates and worked with the center to execute more than 20 pro bono projects. “They have been instrumental in ensuring that we could serve those in need, and they've done so with unwavering commitment and passion.”  The student honorees are as follows:  Gold, 1,000-plus hours: Akshatha Achar, Eva Ackerman, Gabrielle Avellaneda,  Matthew Capece, Jennifer Evans, Virginia Fatt, Veronica Galek, Katherine Gomez,  Avery Gott, Jennifer Greer, Carly Hecht, Joseph Hennessy, Maria Kilcullen, Sydney Korman, Kathryn Korolishin, Mengfei Leng, Christopher Maiolie, Jenna Marino, Amanda Mintz, Erica Mora, Sydney Oliver, Alexis Raskin, Emily Rieger, Taylor Seymour, Sarah Wintner, Hunter Wise, Morgan Woodbridge, Noah Yuro, and Yaseen Soliman.  Silver, 500-999 hours: Camile Alvarez, Saul Amezcua, Mikko Biana, Danielle Bradford, Laine Cohen, Julien Darsses, Ava Delargy, Elena Gaffney, Evan Glatt, John Godoshian, Liam Higgins, Madeline Hone, Ashley Ketchum, Lauren Kreinces, Matthew Lai, Talia Land, Erica Levy, Christopher Markos, Jeffery Miles, Isabella Neihardt, Alanna O'Hagan, Delenn Robin, Sarah Ryan, Catherine Sautter, Johanna Silva, Logan Strausman, Sinbay Tan, and Eva Van Ophem.   Public Service, 100-499 Hours: Stephanie Argueta, Bridget Bantner, John Battaglini, Joshua Dana, Mingyue Deng, Neha Dhiman, Krista Doherty, Lauren Farfan, Sarah Genchanok, Sarah Gouda, Selma Jay, Hyun Ji Jung, Larkan Kelly, Jungsuh Kim,  Sehee Kim, Yeonjeong Lee, Allison Lewis-Towbes, Natalie Linero, Kevyn McConlogue  Christopher Orjuela, Evan Peller, Olivia Perkins, Christina Philippides, Marisa Rodriguez  Sukhjot Saroya, Bowen Song, Caroline Strauss, Sukhleen Thind, and Nicole Waldman  Pro Bono Leadership: Alessandra Antuzzi, Stephanie Argueta, Anika Austin, Ava Delargy,  Elena Gaffney, Veronica Galek, Taylor Henegar, Mengfei Leng, Nick Lindsey, Kevyn McConlogue, Amanda Mintz, Sydney Oliver, and Caroline Strauss  Access to Justice Pro Bono Scholars: Caroline Cohen, Samantha Frazzetto, Marisa Rodriguez, Phillip Rudy, Michael Sherman, and Gabrielle Troya.  

Brooklyn Law Ranks 43rd on National Law Journal’s Go-To Law Schools Ranking The impressively high percentage of 2024 Brooklyn Law School graduates who were hired as first-year associates at the largest U.S. law firms has, once again, earned Brooklyn Law School a spot on the National Law Journal’s list of Go-To Law Schools, where the school came in at No. 43.   As was the case in past years, Brooklyn Law is the only independent law school to make the Top 50 Go-To Law Schools rankings, which were released as a sneak peek Wednesday on the journal’s website, Law.com.   “We’re pleased that Brooklyn Law continues to place strongly into the most competitive segments of the legal employment market, said President and Joseph Crea Dean David D. Meyer. “Nearly a quarter of our graduates fanned out to 64 different law firms on the NLJ Top 500 list, and US News & World Report just ranked Brooklyn #38 in Big Law placement.  Brooklyn is well known to top firms as a place with a deep pool of talent and graduates who are smart, savvy, and ready to roll up their sleeves.”   This year the National Law Journal's annual survey based the rankings on the nation’s 500 largest law firms instead of the top 100 firms, which were used in past years.     Heather Spielmaker, associate dean of the Career and Professional Development Center, said a total of 97 students from the Class of 2024 were hired at the Top 500 firms used in the new ranking. Last year, there were 71 students hired at the Top 100 firms, used in that year’s ranking. While apples-to-apples comparisons are not possible because of the new methodology, the data the school shares with the American Bar Association (ABA) shows that Brooklyn Law’s already-stalwart Big Law performance remains strong, Spielmaker said.    Just as Law.com released its list, the ABA released new national employment data Thursday for the Class of 2024 that also bodes well for Brooklyn Law School graduates. The national average showed that 87.1 percent of 2024 graduates who earned a J.D. degree from an ABA-approved law school were employed in full-time, long-term Bar Admission Required/Anticipated or J.D. Advantage jobs roughly 10 months after graduation. Brooklyn Law School beat this average, with a score of 89 percent. Additionally, the national average for these types of jobs hit a new record this year, increasing by 1.5 percent over last year. Brooklyn Law School rose above that figure as well, with employment of our graduates increasing by 2.3 percent over last year. 

Brooklyn Law School is once again serving as a host venue for the Brooklyn Book Festival, New York City’s largest free literary festival, now celebrating its 20th year of bringing readers together with a dynamic mix of local, national and international authors and publishers all in downtown Brooklyn. The Law School has proudly hosted festival events for the past 14 years, welcoming thousands of visitors to its campus.   The festival runs throughout the week with Bookend Events, leading up to the main day on Sunday, Sept. 21. Visitors are invited to join a wide range of conversations taking place on the Law School’s 250 Joralemon St. campus, including panels on democracy, technology, neuroscience, art, and politics.   One highlight scheduled for earlier in the week is a Wednesday, Sept. 17 Bookend event moderated by Herman Badillo ’54 Professor of Law Jocelyn Simonson. She will lead a discussion of No Cop City, No Cop World: Lessons from the Movement, a collection of essays published in May 2025 by Haymarket Books. The conversation with panelists will focus on the movements for environmental justice, police abolition, and Indigenous sovereignty that were forged in Atlanta around a decentralized effort to stop the construction of a $120 million police training facility. Panelists include the book’s co-editors Kamau Franklin, Micah Herskind and Mariah Parker and a contributor, Priscilla Grim. (Details here.)  There are 14 events scheduled to be held at 250 Joralemon St. on the main festival day, Sunday, Sept. 21. A few notable sessions include:   At 11 a.m. in the Moot Court Room, the sturdiness of our democratic order or lack thereof will be discussed in a panel titled, “Warning, This is Not a Test,” featuring authors Clay Risen (Red Scare), Anne Applebaum (Autocracy, Inc.), and Elie Mystal (Bad Law), and moderated by New York Times op-ed columnist Michelle Goldberg.   At 1 p.m., in the Moot Court Room, a panel titled “The Brain, the Mind, the Mystery,” will focus on the mysteries of the brain and features authors Pria Anand (The Mind Electric: Stories of the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains), Susannah Cahalan (The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary), and Olga Khazan (Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change). Andy Abrahams, freelance writer and editor moderates the panel.  At 2 p.m. in the Moot Court Room, a panel titled, “Big Tech’s Big Heist – Cory Doctorow in Conversation with Adam Becker” discusses the so-called “gospel of technological salvation,” including what’s real and what’s hype. It features authors Cory Doctorow (Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It) Adam Becker (More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade To Control the Fate of Humanity) and is moderated by NPR’s TED Radio Hour Manoush Zomorodi.  At 3 p.m. in the Student Lounge, “When Art Meets Politics” panelists discuss the impossibility of separating our personal narratives from the political contexts in which we exist. It features authors Frederick Joseph (This Thing of Ours), Libba Bray (Under the Same Stars), and Julia & Brad Riew (The Last Tiger), and is moderated by Kimm Topping (Generation Queer: Stories of Youth Organizers, Artists, and Educators).  All events are free and open to the public. Join us on campus to celebrate 20 years of the Brooklyn Book Festival and discover some of today’s most compelling authors and ideas. The full list of events and details on the Brooklyn Book Festival can be found here.