Field and Campus:
FALL 2025
Throughout the fall semester, New York Law School hosted a variety of events engaging our students, our alumni, our New York community, and the public. Community members attended civics programs, celebrations, career panels, thought-provoking book talks, insightful conversations with legal experts, business leaders, public officials, and more.
Read a few of the latest highlights from 185 West Broadway.
SEPTEMBER 2025
On September 8, law students had the opportunity to meet with leadership from over 20 local and national bar associations at an open house event hosted by NYLS’s Office of Academic Planning and Career Development. Bar association leaders across New York City and State, including many NYLS alumni, spoke with students about getting involved, free and low-cost student memberships, and more.
The Law and Leadership in Times of Crisis: The NYC Experience symposium was held on September 10. Attendees heard from past and present Corporation Counsels—Muriel Goode-Trufant, Zachary Carter, Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix, James Johnson, Victor Kovner, Georgia Pestana, and Hon. O. Peter Sherwood—and senior legal leaders—including Dean Anthony W. Crowell (Former Assistant Corporation Counsel) and Center for New York City and State Law Counsel Stephen Louis (Former Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel). Panelists shared their experiences balancing the city’s legal obligations with the realities of emergency response and recovery during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Superstorm Sandy, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and how their efforts made New York a global model for legal leadership in times of crisis.
Professor Susan J. Abraham, who recently served as the Restorative Justice Consultant for the Fall 2025 Broadway show Punch, invited students to hear directly from the people on whom the show is based. Joan Scourfield, David Hodgkinson, and Nicola Fowler, their restorative justice facilitator, joined us on campus on September 11 before the show’s previews began for an intimate discussion about the profound impact of restorative justice on their lives. Read more about the event.
The inaugural Constitution and Citizenship Day Summit was hosted on September 16 in collaboration with the NYLS Center for New York City and State Law and The Honorable Robert A. Katzmann Justice for All — Courts and the Community Initiative: The Civic Education Project for the Federal Courts of the Second Circuit. The Summit convened judges, attorneys, law professors and other educators, law students, and civic leaders to examine democratic principles, the rule of law, and the role of civic knowledge in shaping the nation’s future. The program opened with a conversation featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, along with other senior federal and state jurists. Participants engaged in interactive discussions that celebrated excellence in civics education and explored new strategies to expand its reach and impact. See the event highlights.
On September 16, students had the opportunity to hear personal experiences, professional advice, and valuable insights on rewarding career paths within the judicial system from a panel of judges. Hon. Dana M. Catanzaro '09, Hon. Daniel J. Desalvo '05, Hon. Stuart Minkowitz, Hon. Joel H. Slomsky '70, and Hon. Lola Waterman '08 shared their unique journeys at a panel moderated by Hon. Marc J. Whiten '84.
On September 18, our community celebrated the investiture of John E. Estes ’95 as the new Chair of the New York Law School Board of Trustees. During his investiture, expressed deep gratitude for the decades of leadership by Immediate Past Chair Arthur N. Abbey ’59, and pledged to uphold NYLS’s core values in collaboration with Dean and President Anthony W. Crowell, the Board, and the entire NYLS community.
The NYLS Moot Court Association (MCA) administered the 49th Annual Charles W. Froessel Intramural Moot Court Competition on September 21. The Intramural Competition, which is open to NYLS students, is a rigorous recruiting program used to select new MCA members. Candidates for membership must complete a comprehensive written and oral advocacy skills training program to prepare them for the rigors of national competition in the spring.
On September 30, NYLS’s Center for International Law hosted a book talk moderated by Professor Ruti Teitel featuring two prominent peacebuilders, Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, and Maoz Inon, an Israeli who grew up near the Gaza border, who discussed their work and shared vision for coexistence in Israel/Palestine and the personal stakes that fuel their mission. Earlier in the day, Abu Sarah and Inon also joined students for a lunchtime conversation with Professor Susan Abraham on restorative justice, the dual or multi-narrative approach, and how they train people to use these methods in their peacebuilding work.
OCTOBER 2025
On October 8, Trial Competition Team (TCT) alumni Joseph Bias ’22, Ariana Dindayal ’17, Joshua Harris ’21, Ellery Harvey ’24, Ashley Infante ’21, and Chris Morbelli ’20 joined us back on campus for a panel and an informal networking session to discuss their careers in litigation and share with students how their TCT experiences at NYLS helped them with early career opportunities and long-term professional growth.
In honor of Professor Ruti Teitel’s new book, Presidential Visions of Transitional Justice: An American Legacy of Responsibility and Reconciliation (2025), we held a special book launch featuring a conversation between Professor Teitel and Mark Graber, the Jacob A. France Professor of Constitutionalism at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, about the book’s examination of U.S. leadership in conflict resolution and reconciliation and its long-term implications for America and the world.
We had a wonderful celebration of the New York Law School alumni community as we recognized graduates in classes ending in 0 and 5. The October 16 reception was a festive occasion to celebrate milestone reunions, catch up with classmates, and rediscover the community that makes NYLS special.
New York Law School hosted the first annual NYLS Pro: Part-Time Evening Division Family Day on October 19. It was a special afternoon for our evening students to show their family and friends where they spend their evenings.
On October 20, students had the opportunity to attend a wide-ranging discussion between James Weddle, Former Managing Partner, Edward Jones, and James A. Tricarico Jr. ’77, former Chief Legal Officer of Edward Jones, a member of the NYLS Board of Trustees, and founder of NYLS’s Tricarico Institute for the Business of Law and In-House Counsel.
On October 29, NYLS’s Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law hosted a panel, moderated by Professor Gaynor Cunningham, with Post-Conviction Justice Unit (PCJU) Chief Shalena Howard and Deputy Chief Willoughby Jenett to give students insights on the PCJU's work, the process of reviewing convictions, factors that lead to wrongful convictions, and the path to obtaining an exoneration.
NOVEMBER 2025
With rising interest in digital privacy and government surveillance of digital data, NYLS’s Innovation Center for Law and Technology and the Privacy Law Association student organization hosted a panel—featuring Distinguished Adjunct Professor Heather E. Cucolo ’03; Adjunct Professor Lydia Payne-Johnson ’96, Director of Data Governance, Compliance and Identity Management at The George Washington University; and Adjunct Professor Elizabeth Roper, Partner in the Litigation and Global Dispute Resolution Practice at Baker & McKenzie LLP—on November 5 to discuss how the challenges of applying Fourth Amendment constitutional protections against digital searches evolves with modern technology.
On November 10, several alumni working in employee benefits law came to speak with students about how the practice spans diverse industries, extending to traditional employment law and influencing corporate transactions, compliance, tax, labor relations, and more. Erin Miner ’08, Head of Executive and Regulatory Compensation at Citigroup, Inc.; Andrew O’Brien ’01, Partner at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP; and S. John Ryan ’87, Partner at Seward & Kissel LLP joined Adjunct Professor Ian L. Levin, Partner at McDermott Will & Schulte LLP, to share advice and experiences from their careers.
NYLS hosted the Annual Veterans Day Luncheon on November 11 to celebrate the veterans of our community and honor their service.
Global business leader and NYLS Trustee Joe Plumeri ’15 (Hon.) visited campus on November 12 to share his insights from a lifetime of leadership in a thought-provoking conversation with our law students.
On November 19, we welcomed back Professor and Dean Emeritus James F. Simon for a conversation with Professor Emeritus Edward A. Purcell Jr. about Dean Simon’s recent memoir, Courting History: A Supreme Court Historian Reflects on His Life and Career, and the challenges and reflections of a life dedicated to constitutional history.
NYLS hosted a public panel on November 20 with leaders from previous NYC administrations to discuss keys to a successful mayoral transition. In a conversation moderated by Ben Max, Program Director of the Center for New York City and State Law, Dean Anthony W. Crowell, former Counselor to Mayor Bloomberg; Jennifer Jones Austin, Co-Chair of the 2013 mayoral transition and current CEO of FPWA; Meera Joshi, former Deputy Mayor for Operations and current President of Green-Wood; and Emma Wolfe, former Deputy Mayor for Administration and current Chief of Staff to the NYU President spoke about how to best organize city government and the pressing decisions a Mayor-elect must make to accomplish top priorities.
On November 20, the NYLS community attended a panel highlighting judicial professional trajectories and the challenges judges may face on the bench. Judge Rhonda Z. Tomlinson, NY Women Judges Association (NYWJA) Law School Outreach Committee member, moderated a conversation with Hon. Lillian Wan, Associate Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department; Hon. Patria Frias-Colon, NY Supreme Court, Kings County, Medical Malpractice Part; Hon. Abena Darkeh, NY Supreme Court, Kings County, Domestic Violence Part; and Hon. Deepa Ambekar, NY Supreme Court, Kings County, Criminal Term, who shared their perspectives on breaking barriers and the best legal practices for serving diverse litigants and communities.
DECEMBER 2025
We proudly celebrated the 200th CityLaw Breakfast on December 2 with featured guest speaker Janno Lieber, Chair and CEO, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), who discussed the state of the MTA; how pro-transit leadership, both in Albany and City Hall, impacts service, ridership, capital investment including the Interborough Express; and continued congestion relief.
On December 2, NYLS welcomed Ambassador David J. Scheffer, the first U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues who led the U.S. delegation to the UN talks establishing the International Criminal Court, to campus for a special conversation on the past and future of global justice.
Student Organization Alumni Connections
During the fall, NYLS students and alumni enjoyed community-building gatherings where they fostered and strengthened lifelong connections.
The Latin American Law Students Association held their Annual Alumni Mixer on October 6.
The Italian Law Students Organization held their Annual Alumni Mixer on October 14.
On November 10, the Legal Association for Women and the Student Bar Association organized a networking reception for students with the New York Women Judges Association representing a cross-section of practice areas and including several NYLS alumni. The event encouraged students to engage in open conversation and ask questions about judicial careers and the court system.
The First Generation Professionals (FGP) student organization hosted its annual First Generation Professionals Etiquette Dinner on November 13. The evening included a dinner, interactive program, and networking with many supportive NYLS faculty and alumni—many of whom were FGP alumni.
On November 18, the OutLaws student organization hosted their annual Charity Raffle and Friendsgiving Dinner to benefit the Arthur S. Leonard Leadership Fund.