St. John's Law Magazine Spring 2019 by St. John's Law

ST. JOHN’S LAW

Magazine | Spring 2019

Special Report

WHO’S MINDING OUR DATA?

Privacy | Cybersecurity | Compliance

BEST EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES EVER! Thank you for helping the class of 2018 achieve this milestone.

#14

#2 in New York City (behind only Columbia) in full-time, long-term, legal jobs*

in New York City (behind only Columbia and NYU) in overall employment

#43 nationwide for placing grads in the 100 biggest law firms

nationwide in full-time, long-term, legal jobs

87%

96%

4% above the statewide passage rate on the July 2018 NYS Bar Exam

ultimate two-year bar passage rate

1. Columbia 2. Cornell 3. ST. JOHN’S 4. NYU

95% 93% 92% 90%

2018 Legal Employment *

5. Fordham 6. Cardozo 7. Hofstra 8. Brooklyn 9. NYLS 10. Pace

88% 85% 82% 80% 80% 80%

11. Albany 12. Buffalo 13. Syracuse 14. CUNY 15. Touro

79% 78% 76% 74% 70%

Touro

72 72

NYLS

Pace

81 76

Brooklyn

CUNY

Albany

STATE AVERAGE

ST. JOHN’S

NYU

Cornell

Fordham

98 98 Columbia

100

Syracuse

July 2018 Bar Passage

Hofstra

Buffalo

Cardozo

*Full-time, long-term jobs, which are either bar-required or JD-advantage, and which are not funded by the law school

OUR GRADUATES COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!

Thank you to our faculty, to our staff, and, especially, to our alumni who mentor, hire, and give. Your dedication and donations make this success possible.

CONTENTS SPRING 2019

FEATURES

SPECIAL REPORT

St. John’s Law and ABI Host Nation’s Premier Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition

Anita S. Krishnakumar Is installed as the Inaugural Mary C. Daly Professor of Law

All In Alumni Find Career Success and Fulfillment at JPMorgan Chase

WHO’S MINDING OUR DATA? Alumni Working at the Forefront of Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Compliance

DEPARTMENTS

COLUMNS

2 From the Dean

24 Trends: A ‘Creepy’ Assignment

4 In Brief

26 Advances: Pathway to Practice: Securities Arbitration Clinic

Student Success

9 Faculty Focus 31 Leadership Spotlight: Karl A. Roessner ’92 32 Alumni Highlights

28 Center Piece: St. John’s Law and FINRA Host Milestone 10th Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon

29 On Direct: Associate Director of Employer and Externship Program Outreach Tom Blennau ’02 30 Second Acts: Colleen Graham ‘91 44 End Note: Donna Scovotti Smith ’79Ed, ’81L and George L. Smith ’81

34 Traditions 35 Class Notes 40 Births/Marriages/In Memoriam SPRING 2019 l 1

FROM THE DEAN 1L students in my Crim Law class kicked off the semester with a St. John’s Basketball home game

St. John’s Law Magazine

Could you identify a random stranger you encountered in a public place using just your phone’s Google app, things you heard the stranger say, and clues you picked up from their clothing and possessions (think logos, monograms, and a school or business name)?

Dean and John V. Brennan Professor of Law and Ethics

That was the optional assignment Professor Kate Klonick gave students in her Information Privacy Seminar over Spring Break. She designed it to illustrate the privacy risks we all face in our everyday lives. The results of the assignment—which demonstrated how easy it is to uncover private information about total strangers— echoed well beyond our classroom, as major media outlets (first alerted by Professor Klonick’s Tweets about the project) reported the story nationally.

SPRING 2019

Michael A. Simons Associate Dean for Law School Advancement Brian J. Woods Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations and CLE Claire C. McKeever ’80SVC, ’93L

You can read Professor Klonick’s New York Times op-ed on her privacy assignment in this issue of St. John’s Law magazine. It’s a fitting companion piece to the issue’s special report, Who’s Minding Our Data, that shares expert insights from Law School alumni working at the forefront of data privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance.

Editor-in-Chief

Data privacy is a field that barely existed when I became dean 10 years ago, and our growing strength in that area is just one example of how St. John’s Law is adapting to rapid changes in the practice of law.

Lori Herz

A focus on emerging areas of practice is just one way the Law School has changed in the last decade. Two other interrelated changes have been essential to our success: increased alumni support, and everimproving student outcomes. The Class of 2018’s bar passage and employment success, illustrated on the inside front cover of this magazine, is a vivid testament to our current strength.

Trent Anderson Managing Editor and Lead Writer

Copy Editors Dominique Cendales Claire K. Pollicino Art Director

I’m particularly proud to report that St. John’s Law has achieved its highest employment rate, ever. Since 2001, when law schools began rigorously tracking employment outcomes, the key metric has been the percentage of graduates in legal jobs that are full-time, long-term, and not paid for by the law school. This year, our key employment rate is 92%. That puts us #2 in New York City and #14 in the nation.

Jill Cuddire Rose Creative Group

That success simply would not be possible without the generous and loyal support of our alumni. Thank you, again, for all you do for alma mater. I look forward to seeing you on campus or in my travels very soon.

Editor, St. John’s Law St. John’s University School of Law 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439

Please send comments to:

lawalumni@stjohns.edu law.stjohns.edu

Michael A. Simons Dean and John V. Brennan Professor of Law and Ethics

2 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

St. John’s Law and ABI Host

NATION’S PREMIER BANKRUPTCY MOOT COURT COMPETITION little bit of snow can produce some major travel snarls in and around the Big Apple. But snow-slicked runways, roads, and sidewalks were no match for the 59 teams from 43 law schools who came from around the country to compete in the 27th annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition held in New York City on March 2-4, 2019.

Mississippi School of Law and University of Texas School of Law shared third-place honors. The winning team received a $5000 prize from the ABI Endowment Fund, which also provided the second-place team with a $3000 prize. The teams that ties for third place split a $3000 prize.

Practicing lawyers and sitting judges helped to judge the competition, which included seven rounds of arguments. The panel of distinguished federal jurists presiding over the final competition round at the Conrad Duberstein United States Bankruptcy Courthouse in Brooklyn included:

The following schools and individual competitors received special recognition for their outstanding performance at the Duberstein competition:

Sponsored by St. John’s Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the Duberstein competition is the nation’s only moot court competition devoted to bankruptcy law. It’s named for distinguished St. John’s alumnus and former ABI Director Hon. Conrad B. Duberstein ‘41, ‘91HON, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 90.

Best Brief: • Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law

• • • •

Each year, the competition problem focuses on two sophisticated, cutting-edge issues of bankruptcy law. This year, the competitors considered whether a secured creditor’s refusal to turn over repossessed collateral violates the automatic stay and whether a creditor can be granted an administrative expense for making a substantial contribution in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case. Successfully arguing through the succession of rounds, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law edged out University of Miami School of Law in the finals to win the overall competition. University of

Outstanding Briefs • Stetson University College of Law • University of Texas School of Law • University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law • University of Michigan Law School Best Advocate: • Kathryn Trent, Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law Outstanding Advocacy: • Grant Krag, Mississippi College School of Law • Stephen Kish, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law • Nathan Simpson, The University of Mississippi School of Law • Brenton Thompson, Samford University Cumberland School of Law

Hon. Michael J. Melloy, U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Cir. Hon. Pamela Pepper, U.S. District Court, E.D.Wis. Hon. Cecelia G. Morris, Chief Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D.N.Y. Hon. Carla E. Craig, Chief Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, E.D.N.Y.

“ We had an impressive group of students participate in this year’s competition,” says Professor Christine Lazaro, who helped to organize the event. St. John’s Law students ensured that the entire competition ran flawlessly, and we appreciate the help of our alumni and friends who graded briefs and judged the oral arguments over the weekend. The competition days culminated with a gala awards reception at Gotham Hall. The guests, including many of New York’s leading bankruptcy judges and practitioners, enjoyed an evening in celebration of the competition’s contributions to the field. For more information on the annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, please visit the competition website at stjohns.edu/law.

SPRING 2019 l 3

IN BRIEF when you don’t know what they’re going As reported in the New York Law Journal,

to say or do,” says Tina Kassangana ‘19.

St. John’s Law continues to rank in the top

“Lawyering teaches you how to do that,

tier of New York law schools for bar exam

all while encouraging you to play to your

success, with a July 2018 pass rate of 87%

personal strengths.” This year, Kassangana

that places St. John’s just behind New York

was one of 21 teaching assistants who

University, Columbia, Cornell, and Fordham

helped St. John’s Law 1Ls optimize their

and well above the statewide average of

learning experience in the required January

83% for first-time test takers at American

intersession Lawyering course. Spearheaded

Bar Association-accredited law schools. This

by Professor Elayne E. Greenberg, assistant dean for dispute resolution programs, professor of legal practice, and director of the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution, Lawyering focuses on negotiation skills and the companion skills of interviewing clients and drafting agreements—core competencies for lawyers.

The Law School community came together in September for St. John’s Law Dialogues, welcoming and considering diverse perspectives on family separation at the border and related government policy and citizen action. In February, the Dialogues continued as students, faculty, and administrators gathered to discuss the farreaching impact of the federal government shutdown. The programs were organized

marked the second consecutive year that the Law School has surpassed the statewide bar pass average. Those strides are rooted in a strategic plan that includes expanding the bar preparation curriculum and incorporating key bar exam skills into the broader coursework over all years of learning at St. John’s Law.

by the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and the student-run Coalition for Social Justice, and co-sponsored by other Law School centers and student groups.

“There’s a certain professionalism in knowing how to approach a negotiation, in knowing how to react to someone across the table

Taking their learning on the road and across the Atlantic, a group of St. John’s Law students spent four weeks this past summer in Rome, Italy, participating in specially designed courses and enjoying cultural excursions, wonderful cuisine, and special events as participants in the Law School’s Rome Summer Study Abroad Program. During the January intersession, 20 St. John’s Law students traveled to Europe for the Dean’s Travel Study Program—Comparative Legal Systems: International Dispute Resolution. Led by Professor Christopher J. Borgen, co-director of St. John’s Center for International and Comparative Law; Associate Dean for Administration and Graduate Studies Sarah Jean Kelly; and Associate Academic Dean and Dean George W. Matheson Professor of Law Michael A. Perino, the graded, one-credit course took participants to The Hague, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris to learn about international dispute resolution.

4 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

The Law School’s Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and its affiliated student organization, the Dispute Resolution Society, welcomed Professor Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, the Fuller E. Callaway Chair of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law, to campus to receive the 2019 Mangano Dispute Resolution Advancement Award for her groundbreaking scholarship in the area of multidistrict litigation (MDL) settlement. Professor Burch discussed her recent Vanderbilt Law Review article, “Monopolies in Mass Litigation,” which is the third in a series of empirical pieces in a six-year-long data collection project. She then opened the floor for an engaging conversation with students and faculty

There was no sand, surf, slopes, or binge-watching Netflix for the St. John’s Law students who participated in the 2019 Spring Break Service Trips organized and sponsored by the Law School’s Public Interest Center. One group was down in New Orleans, LA, where they volunteered at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in housing, tax, and foreclosure prevention. The other group of students traveled to San Antonio, TX to work with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) on immigration and asylum cases.

members about her MDL research.

Hosted by the Law School’s Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute (PTAI), the Center for Trial and Appellate Advocacy at St. John’s Law, and the Nassau County courts, this year’s Peter James Johnson ’49 National Civil Rights Mock Trial Competition drew 16 teams from law schools across the country. In preliminary rounds at Nassau County Supreme Court, and quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds at St. John’s Law, the competitors displayed an impressive level of advocacy and professionalism as they argued a hypothetical case, developed by Alex Gilbert ‘06 and Brian Hughes ‘07, involving a protestor who was assaulted and injured during a demonstration at a Civil War monument. For the second consecutive year, students from the Drawing for Illustration class taught by Professor Thomas Kerr from the Department of Art and Design at St. John’s University occupied spectator seats and sketched the competitors in action, adding to the event’s real-world atmosphere.

SPRING 2019 l 5

STUDENT SUCCESS APPELLATE COMPETITIONS

The Moot Court Honor Society team of Daniel Horowitz ‘19 and Ryan J. Krumholz ‘19 won the regional rounds of the 69th Annual National Moot Court Competition held at the New York City Bar Association. Daniel also took home the award for Best Oralist, and Ryan earned runner-up for the same honor. The team was coached by Tara McDevitt ‘10 and Liss Mendez ‘19.

Tina Kassangana ‘19 and Precious Lewis ‘20 represented St. John’s Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA) and advanced to the quarterfinals at the National Latina/o Law Student Association’s 11th Annual Moot Court Competition. Liss Mendez ‘19 coached the team, and Yessica Pinales ‘19 was on hand as the National Latina/o Law Student Association’s National Chair.

Each fall, the Moot Court Honor Society commemorates the remarkable legal career and public service contributions of the late Hon. Milton Mollen ‘50, ‘78HON

6 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

by hosting the internal Hon. Milton Mollen Moot Court Competition. This year’s competition finalists were Frank Pecorelli ‘20 and Andrew Fisher ‘20. They argued a tough case for the final round in front of an esteemed panel of alumnijudges that included Hon. Kathleen Tomlinson ‘87, Scott Mollen ‘72, and Hon. John Lansden ‘91.

Laura Berry ’20 and Juliana Toes ’20 took top honors in this year’s internal Roy L. Reardon Moot Court Competition, which features the Moot Court Honor Society’s top 2L advocates. Andrew Fisher ’20 and Frank Pecorelli ’20 rounded out the group of finalists appearing before an esteemed panel of judges that included: Nicholas M. Cannella ’75, Hon. Joseph Bianco, Hon. Dennis Jacobs, Hon. Jodi Orlo ’90, and Hon. Mary Kay Vyskocil ’83.

At this year’s Hon. Elaine Jackson Stack Moot Court Competition, student advocates Mollie Galchus ’19 and James Goodridge ’20 bested the field to win first place as well as honors for best brief and Best Oralist (Goodridge). The team was coached by Katherine Kokotos ’19, Vice Dean Emeritus Andrew J. Simons ‘65, and Emily Walsh ‘09.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION COMPETITIONS The Dispute Resolution Society (DRS) team of Julia Bover ‘20 and Dominick Ragno ’20 bested a crowded field to become regional champs in the 2019 ABA Representation in Mediation Competition. Coached

by Raspreet Bhatia ‘16 and Michael McDermott ‘15, the team advanced to the nationals in Minneapolis, MN. This marked St. John’s third trip to the regional championship in three years, and its second trip to the national competition in two years.

It was a St. John’s Law sweep at this year’s New York Law School IP Negotiation Competition. Bianca Fox ‘20 and Joshua Lahijani ‘19 placed first and took home Best Teamwork and Best Self-Evaluation. Finishing in second place were Jacob Alexander ‘20 and Shaniya Johnson ‘20. Both teams were coached to the final round by K. Terrell Hutchins ‘19.

TRIAL COMPETITIONS Cormac Leddy ’20, Patrick Reilly ’20, and David Combs ’20, along with coaches Kap Misir ‘04CPS, ‘13LL.M. and Nick Berg ’17, advanced to the quarterfinals and won the Best Written Advocate Award at Tulane Law’s 12th Annual International Baseball Arbitration Competition. For the competition, the team created an MLB player profile and participated in a simulated salary arbitration.

Two DRS teams competed in the New York State Bar Association’s fourth annual Judith S. Kaye Arbitration Competition. Christina Buru ‘20, Gabriella Petrillo ‘20, and Gabriella Scarmato ‘20 took third place and won Best Opening Statement and Best Closing Statement. Finishing right behind them in fourth place was the team of Dan Kornberg ‘20, Cormac Leddy ‘20, and Andre Oge ‘20, who earned Best Cross Examination. The teams were coached by Dan Borbet ‘20 and Dan Merker ‘11.

The Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute (PTAI) team of Elisabeth Constantino ‘19, Gabriella DeRosa ‘19, and Emily Santoro ‘19, with coaches Brian Hughes ‘07 and Kirk Sendlein ‘08, advanced to the regional semifinals at the prestigious Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition.

Brian Hughes ‘07 and Kirk Sendlein ‘08 also coached Elisabeth Constantino ‘19, Gabriella DeRosa ‘19, Kathleen Modica ‘19, and Emily Santoro ‘19 to their team’s second-place finish at the BuffaloNiagara Mock Trial Competition, one of the biggest national invitationals in the country with

more than 40 teams competing each year.

Coached by PTAI veterans Joe Calabrese ‘91 and Mike Vicario ‘09, Megan DiBello ‘19, Kayla Kuzniewski ‘19, Kristen Tierney ’19, and Shannon Dempsey ‘19 took third place at the Queens District Attorney’s Fifth Annual Mock Trial Competition.

Sharlene Disla ‘19, Jamie Caponera ‘19, Victoria Benalczar ‘20, and Lauren Bisogno ‘20 were finalists at the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition at Quinnipiac University School of Law. Disla was awarded Best Cross Examination. Coaching the team to success were Erik Snipas ‘14 and Brenna Strype ‘14.

WRITING COMPETITIONS

Scott Connolly ’20 and John Mixon ’20 took home top honors and earned $2500 scholarships in this year’s Phil Cowan Memorial/ BMI Scholarship Writing Competition sponsored by the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section. Scott’s winning paper is “Playola — New Technology, Familiar Deception,” and John won for his paper, “Fixation on Flesh: Why Tattoos Should Not Garner Copyright Protection.” Both papers will appear in the Spring 2019 issue of the NYSBA’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal. This marks the second year in a row that St. John’s bested the field in this prestigious writing competition.

Camila Sosa ‘19’s original analysis of the Material Support Bar to Asylum, “The Forgotten Victims of Terrorism: Asylum Seekers Barred by the Board of Immigration Appeals’ Failure to Define De Minimis Support,” won the Albert S. Pergam International Law Writing Competition sponsored by the New York State Bar Association’s International Section. She received the honor, which comes with

a $2000 prize, at the Section’s annual award luncheon. A St. John’s Law student has won this respected competition for the last three years.

OTHER AWARDS AND RECOGNITION As recipient of the prestigious Peggy Browning Fellowship awarded by the Peggy Browning Fund, Elyssa Carr ‘21 will spend 10 weeks this summer working at New York State United Teachers in New York City. The application process was highly competitive, with nearly 450 applicants competing for the honor this year. Peggy Browning Fellows are distinguished students who have demonstrated their commitment to workers’ rights.

The American Bar Association’s Health Law Section selected Shandy Abraham ’19 from numerous applicants as this year’s EMI

Scholarship winner based on her outstanding credentials and clear interest in health law. As the EMI Scholar, Abraham traveled to Orlando, FL to attend the Section’s multi-day Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference.

Marissa MacAneney ’19 was on hand at the Federal Circuit Bar Association’s annual dinner in Washington, D.C. to formally accept the Helen W. Nies Memorial Scholarship. The $10,000 award is given in memory of Hon. Helen W. Nies, former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Special considerations for the Helen W. Nies award include: encouraging the participation of women lawyers in the legal profession and advancing the interest of women law students in intellectual property.

Joseph Carlo ’20, who is in the Law School’s Real Estate Fellowship Program, received an American Immobiliare Scholarship, recognizing his academic achievement, service, and leadership consistent with the values of Italian-American influencers and innovators in the field of commercial real estate.

St. John’s Law Students Earn New York City Bar Diversity Fellowships

Four St. John’s Law 1Ls have been named New York City Bar Diversity Fellows for Summer 2019. Eric Dang ‘21 will spend the summer at the New York City Law Department, Jasmine Johnson ‘21 will work at the global law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, Loredana Miranda ‘21 will participate in the summer program at Citizens Bank, and Emmanuelle Yeremou-Ngah ‘21 will work for the New York County District Attorney’s Office.

The Diversity Fellowship Program was launched in 1991 as an initiative of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers. Since its inception, hundreds of 1Ls from historically underrepresented groups have been selected to spend their summer as program fellows in a law firm, or in a corporate or government legal department. The four fellows went through a rigorous selection process that included a legal writing requirement, a personal statement, a screening committee interview, and a second interview by a panel of attorneys and school representatives. Assistant Director of Career Development Lalaine Mercado administered all aspects of the program and, along with

Professor Jacob L. Todres, Assistant Dean of Students Kimathi Gordon-Somers, Director of Diversity and Inclusion Kamille Dean, and Assistant Director of Career Development Melissa Kubit Angelides, advised students about the fellowship opportunity. “This is a very exciting opportunity for Emmanuelle, Eric, Jasmine, and Loredana, who very much deserve this honor,” says Associate Dean for Career Development and Externships Jeanne Ardan. “A number of St. John’s Law students have earned City Bar Diversity Fellowships over the years. It’s an invaluable summer experience that introduces them to the practice of law. They gain key professional skills that they continue to build and hone at St. John’s Law as they chart their careers paths.” SPRING 2019 l 7

ANITA S. KRISHNAKUMAR IS INSTALLED AS THE INAUGURAL MARY C. DALY PROFESSOR OF LAW At the installation ceremony, Professor Krishnakumar delivered the Mary C. Daly Lecture on her legal scholarship, which explores a range of legislative process and statutory interpretation issues— including the congressional budget process, lobbying regulations, and interpretive trends in the U.S. Supreme Court’s statutory jurisprudence. In the past five years, she has authored six articles and two book reviews appearing in the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, Virginia Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Texas Law Review, George Washington Law Review, and Fordham Law Review. “Passive Avoidance,” 71 Stan. L. Rev. (forthcoming), Professor Krishnakumar’s most recent article, illuminates an underappreciated shift in the Roberts Court’s approach to the canon of constitutional avoidance, arguing that the Court has adopted a “passive” form of avoidance, in which it effectively avoids deciding controversial, unresolved constitutional questions—but without invoking the avoidance canon and without openly admitting to rewriting or straining the statute’s text.

n December, faculty, administrators, friends, and family gathered for the installation of Professor Anita S. Krishnakumar as the inaugural Mary C. Daly Professor of Law. The new professorship is named for Mary C. Daly, who served as dean of St. John’s Law from 2004 until her untimely death in 2008. The first woman to lead the Law School, Dean Daly was also an accomplished scholar of professional responsibility. She was the John V. Brennan Professor of Law and Ethics at St. John’s and, before that, was the James H. Quinn Professor of Law at Fordham University. “Mary was a dynamic and impactful dean, and St. John’s Law is a better institution because of her insightful leadership,” says Dean Michael A. Simons. “I was fortunate to have her as a mentor, and we’re all fortunate that she had the foresight to hire Professor Anita Krishnakumar onto our faculty in 2006. It was very special to have Mary’s husband, Tony, and their children, Anthony, Stephen, and Meg, with us as we celebrated this milestone occasion.” Professor Krishnakumar brings a wealth of experience and insight as a lawyer, legal scholar, and law school educator to her new role as the Daly Professor. After graduating with distinction from Stanford University and Yale Law School, she clerked for the Hon. José A. Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and was an associate at two major New York City law firms. Her work teaching Legislation and Statutory Interpretation, Administrative Law, Introduction to Law, Trusts and Estates, and a Colloquium on Advanced Topics in Legislation and Statutory Interpretation at St. John’s Law has earned Professor Krishnakumar recognition and awards, including the Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award presented by St. John’s University. She has served as the Law School’s Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship since 2016.

8 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

Her earlier work includes “Textualism and Statutory Precedents,” 104 Va. L. Rev. (2018), which explores textualist jurists’ surprising willingness to abandon stare decisis in certain statutory cases. Professor Krishnakumar’s empirical work, including “Dueling Canons,” 65 Duke L. J. 909 (2016) and “Reconsidering Substantive Canons,” 84 U. Chi. L. Rev. 825 (2017), offers important data regarding the extent to which the justices on the Roberts Court use the same interpretive tool to support opposing readings of a statute in the same case and the extent to which textualist justices rely on substantive policy canons to fill in gaps left by a purely textual analysis. “Anita is that rare and wonderful legal academic who is an extraordinarily productive and accomplished scholar, a beloved classroom teacher, and a true institutional servant,” Dean Simons says. “Her work in legislation and statutory interpretation provides important insights into the interpretive tools used by the Supreme Court, and she has become one of the most astute observers of the statutory jurisprudence of the Roberts Court. She has also played a key role in the development of a rich scholarly culture at St. John’s. And, so, it was a particular joy for me to award Anita the Mary C. Daly Professorship.” At the ceremony, Professor Krishnakumar prefaced her lecture by thanking her family and colleagues for their support and reflecting on the honor of being the inaugural Daly Professor. “Mary was the dean who hired me, and I admired and respected her tremendously,” she said. “In fact, she is the main reason I accepted the offer to come teach at St. John’s—I was so impressed with her from the moment I met her. And in the short time that I worked with Mary, my respect for her only increased. She was such a graceful leader—fierce in her convictions and ambitions for the Law School, but also an excellent manager who knew how to make people feel valued—and how to solidly steer the ship. She was also kind-hearted, warm, and could be quite funny when she wanted to. I’m deeply touched and honored to receive a chair named after her. It means more to me than I can adequately express—and I will do my best to live up to the memory of the exceptional person and role model that this chair is named after.”

FACULTY FOCUS Read all about the latest achievements and activities of our outstanding faculty.

{ BARRETT }

Professor John Q. Barrett lectured recently, on topics including Justice Robert H. Jackson, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, at the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut and at the Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Nuremberg, Germany; at Chautauqua Institution; in the Great Hall at the U.S. Department of Justice; at Florida International University; at the Federal Bar Association in Central Islip; at the Queens County Bar Association; at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judicial Conference; at CUNY’s School of Public Health; and at a citizenship naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. His recent essays include: “A Law Faculty Candidate and His Judicial Reference (1934)” (PrawfsBlawg), “Cohen’s Sentencing Clears a Path For Congress To Uncover The Truth” (Washington Post), and “How Congress Can Stop Trump’s Emergency” (Washington Post). Professor Barrett, biographer of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, writes The Jackson List at thejacksonlist.com, which reaches many lawyers, judges, students, teachers, and others around the world.

{ BORGEN }

Oxford University Press has published Professor Christopher J. Borgen’s chapter, “Conflict Management and the Political Economy of Recognition,” as part of the volume Complex Battlespaces: The Law of Armed Conflict and the Dynamics of Modern Warfare. Professor Borgen also completed his work as Co-Rapporteur for the International Law Association’s Committee on Recognition and NonRecognition in International Law with the release of the Committee’s final report this summer, and delivered a presentation at Hebrew University in Jerusalem on the law and practice of recognition. Professor Borgen has continued his work as a core expert in a project drafting a model Manual on the International Law of Military Space Operations and delivered presentations at the U.S. Strategic Command’s Advanced Operational Law Conference and at the University of Nebraska’s Washington, D.C. Space Law Conference. He also organized and moderated a roundtable on international law and military space operations at the International Law Weekend, the premier international law event of the fall season.

{ BOYLE } Peer Critique and Oral Presentations in Scholarly Writing Class was the topic of Professor Robin A. Boyle’s presentation at the One-Day Workshop at the University of Oregon School of Law. The following day, she presented her work-in-progress at Oregon Law’s Scholars’ Forum. Along with co-authors, Professor Boyle has submitted a manuscript to Carolina Academic Press for a legal writing workbook on objective writing skills.

{ CUNNINGHAM }

Professor Larry Cunningham’s article, “Building a Culture of Assessment in Law Schools,” has been accepted for publication in the Case Western Reserve Law Review. He presented recently at the Legal Writing Institute’s Biennial Conference (about stratification of law faculties); at the Southeast Association of Law Schools’ Conference (about assessment and technology); at the Assessment Institute (about assessment in legal education); and at the Association of American Law Schools’ Annual Meeting (about how associate deans can make more efficient use of e-mail).

{ DILORENZO }

Professor Vincent DiLorenzo’s article, “Fintech Lending: A Study of Expectations versus Market Outcomes,” will appear in the Boston University Review of Banking and Financial Law. The article compares expectations regarding benefits and risks of fintech lending with market outcomes. It then explores policy implications, particularly the implications for chartering of special purpose national banks by the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency.

{ GREENBERG }

Professor Elayne E. Greenberg’s article, “Hey, Big Spender: Ethical Guidelines for Dispute Resolution Professionals When Parties are Backed by Third-Party Funders,” is forthcoming in the Arizona State Law Journal. She is chair-elect of the AALS Section of Dispute Resolution, and is a member of the ADR Advisory Committee and the PleaBargaining Task Force established by Janet DiFiore ‘81, ‘17HON, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York. Professor Greenberg co-presented her paper, “What Dinosaurs Teach Lawyers About How to Avoid Extinction in the ODR Evolution,” at the AALS ADR Works-in-Progress Conference. Together with Creighton University Professor Noam Ebner, she co-authored “Ethics Meets the ‘O’ in DR,” her Ethical Compass column that appeared in the New York Dispute Resolution Lawyer’s 10th anniversary issue.

{ JOSEPH }

Professor Lawrence Joseph gave a keynote talk on Addressing Catholic Social Ethics in Poetry at the annual meeting of the Society of Christian Social Ethics in Louisville, KY. He also spoke at the 28th Annual Bernard Firestone Memorial Labor Arts Program at the Detroit Main Public Library, and presented on Contemporary Arab American Literature: Intersections of Race, Gender, and Class at the annual North American Labor History Conference at Wayne State University.

SPRING 2019 l 9

FACULTY FOCUS { KLONICK }

Professor Kate Klonick, whose research centers on law and technology, presented on social media at UCLA School of Law, on internet governance at Colorado Law, and on censorship in the digital age at the University of Chicago, among other recent speaker and panelist engagements. Her recent publications include the New York Times Op-Ed “How to Make Facebook’s ‘Supreme Court’ Work,” written with Thomas Kadri, and “Facebook v. Sullivan,” an article for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. The latter piece contributes to the Institute’s Emerging Threats series, which invites leading thinkers to identify and grapple with newly arising or intensifying structural threats to the system of free expression. A homework assignment that Professor Klonick gave to her Information Privacy Seminar students over spring break, asking them to try to de-anonymize someone in a public place, gained national attention and was featured in the New York Times, at CNN, and on NPR. Her article, “Facebook v. Sullivan: Building Constitutional Law for Online Speech,” co-authored with Thomas Kadri, has been accepted for publication in the Southern California Law Review.

{ KRISHNAKUMAR }

Professor Anita S. Krishnakumar presented her article, “Backdoor Purposivism,” recently at a faculty workshop at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, at a seminar on Statutory Interpretation Theory at Yale Law School, and at a seminar on Constitutional and Statutory Interpretation at the Georgetown University Law Center. The article, which has been accepted for publication in the Duke Law Journal, describes the role of purposive analysis in statutory interpretation cases decided by the modern Roberts Court, arguing both that traditional purposivism is alive and well among the Court’s non-textualist justices, and that the Court’s textualist justices have quietly been engaging in a form of purposespeculation that comes closer to traditional purposivism than scholars and jurists have recognized.

{ MOVSESIAN } ”Masterpiece Cakeshop and the Future of Religious Freedom,” an article by Professor Mark L. Movsesian, was accepted for publication in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. He presented the paper at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture’s annual conference.

{ ROBERTS }

Professor Anna Roberts contributed a chapter to an Oxford University Press book, Criminal Juries in the 21st Century. The chapter, “Implicit Jury Bias: Are Informational Interventions Effective?” investigates the attempts that have been made and proposed to mitigate implicit juror bias by educating jurors, and the obstacles that impede these kinds of initiatives. Professor Roberts’ article, “Convictions as Guilt,” has been accepted for publication in the Fordham Law Review.

{ SALOMONE }

Professor Rosemary C. Salomone’s “Interview/Conversation with Bernard Spolsky on Language Planning and Language Policy across the Decades and across the Globe” has been published in Family Language Policy: Dynamics in Language Transmission under a Migratory Context. She was a guest speaker at a special session on Migration, Language, and Justice as part of Princeton University’s Mellon Sawyer Seminar on Global Migration: The Humanities and Social Sciences in Dialogue. Her presentation on Language Rights and Migrant Education in a World Dominated by English focused on South Africa, India, and the Netherlands.

{ SMITH }

The second edition of Professor Rachel H. Smith’s legal writing textbook, The Handbook for the New Legal Writer (with Jill Barton), was published recently by Wolters Kluwer. The book is a step-bystep guide that describes how to write foundational legal documents through the use of detailed instructions and real-world examples.

{ SOVERN } The Journal of Consumer and Commercial Law published Professor Jeff Sovern’s article, “The Content of Consumer Law Classes III.” His op-ed, “Congress should follow California’s lead in protecting consumers,” appeared at CNN.com, and The Conversation published his opinion piece, “Mick Mulvaney turned the CFPB from a forceful consumer watchdog into a do-nothing government cog.” Together with Professor Gina Calabrese, Professor Sovern wrote an op-ed for Bloomberg Law on “Why the ABA Is Wrong on Amending Debt Collection Bill.” He was also quoted by Politico, Consumer Reports, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Credit Union Times.

For regular updates on the scholarly work, activities, and initiatives of the St. John’s Law faculty, visit our Faculty Scholarship Blog at stjlawfaculty.org. You’ll also find our faculty members on Twitter: • @ASKrishnakumar • @chris_borgen • @DeanMikeSimons • @GinaCalabrese3 • @jnsheff • @JohnQBarrett • @jsovern • @Klonick • @MarcODeGirolami • @markmovsesian • @ProfARoberts • @ProfChrisLazaro • @ProfLCunningham • @SusanLandrum1

10 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO KEYNOTES TRADITION PROJECT SESSION IN ROME n December, jurists and scholars from the United States and Europe gathered at the central Rome campus of Università LUMSA for The Value of Tradition in the Global Context, the third session of the Tradition Project hosted by the Law School’s Center for Law and Religion. The Rome session was co-sponsored by LUMSA and Villanova University’s Eleanor M. McCullen Center for Law, Religion, and Public Policy. The event featured a keynote address by Associate Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S. Supreme Court. Launched in 2016 as a three-year research initiative, the Tradition Project seeks to develop a broad understanding of what tradition might continue to offer for law, culture, and politics, and explores the relationship between tradition and change in today’s world. For its first session, the Project presented a conference on Tradition in Law and Politics. Last year’s session brought together scholars, judges, lawyers, bloggers, and policy experts for a sustained, twoday roundtable on Tradition, Culture, and Citizenship. As a highlight of this year’s Tradition Project session, Justice Alito spoke about the relationship between international and national law in the context of human rights. “The conflict between global human rights norms and local legal traditions has become acute over the past decade,” says Professor Mark L. Movsesian, who directs the Center for Law and Religion and co-directs the Project with Professor Marc O. DeGirolami. “Justice Alito’s keynote addressed a timely topic in a substantive way. We were so honored to have him with us.”

After Justice Alito’s remarks, the Project convened a panel of respondents that included Giuseppe Dalla Torre, president of the Vatican City Tribunal; Ugo De Siervo, president emeritus of the Italian Constitutional Court; Chantal Delsol of the Academie des Sciences Morales et Politiques; and Andrés Ollero of the Spanish Constitutional Tribunal. The session also included four invitation-only workshops on “Understandings of Tradition in the Global Context”; “Local Traditions and Global Government”; “Liberalism, Populism, and Nationalism”; and “Tradition and Human Rights.” Participants prepared short reflection papers on the various topics. “There was a lot to discuss in the workshops, and there will be a lot to keep elaborating and deepening in the near future,” says LUMSA Professor Monica Lugato, one of the Tradition Project session organizers. “It was a challenging and rewarding academic meeting.” Reflecting on the Rome session, Villanova Professor Michael Moreland, another of the session organizers, says: “The Tradition Project has made an exceptionally important contribution to the academic conversation about law, culture, and politics over its three sessions. The most recent session in Rome, with its keynote address from Justice Alito, was particularly rewarding, and it was a privilege for Villanova University’s McCullen Center to co-sponsor it.” As he looks back on the Tradition Project’s three-year run and considers its next iteration, Professor Movsesian shares: “We’ve done what we set out to do, namely, to revive interest in a topic, tradition, to which relatively few legal scholars pay attention nowadays. We’ve sparked a conversation that seemed impossible even a short time ago. It’s a vital conversation that will certainly be ongoing.”

CENTER FOR LAW AND RELIGION LAUNCHES LEGAL SPIRITS PODCAST SERIES

Hosted by Center Director Mark Movsesian and Associate Director Marc DeGirolami, Legal Spirits covers a broad range of important cases, issues, and ideas in the world of law and religion. Prior podcasts have discussed a current case before the U.S. Supreme Court about the display of a cross on government property and the current state and future of religious free exercise in the Court’s doctrine, among several other topics. You can listen via your favorite podcast app, or play any episode right from the Center’s website at lawandreligionforum.org. SPRING 2019 l 11

Special Report

WHO’S MINDING

12 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

OUR DATA? ALUMNI WORKING AT THE FOREFRONT OF PRIVACY, CYBERSECURITY, AND COMPLIANCE Alexa. It’s a name that echoes through millions of homes every day. Amazon’s virtual assistant is on call 24/7/365 and, with just a voice command, will turn on the lights as we walk in the door, raise the thermostat, pay that bill we forgot about, and order a pizza for delivery so all we have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the latest Game of Thrones episode that Alexa recorded for us. With all of those Alexa interactions comes a flood of information about the people engaging with her. That data joins streams of other data gathered and relayed as we go about our daily lives texting, online shopping, using our favorite apps, grabbing a ride share, and even opening our refrigerators, among other activities. It’s estimated that human beings generate as much as 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. By 2020, billions of connected devices worldwide will enable every person to create 1.7 megabytes of new data every second. So it’s no wonder that data is fast becoming the most valuable commodity in our economy. As the World Economic Forum has stated, “Personal data represents an emerging asset class, potentially every bit as valuable as other assets such as traded goods, gold or oil.” Data’s value comes from the wide range of insights it can reveal about people, places, and things. Those insights, in turn, are now more accessible and useable thanks to big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other scientific advances. As data, especially data in the form of personal records, has emerged as the world’s most valuable currency, its vulnerabilities have become clear. Whether orchestrated by bad actors or caused by basic human error, data breaches are common and can shatter privacy, upend lives, and damage corporate reputations. Responding to this threat landscape, U.S. state and federal regulators and lawmakers have created a patchwork of data protection protocols. And, recently, the European Union (EU) enacted its sweeping General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the premise that individuals residing there have the right to control their personal data, and can even request its erasure. Companies possessing the data must respect and protect those rights or face hefty penalties. Against this backdrop, businesses across industries are investing in professionals whose job it is to mind our data and keep it safe and secure. In this three-part cover story, you will meet some of the many St. John’s Law alumni who work in the related fields of data privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance. SPRING 2019 l 13

KEEPING OUR DATA PRIVATE O

ur world is digitizing at breakneck speed. We’ve adopted the internet faster than any other technology in history, and it’s predicted that there will be 27.1 billion networked devices by 2021. With all this connectivity, we’re creating and sharing scads of new information every second.

That personal data is the lifeblood of businesses we engage with every day. We entrust it to them, and assume they will use it responsibly. When that data—and our trust in its safety and security—gets breached, there can be major consequences for the individuals and companies affected. Recognizing the value and vulnerability of our personal data, federal and state entities in the United States and countries around the world have taken steps to regulate how companies collect, use, store, and dispose of it. In turn, companies are investing significant resources in lawyers and other professionals who shape and guide their data privacy strategy and functions.

issues become more complex, and the risks associated with keeping data protected grow. “A recent survey found that corporate C-Suite executives overwhelmingly consider the disclosure of personal information as one of the largest threats, if not the largest threat, to their companies,” he shares. “That indicates how seriously businesses are taking this issue.” Analyzing, and finding solutions to, complex issues is an aspect of his work that Faber particularly enjoys. “At Prudential, I have the opportunity to collaborate with internal business clients at an early stage and provide practical advice to help them meet their goals,” he says. Working as a privacy attorney for a global company also presents some unique challenges. “2018 was a landmark year in the privacy world,” says Faber. “The GDPR—the most comprehensive privacy law in decades—became effective and applicable to EU entities as well as to any company outside the EU that offers products and services to individuals who reside in the EU.” Brazil, Argentina, India, and other countries have also enacted GDPR-like laws.

“Only a handful of people were practicing privacy law 20 years ago,” he says. “Yet, recently, the practice has grown exponentially and is now a critical component of virtually every key corporate business initiative. Privacy attorneys advise companies on how to use data in compliance with laws and regulations, how to collect and use personal information for the benefit of customers and consumers in a transparent manner, and how to provide the necessary notices and disclosures, among other responsibilities.”

So far, the United States hasn’t followed suit. “The U.S. takes a sectoral approach to privacy, with various federal laws that regulate different areas of privacy,” Faber explains. State laws are even more numerous. But the U.S. privacy landscape is changing dramatically because of the recent enactment of California’s milestone Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). “The CCPA isn’t effective until 2020, but it’s the broadest and most impactful privacy law in the country’s history,” says Faber. “It applies to all California residents, broadly defines personal information, and creates additional notice obligations. It also affords California residents individual rights, including the right to know what information a business collects about them and the right to erase data under certain circumstances.”

Faber, who previously practiced labor and employment law for many years, finds privacy work interesting and wonderfully rewarding. As advances in technology release more and more of data’s potential, he notes, privacy

Examining new and proposed data privacy laws, reviewing them pre-enactment with government affairs and trade associations, and interpreting them after they become law is all part of a good day’s work for Faber.

As vice president, corporate counsel, cyber and privacy law, at the American Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company Prudential Financial, MARK FABER ’84 has had an insider’s view of the fast-evolving data privacy field for over a decade.

14 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

“Privacy law is a great fit for lawyers who want to constantly learn something new, who can tackle complex problems, and who enjoy building client relationships,” he says. “It’s never boring.” CHRISTINA TSESMELIS ’05, an adjunct professor at St. John’s Law, echoes Faber’s sentiment as she reflects on the five years she spent as senior vice president and global head of anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and privacy at Neuberger Berman Group, an international investment advisor and brokerdealer. “I provided legal counsel on privacy matters across all lines of business worldwide, drafted and implemented a privacy policy in over 20 countries, and trained employees on that policy,” she says. “There was never a dull moment.” Tsesmelis entered the privacy field after clerking for two federal judges in New York and working as a litigator at a major law firm, with a focus on white-collar defense and securities enforcement. It was a timely move. “A decade ago, not every financial services firm had a dedicated privacy officer with a certain level of experience,” she says. “But businesses in and beyond the financial sector came to see that protecting and preserving personal data isn’t a luxury. It’s a critical component of doing business successfully in our digital age. Now, most, if not all, firms have at least one attorney dedicated to privacy at a global level.” Taking a global view, Tsesmelis says, proved critical to her privacy work. “One of the challenges of my role was drafting a privacy policy that protected the firm while being jurisdiction neutral,” she shares. “In other words, it had to be flexible enough to apply to all of the firm’s lines of business around the world.” It was a task that required her deep expertise in the GDPR, similar international laws, and the bramble of U.S. federal and state data privacy mandates. “I had to ensure that the firm was abiding by the applicable regulations, and I had to anticipate how else to protect the firm, its employees, and clients from possible

events that weren’t contemplated by the regulations,” Tsesmelis says of the fastpaced role. “I was able to look globally and examine how other nations protect their citizens. In the process, it became clear that sometimes the United States is a leader in the privacy arena, and sometimes its laws fall short by comparison.” Considering her work and how she made her mark in the data privacy field, Tsesmelis says: “To be successful in this area, you need to be able to think not only as a lawyer, but also as a technology professional. The wide variety of classes I took at St. John’s Law, the real-world experience I gained in clinics and internships, and the Law School’s proximity to the world’s financial center enhanced my ability to learn quickly and to wear both a law and a technology hat.” NICOLE OVERSIER ’06 agrees that a St. John’s legal education provides a strong foundation for a career in privacy law. As senior counsel at the global professional services company Aon, she is a member of the Asia regional legal team supporting the company’s risk, health, and data and analytics capabilities across North and Southeast Asia. “My role involves working closely with our privacy team to ensure that Aon’s core products and services are compliant with applicable data privacy laws and that wider data privacy risks are effectively managed,” Oversier says. The experience and perspective she brings to the position roots in her earlier work in the Asia capital markets practice of a leading global law firm and in house at companies in India and Singapore. “Almost 13 years and three countries later, I’m still based in the region and still thankful to be able to work in multiple jurisdictions with diverse clients and colleagues,” Oversier says. She also appreciates the opportunity to work in an evolving area of the law. “As our digital universe of data—and its commercialization—continues to grow, the role of data privacy professionals has become incredibly vital, since they’re tasked with supporting innovation while mitigating associated legal and reputational risks,” she observes. “What I enjoy most about being in the data privacy arena is that it intersects with both technology and law. Plus, as a truly global business, it opens doors for young lawyers to practice across geographical boundaries.” As Oversier sees it, those opportunities will only continue to grow as regulators worldwide look for new ways to protect the data moving across their borders. “Companies are being held accountable, and a lot is being done to reduce risk, but threats to personal data are always present and always evolving,” she says.

Also ever-evolving is the concept of privacy itself. “Privacy is one of the most rudimentary building blocks of personhood and, in our complex technological age, personal data is inextricably tied to our privacy,” says MOYA N. BALL ’16, a data privacy attorney with IBM’s general counsel and corporate privacy offices. “I have the privilege of playing an important role in maintaining the integrity and assuring the protection of that personal data.” Ball got her start in the privacy field at the multinational health care products and services distributor Henry Schein, Inc. (HSI), where she began working while she was in the evening program at St. John’s Law. “Privacy law factored generally into my role at HSI, but it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to lead the company’s privacy compliance initiative in response to the adoption of the GDPR that I realized I wanted to focus on privacy law,” she says. When the opportunity to work at IBM presented, she knew it was the right next step in her legal career. “I primarily advise IBM’s global businesses on transactional matters requiring GDPR expertise, such as mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and initiatives involving AI, cognitive, and cloud solutions, cognitive health solutions, and various client services,” Ball explains. “In supporting AI, cognitive, and cloud solutions, I further assure adherence to ‘privacy by design’ principles that require the integration of data protection early in the development of technology solutions. I also support the company’s business and legal teams in negotiating GDPR data processing agreements with some of IBM’s largest clients, and I advise the organization’s cybersecurity teams in compliance with U.S. data breach laws.” Her work at IBM, Ball says, draws on the critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and clear communication skills she honed at St. John’s Law. “St. John’s also provided exposure to novel areas of law in a practical manner, and with this academic experience I felt confident in my ability to step into such a demanding role,” she adds. As she guides IBM, Ball weighs how the concept of privacy, its application to data, and the related legal framework are bound to change. “Particularly in the United States, we need a cultural shift in how we view our personal data,” she says. “We often share it out of convenience and not necessity, sometimes unknowingly, and with little thought to privacy consequences. For the law to keep pace, we all need to keep pace. It’s a global call to action, and a tremendous opportunity for present and future privacy attorneys to help protect data as a precious resource.”

MARK FABER

CHRISTINA TSESMELIS

NICOLE OVERSIER

MOYA N. BALL

SPRING 2019 l 15

PAUL FERRILLO

LEO TADDEO

JUDITH H. GERMANO

JOSEPH V. MORENO

KEEPING OUR DATA SECURE W

ith the rise of our digital economy, cybercrime has become a very lucrative industry. It’s reported that hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost to data breaches perpetrated by nation state hackers, crime syndicates, and individual bad actors in recent years. The threat is so high that the U.S. Treasury Department has designated cyberattacks one of the greatest risks that America’s financial sector faces. To mitigate and manage that risk, financial services companies and businesses across industries tap the niche expertise of cybersecurity professionals. Cybersecurity is about protecting data in its electronic form, and elemental to that protection is knowing what the critical data is, where it resides, and how to defend it from unauthorized access. As more people bring their lives online and expose their personal data to theft, misuse, and human error, the work of lawyers in the cybersecurity field is becoming increasingly essential to the safety and wellbeing of the global citizenry and marketplace. PAUL FERRILLO ’86CBA, ’89L, a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP, brings a wealth of experience to his work in the firm’s cybersecurity, privacy, and crisis management practice. “Taking a partnership at Greenberg 16 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

Traurig is the pinnacle of my long career in corporate governance, corporate investigations, and corporate litigation, advising directors and officers in areas of risk in both pre- and post-litigation situations,” he says. “Every job was a stepping stone to the next.”

finance industry regulators, the SEC and FINRA, followed with comprehensive cybersecurity guidance, and then a number of states established their own requirements. Finally, the EU’s GDPR, California’s CCPA, and sweeping mandates out of the New York State Department of Financial Services set a new and higher bar for regulating cybersecurity. Disclosure to regulators, once relatively rare, is now the rule.

While Ferrillo enjoys helping clients navigate the increasingly difficult risk and regulatory environment to stay “cyber safe and secure,” he concedes that the practice has Working with competing cybersecurity its challenges. “Cybersecurity is one of the regulations isn’t for the timid, Ferrillo says, fastest-paced areas of the law, litigation, but it’s a good fit for lawyers who have and corporate governance that I’ve ever multiple skill sets and who like to solve experienced,” he says. “It seems to change complex problems that combine regulation, every three to six months, and requires investigation, and potential civil litigation at constant learning about new regulations, the same time. “I recently had one breach cases, and solutions.” Then there are the with hundreds of back doors that gave the ever-looming, and ever-changing, threats. attacker access to a network,” he shares. “An expression I hear and use a lot is: “Those doors needed to be methodically ‘Somebody is trying to hack you right now, as found and closed.” To do that, Ferrillo says, we’re speaking. Are you prepared?’,” Ferrillo he drew on knowledge and skills he gained says. “Many companies simply aren’t, and I at St. John’s Law. suspect the problem might be getting worse.” “The late Professor David Siegel, who I dearly To put the practice area’s dynamic nature in adored, taught me all about New York State even sharper perspective, Ferrillo notes that and Federal practice,” he recalls. “Through the regulatory effort around cybersecurity “is St. John’s moot court program, I learned to really the new kid on the block.” It’s been think and speak on my feet, and to write just five years since the National Institute a good, succinct, and pointed legal brief. of Standards and Technology introduced Indeed, all of my professors taught me and its seminal cybersecurity framework. Two my classmates to be thorough, effective,

and holistic lawyers—skills that I keep in my toolbox today to help clients deal with intricate problems.”

action,” he says. “And they’re setting up analytics and information ‘fusion centers’ that find and combine all of the information sources available to the enterprise to create a threat picture that enables the institution to better understand its risk profile and more efficiently respond to incidents.”

JOSEPH V. MORENO ’99L, ’00MBA agrees that it’s very gratifying to be a trusted cybersecurity advisor. He handles a range of matters related to data protection and incidents as a partner in the white collar defense and investigations group at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Like Ferrillo, LEO TADDEO ’94 believes that his St. John’s legal education prepared him well for a career in cybersecurity that began during his 20-year tenure with the FBI. “St. John’s “Having worked for years with corporate sharpened my ability to analyze and solve While innovation is key to preventing, clients across industries in developing and complex problems,” he says. “While I always combatting, and recovering from cyberattacks, implementing anti-bribery and anti-money knew the value of personal ethics, fairness, laundering programs, cybersecurity was the JUDITH H. GERMANO ’96 recognizes that many and justice, I learned how to advocate for cybercrimes are still relatively unsophisticated. next logical space to develop as a practice those principles as a law student. These skills “Malware attacks launched through phishing area,” he says. Moreno’s practice in this niche have been critically important to me in my emails and similar low-tech schemes remain is also informed by his earlier career in the professional and personal life.” prevalent” she explains. “And they can be U.S. military, as a national security prosecutor prevented by low-cost measures, such as with the U.S. Department of Justice, and Taddeo, a U.S. military veteran, began his using two-factor authentication, limiting as a consultant to the FBI’s 9/11 Review legal career as a criminal investigator with data access, keeping software updated, and Commission. “In these diverse roles, I gained the FBI in New York, and then assumed requiring complex, unique passwords or other subject matter expertise in dealing with a succession of senior roles with greater access credentials.” cyberterrorism conducted by hostile foreign responsibility for FBI operations around the actors,” he shares. world. “Like just about every other FBI agent, Cybersecurity is a focus of Germano’s work I wanted to work the biggest, hardest, and as principal of Germano Law LLC. “I was a His broad base of experience affords most impactful investigations,” he says. “For federal prosecutor for 11 years before starting Moreno a clear view of the current threat the majority of my years as an agent, that my own boutique firm,” she shares. “As chief landscape. “The danger of being hacked was meant organized crime, white collar crime, of economic crimes at the U.S. Attorney’s bad enough when we were dealing solely and terrorism cases. It wasn’t until late in my Office for the District of New Jersey, I was with lone wolf attackers,” he says. “Now FBI career that I recognized the importance involved in, and supervised, cybercrime we have sophisticated, foreign military and of cybercrime and gravitated toward investigations and prosecutions, among other intelligence-backed hacking operations assignments in that field. Given that there responsibilities. I saw how cyberthreats were supported by the likes of China, Iran, Russia, weren’t many senior executives with cyber growing, and that companies needed help and North Korea who act with impunity.” expertise in the FBI, I soon found myself in a handling them.” These ever-growing threats—and constantly small group of experienced investigators who developing cyber regimes like the EU’s GDPR could effectively supervise cyber programs.” Germano also traces her interest in and regulations enacted by California, New cybersecurity back to her time at St. John’s York, and other U.S. states—only add to the Eventually, Taddeo left the FBI and took his Law. “I wanted to earn a law degree so I potent cybersecurity mix that, Moreno says, cybersecurity expertise to the private sector, could guide organizations and executives makes these challenging times for companies. where he now serves as chief information through crisis,” she says. As the research security officer at Cyxtera Technologies. “My and symposium editor of the St. John’s Given these challenges, seasoned primary responsibility is to ensure the security Journal of Legal Commentary—now cybersecurity lawyers have become essential of the critical information assets that Cyxtera the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic to corporate wellbeing. “We’re there to depends on to do business,” he explains. Development—I coordinated a symposium advise clients on regulatory, litigation, and “This includes general IT security, compliance, on Cyberspace and the Law. It was one of public relations matters, and that can go and product security. I also work with the very first conferences of its kind, and it a long way to addressing the merits of a Cyxtera’s developers to improve the features introduced me to the field of cybersecurity cybersecurity breach while also restoring and capabilities of the security products we in all its complexities.” public confidence,” Moreno says. “How offer to our customers.” you handle yourself in the first few hours In addition to working as a cybersecurity following a breach can mean the difference Considering the state of his field today, attorney, Germano engages her expertise between a temporary dustup and a longTaddeo notes that, out of sheer necessity, as a distinguished fellow at the NYU Center term disaster.” financial services companies lead every for Cybersecurity, as a senior fellow at NYU’s other sector in developing and deploying Reiss Center on Law and Security, and as As he weighs what it takes to succeed as a cybersecurity controls. “This lead is the an adjunct professor at NYU Law. “Good cybersecurity attorney, Moreno is clear that result of investments in staff and security cybersecurity starts with a risk assessment St. John’s Law graduates are up to the task. tools internally and external, cross-sector that focuses on the systems and data an “St. John’s lawyers are practical and know how collaboration,” he says. “By sharing and organization has, who has access to them, to handle themselves in the courtroom, the cooperating with each other, financial how they’re protected, and what threats boardroom, or in front of the media,” he says. institutions make the entire sector more they face,” she shares. “I enjoy helping “We are deliberative and thoughtful, but also secure and resilient.” executives and officials develop and test know how to make judgment calls and shift systems, plans, policies, and procedures for gears when faced with fast-changing events. Innovation, Taddeo points out, is fueling this improving cybersecurity in their organizations. Lawyers are generally well trained to handle crisis effort. “Companies are investing heavily in I’m dealing with critically important issues at response, but St. John’s lawyers are especially machine learning and artificial intelligence the intersection of security, technology, and well suited when it comes to reacting under fire that can predict malicious activity and take business. It’s fascinating and rewarding work.” to achieve the best results for our clients.” SPRING 2019 l 17

KEEPING COMPANIES D

ata privacy and cybersecurity regulation didn’t start with the 2008 recession in the United States, but the crisis certainly put regulatory watchdogs into overdrive across the financial sector. America is now home to a maze of federal and state rules and requirements around data protection. And the EU’s GDPR is one of the most stringent and far-reaching efforts to date.

He particularly enjoys the wide variety of matters he handles. “Our clients are always looking to introduce new products and services, and come to us with a host of interesting compliance and legal issues,” he shares. “Enhancing mobile banking features is a current focus, for example. At the same time, the relevant regulations are continually growing and changing. That keeps things interesting and never too routine.”

More than 30 years along his professional Any company or individual that processes path, Patterson can still see the connecting personal data is responsible for its protection points to his St. John’s legal education. and, by extension, can be held accountable “Compliance professionals with a legal for a data breach under the GDPR. Since skillset deliver benefits to an organization,” international financial services firms typically KEVIN PATTERSON he says. “They have an enhanced ability hold huge amounts of personal data, this to take a regulation and break it down to regulatory scheme is having an outsized its component parts to better understand impact on them, their vendors, and other its intended purpose and practical impact. third parties they work with. Penalties for non-compliance can be steep, with companies St. John’s Law teaches students how to perform and synthesize legal research and facing fines of up to four percent of their translate those actions into meaningful legal annual global turnover. services. It also instills a pragmatism that serves lawyers well as they undertake the With this regulatory thicket to navigate, detail-oriented analysis required to work in firms are building out their compliance compliance successfully.” operations and, increasingly, hiring lawyers to lead and advise them. Working in house PAUL R. WALSH ’92, who is an adjunct professor or as outside counsel, these professionals at St. John’s Law, makes a similar connection support the company’s business areas in their between his Law School education and his duty to comply with external regulations. role as the head of compliance and regulatory They also devise, implement, and monitor risk for Commonwealth Bank of Australia internal systems that ensure the company’s (CBA) in the United States. “Much of my compliance with external mandates. PAUL WALSH work today is advisory in nature,” he says. “I’m asked to give an opinion based on the As a partner at Cullen and Dykman LLP, regulations and my experience and, each time “I enjoy collaborating with my internal clients KEVIN PATTERSON ’81C, ’83MBA, ’86L focuses to find right-fit options for conducting their his work on bank operations and compliance, I do, I need to be prepared to ‘make the case’ business in a regulatory compliant manner,” for my view and communicate it clearly. My particularly in regard to the online and he says. “Working through complex problems legal training at St. John’s provided a solid mobile delivery of financial services. It’s a and explaining the reasoning along the way, foundation for this advisory role.” dynamic practice that taps the knowledge you can develop action plans beyond a and skills he gained over a career that started simple ‘no this can’t be done.’ This is where a After graduating from St. John’s, Walsh at Cullen and Dykman and then took him proactive compliance professional adds true worked as a trial lawyer. “The skills I used in house at a succession of major financial value without compromising the core ‘do the to build cogent and persuasive arguments services firms, where he provided legal right thing’ tenet that every company should in the courtroom translated well to a career counsel on client matters at the intersection operate under.” helping companies manage risk and comply of technology and business. with regulations while they innovate to make As PETER E. PISAPIA ’94CBA, ’97L sees their businesses profitable,” he notes. Over the “I’ve been back at Cullen and Dykman for it, lawyers who work in compliance years, Walsh has employed those skills and more than five years, and the variety and also add tremendous value by helping others while leading compliance operations at depth of my experiences as in-house counsel companies keep up with ever-changing prominent financial firms, including JPMorgan have been invaluable as I advise clients data protection regulations. “One of the Chase, TD, Betterment and, now, CBA. on regulatory compliance,” Patterson says. biggest challenges with respect to data 18 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

IN COMPLIANCE state regulators and provide compliance training to employees and personnel.” Pisapia started in compliance after an early career as an in-house mutual funds attorney. “I was probably the only student at St. John’s Law who knew from my first day that I wanted to be a mutual funds lawyer,” he shares. “But I didn’t consider compliance until after I had practiced for a few years.” Pisapia is happy he made the switch, and finds his current work particularly rewarding.

PETER E. PISAPIA

RUTH CALAMAN

privacy and cybersecurity is the whirlwind of technological advancement,” he says. “Compliance professionals have to stay up to date on the latest practices and capabilities. As Wayne Gretzky said about playing hockey—you have to be where the puck is going, not where it’s been.” The analogy plays out for Pisapia in his position as senior director at TIAA and chief compliance officer of the TIAA Life Insurance Separate Accounts. “I head the compliance program for the TIAA and CREF registered funds complex,” he explains. “My primary responsibilities include managing a team to assess regulatory risks and to develop and maintain policies, procedures, and monitoring activities. We also interact with federal and

date with regulatory requirements and that they respond to regulatory changes as they occur by updating their policies, procedures, and practices. I also manage regulatory examinations and inquiries, and ensure that regulatory filings are accurate and timely.” The role puts Calaman on the frontlines of data protection. “I spend a lot of time training our employees about client data confidentiality and safety, and about the dangers involved in misusing that data,” she says. “I also work closely with our IT team to ensure that our client data is secure from unauthorized access.” This crucial compliance work can get complicated, but Calaman rises to the challenge.

“TIAA is a large organization with many business lines and industry-leading practices,” he says. “We also are the fiduciary to millions of wage earners who entrust us with their retirement accounts. My team is “When there’s a potential issue at a global here to keep their assets and data safe.” It’s company that involves multiple clients and a big job that benefits from legal training, vendors, figuring out whether you have a says Pisapia. “The ability to analyze and reportable matter takes time and attention to understand complex securities laws and detail,” she says. “There is no single, national regulations, problem-solve, and write and or international standard to follow, so communicate well—all skills you can hone at compliance professionals have to be familiar St. John’s Law—are excellent qualifications with the tangle of rules and regulations for for compliance officers.” data privacy and security, including rules that apply in places where the business is located, RUTH CALAMAN ’97 agrees that compliance where the client resides, and where the work is an excellent fit for lawyers generally, vendor is present. Each jurisdiction has its and for St. John’s lawyers in particular. “The own standards, requirements, and definitions, work challenges you every day to apply the so what may be problematic in one place rule of law to real-life situations,” she says. may not necessarily be an issue in another.” “It’s not about theory and abstract principles. As a compliance professional, you’re called A different challenge for compliance leaders, upon frequently to determine whether a says EUGENIE (GENIE) CESAR-FABIAN ’04, is particular action or decision is compliant, or bridging the divide between how junior and if it would violate a law, regulation, policy, senior professionals in a company understand or procedure. To make that determination, and use technology. But with that challenge you need to be able to view the facts and comes opportunity that Cesar-Fabian seizes as circumstances objectively and consider general counsel and chief compliance officer at established guidelines for the action or Palladium Equity Partners, LLC. decision in question.” Calaman relied on the knowledge and skills she acquired at St. John’s as she charted an impressive career path in senior finance industry legal and compliance roles. Today, she serves as chief compliance officer and general counsel of Evercore Wealth Management and Evercore Trust Company, N.A. “As CCO, I’m responsible for all aspects of the compliance program,” she says. “I ensure the businesses are up to

“Since the majority of senior executives in financial services built their careers when cell phones and email were technological novelties, it can be hard to translate where to draw the line between the need to protect the electronic data we use and the need to access that data quickly and effectively so the firm can meet its business objectives,” Cesar-Fabian explains. Mediating between these competing needs is the perfect job for a SPRING 2019 l 19

compliance leader who is well versed in law and technology. “If a CCO has a good understanding of where the business line wants to go with respect to technology, can identify the potential pitfalls to the firm, and can speak to the relevant issues with both tech-savvy junior professionals and senior professionals aiming to unlock efficiencies, then he or she can help inform the decision-making process to find the best possible path forward,” Cesar-Fabian says. “Say the firm is like a high-performance race car. Compliance professionals want to serve as a solid braking system that can help protect it from serious accidents, without necessarily erecting walls in front of it.” Cesar-Fabian took the in-house legal and compliance job at Palladium following a career in private practice at major law firms. “When I first joined Palladium, I worked with senior management to build out and implement a robust regulatory compliance program, from drafting the written policies and training employees, to implementing an efficient way to track and monitor the program,” she says. “Since then, it’s been my job to monitor, maintain, and update the program as we’ve continued to grow and thrive as a firm.” With that growth and success, Palladium has expanded its legal and compliance operation, welcoming Cesar-Fabian’s St. John’s Law classmate and friend, DOMINICK BARBIERI ’04, to the team two years ago as associate general counsel and deputy chief compliance officer. “Dom and I were close in law school, and were two of three in our study group from our first year through graduation, so you can imagine how elated I was when we were

EUGENIE CESAR-FABIAN

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able to bring him in,” Cesar-Fabian says. “We weren’t just getting an exceptionally intelligent, talented lawyer, but someone I knew and trusted from the start.” The feeling is mutual for Barbieri, who held a federal clerkship just out of St. John’s and then practiced as a big firm litigator before joining the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “Palladium has been one of the best professional experiences of my life,” he shares. “Transitioning from a litigation and government enforcement perspective to an inhouse role at a middle-market private equity firm is a significant change in the day-to-day demands of the job and culture. Being able to bounce things off a friend and colleague has been wonderful, and I’ve benefitted immensely from Genie’s mentorship.” His role at Palladium, Barbieri says, is a natural fusion of the skills he learned as a government lawyer, in private practice, and at the Law School. “The number one skill I employ daily is critical thinking,” he says. “Being able to approach complex problems in a methodical way has been key to my professional achievements. I also use the ‘soft skill’ of emotional intelligence regularly. It’s invaluable when offering real-world advice as a lawyer and compliance officer to help my firm achieve its goals and protect the data it’s entrusted with.” SABEENA AHMED LICONTE ’06, the chief legal officer and chief compliance officer at Bank of China International (USA) Holding Inc. (BOCI), also draws on skills and experience she gained at St. John’s Law. “During my 2L year, I had an internship in the Regulatory Compliance Department at Merrill Lynch,” she says. “We started our weekly meetings

DOMINICK BARBIERI

by slapping the Wall Street Journal and New York Times down on our conference table to see which financial services firm had made it to the front page because of some alleged wrongdoing. That’s how I learned all about reputational risk and how it interplays with a company’s wellbeing.” As a 3L, Liconte amassed more real-world experience working in the securities fraud prosecution division at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. With that practical insight, after graduation, she started her career in the legal division of Bank of New York Mellon. Moving in house at a start-up futures broker, Liconte was tapped to serve as the firm’s general counsel and chief employment officer. She then went to E*Trade Financial Inc. before starting at BOCI. Liconte relishes the opportunity to work in a field that is always evolving. “I started out as electronic trading was dramatically changing the finance industry,” she says. “Today, we’re seeing similar shifts with the rise of virtual assets, like cryptocurrencies and bitcoin, and with more of the world’s transactions occurring online in real time.” As the digital economy matures, Liconte sees the work of lawyers in the compliance field expanding. “We’re the in-house experts on how companies can grow and prosper while meeting their obligation to safeguard the personal data they collect, use, and share,” she says. “As that data pool gets bigger and becomes an even more valuable corporate asset and global currency, the regulatory framework will naturally change to keep pace. This constant change is what keeps compliance work so interesting, and makes it such an exciting time to be in the field.”

SABEENA AHMED LICONTE

ALL IN

St. John’s Law Alumni Find Career Success and Fulfillment at JPMorgan Chase

It’s a fixture in cities, suburbs, and towns. It’s there for people as they shop online, purchase a home, finance their business, and invest for the future. It also guides the corporations, institutions, and governments that shape the global economy. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is one of the world’s leading financial services firms, and it’s where you can find many St. John’s Law alumni working in diverse roles across business lines. Here, we introduce you to some of them. develop the core, legal competences I’ve employed investment matters of various sizes, as well as new Jordan A. Costa ’05 joined JPMorgan Chase’s throughout my career,” he says. philanthropic grants and other initiatives.” in-house legal team nearly a decade ago as a member of the bank regulatory group. The work Taran came to JPMorgan Chase after working at was a great fit for Costa, who had started his career Costa considers his St. John’s legal education a Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and then in house at cornerstone of his success to date. Intent on a in the bankruptcy and reorganization and capital other financial services companies. Along the way, career in corporate and securities law, he focused markets practice at Shearman & Sterling LLP. “I he built experience and expertise in ERISA, the on courses and professors that could help him came to JPMorgan very well prepared,” he says. reach his goal. “I took every course that Professor federal law that governs the activities of financial “Early on, as the lead lawyer advising the firm on firms and other parties that service or transact Michael Perino offered, worked as his research global recovery and resolution planning, I drew with U.S. retirement plans. “The team I now assistant, and got his input on my St. John’s Law heavily on my law firm experience in high yield Review note on securities litigation,” Costa recalls. lead provides advice and support across a wide and insolvency. It was an exciting role that opened range of JPMorgan businesses, including our asset up some interesting and unexpected opportunities, “He’s been a tremendous influence on me as a management business, which manages investment including a fair bit of public speaking and advocacy lawyer. I also filled my Law School docket with portfolios on behalf of large plans and other courses on corporate finance, bankruptcy law, in the United States and Europe.” institutional clients, and our wealth management and antitrust that were all exceptional—and, for businesses, which provide a range of financial me, exceptionally relevant—training for my role Seizing those opportunities, Costa charted a career services to individuals,” Taran explains. at JPMorgan.” path at JPMorgan Chase that eventually led to his current role as Managing Director, General While there are many things that he enjoys about As Managing Director/Associate General Counsel Counsel—Corporate Law. “I lead a group of working at JPMorgan Chase, Taran says the people corporate, M&A, and securities lawyers that advises in the Asset & Wealth Management ERISA legal are first and foremost. “I’m fortunate to work coverage group at JPMorgan Chase, Jesse Taran ’97 the bank and our senior management in a range alongside colleagues—within legal, the businesses also appreciates the foundation for successful legal of areas,” he says. “It’s exciting and challenging, that I support, and the control functions I partner practice that he built at St. John’s Law. “From and always—and never predictably—varied. In critical and analytical thinking, to staying organized with like risk and compliance—who are incredibly any given quarter, my team will advise on several intelligent, capable, and passionate in what they and focused, collaborating with others, and billion dollars of securities offerings, a 10-K or do,” he says. “They emphasize collaboration ➤ writing crisply and cleanly, St. John’s helped me 10-Q, and a variety of active M&A and private SPRING 2019 l 21

JORDAN A. COSTA

RONALD SINGH

JESSE TARAN

and always strive to do right by our clients and customers. JPMorgan also ‘walks the walk’ when it says that it’s committed to maintaining a culture of respect in the way we do business. People here treat each other with courtesy and dignity.” Ronald Singh ’05 who works at the company as Executive Director for Payments and Banking, couldn’t agree more. “The single most significant thing I’ve enjoyed in my eight years at JPMorgan Chase is the people,” he says. “I work with the smartest and kindest folks who have shown me that you can be at the top of your game, intelligent as ever, and still stay big-hearted. It’s truly a privilege to be part of this organization.”

landed with JPMorgan Chase’s litigation group just as the mortgage crisis was unfolding.” Since then, Singh’s career at the firm has flourished as he has taken on a range of roles and responsibilities. “I’m fortunate to work in an organization that values mobility and developing and growing talent,” he says. “I’ve been able to employ a full range of skills, not just legal, to advise the bank holistically on legal risk and all other forms of risk that such a large organization faces.” Just as Costa, Taran, and Singh are finding career success and fulfillment as in-house counsel, other St. John’s Law alumni are thriving in non-lawyer roles at the firm. Vincent A. La Padula ’02 is one of them. As the firm’s Global Head of Lending Solutions for Wealth Management, and as a member of its Global Wealth Management Operating Committee, he leads a worldwide team of lending advisors who tailor financing solutions for their clients.

As he describes it, Singh’s route to his current in-house legal role wasn’t conventional. The son of hard-working immigrants who arrived in the United States with just a few hundred dollars, he enrolled in St. John’s Law on the family conviction that, with a good work ethic, resilience, persistence, faith in God, and a strong educational foundation, anything is possible. He found a diverse, welcoming, “We offer a broad range of solutions—from securities-based lines of credit, to specialty and supportive community. “I enjoyed learning at financing, including art, aircraft, and yachts, St. John’s, and have benefitted from the agile and to structured, syndicated transactions,” says expansive mindset I cultivated there,” says Singh. “I La Padula. “We take the time to understand our learned to see issues from different perspectives, clients, their goals, and their objectives, and we which has made me a better lawyer and person.” consider their entire wealth picture to ensure that we’re confident with the financing decision.” After graduating from the Law School, Singh worked as a securities litigator in private practice. La Padula brings a unique perspective to this “I thoroughly enjoyed it, but when I reached work. He served in key positions in New York City that mid-career milestone, I had an urge to government before and while attending St. John’s explore other options,” he shares. “A good friend Law in the evening. As a public servant and as a suggested I look into going in house, where I law student, he honed an ability to communicate could use my business and legal skills to be a clearly and to think critically. He went to trusted advisor in the full sense of the word. I

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JPMorgan Chase the year before graduating at the top of his Law School class. “I started out as part of the public finance group in the firm’s corporate and investment bank,” La Padula recalls. “From there, I joined wealth management as a senior banker in the closely held business group, focusing on ultra-high-net-worth clients. After taking on leadership positions in our wealth group and private bank, I moved into my current role.” Throughout, he says, it’s been very rewarding to be a part of the company. “What sets JPMorgan Chase apart from the competition is the talent—it’s unbeatable,” La Padula says. “We have an amazing group of extremely hard-working individuals who are dedicated to serving our clients each and every day. The firm has been able to cultivate this exceptional talent base by constantly investing in people and supporting their career development. I’m also proud to work for an organization that champions diversity, and that has a deep commitment to philanthropy and community engagement.” JPMorgan Chase’s longstanding commitment to the communities it serves, to diversity initiatives, to veterans, and to employee engagement is also a point of pride for Janet Squitieri ’82CBA, ’87L, ’94MBA, an Executive Director who works in compliance for the firm. “Among other responsibilities, along with my team, I handle compliance support for the Beta and ETF business within the bank’s asset management business,” Squitieri says. “I also coordinate global compliance support with colleagues in Europe, and in the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific

JANET SQUITIERI

VINCENT A. LA PADULA

regions. Another one of my main job functions is supporting information barriers with respect to safeguarding and preventing the inappropriate flow of confidential information between Asset Management and other lines of business.” Squitieri’s current work at the firm roots in her early legal career at the New York Stock Exchange, which began when she was a student in the evening program at St. John’s Law. “I went to law school with a thought of being a litigator or doing trust and estates work, but when I started at the NYSE, I realized that compliance was a natural fit for me,” she says. She never looked back. Over the years, Squitieri’s career in the finance industry has spanned the globe. She has held compliance positions with self-regulatory organizations and other business entities, and has served as chief compliance officer for various financial services companies, including brokerdealers, investment advisors, private equity, and public funds. She was also an advisor in central and eastern Europe and in former Soviet Union countries as they transitioned their economies. All of these experiences, she says, have been stepping stones on a rewarding professional path that has taken her to JPMorgan Chase not once, but twice. “All along the way, my St. John’s legal education has been integral to my success as a compliance officer, because I learned how to interpret and apply the law and think analytically,” she notes. Maintaining close ties to alma mater, Squitieri returns to campus as a member of the St. John’s University Board of Trustees. At JPMorgan Chase, she has found an organization on the cutting-edge of innovation and change.

IRENE M. BAKER

“The company has some of the best and brightest leaders who challenge the status quo, which in turn challenges me in my role as a compliance officer, and inspires me to be innovative in re-engineering how I perform my responsibilities,” Squitieri says. Innovation is also a hallmark of the work that Irene M. Baker ’02 is doing on the vanguard of corporate responsibility as Executive Director of AdvancingCities, JPMorgan Chase’s $500 million, five-year initiative to drive inclusive growth and create greater economic opportunity in cities around the world. “Several years ago, our firm decided to focus its corporate responsibility efforts on expanding economic opportunity to ensure that more people benefit from a growing economy,” Baker explains. “AdvancingCities extends a model that we first put to work in Detroit, which had, in a matter of decades, gone from being one of America’s most prosperous cities to one of its most distressed. We’re doubling down on what we know works, combining the firm’s lending capital, philanthropic capital, and unique expertise to make investments in cities so that we can have even greater impact.” Building on what it learned in Detroit, the company has undertaken similar efforts in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Paris. “When I joined JPMorgan Chase, it was already two years into the Detroit effort and had a deep network in cities across the globe through the company’s Global Cities initiative,” Baker says. “In addition to leading the Global Cities Initiative and our Detroit investment, I was tasked with figuring out how we could export our model from Detroit to other cities.”

It’s a professional challenge and an opportunity that suits Baker, who previously worked at the Empire State Development Corporation and in government affairs at the Madison Square Garden Company. “The common thread across all of my work is the importance of investing in communities and people,” she says. “No man is an island, and no one entity can make significant and sustainable change alone. It takes deep commitment from leaders across sectors—business, government, and nonprofits— that come together to bring their unique capabilities to the table to solve problems.” Guiding AdvancingCities from concept, to launch, and now to execution, Baker draws on the knowledge and skills she gained while excelling in the evening program at St. John’s Law. “My law degree is one of my greatest credentials,” she says. “The critical thinking, ability to break down issues, build a case, and clearly articulate it is universally valuable. In addition, the culture of integrity and doing the right thing that was cultivated at St. John’s is reflected here at JPMorgan Chase.” While there is still a lot of work to be done on AdvancingCities, Baker is proud to be part of a company that believes that business has a responsibility to help solve pressing global problems. She is also grateful to work alongside “some of the smartest people in the world,” including her fellow St. John’s Law alumni. Baker’s Law School classmate and friend, Vince La Padula, joins in that sentiment. “It’s great to be part of a community that shares a sense of pride in St. John’s Law and JPMorgan Chase alike,” he says. “The same qualities that were instilled in us at the Law School—hard work, perseverance, and integrity—continue to drive all of us today.” SPRING 2019 l 23

TRENDS

A ‘Creepy’ Assignment: Pay Attention to What Strangers Reveal in Public An exercise I gave my students helps illustrate the risks to privacy in our everyday, offline lives. By Professor Kate Klonick 24 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

Concerns about digital privacy—What is Facebook doing with our data? How are advertisers tracking our interests? How can we stop the breaches that put our personal information at risk?—have received muchneeded attention in recent months, but there’s another aspect of privacy that should be on our minds, too: Many of us underestimate the ways in which ubiquitous technology like search engines on a smartphone in the hands of a stranger can compromise our privacy in our everyday lives. I teach information privacy to law students. I gave my class an optional exercise to complete over spring break that illustrated the difference between the privacy we think we have when we’re in public and the privacy we actually have. The instructions were straightforward: At some point in the next two weeks, try to determine a stranger’s identity, in a public place, using only Google search on your phone, based on things the stranger said loudly enough for lots of others to hear and things that are displayed on the person’s clothing or bags, like logos or a monogram. The activity was designed to illustrate a theory explored by Irwin Altman in the 1975 book The Environment and Social Behavior: Privacy, Personal Space, Territory, Crowding: People will assume anonymity in public and then reveal various levels of private information given what they believe their environment to be and what tools might be available to manage disclosure. For instance, if you are in a quiet doctor’s waiting room or even a full but quiet subway car, you might (though we’ve all been around those who don’t) wait to make a call to a friend, knowing you’ll be easily overheard. That discretion might fade away, however, in a noisy subway car or in an airport. In such places, you know people can still hear you, but you’re relying on another mechanism to protect your privacy: obscurity. Privacy by obscurity, as Woodrow Hartzog and Evan Selinger have written, “is the idea that when information is hard to obtain or understand, it is, to some degree, safe.” I wanted to demonstrate to my students how the most common of technologies can be used to shatter the perceived protections of obscurity and, in turn, reveal the admittedly thin mechanisms by which privacy is actually protected. After describing the exercise and its goals, I was met with some skepticism. A few students found it to be “creepy”—a reaction I was quick to point out revealed their own notions about how public space was private. I assured them that

the goal was not to eavesdrop on a purposefully private conversation, or to do any “digging” on the person, or to share or do anything with the information they found out. This was to be purely an exercise in whether people can actually be private in public places and whether they expect to be.

Does this exercise demonstrate that there’s no more privacy? No, but it does mean that you might have to make it happen for yourself. “If someone wants true privacy in this day and age your actions for achieving it must be intentional,” a user replied to my thread. “You have to work for privacy.”

The project has had fascinating results. A number of students have written to me over the course of the break describing their experiences. A student who had been against the need for privacy regulation, arguing in class that those who have nothing to hide shouldn’t care who’s watching or listening, was particularly shocked. Sitting on an airplane, she listened to the man in front of her on the phone arranging his pickup from the airport. He revealed enough in that conversation that she was able to find his name. “It’s actually crazy when you think about all of the things that are really NOT private!” she wrote to me in an email.

Networked technology has, as Helen Nissenbaum has written, “altered the meaning of public information” and made privacy in public a value to be protected. The exercise was a reminder that norms, not laws, govern a lot of this day-to-day personal privacy. There’s nothing illegal about Googling the guy loudly talking on his cellphone in line behind you at the grocery store, plugging whatever identifying details he provides into the search engine to learn more about him. But most of us don’t do it—why not? In part because it takes time and energy, but mostly we don’t do it because it’s a little “creepy,” as my students pointed out. The feeling of creepiness is the reaction to a norm being broken, a norm that values our individual ability to be private in public.

Another wrote to say he’d de-anonymized a man in a loud conversation on the train. He overheard the man’s first name and typed it in combined with the name of the college on his shirt. The student explained in his email to me that even without a last name, he was able to find the stranger’s college major, minor and year of graduation. It helped that in one photo he was wearing the same outfit he wore that day on the train. People outside my classroom have had experiences similar to those of my students. This week, I tweeted a short thread describing the assignment. “This reminds me of a time at a Starbucks,” a user replied. “This dude was having like a fight with his accountant or something. Kept, loudly, repeating his SSN and full name on the phone. After the third time I wrote it down, and handed it to him.” Another Twitter user said the exercise reminded her of her mother’s rule to “never use a full name in public,” noting “most people who grew up in a small town had a similar rule, no?” Many probably did. We’ve always known that in a tight-knit community, a bar where everybody knows your name, or a tiny cafe with only three tables, every stray comment made is likely to be overheard and can become a permanent part of the speaker’s reputation. But today you can be in the stands of a major league ballpark and anyone with a smartphone and Google can connect the words you say “privately” in public to other aspects of your identity—your employer, your last vacation, your hobbies, your hometown, your friends.

Norms are notoriously mercurial and thin protections, but we can do more to educate people and help preserve them, like decreasing the use of internet-connected devices and facialrecognition technology. But perhaps the most significant thing we can do is also the most personal: Treat every place as if it were a small town, and give everyone the privacy that you would give to your neighbor—and that you would want your neighbor to give to you. Also, if you decide to take a call when your plane is on the runway, keep your voice down. Kate Klonick joined the St. John’s Law faculty in 2018 and teaches Property, Internet Law, and an Information Privacy Seminar. Her research centers on law and technology, using cognitive and social psychology as a framework. She is an affiliate fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School and New America. This article was originally published as an op-ed in the online edition of the New York Times on March 8, 2019. That same day, a version of the article appeared in the paper’s print edition with the headline: “Is Your Seatmate Googling You?” You can follow Professor Klonick on Twitter at @Klonick. SPRING 2019 l 25

ADVANCES

Some things unnerve even the most seasoned lawyers. One is having to tell a client who feels wronged that they don’t have a case. And that’s exactly what a trio of St. John’s Law students had to do—and did exceptionally well—as participants in the Securities Arbitration Clinic this fall.

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SECURITIES ARBITRATION CLINIC STUDENTS GAIN KEY LAWYERING EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS One of three in-house clinics operating out of state-of-the-art offices on the Law School’s second floor, the Securities Arbitration Clinic is staffed by 2Ls and 3Ls who spend a semester representing underserved investors in securities arbitration claims involving misrepresentation, unsuitability, unauthorized trading, excessive trading, and failure to supervise, among other claims before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). “We launched the Clinic in 2004 to advocate for investors who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get legal assistance with their securities arbitration disputes,” says Professor Christine Lazaro, the Clinic’s director. “We focus on taking smaller cases, which are often difficult for attorneys to handle, either because of the small dollar amount at issue or the complex nature of the investments. We’re able to devote a significant amount of time and attention to our cases, which is especially important for smaller cases, where the lost funds may have a significant impact on the investor’s economic wellbeing.” For Charles Akinboyewa ‘19, being in the Clinic this fall was an invaluable learning experience that became all the more formative when he was assigned to work with Matthew Anderson ‘19 and James Bozek ‘19. “We made a great team, Akinboyewa says. “We complemented each other’s strengths, and helped work through each other’s weaknesses. Representing our client became a part of us, something we did thoroughly and with pride.” It was hard and meaningful work. “Charles, James, and I gathered evidentiary documents, interviewed our client multiple times, researched potential claims, and anticipated defenses to them,” Anderson explains. “As we worked on her case, and listened to her concerns, we forged a great relationship with our client,” Akinboyewa adds. “At times, she would even apologize for going on tangents, but we never cut her off. We needed to hear her whole story.” After much analysis and some debate, the team presented their findings to their Clinic professors. “They agreed with our conclusion that we shouldn’t move forward with the case,” Anderson shares. “It was heartbreaking.” It was also enlightening. The Clinic may close cases for a number of reasons. Among others, the misconduct may not lead to a legal claim, the client’s losses may not have been the result of misconduct, or the Clinic may assess that potential defenses weigh against proceeding.

“Being an advocate in this kind of situation taught us that, as attorneys, we won’t always ‘win’ our cases,” Bozek says. “We had a sense that our client wanted to be heard, and wanted someone to take the matter seriously. We did that as her advocates, and even after we shared the tough news that her case wasn’t moving forward, she thanked us for all we had done for her.” As Professor Lazaro sees it, the trio’s experience goes to the heart of what clinical legal education is all about. “We represent people who would have no other means of accessing justice,” she says. “As they navigate the inevitable ups and downs of client representation, our students gain invaluable insights on life and lawyering that will make them highly competent professionals when they graduate St. John’s Law.” Beyond representing real clients in real matters, the Clinic students engage in a mock mediation and arbitration at FINRA. They also go into the field regularly to educate investors about protecting themselves from misconduct. On annual trips to Washington, D.C., some students meet with regulators and others to discuss, and advocate for, issues of importance to retail investors. And this year’s Clinic students will contribute to an amicus brief submitted in a 4th Circuit case on the standard of vacature of arbitration awards. It’s a well-rounded experience that Tiffany Shatzkes ’12 is grateful to have had, first as a student clinician and then as a Clinic fellow. “The Clinic gave me a perspective of what daily life as a lawyer might be like in ways that my regular Law School classes, and even internships, didn’t,” she notes. “It also gave me the confidence to pursue a broad range of jobs because I knew I had a diverse set of transferable skills.” Shatzkes employs those skills in her current work as chief compliance officer at the registered investment adviser TZP Group. “The Clinic was my first exposure to the thought processes used to assess the best interests of an investor,” she says. “Learning to think that way has served as a building block for the thinking I’ve needed to do throughout my career in finance so far.” Coming full circle, Shatzkes is called on from time to time to advise and guide Clinic students. “I really enjoy getting back to my Law School roots,” she says. “Any time I’ve worked with Clinic students, they’re prepared and share the information I need to make our interaction productive. On a more personal level, it’s a reminder of how much I learned in the Clinic, how far I’ve come since my time there, and how grateful I am that St. John’s Law offered me, and continues to provide, this remarkable pathway to practice.”

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CENTER PIECE

ST. JOHN’S LAW AND FINRA HOST MILESTONE 10TH SECURITIES DISPUTE RESOLUTION TRIATHLON brokerage firms to keep customer data safe from cybersecurity attacks.

t was a landmark occasion as the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) hosted the 10th annual Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon in October at St. John’s Manhattan campus. A decade after its launch, the Triathlon remains the only competition that tests law student ability in each of the three main ADR processes—negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Students compete as advocacy lawyers, settlement counsel, and clients in a securities dispute. At the outset they try to negotiate a resolution, then they represent their clients in mediation, and finally they proceed to arbitration before a three-person panel. Professional neutrals from FINRA’s roster serve as mediators, arbitrators, and judges, giving students a realistic experience of these vital dispute resolution approaches. An impressive 20 teams from law schools across the country participated in the 2018 Triathlon, tackling a timely competition problem concerning the allocation of responsibility between customers and 28 l ST. JOHN’S LAW MAGAZINE

“Examining the facts and issues presented, Triathlon competitors come to see that legal problems are often not just about the law, but also involve business, economic, psychological, and societal problems,” says Elayne E. Greenberg, assistant dean for dispute resolution programs, professor of legal practice, director of the Carey Center, and creator of the Triathlon. “And, regardless of the career path they ultimately choose, law students benefit tremendously from developing the dispute resolution skills they need to be effective advocates. As collaborators on the Triathlon, the Carey Center and FINRA give the competitors a unique opportunity to grasp the nuances of settlement modalities, and to experiment with different advocacy styles in simulated, real world contexts.” While St. John’s Law students don’t compete in the Triathlon, they play a vital role as hosts, helping to organize and run a seamless event. In the end, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law bested the field to take the overall 2018 Triathlon championship, with Syracuse University College of Law coming in second, and University of Mississippi School of Law placing third. The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law won the arbitration round, the mediation round went to the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and the University of Houston Law Center came away with top honors in the negotiation round. The University of Maryland also took home the Advocate’s Choice award. From the start, the Triathlon has offered a singular learning opportunity for law students, and its continued success reflects

the commitment of dedicated educators and dispute resolution professionals, including Kenneth L. Andrichik, FINRA’s vice president, chief counsel, and director of mediation and strategy. He has been a cornerstone of the Triathlon for all of its 10 years, and reflects proudly on that role as he prepares to move on to other professional pursuits. “The Triathlon has been one of my most satisfying professional collaborations,” he says. “Working with St. John’s Law Professors Elayne Greenberg and Christine Lazaro has been rewarding personally and professionally. They bring extraordinary talents to this team and are reliable as partners and as friends. It’s gratifying that the FINRA neutrals come back year after year to support this competition, giving uniquely valuable feedback to the teams. I feel fortunate that many FINRA employees have volunteered over the years to help make this a special event. And I’m inspired watching the student competitors pour creativity and heart into their preparation and performances. Hopefully, the Triathlon encourages them to broaden their vision and add to their tools for effectively representing clients in the future. I know that many of them will become outstanding advocates.” As much as Andrichik values his Triathlon leadership role, his Triathlon colleagues value him. “There is only one Ken—the highest integrity, spirituality, and sense of irony when all else fails,” Professor Greenberg shares. “Over 10 years ago, when we began developing the Triathlon, Ken and I were committed to providing students with a realistic dispute resolution experience in which they learned how to become more effective advocates. In many ways, our collaboration modeled the very values and skills Triathlon participants learn year after year.” The next Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon will take place on October 19 and 20, 2019. For more information, please visit the competition website at stjohns.edu/law.

ON DIRECT

Associate Director of Employer and Externship Program Outreach Tom Blennau ’02

Rojas, who still works at St. John’s Law, and we talked about the new position. After some further conversations with the Law School’s leadership, I saw that this would be a great opportunity for me to leverage my relationship-building skills in support of alma mater. It was the perfect next step in my professional journey. TA: What do you enjoy most, and find most rewarding, about your work?

You can usually find Tom Blennau on the road, visiting alumni and other prospective employers with a focus on strengthening and developing relationships, assisting with recruiting needs, and generating new employment and externship opportunities for St. John’s Law students and graduates. It’s a role that takes him back to his roots at the Law School, where he excelled as a student in the evening program. Here, he talks with Assistant Dean for Marketing and Communications Trent Anderson about coming home to work at St. John’s. TA: After graduating from St. John’s Law cum laude, you practiced at the intersection of law and technology for many years. Why did you decide to start this new professional chapter? TB: After enjoying 20-plus years working in the insurance industry and as a lawyer, I thought it might be time to try something new. My passion for building trusted relationships with clients was a constant in my work up to that point. Still, I didn’t know exactly how my next chapter would play out. Around that time, as luck would have it, I heard that the Law School’s Career Development Office was creating a new role on its employer outreach team. So I called my former career development advisor, Helena

TB: I truly enjoy working with our students, learning about their goals and interests, and introducing them to right-fit jobs, externships, and internships. It’s also been wonderful to see our young alumni paying it forward by helping us build and strengthen the St. John’s Law connection at their firms, companies, and organizations. I enjoy collaborating with my colleagues throughout the building to create new employment and networking opportunities for students and alumni. Associate Dean Jeanne Ardan has done an amazing job building a team in the Career Development Office. We all have distinct, but complementary, roles that support our individualized and fully integrated approach to career development. It’s through this collective effort, and with the commitment and support of our alumni, that we’ve been able to achieve outstanding graduate employment outcomes year after year. While the numbers alone are impressive, to me, it’s what’s behind the numbers that means the most. It’s the St. John’s Law family coming together to have such a positive impact on lives and careers. TA: In addition to your outreach role, you also teach the Externship Seminar at St. John’s Law. How do you think our students benefit from externships? TB: Our externship program offers students an amazing opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in a real-world setting. Our program has grown tremendously over the last few years. We now offer placements in nearly every practice area and setting spanning the private, public, and governmental sectors, and we work closely with our students to help them identify and secure externships that align with their interests. Our Externship Seminar

accompanies the placement and complements the practical skills the students hone in the field. Teaching has been an exciting and rewarding experience. I’m able to share the knowledge I’ve gained in my legal career to help our students graduate practice ready. TA: Every St. John’s Law student is assigned a career counselor starting their first day on campus. How do you think this differentiates us and our students in this crowded marketplace? TB: Employers recognize and appreciate that our individualized approach to career development helps us better meet their needs. I really enjoy meeting with our alumni and other employers to learn more about their businesses, and collaborating with them to find good hiring prospects. I’ve been given the latitude to shape this new role so we can be responsive to the changing marketplace, and I’m very grateful for that unwavering support from the Law School’s leadership. It’s led to the creation of many new and exciting employment opportunities for our students and alumni. TA: What do you hear from our alumni who give back to alma mater by hiring St. John’s? Is it a meaningful connecting point for them? TB: I chose to attend St. John’s Law because of its reputation for having a strong alumni network. But it wasn’t until I was out on the road meeting with them in my new position that I experienced just how fantastic our alumni are. They’re proud and supportive, and they’re excited about the great progress the Law School has made under Dean Simons’s leadership. The question they ask me most often is, How can I help? They want to hire St. John’s. They want to mentor our students. But, more importantly, our alumni understand and appreciate the St. Johns Law student qualities that have remained constant over the years: smart, hardworking, unpretentious, gritty, personable, and practice ready. Those qualities form an unbreakable thread connecting the generations of St. John’s Law students and alumni. It’s really wonderful to be a part of that strong and enduring connection. You can reach Tom at blennaut@stjohns.edu or (718) 990-5929. SPRING 2019 l 29

SECOND ACTS

TRUSTED ADVISOR

Colleen Graham ‘91 Launches a Consultancy for the New Digital Age

Graham’s work at NextGen also takes her to the intersection of regulatory compliance, financial technology (FinTech), and regulatory technology (RegTech). “Yesterday’s compliance function was manual, chasing regulation, spending too much time checking the box and not enough time analyzing the risk,” she explains. “FinTech and RegTech are transforming those legacy compliance functions, making the work more proactive and preventative, and empowering and enabling compliance experts to focus on the risk.”

“Never let a good crisis go to waste,” Colleen Graham likes to say. But it’s more than just a saying. It’s a call to action— informed by Graham’s successful, 25-year career in financial services—that drives her latest venture as founder and CEO of NexGen Compliance. Launched last summer, NextGen is a consultancy for the new digital age. “I help financial services firms and other businesses develop innovative solutions to complex, traditional risk issues using data and technology,” Graham says. “Often, my clients are driven to improve because of an incident. In fact, I’ve found that firms with a problem are more likely to develop the next industry-leading practice. I’ll review or investigate the incident and, based on that assessment, I’ll develop a solution to ensure that the problem doesn’t resurface.”

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At the same time, Graham points out, RegTech and FinTech companies can be stymied by the maze of state, U.S., and international regulations around data privacy and cybersecurity, among other parameters. “The current regulatory framework isn’t designed for innovative products, and a lot of startups have trouble navigating the thorny landscape,” she says. “I help them get regulatory approvals. I also assist in building their products and related compliance programs.” It’s interesting and rewarding work that is a natural next step for Graham, who went to St. John’s Law intent on a career in financial services. “I was most interested in transactional work and negotiating deals,” she says, “so I focused my studies on securities law and a related curriculum.” After graduating, Graham practiced corporate law for five years and then moved in house at Credit Suisse, where she was a transactional lawyer before being tapped to run compliance for all of the company’s businesses in the Americas. “In addition to day-to-day advisory work, I was tasked with surveillance, licensing and registration, anti-money laundering, sanctions compliance, and control room to ensure that material,

non-public information wasn’t compromised,” she says. “I found myself asking ‘how would I know if something was going wrong?’ I was uncomfortable having accountability without clear visibility of the trades, activities across my region on all of those desks, and the associated risk. My passion for technology was sparked, and I was on a mission to find a better way to have visibility of relevant data and employee behaviors.” Graham continued to innovate at Credit Suisse as she took on a series of front office risk roles. “I was a first line of defense, and had the authority to revamp the supervisory framework to take a view of the trader versus the transaction,” she shares. “We went from supervisors looking at millions of trades to supervisors reviewing relevant information for individual traders. We thinned the haystack to find the bad trade needle and to see the stress point of employees before poor decisions were made. From that point on, it was ‘technology or bust’ for me.” Graham rounded out her work with Credit Suisse running its joint FinTech venture, Signac. As she steps out on her own at NextGen, Graham welcomes the challenge and the opportunity. “With the rise of a new digital age in which data is a prized currency and commodity, financial services companies need to begin to innovate in a very meaningful way,” she says. “I’m excited to share my knowledge and skillset with them through NextGen, to be their trusted advisor, and to help propel this essential industry sea change.” Note: As this magazine went to print, Colleen Graham was appointed executive vice president and general counsel at Boston Private, a leading provider of fully integrated wealth management, trust, and commercial and private banking services.

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT

KARL A. ROESSNER ’92 Sets the Vision and Strategic Direction for the Pioneering Online Brokerage Karl Roessner sees the intersection of financial services and technology from a clear vantage point. Since 2016, he has helped to reenvision and remake that nexus as chief executive officer at E*TRADE Financial, a company that has long been at the forefront of the digital revolution with its focus on delivering complete and easy-to-use solutions for traders, investors, advisors, and stock plan participants. Roessner assumed the company’s top leadership role after serving as its general counsel for over seven years. Before joining E*TRADE, he was a partner in the corporate practice group at Clifford Chance US LLP, one of the world’s preeminent law firms, where he advised clients on negotiated public and private transactions, management and leveraged buyouts, capital raising activities, and corporate governance matters. Here, he talks with the Law School’s Director of Communications, Lori Herz, about his work setting the vision and strategy direction for the pioneering online brokerage in an evolving digital age. LH: What was it like to take the helm at such a pivotal time in E*TRADE’s history, and when digital disruption and innovation is reshaping the financial services industry? KR: It’s been a tremendous source of pride to serve this company for many years in both my previous role as GC and in my current role as CEO. E*TRADE is a digital disruptor with world-class service, which puts us in a sweet spot between larger traditional firms and smaller financial technology startups. So, now more than ever, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be a part of the team. When I took the helm a few years back, one of my key challenges was to turbocharge our offering for active trader customers. We created the online trading space, but in today’s environment there are many platforms out there—our aim was to be the best. We also had to get there at lightning speed. To do so, we integrated and delivered a new platform in only 12 months, and in the process enhanced our active trading experience in a myriad of new and exciting ways, helping us reclaim our number one spot in active and derivative trading. It’s truly some of the best work we’ve done since I’ve been here.

LH: E*TRADE has deep FinTech roots. How important is it to balance, on the one hand, doing what you’ve always done so well as a company and, on the other, innovating to stay ahead in a competitive and changing field? KR: Balance is the key word—and at E*TRADE I think that’s part of who we are. To be sure, we’re known for our technological prowess, but the reality is we’re a hybrid defined by great digital experiences and fantastic human support. We listen closely to our customers, and we’ve taken to heart that when it comes to personal finances, main street investors don’t want one without the other. As a result, we look at technology through two lenses. The first is if the technology improves the customer’s digital experience. So, that could mean a new tool that helps find the right fund or stock online. But the second lens is looking at how technology can actually improve the human experience. And by that I mean technology that frees up time for our team to better serve the customer. We look at tools that can automate simpler customer needs so our reps can focus on the more substantial challenges our customers face—the ones where nothing but a knowledgeable human can help. LH: What do you enjoy most about your work at E*TRADE? KR: It’s about the people. We have an unrivaled team here at E*TRADE, and we’re driven by our enthusiasm to help customers. I’ve listened to many customer service calls, and it’s a truly unique experience to hear the satisfaction in a customer’s voice when we help them and deliver value. Because while placing a trade online should be seamless and easy, managing one’s finances for the long term is rarely an easy pursuit for anyone. That’s precisely where the human element of our value proposition comes in—and that’s my favorite part of what we do here.

LH: What are your primary responsibilities as CEO?

LH: How did your St. John’s legal education prepare you to be a corporate leader who can successfully meet the needs and expectations of different stakeholders?

KR: Really at the end of the day, it’s about setting the tone. It’s about ensuring that from the top to the bottom we are listening to our customers and keeping them front and center. It’s easier than you may think for employees to lose sight of that as they go about their job each day—so my job is to make sure we never lose focus. And while part of that means aligning the executive team and business leads, it also means continually seeking insight straight from the source—our customers. So I also connect regularly with the fantastic sales and service folks on the front line and listen directly to their conversations with customers.

KR: Going through law school, and then through practice for more than 20 years, I think the most important takeaway from my time at St. John’s is the importance of listening and taking both sides of an argument into consideration. St. John’s takes a very pragmatic approach to law—one that I’ve found to be extremely applicable and useful in all facets of business life. St. John’s is a culture of hardworking men and women—folks who many times have day jobs and are putting themselves through school. I think that creates a special atmosphere, where ego is shelved in favor of sound arguments and the best ideas, and where solid work rises to the top. SPRING 2019 l 31

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS 1 | September 17, 2018 was a fine day to drive, chip, and putt on the green at this year’s Hon. Guy J. Mangano Golf Classic. The Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove provided a fitting backdrop for the festivities, which included the presentation of the Hon. Guy J. Mangano Award to Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP partner James Herschlein ’85. The Law School’s Fall CLE Weekend on November 3 and 4, 2018 offered two tracks. Negligence: The Basics and Beyond gave a comprehensive view of the field of negligence, providing essential information and practical tips relevant to newly-admitted and seasoned attorneys alike. Participants in the Variety Pack chose from a suite of courses that included Dealing with Legal Technology; the Appeal of Appeals; a Primer on PreNuptial Agreements; and Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias. Attendees earned up to 16 CLE credits for the weekend. 2 | There was a wonderful turnout for the Alumni of Color Chapter StudentAlumni Networking Event on November 7, 2018. Ikhwan Rafeek ‘08, Richard Stehl ‘92, and Otterbourg P.C. were gracious hosts for the evening, during which Dean Michael A. Simons introduced the attendees to Kamille Dean, the Law School’s first-ever Director of Diversity and Inclusion.

LAW LOUGHLIN EVENTS

It was a wonderful night to celebrate alumni generosity at the annual Law Loughlin Society Reception on October 30, 2018. With a warm welcome from Law School Alumni Association President Steven J. Gartner ‘84, around 150 guests enjoyed a very special evening at the iconic Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. A highlight of the event was a surprise tribute to Dean Michael A. Simons, marking his 10 years of outstanding leadership at St. John’s Law that

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3 | Colonel Frank V. Kelly ’88, commander of the U.S. Army’s 4th Legal Operations Detachment and a partner at Rebar Bernstiel, received the Law School’s Distinguished Veteran Alumni Award at this year’s Armed Forces Alumni and Student Reception on November 13, 2018.

4 | On November 29, 2018, recent graduates joined Dean Michael A. Simons, faculty, and other celebrants at Connolly’s Restaurant in mid-town Manhattan for the Law School’s annual Bar Passage Reception. 5 | Over 100 alumni came together on December 5, 2018 for the Nassau Chapter Holiday Luncheon and Toy Drive at The Carltun in Eisenhower Park. Chapter President Matthew Flanagan ’92 welcomed the guests as they enjoyed a fireside chat with Dean Michael A. Simons and Mike Cragg, the new athletic director at St. John’s University. 6 | Always a wonderful way to start the holiday season, the Westchester Chapter Holiday Luncheon and Toy Drive was held at the Westchester Hills Golf Club in White Plains on December 6, 2018. The guest of honor was Hon. Robert A. Neary ’75, who presides in Supreme Court, Westchester County.

make him the longest-tenured law dean in New York, and the 11th longest-tenured law dean in the country. In recognition of this milestone achievement, alumni donated over $100,000 to help fund the Law School’s Michael and Karen Simons Scholarship. On February 7, 2019, Dean Michael A. Simons hosted An Evening With ESPN President James Pitaro ’94 at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about Pitaro’s work leading the preeminent multinational, multimedia company, and about the path he took to prominence in the sports entertainment industry.

This year’s Endowed Scholarship Reception was held March 12, 2019 at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and was graciously hosted by Steven J. Gartner ’84, chairman of the firm. The event brought the Law School community together to celebrate the generous donors and stewards of endowed scholarships, and the students who received those scholarships in the current academic year. The Law Loughlin Society is the primary giving society at St. John’s Law. To learn more about the ways you can support alma mater, please contact Associate Dean for Law School Advancement Brian Woods at brian.woods@stjohns.edu.

RECENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CHAPTER ACTIVITIES

BROOKLYN CHAPTER September 26, 2018 Networking Night, Elsa, Brooklyn April 9, 2019 Networking Night, The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, Brooklyn Contact: Joseph Sorrentino ’05 jmsorren@nycourts.gov

NASSAU CHAPTER November 7, 2018 February 6, 2019 March 6, 2019 April 3, 2019 Networking Night, Copperhill, Willison Park Contact: Matthew Flanagan ’92 mflanagan@cgpllp.com

BUFFALO CHAPTER August 29, 2018 Chapter Luncheon, Tappo, Buffalo Contact: Florina Altshiler ’05 faltshiler@russotoner.com

SUFFOLK CHAPTER November 8, 2018 Networking Night, Hono, Huntington Contact: Philip Rizzuto ’89CBA, ’93L PRizzuto@riaautolaw.com

FLORIDA CHAPTER First Thursday of the Month Dinner, Fort Lauderdale Area Contact: Brian Behar ’84 bbehar@bglaw.com

YOUNG ALUMNI CHAPTER October 23, 2018 Networking Night, Houndstooth Pub, Manhattan Contact: Joseph Reigadas ’13 joe.reigadas@gmail.com

7 | On December 12, 2018, Brooklyn Chapter President Joseph Sorrentino ’05 welcomed alumni to the Brooklyn Chapter Holiday Reception and Toy Drive at Floyd, NY. Each year, chapter members collect toys and donate them to St. John’s Bread & Life, an organization dedicated to alleviating hunger and poverty in Brooklyn and Queens. Alumni once again were tremendously generous and helped to make the holiday brighter for many children in Bedford Stuyvesant’s St. John’s Parish. 7

8 | On March 13, 2019, Timothy Graulich ’94L, ’06LL.M., a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, hosted the ABI Law Review Alumni Reception. Over 80 present and former members of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review attended. Joining in the festivities were Chapter President Francisco Vazquez ’94, the journal’s current editor-in-chief, Denise Dessel ’19, St. John’s Law Professors Keith Sharfman and G. Ray Warner, retired Professor Robert Zinman, and Dean Michael A. Simons.

During the Law School’s Spring CLE Weekend on February 9 and 10, 2019, participants had the option of taking a two-day session on Real Estate Closings A-Z. Or they opted for the Variety Pack, which included To ADR or Not to ADR, That is the Question; Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias; and Immigration Developments: A Caravan of Ideas, among other offerings. Whatever path they chose, the attendees gained practical insights and honed skills as they earned up to 16 CLE credits for the weekend.

This year’s Celebrating Women Student-Alumnae Networking Reception on March 19, 2019 was a wonderful tribute to the past, present, and future of women at St. John’s Law. Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP, and Law School alumni Bridget Croutier ’15, Roselind Hallinan ’14, and David H. Wollmuth ’87 who are with the firm, generously sponsored the event, which included the presentation of awards to several notable alumnae. Tanya N. Blocker ’09, senior counsel at Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP and president of the Association of Black Women Attorneys, received the Influencer Award. The Trailblazer Award went to Eileen Dillon ’86, who is a managing director at Goldman Sachs. Katie Shepherd ’09 received the Public Service Award in recognition of her work as national advocacy counsel at the American Immigration Council. And the Outstanding Alumna Award was presented to Denise F. Keane ’76, who served as general counsel and executive vice president at Altria until her retirement and is now consulting. SPRING 2019 l 33

TRADITIONS

n January, the St. John’s Law community gathered at the Manhattan Center in New York City for the annual Alumni Association Luncheon. As they mixed and mingled, guests bid on an array of exciting Silent Auction items, raising funds to support public interest initiatives at the Law School. Ralph Carter ’14 took the stage to receive the Recent Graduate Service Award in recognition of his outstanding service to alma mater. The program continued as Dean Michael A. Simons presented the Jerome and Maxine Belson Medal to Bernard E. Clair ’76, James D. Herschlein ’85, Edward M. Kelly ’74, Maura A. McLoughlin ’91, ’06HON, Hon. Reinaldo E. Rivera ’76, ’06HON, and Michael Van Aken ’99 for their demonstrated special loyalty and dedication to St. John’s Law, respect for the University mission, and philanthropy that has had a significant impact upon the advancement of legal education at the Law School. After Anita Krishnakumar accepted a special Faculty Recognition Award to mark her installation as the Inaugural Mary C. Daly Professor of Law, Dean Simons called John P. (Jack) Clarke ’55CBA, ’57L to the podium to receive the John J. Murphy Award in recognition of his distinguished service to the public, the profession, and the rule of law.

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It was a wonderful day to celebrate St. John’s Law and the people who help to make it so exceptional.

CLASS NOTES

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Justin L. Vigdor, who is of counsel to Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for corporate law. At their annual dinner, New Ground presented John P. (Jack) Clarke with its Thomas Whalen Memorial Award. Super Lawyers named Allan Hyman, a senior partner at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman LLP, to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. Sea Cliff Mayor Edward Lieberman and the Sea Cliff Village Board honored Hon. John P. Reali by renaming a courtroom the John P. Reali Courtroom.

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Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers have all recognized Fred Braid for his work as a management representative. He leads the labor and employment group at Holland & Knight LLP in New York.

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Terry O’Neil, a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, has been selected for inclusion in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for employment law–management, labor law–management and litigation– labor and employment. Super Lawyers named Gregory Naclerio, of counsel at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. Hon. Alan Scheinkman, presiding justice of the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department, was honored by the New York State Bar Association Council on Judicial Assignments’ Judicial Section.

Ronald Fatoullah, founder of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, lectured on Legal and Financial Concerns for Caregivers at the Caregiver’s Conference hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association Long Island Chapter. Hon. Vincent J. Martorana was appointed to the New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County.

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Edward C. Radin, a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for trusts and estates.

Lawyers in America list for labor and employment.

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Alan J. Schwartz, principal and managing attorney of the Law Offices of Alan J. Schwartz, P.C., was appointed associate village justice of the Incorporated Village of Centre Island.

’81

Super Lawyers selected Charlotte A. Biblow, a partner at Farrell Fritz, P.C., to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list for environmental law.

Charles M. Strain, a partner at Farrell Fritz, P.C., has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for health care law. He also received recognition as Lawyer of the Year, Long Island for having the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic location.

John Barnosky, a partner at Farrell Fritz, P.C., has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for trusts and estates. Super Lawyers also included him in its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list.

Arthur Mirante was appointed to the board of directors at Avison Young, the world’s fastest-growing commercial real estate service firm.

’70

’76

’78 ’79

’81 It was a mini reunion when Steve Conover, Bob Corcoran, Pete Garone, Jim Hubbert, Tom Rice, Marty Thompson, and Andy Curtin ’82 got together to watch St. John’s take on Georgetown at Madison Square Garden.

Super Lawyers has named Peter T. Roach, founder and senior partner at Peter T. Roach & Associates, P.C., to its New York–Metro Super Lawyers list for 10 consecutive years. Buffalo Business named Michael Ferdman to its 2018 First Legal Elite of Western New York list. He is a partner at Barclay Damon, LLP, where he concentrates his practice in business disputes, including breach of contract actions and UCC Article 2 disputes. He also tries personal injury and products liability cases, representing manufacturers and utility companies. Super Lawyers named Anthony R. Gambardella, a partner at Rivkin Radler LLP, to its 2018 New York– Metro Super Lawyers list. Fred Skolnick, a partner in the corporate and securities practice at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP, received MENTOR’s 2019 Excellence in Mentoring Award. Ernest R. Stolzer, a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, has been named to the 2019 Best

’81 Hon. Janet DiFiore, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, hosted Ashland Bernard ‘20, Jasmine Brown ‘19, and Allie Cabibbo ‘19, students from the Law School’s Women’s Law Society, at the Court of Appeals, along with Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment Alicia Meehan. Joining the group at the courthouse were Nicholas D’Angelo ‘17 and Sean Boden ’18, recent graduates who now work at the Court as a law clerk and a central legal staff attorney, respectively.

SPRING 2019 l 35

CLASS NOTES

’82 ’83 ’84

Super Lawyers named Rivkin Radler LLP partner Stuart I. Gordon to the 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. He concentrates his practice in bankruptcy and corporate law.

’88

Pierre Georges Bonnefil has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s employment, labor, benefits, and immigration practice group.

Marquis Who’s Who presented DiMascio & Associates, LLP partner John Philip DiMascio with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. The New York Real Estate Journal recognized Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP partner John V. Terrana as a Real Estate One to Watch.

Super Lawyers named Farrell Fritz, P.C. partner Eric M. Kramer to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list for estates and probate.

’89

Super Lawyers named Miriam E. Villani, a partner at Sahn Ward Coschignano, PLLC, to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. She focuses her practice on environmental law,

’85

Hon. Hilary Gingold has been elected a civil court judge in New York County. She formerly served as president of the Queens County Bar Association.

’87

Hon. Elizabeth Fox-McDonough has been appointed supervising judge of the Nassau County District Court. Farrell Fritz, P.C. partner Robert E. Sandler has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for construction litigation.

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Mark A. Ricca has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Municipal Credit Union.

’92

Alfred Fuscaldo has launched his own firm, Fuscaldo Law Group LLC. Based in Pennsylvania, the firm focuses on real estate law, zoning, land use and development, transactions, and commercial leasing. He is the former chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Real Property Section, and has been selected to Best Lawyers in Philadelphia for real estate law for the last four years.

Long Island Business News presented Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP partner Daniel Deegan with its Executive Circle Award. He was also appointed chairman of the Long Island Association’s Young Professionals Committee.

Super Lawyers selected Scott L. Lanin, managing attorney at Lanin Law P.C., to its 2018 New York– Metro Super Lawyers list. Lanin also and earned an Avvo rating of 10. Brian K. Kearns has opened a restaurant, Blue Goose, at 411 W. Main Street in Patchogue, NY. You can check out its offerings at bluegoosepatchogue.com.

Pia Riverso, a partner at Rivkin Radler LLP, has been named a fellow of the prestigious Construction Lawyers Society of America. Super Lawyers also selected her for its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. Super Lawyers named Rivkin Radler LLP partner Alan C. Eagle to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. He focuses his practice on insurance coverage.

’91

Someday Everything Will All Make Sense, a novel by Carol LaHines (Polizzi), will be published in 2019. Her fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals, including Fence, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Denver Quarterly, and the Literary Review.

In its annual section in New York Magazine, Leaders in the Law recognized Alan B. Hodish, of the Law Offices of Alan B. Hodish, as one of New York’s Leading Personal Injury Lawyers for 2018.

Super Lawyers named John P. McEntee, a partner at Farrell Fritz, P.C., to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. He concentrates his practice in commercial litigation.

’86

Christopher J. Kutner, a partner in Rivkin Radler LLP’s health services practice group, has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list.

Super Lawyers named Merrill S. Biscone, who is of counsel to Rivkin Radler LLP, to the 2018 New York– Metro Super Lawyers list.

Super Lawyers named Farrell Fritz, P.C. partner James M. Wicks to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. His practice concentrates in commercial litigation.

’90

Jon Devendorf, a partner at Barclay Damon, LLP, has been named to the 2019 Best Lawyers in America list for commercial litigation. Crain’s New York Business has named Cheryl F. Korman, a partner in the appeals practice group at Rivkin Radler LLP, to its Notable Women in Law list. Super Lawyers also named her to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list.

’93

’94

“Tenant Beware: Regarding Landlords Filing for Bankruptcy,” an article by Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP partner Gerard Luckman, appeared in the New York Real Estate Journal. Super Lawyers also included Luckman in its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. Jonathan R. Hausner has been elected a partner at Robinson & Cole LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s construction group. Robert J. Malatak has been named a partner at Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, where he represents corporate entities, financial institutions, unsecured creditor committees, and trustees in a wide range of complex commercial disputes in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts throughout the country. The Nassau County Republican Committee has named Francis X. McQuade its nominee for Nassau County District Attorney.

’95

Super Lawyers selected Farrell Fritz, P.C. partner Patrick T. Collins to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list for bankruptcy law.

’99

Newsday featured Thomas Stringer of BDO USA, LLP in an article about Amazon’s decision to cancel plans for a second headquarters in Long Island City.

The New York State Senate confirmed Hon. Francis A. Kahn III to the Court of Claims. He sits in the Bronx Supreme Court, Civil Term.

’96 ’97

Hon. Alexander Tisch has been elected to the New York State Supreme Court, New York County.

Jacqueline Marzan was promoted to associate underwriting manager at Attorneys’ Title Fund Services, LLC.

’98

’00

Paul R. Dehmel has joined Kaufman & Company, PLLC as a senior counsel in the firm’s New York office. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and securitiesrelated matters. Christopher J. Keller is chairman at Labaton Sucharow LLP, where he handles complex securities litigations.

In its annual section in New York Magazine, Leaders in the Law recognized Ken Jewell of Jewell Law, PLLC as a 2018 Leader in Law in the area of family law.

Lisa Chun is the chief compliance officer, global head of compliance at MIO Partners, Inc. and associate general counsel for McKinsey & Company. Thomas “T.J.” Keevins has joined Gallo Vitucci Klar LLP, where his practice focuses on the areas of general liability, labor law claims, automotive liability, construction liability, and premises liability.

’01

Russell Francisco is associate general counsel at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

’02 NYPD veteran, former EDNY U.S. Marshal, and current EVP of Security Fire & Life Safety for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum Charles Dunne has been appointed to the Federal Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Review Board. In this new role, Dunne will engage in various activities surrounding the design of the Federal Law Enforcement Badge of Bravery (which honors exceptional acts of bravery in the line of duty), help select awardees, and present awardees’ names to the attorney general.

Andrew Garbarino, who is of counsel at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., has been named to the board of directors of the Association for Mental Health and Wellness, a local chapter of Mental Health America and the Mental Health Association of New York State.

’01 Juan C. Gonzalez, vice president and senior managing counsel-intellectual property at Mastercard, keynoted this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at St. John’s Law.

Darren A. Pascarella has been made a partner at Farrell Fritz, P.C., where his practice focuses on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. Kelly Porcella was appointed chief administrative officer of Ladder Capital Corp. She will also continue to serve as the company’s general counsel and secretary.

Super Lawyers selected Farrell Fritz, P.C. associate Jacklyn A. Zitelli to its 2018 New York–Metro Rising Stars list. She concentrates her practice in real estate.

’98 Thomas C. Ridges, special counsel to the Richmond County District Attorney, received the New York City Bar Association’s 2018 Thomas E. Dewey Medal. The award is presented annually to outstanding prosecutors in New York City. He also received a Black Man of Excellence Award from Monroe College’s School of Criminal Justice.

Hon. Karina Alomar was elected as a judge in the Civil Court of the City of New York, Queens County.

’02

Super Lawyers selected Farrell Fritz, P.C. partner Kathryn Carney Cole to its 2018 New York–Metro Super Lawyers list. Cole is also a fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. Daniel Correll has joined Fordham University’s Office of Legal Counsel as associate general counsel.

’03

Matthew R. DiBlasi, is a partner at Holland & Knight LLP and practices in the area of complex commercial litigation, with particular emphasis on investigating and litigating fraud claims. Brian Gibbons has been named managing partner at Wade Clark Mulcahy LLP. He works in the firm’s new Long Island office.

SPRING 2019 l 37

CLASS NOTES Hofstra Law recognized Jennifer Hillman as one of the region’s Outstanding Women in Law. Hillman is a partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., where she is a member of the firm’s trusts and estates practice group.

’05

Carmine J. Castellano has been elevated to partner at Hodgson Russ LLP, where he has a broad practice with significant experience in financial services litigation, bankruptcy litigation, intellectual property litigation, ADA public accommodation and accessibility litigation, and general commercial disputes.

’07

Timothy C. Stone is a director at Exiger, a global financial crime compliance and regulatory consulting firm. He recently published his first novel, The Lakebed, an edgy sci-fi thriller.

Ryan Reeves has been named a partner at Dentons in the firm’s capital markets practice.

Farrell Fritz, P.C. has named Jaclene L. D’Agostino a partner in the firm’s trusts and estates practice group. Super Lawyers also selected D’Agostino to its 2018 New York– Metro Rising Stars. Nicholas B. Malito, counsel at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, played a prominent role at the Fifth Annual Belfast International

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Aaron S. Rothman has been named a partner at K&L Gates LLP. Based in the firm’s Charlotte, NC office, Rothman focuses his practice on commercial lending, corporate finance, private equity, and mezzanine financing.

Hale Yazicioglu Lake has been elected partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, where she represents mortgage lenders and servicers in complex litigation. She also represents clients in bankruptcy and real estate litigation matters.

Justin Tan was elected a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, where he focuses his practice in the area of litigation support for long-term care providers in contract, commercial matters, employment, guardianships, medical malpractice, personal injury, and civil rights issues.

Lauren Schnitzer has become counsel at Lamb & Barnosky, LLP, where she works in the firm’s education, labor, and municipal department, as well as its litigation department and its land use, planning, and zoning department.

DRI, the leading organization of civil defense attorneys and in-house counsel, recognized Harris Beach, PLLC partner Kelly Jones Howell for her dedication and commitment to young lawyers.

Jeffrey Basso has been elevated to partner at Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s litigation team and represents business owners, corporations, officers, shareholders, and investors in a variety of matters.

Ikhwan A. Rafeek has been promoted to of counsel in Otterbourg P.C.’s banking and finance group.

En-Chia Anna Lin has been named a partner at Roach & Lin, P.C., a leading mortgage default services law firm.

Yellowstone Capital LLC has appointed Tangela Griffin its chief compliance officer. In that role, she is responsible for enhancing and providing oversight of the company’s compliance and ethics program, including regulatory compliance.

’06

uncontested Article 81 guardianship proceedings, and Article 17-A guardianship proceedings.

Homecoming in Belfast, Ireland. Malito, who served as a lead conference moderator, was honored as an inaugural recipient of the Belfast Homecoming Ambassador Medal, recognizing him as “an outstanding individual who is helping to build Belfast by building international bridges to the diaspora.”

’08

Long Island Business News named Jessica M. Baquet one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business. A partner in the litigation, appellate, labor and employment, and trusts and estates practice groups at Jaspan Schlesinger, LLP, Baquet was also named to Super Lawyers’ 2018 New York–Metro Rising Stars list. Alberthe Bernier has joined Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti LLP as counsel. She concentrates her practice in the areas of elder law, including Medicaid planning and asset protection planning, trusts and estate planning and administration, special needs planning, contested and

Evan Zucker, a senior associate in the finance, restructuring, and bankruptcy group at Blank Rome LLP, has been inducted to Class VII of the International Insolvency Institute NextGen Leadership Program.

’09

Super Lawyers selected Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. associate Jennifer L. Hartman to its 2018 New York–Metro Rising Stars list. Hon. Helen Voutsinas was elected to the New York State Supreme Court, Nassau County. Richard Spatola has joined IBM as a senior attorney and trust and compliance officer. Raymond A. Mascia, Jr. has been promoted to partner at Anderson Kill P.C., where he concentrates his practice in insurance recovery and commercial litigation. William Li opened his own firm, William K. Li Law, PLLC, which concentrates on labor and employment law.

’10

Victoria Cantrella is the director of labor and employee relations at the Bowery Residents’ Committee. Super Lawyers named Rivkin Radler LLP associate Lawrence S. Han to its 2018 New York–Metro Rising Stars list.

’11

Amanda Reynolds, an associate at Rivkin Radler LLP, was named to Super Lawyers’ 2018 New York– Metro Rising Stars list.

Philip Butler has joined Farrell Fritz, P.C. as an associate in the firm’s land use and municipal department, where he focuses on representing clients on land use applications, permitting processes, and litigation.

Christina Bruno was named a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, where she works in the firm’s general liability practice group.

Amanda M. Rubildo was named a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, where she works in the firm’s general liability practice group.

’12

Ross J. Kartez is an associate at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C., where he is a member of the firm’s litigation department. Long Island Business News honored him recently as a Notable Business Professional Under 40. He was also named the vice-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section.

Bita Goldman is general manager and senior counsel at UNiDays, Inc., the world’s leading student affinity network. Allison A. Hoyt, who works in the advanced consulting group at Nationwide, was elected to a three-year term on the board of directors for the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

’15

Michael McDermott has joined Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP, where he defends clients in cases involving general liability, premise liability, professional liability, and product liability.

’16

Artem Skorostensky has joined Goodwin Procter LLP in the firm’s financial restructuring group.

’17

Michael DeBenedetto has joined Foster & Mazzi LLC, where he concentrates his practice in civil litigation.

’18

Adina Phillips is an associate at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP in the firm’s family and matrimonial law practice group.

’15 Wearing her St. John’s Law shirt, Kristen Chambers ran in the New York City Marathon, finishing at 4:45!

Bianca N. Nicoletti was named a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, where she works in the firm’s general liability practice group. Christopher Palmese is an associate in the real estate department in Seyfarth Shaw LLP, where he focuses his practice on the representation of purchasers and sellers of commercial real estate and the representation of investors, developers, lenders, tenants, and landlords in all facets of their commercial real estate portfolios. Palmese was selected to Super Lawyers’ 2018 New York– Metro Rising Stars list. Tim Poydenis has joined Cooley LLP, where he represents emerging growth companies at all stages of their evolutionary path, from formation to exit, as well as the venture capital firms and strategic investors in connection with their investments in these companies.

’15 Farrell Fritz, P.C. commercial litigator Viktoriya Liberchuk (second from left) received the 2018 Hon. Judith S. Kaye Scholarship and Award from the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section. The annual honor goes to up to five female litigators who have practiced for between two and 10 years and includes a scholarship to the Section’s Commercial Litigation Academy. The goal is to increase the number of women prepared to be first chair litigators.

We’d like to

hear from you! Please send your Class Notes submissions to Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations and CLE Claire C. McKeever ’80SVC, ’93L at mckeevec@stjohns.edu.

SPRING 2019 l 39

BIRTHS  Meghan Cannella Carroll ‘07, husband Robert F. Carroll ‘05, and big brother Jack welcomed Natalie in October. Grandparents Nicholas Cannella ‘75 and Joanne Welty Cannella ‘76 are over the moon, too!

 Ashley Kloepfer ‘11 and husband Jonathan Lavoie welcomed Noah Marion in January.

 Assistant Director of Career Development Melissa Kubit Angelides, husband Mario, and big sister Sabrina welcomed Evelyn Dean in August.

 Ronald Fatoullah ’76 welcomed his first grandchild, Harlow Kayla, in November.

 Natalie Elisha ‘12 and husband Sam Goldberg welcomed Ariella in August.

 Eun Chong (EJ) Thorsen ‘08 and husband Sean Thorsen ‘08 welcomed Jake Sean in January.

 Kathryn Zunno ’06 and wife Christine welcomed Evelyn (Evey) Susan in November.

 David Durso ‘12 and wife Georgeanne welcomed Michael Edward in May.

 Brian V. Breheny ‘96 and husband Pedro Lay welcomed twins Paden Victoria and Padraig Kivi in August.

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 Christine Sammarco McIntyre ‘09 and husband Corey welcomed John Andrew in August.

MARRIAGES

 Edda Santiago ‘14 married Gamaliel Delgado in October.



When Samantha Kwartler ‘16 wed Jack Holzberg in September, the guests included classmates Garam Cho ‘16 and Kyle TumSuden ‘16. Sam, Garam, and Kyle became close friends after being placed on the same team as students in the Law School’s Securities Arbitration Clinic.

IN MEMORIAM Jay F. Korth ’48

Robert M. Kahn ’69

Owen McBride ’48UC, ’50L

Richard J. Sgarlato ’69

Robert J. Marvin ’50CBA, ’53L

Stephen Klausner ’70

James Mullaney ’53

John Hay McConnell ’70

John A. Needham ’53

Brendan O’Reilly ’70

James J. Tunny ‘53

Trevor F. Headley ’72

Dennis P. Hannafey ’54

Frederick A. Edwards ’75

Theodore Sysol ’53CBA, ’54L

Barbara Sullivan-Parry ’73C, ’76L

Beatrice Solimine ’56

Lawrence F. Ruggiero ’77

Carl D’Angelo ’58

William V. Adams ’78

Ben Paul Siino ’58

Irene Dachtera ’78

George Boser ’59L, ‘62C

Kenneth Keutmann ’81

Ludwig Abruzzo ’60

Marguerite A. Pacacha ’84

Thomas J. Kelly ‘59CBA, ‘61L

Leonard Lato ’86

Michael P. Pierce ’63

Hon. Daniel McCullough ’94

Bartholomew M.

Eileen Stapleton ’69Ed, ’94L

Christopher C.Pennington ’06

Verdirame ’62C, ’64L

Ronald G. Copeland ’62P, ’65L Matthew Solano ’63C, ’66L William Andrus ’67 John Patrick Casey ‘62CBA, ’67L Wallace A. Fiore ’67 John J. Devine ’69

 Mara Rose Lieber ‘14 and Dylan William Sherwood ‘13 were married in June.

Frederick Thompson ’58, ’79HON (1933 – 2019) A Champion for Women’s Sports Long before the passage of Title IX, the federal law that banned sex discrimination in any educational program receiving federal funds, Fred Thompson was championing female track and field athletes. He founded the Atoms Track Club of Brooklyn in a Bedford-Stuyvesant community center out of frustration with the limited athletic opportunities available to girls. He took his responsibilities as a coach and mentor seriously, often paying the expenses for the club himself. The club’s goal was to promote education, and it produced 50 college graduates in its first 15 years—a tremendous achievement. Thompson also had success in the law. After graduating from St. John’s in 1958, he first worked as a negligence lawyer, then for the New York State Attorney General, and later with ABC-TV, the Federal Trade Commission, and Madison Square Garden. Thompson left the practice of law in 1974, when he became director of the Colgate Women’s Games, the nation’s largest amateur track series for women. He retired from that position in 2014, but continued his work with the Atoms. Thompson was a true coach, involved for the love of the sport and for the positive impact he could have on his community and the young women he mentored. Their success was his reward. SPRING 2019 l 41

Remembering An Incomparable Public Servant Charles Joseph (Joe) Hynes ’57UC, ’61L, ’81HON Joe Hynes was born and raised in Brooklyn. He attended St. Ann’s Academy and then St. John’s University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1957 and law degree in 1961. After starting his legal career at the Legal Aid Society, in 1969 Hynes joined the Kings County District Attorney’s office. Rising through the ranks there, he became chief of the Rackets Bureau and, later, the office’s First Assistant District Attorney. In 1975, then-New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey appointed Hynes Special State Prosecutor for Nursing Homes, Health, and Social Services in response to a massive scandal in the state’s nursing home industry. In this role, Hynes launched a comprehensive attack on Medicaid fraud, and his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was such a success that it became a national model. In 1976, Hynes testified before the U.S. Congress in favor of legislation establishing state fraud control units, which proved to be a successful push for nationwide reform.

Continuing his outstanding public service, in 1980 Hynes became the 24th New York City Fire Commissioner and, in 1983, he served as a commissioner for the New York State Commission of Investigation. In 1985, then-Governor Mario M. Cuomo ’53C, ’56L, ’75HON named Hynes Special State Prosecutor for the New York City Criminal Justice System. In this role, Hynes figured prominently in attempts to secure justice in the wake of three notorious episodes of hate-propelled, racial violence in New York City. In 1990, Hynes became the Kings County District Attorney, a role he served in for 24 years. Among his many accomplishments during his tenure in that office were the initiation of the Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison Program and the creation of Community and Law Enforcement Resources Together, a prisoner reentry program. Hynes was also credited with establishing one of the most comprehensive programs to address domestic abuse as a criminal issue. Always a dedicated alumnus, Hynes taught at St. John’s Law for many years, and helped to give countless graduates their start in public service.

Reflections “For decades, every Saturday morning, Joe taught Trial Advocacy at St. John’s Law. Generations of our graduates found their vocation in public service in that class. May he rest in peace.” —Dean Michael A. Simons

Rick Kopstein_New York Law Journal

“One of the best I ever had, not just as a professor and an attorney, but more importantly, as a friend and a human in every sense of the word.” —Daniel DeVito ’87

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“Rest in peace, Mr. Hynes. I’m extremely appreciative for all I learned from you directly in Criminal Trial Advocacy at St. John’s Law and at your office. I’m also thankful for your occasional pop-ins or phone calls while working at your office just to see how my dad was while he was sick and how I was holding up. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to start off my career doing what I’d most wanted to do as an attorney.” —TJ Keevins ’00

In a February 1, 2019 New York Law Journal article, Hon. Joseph W. Bellacosa ’59C, ’61L, ’87HON reflected on his 60-year friendship with the late Joe Hynes. Here, with the author’s permission, we share his special remembrance:

Joe Hynes: Remembering 60 Years of Friendship Our long-suffering wives, Patricia and Mary, decided to sit at a separate table so they could enjoy their conversations without having to listen to the stories both had endured for well over 50 years.

By Hon. Joseph W. Bellacosa Sixty years ago, this month, Joe Hynes and I met as we together started at St. John’s Law School, then located at 96 Schermerhorn St., the downtown Brooklyn campus. He introduced himself to me and assured me he would show me around. And did he ever for years to come! The start of that enduring and beautiful friendship spanning six decades crisscrossed our careers and our families with respective appearances in one another’s wedding parties and God-parenthood roles, and precious good and tough times shared. Our last lunch together at Kennedy’s in Breezy Point last August was hilarious. Our longsuffering wives, Patricia and Mary, decided to sit at a separate table so they could enjoy their conversations without having to listen to the stories both had endured for well over 50 years. About every 15 minutes, Joe called over from our table to ask if they were talking about us. They gleefully replied “no chance,” to which Joe said something like “I don’t believe you!” The restaurant wait staff were amused by robust laughter throughout the unusually situated lunch. On the serious side, I concur in the many accolades for Joe Hynes’ varied professional accomplishments and want to add a grateful word of praise also for his less well-known complementary academic services to thousands of well-instructed students in trial advocacy. He taught for decades at St. John’s and also at Fordham and Brooklyn Law schools on Saturdays and nights. What a rich legacy among the many students who continue to serve as lawyers and public service officers, thanks to his fine example and teaching skills! So, thanks and fare thee well, dear devoted public servant and funny friend, Joe, may the Good Lord whom you trusted now grant you well-deserved and peaceful rest.

SPRING 2019 l 43

END NOTE

FAMILY TIES Donna Scovotti Smith ’79Ed, ’81L and George L. Smith ’81 Make a Generous Gift to Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at St. John’s Law s first dates go, generations of alumni say it was hard to beat dinner at the now-defunct Sly Fox Inn on Union Turnpike followed by a St. John’s basketball game at Carnesecca Arena. Donna and George Smith couldn’t agree more. That’s exactly how their courtship started after they met as 2Ls in the fall of 1979. “We got engaged nine months later, and didn’t miss a single home game the Johnnies played through graduation,” Donna says, looking back with the pride of a 20-year season ticket holder. She and George married in the summer of 1981 and, over the years, they have raised four children while building a full, and fulfilling, life together. After starting out in private practice, Donna handled real estate closings and did legal work for a family business that sold recently. She has also found great personal reward teaching religious education and volunteering with local nonprofit organizations, including the Medicare Rights Center, the Westchester Library System, and Meals on Wheels. As their family grew, George forged a successful career as a trusts and estates attorney, working in leading New York and Connecticut law firms before launching his own firm, Smith & Grant LLP, in 2005. He is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and has served on the executive committee of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Estates and Probate Section. Outside the office, he volunteered with his local United Way, coached his children’s sports teams, and served as a Eucharistic minister in his church for many years. St. John’s Law became an even bigger Smith family affair in time. Donna and George’s son, Brian, graduated in 2008 and married his Law School classmate, Audrey Walsh. “Our St. John’s family ties only reinforce the Vincentian values that are so important to us,” George says. “An excellent education, respect and compassion for others,

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service, and a strong faith are all values that Donna and I tried to pass along to our children.” Those same values inform the couple’s longtime commitment to supporting St. John’s Law. “We’ve been blessed personally and professionally throughout our married life and have St. John’s to thank for that,” Donna shares. “While we’ve contributed annually to the Law School for many years, we wanted to do something that might have a more lasting impact.” That opportunity presented itself as George and Donna read the Fall 2018 issue of St. John’s Law magazine. “The magazine stories spotlighted the Law School’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives led by Dean Michael Simons and Director of Diversity and Inclusion Kamille Dean, and we were very impressed,” Donna says. “We met with Ms. Dean and, by the end of our time together, George and I knew what we wanted to do.” The Smith’s generous, multi-year gift creates an endowment that will support diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities at St. John’s Law for years to come. “It was wonderful to meet the Smiths, and to talk to them about our Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and its award-winning pipeline program, the Ronald H. Brown Law School Prep Program for College Students, which are pillars of the Law School’s effort to foster a more diverse and inclusive legal profession,” Kamille Dean says “With their generous gift, they recognize that law schools can and should open doors for people who have faced barriers to achievement historically.” The Smiths appreciate the opportunity to make a difference. “Donna and I strongly believe that everyone should be valued and appreciated for who they are, and should be given the tools to succeed,” George says. “We’re excited to help the Law School promote and realize its vision, which ultimately benefits the entire legal profession and the many people and communities it serves.”

EVENTS CALENDAR The St. John’s Law Alumni Association hosts and participates in many events throughout the year. Below is just a sampling of the slate of upcoming events. Please visit our online events calendar at stjohns.edu/law for full event details and updates as they come in. June 2, 2019 Law School Commencement Carnesecca Arena Queens, NY June 6, 2019 Young Alumni Billiards Night New York Athletic Club New York, NY June 18, 2019 Hon. Theodore T. Jones, Jr. ’72, ’07HON Memorial Golf Outing Wykagyl Country Club New Rochelle, NY

June 27, 2019 Class Reunions 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 New York Athletic Club New York, NY July 2, 2019 Law Loughlin Society Subway Series: Mets vs. Yankees Citi Field Flushing, NY

IN JUST ONE WEEK WE:

September 16, 2019 Hon. Guy J. Mangano Golf Classic Nassau Country Club Glen Cove, NY November 2 and 3, 2019 Fall CLE Weekend School of Law Queens, NY December 14, 15, and 16, 2019 Washington Weekend and Group SCOTUS Admission Washington, DC

   

CELEBRATED

the @StJohnsLaw community at our #DiversityandInclusion Gala

WON

1st place at the Red-Ram #MockTrial Challenge

CONGRATULATED

#StJohnsLaw Prof. Elaine Chiu on earning recognition for her #pipeline work with our @RonBrownCenter

PRESENTED

#NYS Chief Judge Janet DiFiore ’81, ’17HON with our prestigious Hon. John E. Sprizzo Award

RECEIVED

an “A” rating from @prelawmagazine in #trialadvocacy and #litigation

GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT ST. JOHN’S LAW. FOLLOW ALONG!

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY NEW YORK

School of Law 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439

WHY I GIVE BACK “The Ronald H. Brown full-tuition scholarship was instrumental in allowing me to realize my lifelong dream of becoming an attorney. I’m now building a rewarding career at a top-tier law firm and I’m able to effectively give back to my community. This scholarship validated my hard work and encouraged me to aim for excellence. I remain grateful to St. John’s Law and to our generous alumni for this opportunity.” — Janelle Johnson ’16 Associate, WilmerHale

PLEASE SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS AT ST. JOHN’S LAW. USE THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE TO MAKE YOUR GIFT, OR GIVE ONLINE AT STJOHNS.EDU/LAW-GIVING