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More than 350 Brooklyn Law School alumni, faculty, trustees, and guests gathered at the Mandarin Oriental, New York, on Feb. 8 for the annual Alumni Association Luncheon. Honored as Alumni of the Year were Hon. Rosalyn Richter ’79, Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department; and Professor Linda Feldman '83, founder and past director of Brooklyn Law School’s Academic Success Program. Leslie (Lee) Wellington '13, executive director at Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA), was recognized with the Rising Star award. "We are incredibly proud to honor our distinguished graduates,” said Interim Dean Maryellen Fullerton, who was herself recognized at the event for her leadership this year by Stuart Subotnick ’68, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Their work has tremendous impact and influence on nearly every aspect of our modern world—and on our lives. They embody the very best of our Law School." Fullerton, who will be succeeded as dean by Michael T. Cahill July 1, reflected on her experiences this year, particularly getting to know alumni. “I have truly enjoyed learning more about our world-class law school. And I have loved coming to know alumni more—your personal and professional successes and the impact you have on the world,” she said. Fullerton also previewed the Law School’s new curriculum initiative that will launch this fall and offers opportunities for alumni to further engage with students as mentors. At the awards ceremony, Professor Elizabeth Schneider introduced Wellington, who has dedicated her career to community economic development. As Executive Director of UMA, a national non-profit that works to build robust, environmentally sustainable and inclusive manufacturing sectors in more than 200 cities across the United States, Wellington recently led a six-city study on small-scale manufacturing involving multiple Federal Reserve Banks, research universities, and hundreds of local manufacturing practitioners. Because of her work, she has been invited to present at events such as MIT’s iEcosystem Symposium, The White House’s National Week of Making, Etsy’s Maker Cities Summit, and the National League of Cities’ City Summit. “To be honored by Brooklyn Law School is the ultimate honor for me,” said Wellington, crediting the Law School and mentors such as Fullerton for her success. “Professor Fullerton said, ‘I want you to do well on the final exam, but what is more important than any grade is knowing that I am a resource to you.’ She took time to make sure we all understood that—that people are your best resource,” she said, stressing that this advice had served her well in her work. “It is a dream to do this work, and my time at Brooklyn Law has prepared me for this work.” Fullerton introduced Feldman, who founded the Academic Success Program and directed the program for three decades until her retirement last year. In 2015, Feldman was named an Icon of Brooklyn Law School. She currently serves on the nominating committee of the Association of American Law Schools Academic Support Section, which she formerly chaired, and continues to be a member of the Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship Program. “Linda is lauded by thousands of students as a teacher, an ally, a mentor and a friend,” said Fullerton. “Colleagues have praised her dedication to Brooklyn Law School, her generosity of spirit, her wise counsel and her clear-eyed perspective, and former students often recall her as the faculty member who had the most influence on their law school careers.” Feldman recalled the moment when then Dean David Trager called her to discuss the problem of some students struggling academically, and asked that she “do something.” So, Feldman returned to the Law School she had graduated from only five years earlier, founded the Academic Success Program, and ran it for the next 30 years. Of that decision, she said, “I had the privilege of seeing nervous 1Ls become confident 3Ls who passed the bar and went on to great professional lives. I have often said that I had the best job, at the best law school, in the best borough in New York City, and I am deeply grateful to Brooklyn Law School for that.” Schneider also introduced Judge Richter, a trailblazing member of the bench who was one of the first “out” LGBT appellate judges in the country. Her state court judicial career began in 1990 when she was appointed to the New York City Criminal Court. She presided over criminal cases in both Manhattan and the Bronx and was Supervising Judge of Bronx Criminal Court, where she started the first drug and integrated domestic violence court parts in that borough. Following her election to the Supreme Court in 2002, she served in the Civil Term. She currently co-chairs the Committee to Enhance Diversity in the Profession of the NYC Bar Association. Richter was previously Executive Director and the first staff lawyer at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a supervisor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, and an Administrative Law Judge for the NYC Office of Administrative Trials & Hearings. She has served on numerous non-profit boards and is actively engaged in a volunteer partnership she created with the MLK High School for Law, Advocacy and Community Justice. Amidst a standing ovation, Richter dedicated her award to her spouse, Janet, who had recently passed away. “It will be 40 years this June since I graduated from law school,” she said. “No one then would have thought it possible that I would become a judge. There were no ‘out’ lesbian or gay judges anywhere in the United States…There were very few women judges then, and no woman on the Appellate Division, First Department, where I currently sit. And then there was the issue of my being visibly disabled…I’m glad to say that in many ways, times have changed…But in other ways, to my disappointment, things have not changed.” Richter said that the legal profession still has a long way to go, noting that when big commercial cases come before her, the lack of diversity remains very noticeable. “But it is 2019, and…I don’t see much of a difference from what I saw a number of years ago,” she said. “We have to ask ourselves what we can do differently. It has to start in law school, if not at the high school and college level…So, when the email comes asking you to sponsor or mentor a diverse student, including a high school or college student, please consider answering yes!” Alumni Association President Michael Grohman ’83, a partner at Duane Morris LLP, concluded the program with a nod to the Law School’s heritage: “It takes events like this to remind us that no one would be here without those who came before,” he said. “And we should think about what we’d like to do to give back.” Visit the Flickr gallery. Read the remarks.

Brooklyn Law School alumni, faculty, trustees, and guests gathered at the Mandarin Oriental, New York, on Feb. 2 for the annual Alumni Association Luncheon. Honored as Alumni of the Year were Allen J. Grubman '67, one of the world’s most powerful entertainment lawyers and founder of Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks; and Hannah Cao '03, general counsel for China's Silk Road Fund, who has been recognized as one of China’s top general counsels. Andrew Rausa '13, lead advertising and privacy counsel for Facebook, was recognized with the Rising Star award. "Each of these honorees is a shining example of the best of Brooklyn Law School,” Dean Nick Allard said in his opening remarks. “They are world-class lawyers who are tremendous leaders in their respective fields, widely admired for their expertise and achievements, and advancing the Law School's purpose of using the power of law to make a positive difference." At the awards ceremony, Allard introduced Grubman, noting that “his client roster is a nearly encyclopedic collection of A-List celebrities from the music world, film, sports, media, and culture,” including Robert DeNiro, Lebron James, Tommy Hilfiger, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, and Martha Stewart. “While Allen clearly has ‘made it,’ he has never forgotten his roots at Brooklyn Law,” Allard said. “For 50 years Allen has continuously been engaged with this Law School, making a significant impact on nearly every aspect of the Law School’s operations, from infrastructure to scholarships and programming. Allen, we are eternally grateful for your generosity.” In his remarks, Grubman paid tribute to Professor Joe Crea ’47, crediting him for saving his law school career and putting him on the path to success. “I wouldn’t be here—I don’t know where I would be—if not for Brooklyn Law School and Joe Crea,” he said, telling the story of how Crea helped him to pass—just barely—his Torts class, which enabled him to stay in law school and eventually graduate. Grubman also recounted how he got his start in entertainment business, working in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency and as a page at CBS during law school. After graduation, he got a list of all the entertainment firms in New York and went door to door looking for a job until he closed his “first deal” with an attorney named Walter Hofer. “I said to him: ‘My family doesn’t have much money. How much money will I have to pay you to allow me to work for you?’” Grubman recalled. “He looked at me and said: ‘I like that. I’m going to hire you for a $125 a week.’ And that’s where my career started.” In an emotional closing, Grubman again expressed his gratitude to Brooklyn Law School: “I am deeply indebted to this law school,” he said, “and will be for the rest of my life.” Professor Michael Gerber introduced Cao, remarking on her impressive career in the law in the United States and China. “Hannah has managed to do—and do well—in multiple languages what I can barely do in one,” citing her success at Brooklyn Law School and her career that has taken her from major law firms in the United States to law firms in China, and then to the Silk Road Fund where she serves as general counsel to China’s new $40 billion fund that invests in infrastructure projects in developing countries in Central and South Asia. Cao was named by Asian Legal Business magazine as one of China’s top GCs in the last two years. “To me, the legal education at Brooklyn Law School was transformational and empowering,” Cao said, recognizing past and present faculty members in addition to Gerber who had a profound influence on her, including Professors Roberta Karmel, Stacy Caplow, Neil Cohen, Joel Gora, Arthur Pinto, and the Hon. Claire Kelly ’93, judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade and a member of the Board of Trustees. “This award is not just a recognition of my efforts, but also reflects the school’s strong international vision” she said. “It is a celebration of all our alumni’s commitment to making this world a better place.” Cao also described her work with the Silk Road Fund to implement the Belt and Road Initiative, which is aimed at spearheading global economic development. “My job as general counsel of Silk Road Fund is exciting,” she said. “My team and I work on some of the most meaningful projects—putting into place critical infrastructures in underdeveloped locations and helping to de-bottleneck local economies. It is satisfying to see that my legal training is making a tangible impact on people’s lives around the world. I am proud to be a lawyer and greatly appreciate the school for making me a lawyer and honoring me today.” This year’s Rising Star, Andrew “Drew” Rausa, was introduced by Professor Jonathan Askin. “Drew was and is among the most interesting, thoughtful, original, and inspired students, lawyers, and people with whom it’s been my honor to work and to know,” Askin said. “Drew is the epitome of what it means to be a Brooklyn-trained, world-class, next-generation attorney—a thoughtful advisor to, and collaborator with, the ventures that are shaping society and the new and emerging world.” Rausa spoke of the urgent issues facing the social media giant, including Facebook being implicated as a tool used to facilitate Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, saying he was confident his experience at Brooklyn Law School prepared him to deal successfully with those challenges within a rapidly changing legal profession. “I’m not concerned because the skills that I learned at Brooklyn Law have equipped me to do just that,” he said, mentioning the valuable experience he received as part of the inaugural Business Boot Camp and the BLIP Clinic directed by Askin. “At Facebook, I have the duty and privilege to counsel on issues that are shaping our society. Issues like the future of journalism, free speech, net neutrality, and online privacy. My time at BLS not only armed me with the legal skills to tackle these issues, but also the mindset that truly good attorneys don’t just stay within their siloed discipline and handle the immediate issue at hand. Truly good attorneys learn what is necessary to identify and address the issues that may come a few weeks, months, or years down the road. I am thankful to be recognized by the institution that enabled me to do this.” Alumni Association President Michael Grohman ‘83, a partner at Duane Morris LLP, praised his fellow graduates’ dedication to the Law School, reporting that alumni participation is currently higher than it has been in at least five years, with a record number of graduates donating to the Annual Fund in the last year. “I hope we can count on you to join us in our support of Brooklyn Law School.” he said. “And please encourage your friends and classmates to do the same.” Visit the Flickr gallery.

This year, 26 Brooklyn Law School students are the recipients of prestigious and competitive summer fellowships, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience, work with seasoned attorneys and judges, and delve deeper into their areas of interest in law. Fellowship placements include government agencies, non-profit organizations, judges’ chambers, and private practice, in New York City and abroad. New this summer is the Government Honors Fellowships awarded by the Law School. This summer’s fellows are Allison Silber ’20, who is working in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern Division of New York, where she assists in trial preparation, participates in witness interviews and civil depositions, and does legal research and writing. Emily Dean ’20 is working at New York City Health and Hospitals in the Office of Legal Counsel, where she is researching municipal law, including statutory and legislative issues, to advise other city agencies. The fellowship was developed by Danielle Sorken, Executive Director of the Public Service Law Center, working with Nancy Zahzam, Director of Financial Aid, and Florence Attino, Associate Director of Financial Aid. Anne Melton ’19 is the recipient of the Arthur Pinto LGBTQ Fellowship, awarded to a student for work at a non-profit or government agency that supports LGBTQ rights law or represents LGBTQ individuals. Melton is working at Demos, the nonprofit specializing in economic policy research and campaign finance and voting rights litigation, focusing on research projects that examine LGBTQ rights through the lenses of economic policy and election law. Demos recently named Professor K. Sabeel Rahman as its next president. The Catalyst Public Service Fellowship, which encourages and enables law students to gain practical legal experience in the public sector, has been awarded to four students: Clint Carlisle ’20 is at the Office of the General Counsel, The City University of New York, where he conducts research and drafts legal memoranda in response to litigation proceedings involving the University and its campuses in Federal and State court; Lena Janoda ’20 is spending the summer at the Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice, providing legal representation to children before New York City Family Courts on matters related to child welfare, PINS (Persons-in-Need-of-Supervision) petitions, and termination of parental rights petitions. Kyleen Breslin ’19 is at Legal Aid in the Criminal Defense Practice where she shadows attorneys in all aspects of criminal court proceedings, learning how to develop the theory of a criminal case from arraignment through trial and assisting with trial and hearing preparation; Jessica Franzetti ’20 is at the New York Attorney General’s Office in the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit, where she conducts legal and factual research regarding incidents where a law enforcement officer caused the death of an unarmed citizen, or where there exists a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous. Thanks to the New York Council of Defense Lawyers’ Fellowship, Aleksandra Ciric ’19 is learning about the Bronx Defenders Criminal Defense Practice’s holistic defense model that seeks to address the causes and consequences of contact with the criminal justice system, in areas such as housing, employment, immigration, and family law issues. Ciric is training in all practice areas at the Bronx Defenders, as well as taking a weekly Trial Skills class while conducting legal research in preparation for trials. As the recipient of the Kate Welling Fellowship for Disability Rights, awarded to a student who interns at a not-for-profit organization committed to providing legal assistance or advocacy for those with disabilities, Christopher Ehring ’20 is working at the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York’s Disability Advocacy Project. Ehring helps provide free civil legal services to people with physical and mental limitations and disabilities, including advocating for clients to qualify as disabled under the rules of the Social Security Administration and representing clients throughout relevant administrative hearings. Three Brooklyn Law School students have been awarded the highly competitive City Bar Diversity Fellowship Program, sponsored by the New York City Bar Association Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers. Lana Alkarim ’20 is working at Morritt Hock & Hamroff LLP; Jermaine Cherry ’20 at American Express; and Kassandra Irizarry ’20 at New York Life Insurance Company. Since 1991, the fellowship has given diverse and talented students from New York City area law schools a rare and valuable opportunity to jump start their careers in the law by spending their 1L summer in a law firm or corporate/ government legal department. Ten students have been awarded fellowships that fund judicial internships. After a rigorous selection process, Ruting Chen ’20 was chosen to receive the New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) 2018 Hon. Harold Baer Jr. and Dr. Suzanne Baer Minority Judicial Internship Program, which provides an opportunity for law students of color to be introduced to the judicial system. Chen is working for Hon. Barbara Moses, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), and past president of NYCLA, performing legal research, drafting bench memoranda, assisting with the preparation of jury instructions, and observing court proceedings. Four Brooklyn Law School students are among the 12 students in the ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program working for federal judges in New York City. The program’s mission is to provide opportunities for members of racial and ethnic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the profession—women, students with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged, and students who identify themselves as LGBTQ. Alina Islam-Hashmi ’19 is working for Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of New York (EDNY); Janna Joassainte ’20 for Hon. Sarah Netburn, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Southern District of New York (SDNY); Muhammad Sardar ’20 for Hon. Lorna Schofield, U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York (SDNY); and Jessica Simonelli ’20 for Hon. Colleen McMahon, Chief U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York (SDNY). The Sonia & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program (formerly the Joint Minority Bar Judicial Internship Program, founded by Linda S. Lin ’03) was awarded to five students. The program places students from underserved communities and diverse backgrounds in judicial internships in state and federal courts in New York City with the goal of increasing diversity in the legal profession by educating and empowering students. Hon. Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick ’93, New York State Court of Claims, is past co-chair of the program. Yifeng Chen ’20, is serving as an intern with Hon. Doris M. Gonzalez, New York State Supreme Court, Civil Division, Bronx County; Monica Ferreira ’20 with Hon. Eric N. Vitaliano, U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY); Diego Gomez ’20 with Hon. Wilma Guzman, New York State Supreme Court, Civil Division, Bronx County; Michelle Jackson ’20 with Hon. Jacqueline B. Deane, New York Family Court, Kings County; and Lydia McFarlane ’20 with Hon. Dean T. Kusakabe, New York Family Court, Kings County. For students who demonstrate a dedication to international human rights, the International Human Rights Fellowship Program offers a special opportunity to work abroad. This summer, Jean Paul Stefan ’19 is working in Colombia with the National Task Force on Disappeared Persons, Office of the Prosecutor General, and Alec Nelson ’19 is stationed in Malaysia with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. Through the program, students locate opportunities to engage in legal work under the supervision of an attorney for a non-governmental or inter-governmental organization focused on international human rights.

Dean's Message We the People On a beautiful sun-splashed September day in Washington, D.C., it was an exquisitely memorable experience to be part of the large crowd celebrating the opening of the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Words alone cannot capture the museum’s full impact, from the metal lattice exterior walls that recall iconic figures once serving as symbolic guardians protecting African villages, to the large welcoming front porch and the exhibition halls filled with artifacts, art, and displays that are vibrant, moving, and often painful and horrifying reminders of the struggles, as well as contributions and triumphs, of African Americans. The exhibits include the gown worn by the incomparable Marian Anderson when she sang to a vast crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The overwhelming experience is even more poignant because this new citadel of humanity and enduring courage is built near the very place within the shadow of the U.S. Capitol where people were once sold into slavery. This is an extraordinary national museum that all Americans should visit if they have the opportunity. This was a day to reflect on the distance the United States has traveled toward racial justice and the difficult journey that still remains if we are to truly become a nation where equality, justice, and freedom are the blessings of all. As President Obama explained at the opening ceremony, it is a time for people to “step back, understand, sympathize, empathize, and be part of the solution.” President George W. Bush, who signed legislation authorizing the new museum 15 years ago, said that “a great nation does not hide its history. A great nation faces its flaws and corrects them.” I am very proud to be a member of a law school community where so many of our graduates, students, and faculty work toward a better future. After all, being unsatisfied with the status quo and hungering for positive change is what academic institutions, and even more so law schools, should be all about. Throughout last year, for example, our community admirably rose up to address intelligently and vigorously a tsunami of disturbing events in communities and on campuses across the country and abroad. Once again, this year our news is filled daily with alarming stories of discord, violence, and bigotry. As I write, we are in the closing days of a contentious and unprecedented presidential election that has brought into sharp relief deep divisions in our nation as well as beliefs and ideas that are inimical to our democratic republic and the principles that make our nation a beacon of hope in the world. Every day I speak with students who are performing valuable service work, providing much-needed legal assistance to less-advantaged individuals, and contributing to the flourishing small business and startup community in Brooklyn." While it may be easy to be discouraged by the many challenges we face, we need only look at the depth and breadth of the activity in the global Brooklyn Law School community to find reason for optimism for our nation and for our world. Every day I speak with students who are performing valuable service work, providing much-needed legal assistance to less-advantaged individuals, and contributing to the flourishing small business and startup community in Brooklyn. Their spark of energy and idealism is a tonic to any kind of pessimistic outlook on the future. The work of students in the BLS/EXI Innocence Clinic to help free a wrongly convicted man from prison is but one example of this tremendous impact. In this issue of Brooklyn Law Notes, you will read more about the impact of our students and faculty on society on multiple fronts. Bennett Capers, the Stanley A. August Professor of Law, writes about the current state of policing in minority communities, the consequences of which we see in the news all too frequently, and proposes a more innovative use of technology that has the potential to make policing more effective and egalitarian. In this issue’s Closing Arguments, Professor Jocelyn Simonson examines the power of “community bail,” an emerging reform effort aimed at ultimately ending money bail, a practice that has the effect of punishing criminal defendants for being poor. Our newest faculty members, Professors Susan Hazeldean, Christina P. Skinner, and Alex Stein, are already eminent in their fields and bring to the Law School a wealth of scholarship and expertise that builds on our faculty’s national reputation for excellence in scholarship and teaching. In these pages, you will meet current students and recent graduates who are making a difference through our groundbreaking Public Interest/Public Service (PipS) program, the two-year fellowship program directed by Professor Stacy Caplow that provides valuable practical legal training and experience working with nonprofit organizations and government agencies. We were one of the first law schools on the East Coast to have a program like PipS, which now serves as a model for other law schools. PipS builds on our legacy of public service, which we celebrated at the annual Public Service Awards ceremony and the 30th anniversary of the Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Fellowship Program, led by Professor Liz Schneider, who has taught, mentored, and inspired generations of students. When Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited us in April, she praised the students, faculty, and graduates who continue to honor and renew our distinctive legacy and place in history. One cannot read the stories in this issue—or spend a day at the Law School—without seeing that legacy in action and coming away with a strong sense of optimism about the power of law to make a positive difference. The people of Brooklyn Law School are a testament to our capacity to meet our current national and global challenges in thoughtful and meaningful ways, find solutions to pressing problems, and show us the way forward. Each of us can take pride in our part in this magnificent story. Nick Allard Joseph Crea Dean and President

Outstanding Faculty Outstanding Faculty Brooklyn Law School faculty are as diverse as their backgrounds and experience. They are active in shaping law and policy in the outside world and are known for their extraordinary contributions to legal scholarship, public service and the practice of law. Here are some examples of their work and contributions: Bill Araiza is an expert in constitutional and administrative law, and teaches Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Constitutional Law III: First Amendment, and Sexuality and the Law. Aissatou Barry is a civil rights attorney dedicated to advocating on behalf of traditionally marginalized communities through social justice initiatives. Her teaching focuses on Civil Rights, Clinical Education, and Housing Law and Policy. She has represented tenants at the Bronx Neighborhood Office of the Legal Aid Society in nonpayment and holdover housing proceedings since 2017. Professor Barry also served as a Housing Attorney Trainer providing housing-related CLE trainings for Legal Aid Society staff. Elizabeth Chen is an Assistant Professor of Legal Writing. She teaches Gateway I/II. Her research focuses on anti-discrimination law, reproductive justice, and relationships and the law. She has litigated on behalf of caregivers and pregnant workers and as a plaintiff-side employment firm on behalf of civil rights plaintiffs.  Susan Hazeldean is founder of the Law School’s LGBT Advocacy Clinic. Her work focuses on gender, sexual orientation, immigration, and civil rights.Alexis Hoag-Fordjour teaches and writes in criminal law and procedure, evidence, and abolition, and she co-directs the Center for Criminal Justice. Her scholarship interrogates the policies, doctrines, and practices within the criminal legal system that erode people’s constitutional rights and perpetuate racial subordination. Meg Holzer is an Assistant Professor of Legal Writing. Her scholarship interests relate to legal education pedagogy with a focus on equity and accessibility for all learners. She serves on the faculty support committee for the Student Advisor and Mentorship Program.Yuvraj Joshi teaches and writes on constitutional law and issues of equality. His career experience includes extensive work in human rights research and advocacy, including for Human Rights Watch and Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund. His research is in the areas of constitutional and comparative law, racial equality law, gender and sexuality law, and human rights.  Joy Kanwar is Professor of Legal Writing and was named the Arthur Pinto & Stephen Bohlen Associate Dean of Inclusion & Diversity and Professor of Legal Writing as of July 1, 2023. Kanwar’s recent scholarship explores questions about inclusion and exclusion in immigration and citizenship law through historical and narrative lenses. She has also published about techniques to help students become lawyers who are prepared to enter the profession in a well-trained, reflective, and “whole person” way. Catherine Y. Kim teaches Immigration Law, Administrative Law, Anti-Discrimination Law, and Civil Procedure. Her research focuses on the role of courts and agencies as engines for social justice reform.Louis Kimmelman, Professor of Practice, teaches International Commercial Arbitration, the International Commercial Arbitration Seminar: VIS, and International Litigation. He is an independent arbitrator with over 40 years of experience in resolving international commercial, construction and investor-state disputes.Shirley Lin is an Assistant Professor of Law. She is a scholar in employment law, critical legal theory, and civil rights. Her research explores constructions of race, disability, and gender, and their legal regulation within the political economy. Samuel Murumba teaches and writes principally in the fields of intellectual property and international human rights. He teaches Copyright Law, Human Rights and Intellectual Property, International Human Rights, Property, and Trademark and Unfair Competition. Brittany Persson ’07 is Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Library whose scholarship involves the field of legal research. She teaches advanced legal research and legal research within the 1L Legal Writing program. Professor Persson serves as the treasurer of the national Black Law Librarians’ Special Interest Section, and chair of the Academic Law Libraries’ awards committee. Karen Porter is Associate Dean for Inclusion & Diversity. An expert in AIDS policy, law and medicine, and public health law, she is the Executive Director of Brooklyn Law School's Center for Health, Science, and Public Policy. She teaches Public Health Law and runs the Health Law Externship. Vijay Raghavan is former Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Institutions with the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation. His scholarship focuses on consumer finance, and his current research interests include distributional equity in financial markets and the justifications for consumer financial regulation. Sabeel Rahman is an expert in Administrative Law and Constitutional Law whose research focuses on the themes of democracy, economic inequality, exclusion, and power. He currently serves as President of Demos, a public policy organization focused on ensuring equality in the American democratic process and economy.--> Anna Roberts is a Professor of Law teaching Evidence and Criminal Law. Her scholarship focuses on aspects of trial procedure—peremptory challenges, prior conviction impeachment, jury disqualification, and jury decision-making—with a particular interest in the assumptions and stereotypes that fuel, and are fueled by, the criminal system.Alberto Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor of Legal Writing, whose instruction is informed by his extensive litigation experience representing individuals, corporations, and government agencies. His scholarship interests relate to labor and employment law, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and the intersection of civil rights and technology. Faiza W. Sayed is an Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Safe Harbor Project. Her scholarship focuses on how immigration law intersects with other areas, including criminal and national security law, and explores the ways in which we can protect the rights of vulnerable and other populations while still achieving desired immigration policy outcomes. Naveen Thomas teaches courses in contracts and business law. His scholarship follows two main paths. First, he illuminates and develops innovations in corporate governance and social enterprise. Second, he identifies and bridges gaps between theory and practice in contract design, by refining conventional doctrines to reflect real-world transactions and by formulating methods for lawyers to implement academic insights. Our faculty take pride in being accessible to students and maintain an open-door policy. To learn more about them, visit the Faculty Directory.

Fellowships Launch Careers, Open Doors Brooklyn Law School students compete for an array of prestigious fellowships that provide career and networking opportunities in New York City—and far beyond. By Jen Swetzoff Brooklyn Law School fellowships—offering enriching opportunities for law students to prepare for and lead in their chosen career fields—are highly competitive and span a wide range of disciplines, including social and criminal justice, international business, and trade secrets. The Law School has a long tradition of creating fellowships that address critical and emerging areas of the law, stimulate intellectual growth, and advance the research agendas and training of outstanding scholars and professionals. For Jean Paul Stefan ’19 (left), the International Human Rights Fellowship was a pivotal experience that changed his career trajectory. Growing up in Boca Raton, Fla., he planned to join the military after high school. At 18, he even filled out the paperwork to enlist. But his parents, both physicians who served as combat medics in Colombia after they completed their medical degrees, insisted that he go to college first. Trade Secret Institute (TSI) fellows, L–R, Kelsie Kelly ’19, Thomas Landman ’19, and Samuel Goodstein ’19, with Professor Christopher Beauchamp Lili Rogowsky ’16, Nancy and Stanley Grossman ’67 CUBE Innovators fellow Professor Cynthia Godsoe (L) with Marsha Garrison Family Law and Policy fellows, L–R, Caitlyn Garcia ’20, Whitney Gulden ’20, and Elizabeth Ildefonso ’19 Judy Kim ’17, TSI fellow Terry Frederic ’19, International Business Law (IBL) fellow Craig McAllister ’18, IBL fellow Connie Raffa ’76 Health Law and Policy fellows, L–R, Tino Illiparambil ’20, Rashmini Sookraj ’20, Madeline Huang ’20, Reuben Gottlieb ’20, Matthew Gagliotti ’19, Professor Karen Porter, Veronica Mishkind ’19, Bailee Brown ’19, Hayley Bava ’19, and Max Ezoory ’18 --> “What I wanted most was to help people,” Stefan recalled. “And I wanted to see more of the world. My parents were role models to me. But I saw, through their professional experience, how tough it was to work in medicine. So, for me, I thought the law would be a better way to make a difference and reach the most people.” After graduating from Nova Southeastern University, Stefan was thrilled to receive a scholarship from Brooklyn Law School. Although he found the first two years of law school harder than he expected, he focused on his work and making connections with professors. His extra effort paid off. Interim Dean Maryellen Fullerton, who taught Refugee Law, recognized Stefan’s achievements and his interest in international law. She encouraged him to apply for the International Human Rights Fellowship. “The International Human Rights Fellowship funds students to work abroad at organizations promoting human and civil rights,” explained Professor Stacy Caplow, associate dean of experiential education, who serves with Fullerton as co-director of the fellowship. “For a student with the goal of working in international law, the experience of working and living in another country is a huge asset. It demonstrates a high level of adaptability and capacity to deal with challenging situations.” Stefan spent the summer before his third year of law school working in the special investigations unit at the General Prosecutor’s Office in Bogota, Colombia. He focused on researching past precedents in international law, supporting the prosecutors during the country’s peaceful government transition. Another Brooklyn Law School student, Alec Nelson ’19, was also recognized with the International Human Rights Fellowship and worked with the Malaysia U.N. High Commission for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur. “Going to work in another country was an incredibly powerful experience,” Stefan said. “I met so many smart and inspiring people. I explored a new culture. I learned how to work with minimal supervision and dig deep into research, even when some of what I read was incredibly upsetting—horrific incidents of terrorism, rape, and other atrocities. Most important, I left Colombia feeling more fulfilled by what I had accomplished and much more like a citizen of the world.”   JUDY KIM ’17 Trade Secrets Institute Fellow Intellectual Property Associate at Venable “The TSI fellowship provided an opportunity to formulate scholarly research and develop strong mentoring relationships with faculty and alumni. Tracking and covering trade secret cases in real time to provide a platform for discussion prepared me well for the research required to handle constantly evolving case law and legal research questions.”   PHILIP M. GUFFY ’15 Barry L. Zaretsky Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Fellow Bankruptcy and Restructuring Associate at Blank Rome “Preparing materials for the Zaretsky Roundtable gave me a chance to work on legal issues that were timely and relevant to the bankruptcy community. The best part was meeting current practitioners in bankruptcy, including judges and scholars. Being recognized as a Zaretsky Fellow gave me the opportunity to meet and engage with people who are at the cutting edge of bankruptcy law.”   VERONICA MISHKIND ’19 Connie Raffa ’76 Health Law and Policy Fellow Associate at Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch “Entering law school as a registered nurse, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in health law. My fellowship gave me the ability to work with incredible professors who mentored me, exposed me to the expansive breadth of the health law field, and provided a platform for excellent networking opportunities.” --> A LONG TRADITION OF FELLOWSHIPS Some fellowships, such as the Pretrial Justice Fellowship and the Nancy and Stanley Grossman ’67 CUBE Innovators Fellowship, were established in the last several years. Others, such as the Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship and the International Business Law Fellowship, were created more than 30 years ago. The Sparer Fellowship, established in 1985, provides a 10-week summer internship with a public interest organization overseas or in the United States. Named for Edward Sparer ’59, a prominent lawyer and teacher whose focus on the rights of those in poverty changed social welfare policy during the 1960s, the fellowship was developed to help students carry on Sparer’s legacy. It was one of the first public interest programs at any U.S. law school. “Sparer, today a nationally recognized program in public interest law, is intended to build a community for public interest legal advocacy at Brooklyn Law School,” said Professor Elizabeth M. Schneider, who founded and has directed the program since its inception. “The program carries a great deal of weight in the public interest world, because potential employers know how thoroughly our fellows are vetted.” Schneider also leads the Sparer Fellowship Committee, an outstanding group of faculty with a strong commitment to public interest law. Students in the Sparer Leadership Group plan programming for the academic year, including the annual Sparer Forum, which brings public interest lawyers and advocates together to explore a topic of current interest. Many Sparer alumni attend the forum to reconnect with one another and to meet current fellows. Students also hold a summer Sparer Legal Theory/Practice program. While Sparer Fellows learn and practice lawyering skills over the course of their summer internships, they also get an inside look at building and developing a public interest legal organization, and they network with mentors and potential employers. “I had candid discussions with practitioners regarding their practice and how best to approach legal issues and hone my writing,” said Marvin Espana ’18 (right), a Sparer Fellowship recipient. “I developed skills and learned the intricacies of immigration practice, preparing me to reason as an attorney from the beginning of my career. Ultimately, the fellowship helped me create lasting bonds that provide ongoing guidance and support.” Espana is currently an immigration staff attorney for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project at the Bronx Defenders. HIGHLY COVETED EXPERIENCES The Law School’s highly coveted fellowship programs are a huge draw for students. “Brooklyn Law School provides many opportunities that allow students to engage in hands-on work that gives real context to their law school learning and real skills to take with them out into the world of lawyering,” said Professor Jocelyn Simonson, co-director of the Center for Criminal Justice, who launched the Pretrial Justice Fellowship program in 2016. Students in this innovative fellowship program engage deeply with on-the-ground issues of criminal procedure in New York City and the state of New York. “Students are not just learning about policy,” said Simonson. “They are changing policy by, for example, investigating fraud committed by bail bondsmen or writing reports after court-watching in criminal court.” In addition to the public-sector fellowships, the Law School offers programs that provide industry experience to students in for-profit sectors. The CUBE Fellowship at the Law School’s Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship provides students a training ground for legal work with startup entities, an evolving field where the legal landscape is continually adapting to the marketplace. “The CUBE Fellowship was a big factor in my decision to attend Brooklyn Law,” said Lili Rogowsky ’16 (left). “Law school was a time of exponential growth for me, and the CUBE Innovators competition was paramount in that experience.” Rogowsky participated in the CUBE Innovators Invitational as a student competitor and fellowship recipient in 2016, as a speaker in 2017, and as a judge in 2018. “The competition was full of important ‘firsts’ for me,” Rogowsky said. “What stands out was finding my voice as a public speaker. CUBE was the first time I felt comfortable pitching an idea to a critical audience. This has been imperative to my success at various times in my career.” Rogowsky, who calls herself “innately entrepreneurial,” left her job as in-house counsel at a tech company to start her own law firm, just one year after graduating from the Law School. Now, Rogowsky is the chief experience officer at Whistler Partners, a legal recruiting firm specializing in the tech/media space. She credits the CUBE Fellowship for furthering her network and approach to her career. “I have always been a creative thinker, but receiving the CUBE Fellowship was the first time I felt empowered to bring an idea to life. That experience has been crucial in developing self-awareness of my capabilities and has stayed with me through every challenge I have encountered since,” she said.   TERRY FREDERIC ’19 International Business Law Fellow “This fellowship has been a highlight of my law school experience. I now have a much stronger grasp of the ‘big picture’ of international economic law, and the global implications of current events. Professors Robin Effron and Julian Arato challenged us to think critically about the reading material and to write our responses with clarity and concision. These are transferable skills that will serve me well throughout my legal career.” Frederic will clerk at the U.S. Court of International Trade this fall.   ALEX PETKANAS ’20 Pretrial Justice Fellow “My fellowship has not only exposed me to passionate and hardworking attorneys in our city, but it has also given me a chance to learn from Professor Simonson about criminal procedure and to connect with like-minded students who want to change the system. There is an impressive network of attorneys dedicated to working against systems of oppression, and I am eager to officially join that team.” This summer Petkanas will serve as an intern at the New York Legal Assistance Group Public Benefits Unit.   MARIO FITZGERALD ’19 Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest Fellow “My fellowship funded my internship at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which combines grassroots movement building with legal direct services for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. The experience shaped my ideas regarding what it means to be a community lawyer and solidified my decision to pursue public interest law immediately after law school.” Fitzgerald will join Brooklyn Legal Services as a housing staff attorney this fall. --> STUDENTS FRONT AND CENTER The Trade Secrets Institute (TSI), which provides neutral coverage of key trade secret cases and legislation via its website, annually awards fellowships to students. TSI connects users to summaries of filed and decided cases and to supporting documents such as briefs and motions. TSI Fellows, who are tasked with maintaining the website and organizing the annual TSI symposium, are given a unique opportunity to engage with trade secrets subject matter in real time. The Fellows work with faculty and practitioners to compile case law, legislation, and regulatory initiatives to include on the website. TSI’s annual symposium is entirely student-run. Fellows determine the topics, select noteworthy speakers, and work with the speakers to develop in-depth discussions for an audience of students, faculty, alumni, and other professionals. Recent fellows have led panel discussions on issues such as trade secrets in government algorithms, labor mobility and noncompete agreements, state-sponsored economic espionage, cybercrime, and international trade. “Our TSI Fellows are able to engage professionals we don’t have preexisting relationships with,” said Professor Christopher Beauchamp, faculty advisor to TSI. “They have the opportunity to drill down with experts across the trade secrets field, and having the students front and center in that effort shows the Law School in a great light.” The International Business Law (IBL) Fellowship provides students opportunities to develop specialized knowledge and contacts across a wide variety of fields—for example, cross-border transactions, transnational litigation, and international economic law. Fellows attend programs of the Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law and take a wide assortment of courses in the international and business fields to provide the necessary background for successful practice. Fellows also participate in a variety of mentoring and enrichment experiences that prepare them to launch fulfilling careers. “The program is designed to balance exposure and depth. Through participating actively in the colloquium and the annual lecture, fellows come into contact with a broad array of ideas and career paths relating to the pursuit and regulation of business beyond the state,” said Professor Julian Arato, director of the IBL Fellowship and co-director of the Block Center. “At the same time, students are expected to produce scholarly works digging deeply into specialized questions of their choosing, requiring sustained study of particular complex international legal problems. Our students leave the fellowship with a sense of both the expansiveness of international business law and an understanding of how to methodically chart their own paths within the field.” “Through my fellowship, I developed lasting relationships with practitioners and scholars, and it presented me with professional opportunities that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise,” said Craig McAllister ’18 (right), who is a clerk for Hon. Claire Kelly ’93 at the U.S. Court of International Trade. BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL FELLOWSHIPS Arthur Pinto Public Service Fellowship for LGTBQ Rights Created by Professor of Law Emeritus Arthur Pinto, this fellowship supports a summer internship for a current student at a nonprofit or government agency that works on behalf of LGBTQ rights or represents LGBTQ individuals. Barry L. Zaretsky Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Fellowship This fellowship offers a select path of study for a student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement in either bankruptcy or commercial law, and is interested in pursuing a career in either of those fields. The fellow works closely with faculty members and alumni on scholarly and community activities, including the noted Zaretsky Roundtable series. Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest (BLSPI) Fellowship Fellowships are awarded by BLSPI, an entirely student-run nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public service. Fellows work during the summer at nonprofit organizations and government agencies in New York City, nationally, and internationally. Connie Raffa ’76 Health Law and Policy Fellowship This one-year fellowship with the option of an additional year includes mentorship, events, and a research project on a legal or policy issue related to medicine, healthcare, public health, science, or biotechnology. Criminal Justice Fellowship Students work to support the activities of the Center for Criminal Justice, including assisting with the Professor Robert M. Pitler Program on Criminal Law, Procedure, Evidence, and Ethics. Dennis J. Block Judicial Intern Fellowship This fellowship supports the summer public service program for students who work as interns for federal judges. The program was established by Dennis J. Block ’67, a member of the Board of Trustees. Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship This program includes a 10-week summer internship with a public interest organization in the United States or abroad, mentorship, and regularly held events that highlight current public interest issues. International Business Law Fellowship Fellows are provided with mentorship and enrichment activities through the Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law. Fellows are invited to attend all programs of the Block Center, including special programs to introduce them to the many facets of international business law. International Human Rights Fellowship This summer fellowship allows students to engage in 10 weeks of legal work overseas under the supervision of an attorney for a nongovernmental or intergovernmental organization concerned with international human rights. Marsha Garrison Family Law and Policy Fellowship The fellowship is designed to give students interested in family law an opportunity to engage in a significant research project, as well as to interact with other students, faculty, and alumni in this field. Nancy and Stanley Grossman ’67 CUBE Innovators Fellowship Student fellows with the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship participate in and contribute to CUBE’s work through leadership positions, scholarship, event planning, and public programming, including the CUBE Consultation Center and the CUBE Innovators Invitational. Paul Windels Jr. Fellowship This fellowship supports students who work as interns at the Securities and Exchange Commission or at the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York or the Southern District of New York. Pretrial Justice Fellowship Students in this innovative fellowship program engage deeply with on-the-ground issues of criminal procedure, such as fraud committed by bail bondsmen, in New York City and the state of New York. Trade Secrets Institute Fellowship TSI fellows manage the TSI website, which provides timely, in-depth coverage and critical analylsis of key trade secret cases and legislation. The fellows assume full responsibility for organizing the annual trade secrets symposium. Veterans’ Rights Fellowship This summer fellowship offered through the Public Service Law Center supports students who are working with veterans and veterans’ issues. The Law School also offers fellowships that extend beyond graduation Public Interest/Public Service Fellowships (PipS) This two-year program starts during students’ last year of law school and continues with work experience at nonprofits and government agencies during their first postgraduate year. Robert M. Pitler PostGraduate Fellowship This program, designed to help reduce student loan debt, is open to graduates who have worked at public criminal justice organizations for at least five years and who commit to remain working in the public service sector for at least two additional years.

Each summer, Brooklyn Law School students are awarded coveted fellowships that offer opportunities to gain valuable professional experience, work with seasoned attorneys and judges, and delve deeper into their areas of interest in law. The following students join a long list of fellowship awardees from the Law School. Victoria Phillips ’18 and Azizah Ahmad ’18 have been selected as the Law School’s two International Human Rights Fellows. In response to the urgent needs unleashed by the global refugee crisis, they will be working with refugees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ahmad has been the president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and active in public interest activities at the Law School. She will be working with the UNHCR Statelessness Unit. Phillips is the Co-Chair of the Law School’s ACLU chapter and has been active in the Brooklyn Law Immigration Society and in other public interest activities. She will be working with the UNHCR Durable Solutions Unit and Protection Unit. Amanda Surujdeo ’18 received the Peggy Browning Fellowship, which provides law students with diverse and challenging work experiences fighting for social and economic justice to encourage and inspire students to pursue careers in public interest labor law. Peggy Browning Fellows are distinguished students who have not only excelled in law school but who have also demonstrated their commitment to workers’ rights through their previous educational, work, volunteer, and personal experiences. Minogue will spend the fellowship working at Workers Defense League in Manhattan. As fellows in the American Bar Association Judicial Internship Opportunity Program, Ilanna Gibson ’19 will be working for Hon. Lorna Schofield, SDNY; and Daveed Audel ’19 will be working for Hon. Debra Freeman, Chief Magistrate Judge, SDNY. The ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program provides opportunities to students who are members of racial and ethnic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the profession as well as students with disabilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, and students who identify themselves as LGBT. Javionte Johnson’19 was selected for the New York County Lawyers Association’s 2017 Hon. Harold Baer Jr. and Dr. Suzanne Baer Minority Judicial Internship Program. He will be working for Hon. Anil Singh. The Internship provides a unique opportunity for law students of color to be introduced to the judicial system during a paid summer internship, and is administered by NYCLA's Committee on Minorities and the Law and accepts first- and second-year law students from New York City-area law schools. Janae Cummings ’19 will spend a fully funded summer interning in the chambers of New York State Supreme Court Commercial Division Justice O. Peter Sherwood as the recipient of the of the New York Bar Foundation’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Diversity Fellowship. Cummings is the sole recipient of the fellowship, the purpose of which is to enrich and diversify the pipeline of up-and-coming commercial litigators in New York. Read more about Cummings here. Tara Kelly ’18, Corina Lozada ’18, and Yota Okutani ’19 were recipients of the Sonia & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program (formerly the Joint Minority Bar Judicial Internship Program). Kelly will work with Hon. Kathleen Tomlinson, Eastern District of New York; Lozada will work with Chief Judge Dora L. Irizarry, Eastern District of New York; Okutani will work with Hon. Diccia T. Pineda-Kirwan, New York Supreme Court, Queens County; and Hyatt will work with Hon. Margarita Lopez Torres, Kings County Surrogate's Court. Linda S. Lin ‘03 is one of the chairs of this program, and Hon. Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick ’93 is a past co-chair. Justin Friel ’19 was named a Brehon Law Society Fellow. Friel will join The Brehon Law Society of New York and leading Belfast-based human rights law firm KRW Law LLP in Northern Ireland. His duties will include reviewing and reporting on current developments in KRW Law’s Legacy Litigation Department; communicating with Brehon members, Congressional members, and U.S. NGOs; collating a database of U.S. and foreign legal and human rights contacts; meetings with human rights organizations; assisting in the development of press releases and web postings for Brehon members and media outlets; and drafting memos for supervising attorneys, among other tasks. Balfour Thompson ’18 received a fellowship from the New York Council of Defense Lawyers. He will be working for The Legal Aid Society, Criminal Practice, providing services to low-income families and individuals. Kelsey Laing ’19, Tina Lin ’19, and Elizabeth French ’18 were recipients of the Catalyst Public Service Fellowship Program, which encourages and enables law students to gain practical legal experience in the public sector. Laing is working for the Federal Defenders of New York; Lin is working for Brooklyn Defender Services; and French is working for Bronx Legal Services. Deborah Soh ’19 was named the Arthur Pinto Public Service Fellow for LGBTQ Rights, awarded to a student to work over the summer at a non-profit or government agency that works on behalf of LGBTQ rights law or represents LGBTQ individuals. Soh will be working for NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm, an active and prominent LGBTQ advocate. Naomi Edwards ’19 was awarded the Kate Welling Fellowship. Edwards will be working in New York Legal Assistance Group’s Disability Advocacy Project. The Disability Advocacy Project works to ensure that eligible disabled individuals receive benefits under the Social Security Disability Program (SSD) and the Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI). David Gelfand ’18 and Ken Zwerin ’18 received Veterans Rights Fellowships. Gelfand will be working at the Mental Hygiene Legal Services, representing and working with clients who have been civilly committed either voluntarily or involuntarily, due to mental illness, sex offense, or other reasons. These patients will be at various hospitals, including the VA hospital. Many of the clients who are veterans are committed in civil units within the VA, while some are hospitalized in non-VA settings. Zwerin will be interning at the San Francisco Public Defender’s office, working closely with the Veterans Justice Court, in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco, providing diversion programs, as well as mental health and substance abuse services, vocational and academic skills building, and job placement and retention services for court-involved veterans. Christina Chaplygina ’19 received the New York State Bar Association’s Kenneth G. Standard Diversity Internship, and will spend the summer working at Salesforce. She will work with the company’s legal team for eight weeks assisting with day to day responsibilities as well as longer-term projects. Her duties will include assisting with negotiations, contract evaluations, privacy issues, intellectual property matters, and corporate matters, and strategic collaborations with senior counsel. The NYSBA Kenneth G. Standard Diversity Internship Program’s goal is to increase diversity in corporate legal departments and create a network that will help sustain that diversity. Past recipients include Anita N. Aboagye-Agyeman ’11, who interned at Pfizer; Yamicha Stephenson ’12, who interned at the New York Power Authority; Irene Tan ’11 and Ilan Wong ’12, who worked at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; and Angela Jun ’16, who worked at Pepsi Co. Andrae Nelson ‘19 is the 2017 Blank Rome 1L Diversity Scholar. The Blank Rome Scholar is fully salaried New York Summer Associate and will receive, in addition to a regular Summer Associate salary, a $7,500 scholarship toward his or her second year at law school. In addition, assuming that the Scholar is offered and accepts a position to return to the Firm as a Summer Associate for a second summer, the Scholar will receive an additional $7,500 toward his or her third year of law school. The Scholar will also benefit from the active and committed training and mentorship from Blank Rome partners and associates throughout the program. Ashley Augustin ‘19, Krista Gay ‘19, Amber Leary ‘18, and Aiman Tariq ‘19 have received New York City Bar Diversity Fellowships. The City Bar’s Diversity Fellowship Program gives students at New York City area law schools the opportunity to spend their 1L summers at law firms or in corporate or government legal departments. The candidates were interviewed by school faculty, and then a second interviewing panel that reviewed theirundergraduate and law school transcripts, resumes, personal statements, and legal writing samples. Augustin will spend the summer at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, Gay at Perkins Coie, Leary at Heidell Pittoni Murphy & Bach, and Tariq at Dechert. Paul Park ‘18 is one of the recipients of the 2017 New York Bar Foundation Antitrust Section Law Student Fellowship and is working this summer at the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, Criminal Section, in New York City. Jenna M. Canciglia ‘18 is a recipient of 2017 New York Bar Foundation Trusts and Estates Law Section Fellowship and is working this summer for the Hon. Robert J. Gigante in Richmond County Surrogate's Court.

Preparing the Lawyers of Tomorrow Brooklyn Law School will roll out an innovative new curriculum—with practical opportunities for new students to research, write, and build their professional identity. By Jen Swetzoff “By the time our students graduate,” said Maryellen Fullerton, interim dean and professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, “they should all be able to tell a clear story about who they want to be as a lawyer. That conviction is really how the idea for our new curriculum started.” The art of storytelling is influencing all industries today, including the legal industry. As law school enrollment continues to rise, the job market for lawyers has become increasingly competitive. Candidates who effectively communicate a narrative about their interests, goals, and motivations will stand out. With this in mind, several faculty members began talking about how they might reimagine legal education. In 2017, Fullerton, a longtime advocate for curricular reform, offered to lead the group as they explored possibilities for change. The group—comprising faculty members and the registrar—has spent the last two years brainstorming creative ways to transform the traditional 1L teaching model. Now the Law School is ready to implement their vision. The new curriculum will be rolled out to 1L students beginning in the 2019–20 academic year. It will enhance both the basics—Building the Foundation in the 1L Year – and the advanced goals—Developing a Professional Identity in the 2L Year and Specializing and Transitioning to Practice in the 3L Year. It features many more writing and research opportunities, more robust academic advising, more exposure to the types of law practice that are available, and more intellectual stimulation in 3L seminars and faculty-led reading groups. Starting this fall, the Law School will increase its legal writing requirement in the first semester of the 1L year from two to three credits. The additional credit will boost the research component and will incorporate opportunities for students to draft professional correspondence to clients and supervisors, a form of legal writing not currently taught in the program. “New lawyers need to be able to research and write well starting on day one of their legal careers,” said Heidi K. Brown, director of the legal writing program and associate professor of law. “We need all our students to emerge from law school already knowing how to research and write well. Students have access to so many digital grammar and citation tools now, but the foundation for good written analysis starts with us, with the faculty teaching the curriculum. I’m appreciative of Dean Fullerton’s forward-thinking vision and of the board’s support on this initiative.” In spring 2020, the Law School will launch what is perhaps the most ambitious component of the revised J.D. program. The current legal writing requirement will become the new four-credit Gateway to Lawyering course, in which students dive deeper into one of four areas of law to help them focus their studies and potential area of career interest. The course will feature intensive research and writing as well as more engagement with statutory materials.Students will have the option to concentrate in one of four areas: Law and business Law and information Law and social change Law and individual life “Becoming a lawyer is about acquiring both substantive academic and practical knowledge,” said K. Sabeel Rahman, associate professor of law and the president of Demos, a public policy organization focused on ensuring equality in the American democratic process and economy. “The Gateway series is a great opportunity for students to start making choices and exploring their various interests. No matter what subject matter they study, they will get a taste of something new, and they can start considering if it’s the right professional path for them or not.” Each of the new Gateway courses will focus on a statutory framework in that particular subject area. This curriculum is designed to expose students to a wider range of legal writing competencies than the Law School’s previous traditional legal writing courses. Students will complete three types of written assignments: A descriptive piece of writing, answering a client’s legal question through reading, parsing, and applying a complex statutory framework A transactional document, such as a contract or settlement agreement related to a hypothetical client scenario A substantial, persuasive advocacy piece, such as a brief or a position paper, using case law to further interpret the statutory rule. Students will learn oral communication skills as well. The class sessions and assignments will explore professional ethics issues and involve simulations and other forms of skills training and interactive learning. Alumni practitioner panels will be integral to the courses as well to educate students about the practical aspects of the Gateway areas and provide networking opportunities. The faculty also enhanced 2L and 3L students’ upper-level writing requirements and experiences; students must complete a legal writing requirement in both the 2L and 3L academic years. Traditionally, the Law School required only one upper-level writing requirement—a faculty-supervised assignment. “We cannot wait until the third year to assess our students’ writing skills again,” Brown explained. “Students need to be writing during each year of law school. One main goal is to help students take charge of their own legal education—from the beginning and then continuing through the arc of their multiyear experience at Brooklyn Law School. Exposing them to various types of writing in each year of their law school journey builds a foundation of skills. Students can continue developing professional skills in their second year as they evolve as legal writers. They can take upper-level drafting courses and seminar courses or write an independent research paper. Alternatively, they might satisfy the additional upper-level writing requirement through written work performed in summer jobs, with the approval of their supervisors and faculty. Our goal is to make sure that all Brooklyn Law students walk into their first job feeling confident about their research and writing skills.” ROAD MAP TO THE FUTURE Beginning with the class entering the Law School in fall 2020, students will develop a comprehensive online portfolio checklist. Although this aspect of curriculum reform is still in development, students will eventually be able to access a checklist that will help them track the development of their strengths, competencies, and values in five categories: Effective communications Information gathering Problem solving Building a professional identify and a career plan Technological proficiency Starting in their 1L year, students can use this road map to track their progress as they navigate their personal journey through law school—ensuring that they garner the skills necessary to provide effective, ethical, and responsible legal services in everyday practice. When students are applying for admission to the New York State Bar, this checklist also will help them demonstrate they have satisfied all their requirements. “This portfolio will be an essential tool to engage all students, mobilize our resources, and build a stronger legal community,” said Fullerton. “It also puts the arc of legal education directly into the student’s hands. Each student will see an array of opportunities to learn doctrine, develop skills, and delve into specialized areas, as well as lists of all requirements, so the students can make intentional choices as they choose their courses and externships each semester.” In time, the checklist likely will include more than coursework and will incorporate lawyering skills and activities. Brown hopes it eventually will be used as a holistic guide for students to navigate law school, with a framework for well-being initiatives, professional development, and networking experiences in addition to academics. Fullerton noted that optional reading groups led by faculty members may be included in the future. “This initiative,” said Brown, “is, first and foremost, a way to help students structure their academic life. But we also see it potentially as a way to help structure their extracurricular life, their career pursuits, their interpersonal skills, and development of their lawyer personas, which includes categories like well-being that have not been traditionally emphasized or focused on in legal education. We want students to ask themselves, do I have the resources I need to make sure I can be a healthy lawyer, and not just a successful but stressed-out lawyer?” In addition, students following the new curriculum will have an array of opportunities to create a portfolio of high-quality writing samples that dovetail with their academic and professional interests. This process will help students better articulate their experiences and the strengths they will bring to their career, whether in the private, public interest, public service, or business sector—and give them a solid collection of writing samples to share with potential employers. “As teachers,” said Rahman, “it’s our job to set students up for a successful trajectory in law school—and beyond law school. This new curriculum is meant to do that, and it’s very exciting. I think it’s a real testament to the values and the creativity of the faculty and the administration at Brooklyn Law School. We want to do everything we can to make sure that students leave fully prepared.” SUPPORT CURRICULAR INNOVATION To ensure that the goals of this comprehensive curriculum initiative will be achieved, Brooklyn Law School has created a Fund for Curricular Innovation, which will provide the necessary support and resources to implement the plan. Strong supporters of the Law School and student success, Denise Faltischek ’00 and Kenny Faltischek ’00 are investing in this initiative as inaugural donors. “When Interim Dean Fullerton came to speak about her vision for curriculum reform, it was clear to us that this was something we wanted to support,” said Denise Faltischek. “These changes will differentiate the Law School as an innovative leader in the legal market. We are proud to be affiliated with such an important endeavor.” To learn more about becoming an investor in the Fund for Curricular Innovation, please contact Caitlin Monck, Interim Director of Advancement, at (718) 780-0322.

Introduction to Sustainability and Future Cities Boot Camp Date: Thursday, June 23, 2022 Time: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (EDT U.S. and Canada) Location: Hybrid Event Schedule of Events: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Networking Reception 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Luncheon and Awards Presentation--> Online registration for this event is now closed. Please email events@brooklaw.edu for information. Climate change has forced a top-to-bottom reconsideration of how municipalities regulate and energize the built environment. In New York City, recent local laws governing everything from carbon emission standards to sustainable roofing, Energy Star Ratings, and PACE financing is having a systemic impact on the way the private and public sectors plan, design, build, and operate buildings. In response to the above, Brooklyn Law School is offering a one-day boot camp to provide participants a forward-looking immersion into the regulatory and market landscape defining sustainability and how it applies to the urban environment. Topics will include: How market forces and new legislation are propelling innovation in sustainability; How green contracts are impacting designers, developers, and contractors; How recent developments in NYC might foreshadow systemic changes to national infrastructure; How advances in green technology (including innovations in building materials, sensors, and smart systems) will disrupt building infrastructure; and How regulation of the private sector and other market factors will continue to influence the sustainability of our built environment. --> Sponsors Thank you to our Sponsors! Silver Supporters Keynote The program will commence with a Keynote address from Frank V. Carone ’94, Chief of Staff to Mayor Eric Adams, offering perspective on this administration’s approach to sustainability. This program will provide valuable training and networking opportunities to legal and nonlegal professionals, enabling them and their employers to anticipate, identify, and navigate sustainability issues efficiently and effectively. Alumni Luncheon Honorees--> Frank V. Carone ’94 Chief of Staff to Mayor Eric Adams New York City Office of the Mayor   Program Schedule Thursday, June 23 9 – 9:15 a.m. EDT | Welcoming Remarks Michael T. Cahill, President, Joseph Crea Dean & Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School 9:15 – 9:35 a.m. EDT | Keynote Address Frank V. Carone ’94, Chief of Staff to Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Office of the Mayor 9:35 – 9:45 a.m. EDT | Break 9:45 – 10:35 a.m. EDT | Session 1 - What is Sustainability and How Does it Affect all Cities? This session will introduce the audience to a myriad of concepts to coin a working definition of “Sustainability”. It will include analysis of current retrofit strategies being applied to existing buildings and new design and construction methodologies utilized in current and future developments. The panel will explore how individuals and natural resources are impacted by the failure to incorporate sustainable construction and, conversely, how the same might benefit from adoption of these techniques. Topics will include: The Built Environment Natural Resources People Inhabiting the Cities From Single Properties to Neighborhoods to Cities Moderator: Richard J. Sobelsohn ’98, Professor of Practice & Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School Speakers will include: Maria Aiolova, Global Principle, ILAB at AECOM Michael Ingui, Founder of the Passive House Accelerator, Baxt Ingui Architects Stephanie Margolis, Executive Director, NYC Climate Action Alliance Ellen Sinreich, Managing Principal, The Sinreich Group 10:35 – 10:45 a.m. EDT | Break 10:45 – 11:35 a.m. EDT | Session 2 - Where Do We Start? Getting the Ball Rolling on Sustainability This session will examine the motivational factors that lead to sustainable development including without limitation, market perceptions, economic forces and governmental incentives and directives. Also discussed in this session are how property owners and developers are financing sustainable construction (retrofits and new construction) and the impact of ESG and Corporate Social Responsibility. Topics will include: Market Forces Legislative Initiatives (Carrots/Sticks) Financing Sustainable Development ESG, CSR and other Corporate Mandates Moderator: Jeff Lee Romero ’05, Principal, Karp Strategies Speakers will include: Calvin Lee, Director & Senior Counsel, WeWork Daphany Rose Sanchez, Executive Director, Kinetic Communities Consulting Nick Stolatis, Principal, EPN Real Estate Services, Inc. E. Gail Suchman, Partner, Sheppard Mullin 11:35 – 11:45 a.m. EDT | Breaks 11:45 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. EDT | Session 3 - Green Hues in Contracts This session presents how agreements are taking on sustainability provisions and, in turn, how these new contract clauses impose novel obligations not addressed previously. Also discussed are the many additional players in the green building world and that sustainability is no longer merely focused on property owners, design professionals or contractors. Topics will include: Leases Purchase and Sale Agreements Loan Documents Vendor Agreements, including green property management Moderator: Richard J. Sobelsohn ’98, Professor of Practice & Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School Speakers will include: Mark Jackson ’11, General Counsel and VP, Industry City Rachel John, Senior Associate, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP Laurie Rothenberg, Assistant General Counsel, Pfizer 12:35 – 1:45 p.m. EDT | Lunch Break 1:45 – 2:35 p.m. EDT | Session 4 - National Infrastructure Sustainability Initiatives This panel will explore the state and federal policies and regulatory frameworks that are in place, and in the pipeline, that will legislate the incorporation of sustainability into the many components of what makes up national infrastructure. This includes physical infrastructure projects such as healthcare, education, transportation, weather preparedness and utility infrastructure, as well as renewable energy devices. Topics will include: Roads Vehicles Utilities Water Weather Charging Stations Moderator: Richard J. Sobelsohn ’98, Professor of Practice & Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School Speakers will include: Nicole DeNamur, Owner, Sustainable Strategies PLLC Stephen Del Percio, VP & AGC (in-house infrastructure, design-build, P3, and construction counsel), AECOM 2:35 – 2:45 p.m. EDT | Break 2:45 – 3:35 p.m. EDT | Session 5 - Degrees of Sustainability To what extent the local, state and federal governments direct the incorporation of sustainability endeavors in government-controlled properties is only a part of this topic. Mandates for private property owners are looked at, in addition to what some property owners are doing above and beyond the minimum requirements for compliance. Topics will include: Legislative Compliance Meeting the Minimums Forward-Looking Compliance Going for Gold (or Platinum or Silver) Certification and Recertification Certification Pitfalls Legislative compliance minefields Contractual slippery slopes Multiple Certifications Moderator: Richard J. Sobelsohn ’98, Professor of Practice & Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School Speakers will include: David Briggs, Partner, Loci Architecture Yetsuh Frank, Managing Director, Strategy & Programs, Building Energy Exchange Breeze Glazer, Principal, LEAP/STEP Fatou Jabbie, Founder and CEO, USL Technology Inc. Bill McCracken, Partner, Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer   3:35 – 3:45 p.m. EDT | Break 3:45 – 4:35 p.m. EDT | Session 6 - New Technologies in Sustainability They say in the green building world “Technology is your friend.” This discussion focuses on what new technologies are available today and what is on the horizon. Topics will include: Untried/New Materials Planning For the Future of Technological Developments What If We Got It Wrong and Current Thinking Changes? How to Change Gears in Policy? Who Pays the Price? Moderator: Richard J. Sobelsohn ’98, Professor of Practice & Adjunct Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School Speakers will include: Mitchell Joachim, Associate Professor of Practice, Gallatin School of Individualized Study and Co-Director of Global Design, NYU Robert Politzer, President, GreenStreet NYC Dennis Shelden, Director of Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), RPI 4:35 – 5 p.m. EDT | Break 5 – 7 p.m. EDT | Networking Cocktail Reception (All attendees and panelists welcome) Online registration for this event is now closed. Please email events@brooklaw.edu for information. Both in-person and virtual participation are being offered. All guests attending in person are required to be fully vaccinated and boosted. Non-BLS faculty, students, and staff will have to provide identification, proof of COVID-19 vaccination and booster to the security guard on duty at the Law School in order to attend the event. Please view the Brooklyn Law School (BLS) Guest COVID Guidelines prior to attending this event.