The College of Law’s Advocacy Fellows are experienced practitioners, judges and litigation experts who coach the law school's highly competitive intercollegiate advocacy teams.
Collectively, our Advocacy Fellows bring with them decades of experience in practice and coaching students in advocacy competitions. Their expertise and guidance greatly enhances the quality of the student learning experience and the competitiveness of the law school's intercollegiate advocacy teams.
Court Attorney, New York’s 5th Judicial District
John F. Boyd II L’ 16 coaches the Black Law Student Association Trial Team. Mr. Boyd is a Court Attorney for New York’s 5th Judicial District. Prior to this position he was an Assistant District Attorney for Onondaga County and a litigation attorney at Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, in its Syracuse office. He has coached the BLSA Trial team since 2016.
While at the College of Law, John was a member of the Black Law Students Association Trial Team, which won its regional championship. John also competed in the Lionel O. Grossman Trial Competition earning the Frank H. Armani Advocacy Award. John also earned the Robert W. Miller Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy at the College. Prior to law school, John attended New York University, graduating in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Cultural Analysis with dual concentrations in American Studies and Africana Studies. John is actively involved with numerous civic and charitable organizations in Onondaga County, including serving on the board of the William Herbert Johnson Bar Association and the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
John resides in Fayetteville, NY with his wife Katie.
Brenton Dadey L’07
Greene Reid & Pomeroy, PLLC
Dadey was born and raised in Syracuse, growing up an avid Orange fan. He proudly graduated from Syracuse University College of Law in 2007. While in law school, Dadey was a member of the National Trial Team, where he finished as a national runner up at the American Association of Justice competition held in New Orleans, Louisiana. At graduation, he received the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award as the top advocate in his graduating class, and was admitted to the Order of Barristers.
Dadey recently returned to the area with his family and joined Greene Reid & Pomeroy, where he handles plaintiff’s personal injury, nursing home neglect, and medical malpractice cases. Prior to his return to Syracuse, Brenton was an equity partner at Scarzafava, Basdekis & Dadey, PLLC, a Tier 1 U.S. News World Report Best Law Firm for plaintiff’s personal injury. During the course of his career, he also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Onondaga County, handling appeals and prosecuting crimes in the Special Victims Bureau, and as Acting Justice for the Village of East Syracuse.
Outside of the office, Dadey focuses on a lesson he learned from Director of Trial Competition Teams Joanne Van Dyke L’87: “pay it forward”. Since graduating, he has coached a number of trial teams at Syracuse University College of Law and the State University of New York at Oneonta. He has also volunteered his time serving on a number of charitable boards.
Dadey currently resides in DeWitt with his wife Ashley, and three sons, Macalin, Declan and Baker.
Partner, MG+M
Kaylin S. Grey is a partner in MG+M’s Miami office. She is a seasoned trial lawyer whose practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and business counseling, general, products and premise liability, property management litigation and toxic tort defense. She also serves as co-chair for the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, which is dedicated to identifying pro bono opportunities and initiatives on a national level.
Kaylin has extensive trial experience representing clients as lead counsel in complex litigation and high stakes matters. She prepares every case with the expectation that it will go to trial, which is a strategy that helps position her clients well in all stages of litigation. Kaylin also has significant experience handling commercial litigation matters in both state and federal court, representing corporate clients and individuals in a wide range of matters, including complex breach of contract cases, writs of garnishment and replevin, business torts, and fraud and securities litigation. In addition, Kaylin provides business counseling to clients as a proactive measure to limit exposure from future litigation. She also serves as national counsel for a large corporate client handling all their employment litigation and EEOC claims.
Kaylin is a results-oriented problem solver who frequently assists clients in difficult and unique situations achieve the best outcome. As a former prosecutor with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, she honed her trial skills, litigating more than 100 bench trials and more than 20 jury cases.
Kaylin obtained an LLM in Trial Advocacy from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law in 2010, and received her Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 2006. As an alumni, she remains active with the Syracuse University College of Law’s trial advocacy program, and regularly works with law students that are members of the intercollegiate trial teams as one of the coaches, and recently was named an Advocacy Fellow by the school. She earned her B.A. from the University of South Florida in 2003, graduating cum laude.
Litigation Associate Attorney, Hancock Estabrook, LLP.
Gabriela Groman L'23 focuses her practice in the areas of commercial litigation, personal injury defense, and professional and products liability defense regularly representing clients in a broad range of civil matters, including commercial disputes, medical malpractice defense, and general insurance defense.
She is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law L‘23, where she was a member of the Journal of Science and Technology, Cold Case Justice Initiative, Black Law Student Association, and Advocacy Honors Society Mock Trial Team.
Groman is a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association and Central New York Women’s Bar Association. She is also an active volunteer member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY’s Red Shoe Society.
Groman coaches the Syracuse University College of Law National Trial teams, and is a College of Law Advocacy Fellow.
Litigator, Smith, Sovik, Kendrick & Sugnet, P.C.
David Katz has helped coach the College of Law’s NMCC and ABA NAAC teams since he graduated in 2017. He is a litigator at Smith, Sovik, Kendrick & Sugnet, P.C. in Syracuse, New York. His practice there focuses on civil litigation in state and federal courts, including appellate work across the state. While a student at the College of Law, he participated in the NMCC team and the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition. Additionally, he served as a co-director of the Mackenzie Hughes, LLP Edmund H. Lewis Appellate Advocacy Competition and as a Form and Accuracy Editor for the Syracuse Law Review. He was also inducted as a member of the Order of the Scribes (recognizing his skill in legal writing) and the Order of the Barristers (recognizing his skill in advocacy). Since 2019, he has contributed the Torts article to the Syracuse Law Review Survey of New York Law. Over the years, he has also frequently judged the College of Law’s intracollegiate appellate competitions and mooted other College of Law teams before competitions.
Matthew Orsini L’13 is a Deputy Attorney General with the New Jersey Division of Law. A seasoned litigator with over a decade of experience, Orsini handles, and tries as needed, highly-specialized and complex environmental cases on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Representative matters include air pollution abatement actions, site remediation enforcement suits, and multi-million dollar claims for natural resource damages. A passionate advocate of professional development, Orsini is a trial advocacy instructor with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute and the National Association for Attorneys General.
He received his B.A. in Political Science from Saint Joseph’s University in 2010, and his J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law in 2013. As a member of the College of Law’s trial team, Orsini participated in several national trial competitions, winning the American Association for Justice’s 2013 New York region championship, and advancing to the National Finals. He continues to serve as an instructor with the trial team, teaching a summer course for incoming students, and coaching the College of Law’s 2026 Online National Championship team.
Staff Attorney, Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic
Seth M. Owens graduated from the College of Law (magna cum laude) in 2024 and began working as an attorney in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC). Prior to law school, Seth was a practicing Doctor of Physical Therapy for thirteen years and had experience dealing with a high number of veteran and active-duty patients. His background in medicine influences daily the legal services he can provide for veterans seeking disability benefits. While a student at the College of Law, Seth served as Notes Editor for the Syracuse Law Review, where his own note was selected for publication in Vol. 74. He also served as a student attorney in the VLC, successfully representing veterans before the VA, BVA, and CAVC. Seth currently serves as a coach for the prestigious National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition, which is co-sponsored by the CAVC and argued before panels that include sitting federal appellate judges.
Law Offices of Jose Perez/Oficinas del Abogado Jose Perez, P.C.
Jose is admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Venezuela. Jose began his career as an attorney in Venezuela. Jose’s outstanding Venezuelan practice was recognized several times by the Miranda State Bar Association, which awarded him with honors in three different years. In 2002, Jose decided to come to the United States to further develop himself academically and professionally. In 2004, Jose was admitted to Syracuse University College of Law, where he graduated cum laude. During law school, Jose clerked for a US District Court in Florida. Jose joined the Smith Sovik law firm in 2007. Since joining the firm, Jose was involved in all areas of litigation. Jose has been and is a member of the Latin American Law Student Association; Hispanic National Bar Association; Black Law Student Association; DRI; American Bar Association; New Jersey State Bar; New York State Bar; Law Students in Action Project-Spanish Translation and Interpretation Assistance Team; Onondaga County Bar Association; AILA, among others.
In 2012, Jose decided to open his new and independent law firm. After opening the Law Offices of Jose Perez, Jose has been involved in all areas of litigation, including construction, labor and employment, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, workers’ compensation, SSI/SSD, and immigration. Jose has been a speaker/panelist at numerous events dealing with his legal practice, Workers’ Compensation, and immigration issues. Jose also has a “Know-Your-Rights” column in the CNY Latino newspaper. Jose has received numerous awards and recognitions in New York State:
Jose has dedicated countless hours to community service. Jose has been representing clients successfully before the immigration courts and the USCIS on a pro-bono basis. The Fifth Judicial District ProBono Action Now Program, a Probono program that was funded by the New York State Unified Court System, Catholic Charities of Tioga/Tompkins Counties, and The Worker’s Rights Group, a Syracuse task force, which advocates for immigrants in Central New York, have referred ProBono cases to Jose for representation in several fields.
Jose is the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Nosotros Radio Inc. Nosotros’ mission is to provide quality Spanish & English language radio entertainment combined with on-air education for the encouragement and strengthening of the Latino community, and the promotion of intercultural sharing among Central New York’s diverse communities. Jose was also the Vice President of the League of United Latin American Citizens-(LULAC), Syracuse-NY-chapter, a Board Advisor of Syracuse University La Casita, Board Member of UMEA, and an Ad-hoc member of the Civil Rights Committee of Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse. Jose has appeared nationally on Telemundo and Univision.
Director of Trial Competition Teams
Joanne Van Dyke was a founding partner in Cotè & Van Dyke, LLP, a firm which specializes in helping victims and their families in medical malpractice, products liability & personal injury. She has held positions on the Board of Directors of the Onondaga County Bar Association, the Assigned Counsel Program, and the Central New York Women’s Bar Association. She has hosted and lectured at continuing education seminars for the New York State Bar Association, the Trial Lawyers Association and other groups.
In 1987, she graduated from Syracuse Law, and in 2004, she began teaching Practical Lawyering Skills and various other litigation or trial advocacy courses at Syracuse University College of Law. In 2009, Professor Van Dyke received a LLM in Trial Advocacy from Temple University, Beasley School of Law. Professor Van Dyke has been actively involved in the Syracuse Trial Advocacy Program, which is one of the top ranked programs according to U.S. News & World Reports. In 1996, she began coaching the Syracuse National Trial Teams, including the Tournament of Champions, TYLA National Trial Team, and the American Association for Justice Trial Competition. Professor Van Dyke has hosted various trial competitions, and is the co-director of the Syracuse National Trial Competition. Since 2014, Professor Van Dyke has been on the Board of Directors of the Tournament of Champions. According to Professor Van Dyke, the law school’s trial advocacy program “helps law students take their knowledge of the law and apply it to real problems presented by clients in a mock trial competition setting. The students are able to develop the skills of interviewing and counseling clients, writing about their legal issues, and learning how to effectively and ethically educate their clients position in and out of the court room.”
Legal Counsel, Law Offices of Ralph Ankier & Staff Counsel, AmTrust North America
Michelle is a 2007 graduate of Syracuse University College of Law and was admitted to practice law in 2008. Since 2009 Michelle has practiced in the area of Workers’ Compensation Law representing both injured workers as well as insurance carriers across the state. She is currently working as in-house staff counsel at Amtrust Financial Services, Inc. Michelle’s exposure to trial advocacy started as early as middle school where she joined every team made available to her in middle school, high school and college. She was a member of the trial advocacy program during her time at the College of Law and has worked with numerous teams since graduation.
Attorney, Harris Beach Murtha Cullina PLLC
William Michael Xavier Wolfe is an attorney at Harris Beach Murtha, focusing on litigation, labor and employment, and cannabis law. As a Syracuse University College of Law student, he earned multiple honors, including Outstanding Graduate and the Paul Shipman Andrews Award. Wolfe was named National Best Advocate at the Constance Baker Motley National Black Law Students Association Mock Trial Competition and was a member of the ABA Arbitration Team. He also completed the Advocacy and Litigation curriculum and was admitted to the Order of the Barristers.
Post-graduation, Wolfe has been recognized for his contributions to the legal profession and community. In 2022, he was named to City & State New York’s Responsible 100, honoring New York’s most outstanding corporate citizens. In 2024, he received the Syracuse University College of Law Black Law Students Association Distinguished Alumni Award. He serves on ACR Health and the Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society boards, holds leadership roles in the Central New York Bankruptcy Bar Association, and is Vice President of the William Herbert Johnson Bar Association of Central New York.
Currently, Wolfe co-coaches the Black Law Students Association Trial Team alongside John F. Boyd II L’16 (his former trial coach), contributing to the development of future trial advocates.
The College of Law’s Advocacy Fellows are experienced practitioners, judges and litigation experts who coach the law school’s highly competitive intercollegiate advocacy teams.
Collectively, our Advocacy Fellows bring with them decades of experience in practice and coaching students in advocacy competitions. Their expertise and guidance greatly enhance the quality of the student learning experience and the competitiveness of the law school’s intercollegiate advocacy teams.
