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New York Law School Magazine, Vol. 40, No. 1

Check out the latest digital issue of our School’s magazine highlighting accomplishments from Spring and Summer 2023.

You’ll find a deep dive into sports law at NYLS, a review of our faculty’s achievements, and much more.

Explore NYLS News by Topic

New York Law School Criminal Defense Clinic students

Criminal Defense Clinic Hosts German Students for Exploration of the American Criminal Legal System

In April, 11 law students from the Free University of Berlin in Germany visited New York Law School to learn about the American criminal legal system and the work that NYLS’s Criminal Defense Clinic does to advocate for indigent New Yorkers who are accused of misdemeanor crimes. 
Rostin Behnam and Ronald Filler

Filler Institute Probes Recent Bank Troubles and the Future of Derivatives Regulation

The Ronald H. Filler Institute for Financial Services Law held a special program on financial services law in conjunction with Women in Derivatives (WIND), a nonprofit organization that aims to attract, retain, educate, and develop female leaders in the financial industry.
New York City subway

Clinic News: Access-A-Ride Users Sue MTA Over Systemic Discriminatory Practices in Transit System

A group of Access-A-Ride participants, on behalf of the more than 170,000 people registered for the service within the five boroughs of New York City, today filed suit against the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for discrimination over practices that do not provide them with equitable access to transit.
Honorable Carolyn Walker-Diallo '03

Hon. Carolyn Walker-Diallo ’03 Appointed Senior Fellow; Will Teach “Behind the Bench” Workshop Series

We are pleased to announce that Justice Carolyn Walker-Diallo ’03 has been appointed a Senior Fellow in New York Law School’s Law and Leadership Institute. She will teach a new and unique workshop series titled “Behind the Bench” to New York Law School students this summer.
Two african children washing hands in water

The Patent Law Clinic at NYLS Helps a Nonprofit’s Efforts to Change Lives in Central Africa

The Patent Law Clinic (PLC) at New York Law School recently assisted one of their non-profit organization clients to obtain a U.S. patent for their critical product—one that will change lives in Central Africa.
1 miliion downloads. digitalcommons.nyls.edu

Digital Commons at New York Law School Reaches One Million Downloads

Scholarship from New York Law School’s esteemed faculty, collections of the School’s many publications, archival documents from the School’s history, and so much more have made their way around the globe as NYLS’s Digital Commons reached a new milestone: one million global downloads.
Arthur Abbey and Diane Abbey

New York Law School Receives $10 Million Gift From Arthur (’59) and Diane Abbey

New York Law School announced today it is receiving a historic $10 million gift from Arthur and Diane Abbey, totaling $17 million from them in charitable giving to the Law School over 60 years. As lifelong champions of the Law Achool, NYLS’s main academic building will be named “Abbey Hall.”
NYLS at the Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting

Leadership and Impact: NYLS at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) held its Annual Meeting in San Diego, California from January 3–7, 2023. The Meeting’s theme centered around, “How Law Schools Can Make a Difference,” and New York Law School was very well represented. 
Capital

Congress Approves $560 Million for Civil Legal Assistance at Law Deans’ Urging

In May of 2022, 99 law school deans signed a letter to the United States Congress imploring legislators to provide increased funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to address what they called “the ever-growing justice gap in America.”
Top Row: Ross Lazicky, Steven Smith, Megan Galloway-Cole, Bryn Ritchie; Middle row: Jeffrey Noll, Sabrina Smith, Adam Tynan; Bottom row: April Pacis, Jonathan Lerch, Julia Porzio

11 NYLS Alumni Join the New York City Law Department

New York Law School (NYLS) is “New York’s law school,” and in that spirt, we continue our proud tradition of public service and civic leadership. To that end, we are thrilled that 11 members of the NYLS Class of 2022 joined the New York City Law Department as Assistant Corporation Counsels.
Judge Judy Sheindlin

NYLS Interviews Judge Judy Sheindlin ’65: Leading the Way for Women in Law

Judge Judy Sheindlin ’65 has had a remarkable legal career and blazed a trail for women in law. In an interview with New York Law School, she reflected on the changes to the legal landscape since the beginning of her career as well as her legacy and her enduring impact on the future of women in law.
NYLS in D.C.

New York Law School Launches an Honors Externship in Washington, D.C.

New York Law School (NYLS) has launched their new “NYLS in D.C. Honors Externship” program this semester. The externship provides NYLS students with in-person work placements, including at The Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, leading advocacy groups and technology firms, and law firms, among others.
Justice for Heroes Grant Supports Clinical Work at NYLS

NYLS’s Joe Plumeri Center Receives $50,000 Justice for Heroes Grant

New York Law School’s Joe Plumeri Center for Social Justice and Economic Opportunity is proud to receive New York State’s Justice for Heroes grant, which provides funding for law schools that offer innovative programs to assist service members, veterans, and military families with legal services.
Professor David Simson Joins New York Law School

New York Law School Welcomes David Simson as Associate Professor of Law

New York Law School (NYLS) Dean Anthony W. Crowell today announced that Professor David Simson is joining NYLS as Associate Professor of Law. His initial teaching assignments include constitutional law, and courses on race and the law. He will be affiliated with the Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law and the Racial Justice Project.  
Professor Rebecca Roiphe

Professor Rebecca Roiphe Offers Wide-Ranging Expertise in the Media

New York Law School Trustee Professor of Law Rebecca Roiphe has made a number of media appearances in recent weeks, offering expertise on everything from the January 6 hearings to Supreme Court rulings on gun laws to celebrity chef Mario Batali’s sexual misconduct trial. 
Franklin University Switzerland Honors Professor Penelope Andrews

Franklin University Switzerland Honors Professor Penelope Andrews

This year, Franklin University Switzerland bestowed special honors on Professor Penelope Andrews. At the school’s 52nd annual graduation ceremony, she was presented with an Honorary Degree for her distinguished legal career and global human rights advocacy, and she addressed the class of 2022 as the keynote speaker.
Congratulations to Professor Arthur S. Leonard

Professor Arthur S. Leonard’s Work in Gay City News Wins Prestigious Prize

Gay City News, New York City’s weekly LGBTQ+ newspaper, won first prize in the New York Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for coverage of crime, policing, and courts. The award included Professor Emeritus Arthur S. Leonard’s article “Supreme Court Unanimously Rules for Catholic Social Services in Foster Care Policy Dispute” about the Fulton v. City of Philadelphia case.
Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic

Ford Foundation Awards Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic $300,000 Grant

The Ford Foundation has awarded New York Law School’s Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic a generous grant to support the Clinic’s work over the next three years. The award will help propel the Clinic in its critical advocacy for civil rights.
Photograph of NYLS glass-covered building at dusk; NYLS Pro, Part-Time Evening Division for Working Professionals

New York Law School Introduces “NYLS Pro” a Reimagined Evening Division for Today’s Working Professionals

NYLS is meeting the evolving needs of 21st century working professionals committed to transforming their careers with a redesigned Evening Division that’s more accessible, flexible, and affordable.
Congratulations to City and State's "50 over 50" NYLS honorees, Ross F. Moskowitz and Jeffrey M. Wice

Trustee Ross F. Moskowitz ’84 and Adjunct Professor Jeffrey M. Wice Named to City & State’s “50 Over 50”

Trustee Ross F. Moskowitz ’84 and Adjunct Professor Jeffrey M. Wice are among “the age disruptors who changed New York” named in City & State’s new “50 Over 50” list.
Headshot of Erin Bond with the text: Erin Felker Bond ’08 as Associate Dean for Academic Planning and Career Development

New York Law School Appoints Erin Felker Bond ’08 as Associate Dean for Academic Planning and Career Development

A leader and innovative administrator, Erin Bond ’08 will build upon NYLS’s record of career placement success and ensure graduates thrive in a transforming legal industry.
"Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law" text against a background image of a dictionary definition of the word equality

New York Law School Receives Transformative Gift to Establish a National Public Interest Scholars Program

Dean Anthony W. Crowell and NYLS Trustee and distinguished alumnus Zygi Wilf ’74, Principal Owner of the Minnesota Vikings, announce a historic $5-million gift that will expand NYLS’s public interest work.
The text Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic against an image of a building ceiling with columns.

Philips Device Users, Civil Rights and Disability Advocates Call for Immediate Repair and Replacement of Recalled Philips Respironics Devices

Philips device users, the Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic at NYLS, and more than two dozen disability rights organizations and advocates, sent a letter to Philips Respironics requesting immediate action to repair, replace, and offer guidance to medical professionals on recalled devices relied upon by many users for life-sustaining care.

Sherbune Paul ’16 Elected President of the Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York

As a young child, Sherbune Paul ’16 wasn’t sure what lawyers did—but she knew she wanted to become one. Paul is now a Supervising Attorney at the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission. Tonight, she will be inducted as President of the Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York.
Matthew Gaeta 2L Evening

Matthew Gaeta 2L Evening Is a Rising Star Sports Agent by Day, Law Student by Night

At age 20, Gaeta took the Major League Baseball Players Association agent certification exam, built a business plan, and founded his own company, Gaeta Sports Management, becoming one of the youngest certified agents in the sport’s history.
Dean and President Anthony W. Crowell addresses a classroom of law students

Dean Crowell’s Lessons in Leadership Featured in Inside Higher Ed

When Dean Anthony Crowell was asked to speak to fellow law deans at a meeting hosted by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) about how to support students through this election season, the lessons he learned leading New York Law School through the 2016 election were top of mind.

NYLS, Interfaith Center of New York, and State Bar Association Offer Lawyering and Religious Diversity Training

The training, which offers CLE credit, will help attorneys work effectively with clients from New York City’s diverse faith communities, in order to ensure equal access to justice for New Yorkers of all religious and secular backgrounds.
Celebrating Professor Ruti Teitel's Landmark Book

International Law Scholars Honor Professor Ruti Teitel’s Landmark Book on Its 20th Anniversary

Published in 2000, the book launched a new field—transitional justice—that applied a legal and scholarly framework to the rapid transitions to democracy many countries experienced during the late Twentieth Century.
Professor Emerita Aleta Estreicher

Colleagues Remember Professor Emerita Aleta Estreicher

Colleagues Remember Professor Emerita Aleta Estreicher New York Law School mourns the loss of Professor Emerita Aleta Estreicher (1948–2020). Members of the faculty and administration recently shared their reflections on Professor Estreicher, a beloved longtime colleague and a recognized authority…
The Venable-NYLS Summer Associate Simulation Program

New York Law School and Venable LLP Announce Innovative Summer Associate Simulation Program

This summer, NYLS and Venable LLP are partnering on an innovative simulation program to provide NYLS students with academic credits and opportunities to work through real-world legal challenges related to COVID-19.
Driving While Black and Latinx: Stops, Fines, Fees, and Unjust Debts

New Report Finds New York Has Severe Racial Disparities in Traffic Enforcement and Driver’s License Suspensions

A new report released today by the Racial Justice Project at New York Law School (NYLS) found that New Yorkers of color are disproportionately stopped, ticketed, arrested, charged, and convicted for traffic violations and driving on a suspended license.
PV Anantharam joins NYLS as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

PV Anantharam Joins New York Law School as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Plachikkat V. (PV) Anantharam has been appointed Senior Vice President and CFO of New York Law School (NYLS). In the role, Anantharam will oversee NYLS’s budget, finance, business operations, and human resources functions. He joined the School on February 3, 2020.
Professor Stephen J. Ellmann's Biography of Judge Arthur Chaskalson

Professor Stephen J. Ellmann’s Biography of Judge Arthur Chaskalson Published

Shortly before his death in March 2019, Professor Stephen J. Ellmann finished his masterwork: a biography of the late Judge Arthur Chaskalson, the first President of South Africa’s Constitutional Court and Professor Ellmann’s longtime friend.
Professor Edward A. Purcell Jr.

Constitutional Law Expert Edward Purcell Pens Trio of Op-Eds in The Hill

Professor Edward A. Purcell Jr. is the Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor at NYLS and one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the history of the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal judicial system. Purcell published a trio of op-eds in The Hill related to the ongoing impeachment proceedings and presidential executive power.
NYLS’s Moot Court Association

Moot Court Association Celebrates Fall Competition Successes

Through NYLS’s Moot Court Association (MCA), students sharpen their appellate oral advocacy and brief-writing skills while representing the School in competitions across the country. This fall, NYLS was a quarterfinalist in two major moot court competitions, with support through a new MCA Senior Fellow Program.
Celebrating the appointment of Lenni B. Benson as the Distinguished Chair of Immigration and Human Rights Law

Professor Lenni B. Benson Appointed Distinguished Chair in Immigration and Human Rights Law

New York, NY (November 8, 2019) – Lenni B. Benson has been appointed the Distinguished Chair in Immigration and Human Rights Law at New York Law School (NYLS), Dean Anthony W. Crowell announced today. Professor Benson is an internationally recognized advocate who has taught at NYLS for 25 years and established NYLS’s Immigration Law and Litigation Clinic.
Announcing the New York Census and Redistricting Institute

New York Law School Launches New York Census and Redistricting Institute Ahead of Critical 2020 Census and State and City Redistricting

New York, NY (November 7, 2019) – New York Law School (NYLS) today announced the launch of its New York Census and Redistricting Institute. The Institute will engage and educate public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the public about law and policy relating to the national census in 2020 and subsequent city and state redistricting. It is the first institute of its kind for a New York City academic institution and will provide unique and timely research opportunities for NYLS students.

NYLS and Suffolk County D.A.’s Office Awarded $275K Grant to Investigate Wrongful Conviction Claims

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini and New York Law School (NYLS) today announced that the District Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Integrity Bureau has been awarded more than $849,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to aid in the investigation of wrongful conviction claims, including a $275,000 partnership grant awarded to the District Attorney’s Office and NYLS.
Interfaith Center of New York & New York Law School

NYLS and the Interfaith Center of New York Announce New Partnership and 2019–20 Training Programs

NYLS and ICNY Are Collaborating on Religious Diversity Education Programs That Will Benefit Students, Practicing Lawyers, and the City’s Diverse Religious Communities New York, NY (October 17, 2019) – New York Law School (NYLS) and the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) today announced…
Professor Lisa Grumet

Professor Lisa Grumet’s Research on State Attorneys General and “Hidden Nondefense” Featured in New York Law Journal

A new piece of commentary by the Public Rights Project spotlights Professor Lisa Grumet’s research on state attorneys general and a practice she calls “hidden nondefense.”