Ansca Pakop LL.M.’25 is proud to be the first person from Papua New Guinea to attend the Syracuse University College of Law, and he plans to make the most of his time here. Almost 9,000 miles away from his island home in the Oceania region, Pakop is looking forward to spending the next year in Syracuse on a Fulbright grant to expand his already extensive legal knowledge by earning a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree with a particular interest in international law and national security.
A working attorney for over a decade, Pakop has a LL.B., MBA and a master’s degree in economics and public policy from the University of Papua New Guinea. After holding a number of positions in many areas of the law, he is currently the legal counsel for the Climate Change & Development Authority in Papua New Guinea. His work is key to protecting the environmentally vulnerable island, and he has been involved in drafting, advising and interpreting climate change-related legislation and regulations, including Papua New Guinea’s Climate Change (Management) Act and the U.N. Paris Agreement Implementation Act.
Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia in 1975. With 13 million people speaking more than 800 languages, it is both the most populated Pacific island state and the most linguistically diverse in the world. Its large supply of minerals, particularly copper and gold, as well as petroleum and natural gas, both spur the economy and contribute to some of the major environmental issues that the island faces, including deforestation, erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, natural disasters and flooding.
Pakop’s interest in adding national security and international law to his resumé comes from Papua New Guinea’s urgent need to update its outdated national security policies, legislation and international intelligence operations, which date back to when the island was still an Australian colony. Its resources, economic potential and geographic location make Papua New Guinea of interest to world powers like Australia, China and the United States. In fact, the U.S. is currently investing a great deal there, including the renovation of a naval base to be used by the U.S. Navy, as a strategic location in close proximity to China.
Pakop is eager to learn as much as he can through the LL.M. program in order to bring that knowledge back home. He is pleased with his experience so far, calling it “quite intense and competitive.”
“I’m enjoying my classes, the diversity and the academic environment here,” he says. “We have such excellent and renowned faculty at Syracuse Law, many of whom have insights into things like NATO and cybersecurity that interest me. I’m learning such quality information through lectures and enriching classes.”
In addition to his studies, Pakop has also joined the Student Bar Association (SBA), as well as the African Graduate Students Network.
Once he has earned his LL.M., he plans to return to Papua New Guinea’s Climate Change & Development Authority. He would also be open to working with his government’s defense or security agencies in the future.
“An LL.M. degree from Syracuse Law in the United States will be very helpful and prestigious for me when I return to Papua New Guinea,” Pakop says. “I am certain that the things I’m learning about international law will help my work and further my career. And, I will also have the strength of the Syracuse Law network behind me, even when I’m back on the other side of the world.”
When Yu-Shiuan “Carr” Lin L’25 LL.M. decided to pursue a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in the United States, his thoughts weren’t only on the court of law but also on the basketball court. Since middle school, Lin has been a big fan of “the famous Carmello Anthony,” who played for Syracuse University’s Men’s Basketball in 2002-03, leading the team to its first NCAA Championship.
Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) at National Chengchi University College of Law in Taipei, Taiwan, Lin discovered that his home school had a partnership with Syracuse University College of Law that would allow him to pursue an LL.M. as part of his studies. “Not only can I go to the school where Carmello Anthony played, but Syracuse Law’s LL.M. program will help me get my master’s degree as soon as possible.”
Lin’s interest is in environmental law, and he comes to Syracuse Law with a number of internships where he conducted research on urban planning, food security and environmental impact assessment. Recently, he had the opportunity to attend The Asian American Bar Association of New York’s: Navigating OCI with Corporate Attorneys in New York City, where he was able to network with partners from several 20 top law firms of Vault Law 100. There, he met a partner who had worked on various projects surrounding financing energy and infrastructure development in Asia, and they discussed how there are not enough attorneys practicing in areas like energy or the environment in that part of the world. This experience encouraged Lin’s interest in eventually returning to his home to help contribute to environmental law efforts. Although, since joining the LL.M. program, he says he can also see himself rolling his environmental law knowledge into international law, as well.
He is enjoying the LL.M. program in Syracuse and has met others from countries all over the world with different levels of professional experience. “It’s amazing to discuss the U.S. legal system with other students who are already practicing at big law firms and are high level professionals with a lot of experience in their own countries, while I am still earning my law degree,” he says. “So far, it’s just what I imagined it would be here, though, and I find the workload very accommodating and more collaborative. Of course, the curriculum is pretty intense, but I like that I have some space to explore other interests.”
Some of those interests include participation in the General Counsel Symposium held at Syracuse Law in September; the 2024 Fall Conference of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, which he attended as part of the Law School’s Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association; and the 2024 International Law Association Weekend organized by the American branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) that he attended in New York City with the Syracuse Law’s International Law Society.
After Lin completes his LL.M. next year, he will return to Taiwan for mandatory military service. After he completes that requirement, he plans to come back to the U.S. to take the New York State Bar Exam.
“Taking the bar in New York State has many advantages for me, as it is the biggest bar association in the United States,” he explains. “Passing the New York State Bar will give me eligibility to handle foreign affairs and legal issues related to imports/exports and the manufacturing industry, which we are so famous for in Taiwan. Businesses there have to deal with U.S. law all the time.”
As he eagerly awaits the opportunity to see his first basketball game in the Syracuse University JMA Wireless Dome in the coming months, he intends to continue to learn as much as he can about U.S. culture and also its perspective on the law. Lin is making the most of his time at Syracuse Law and says he knows that completing the LL.M. program is sure to give him “a home court advantage” in his legal career.
On Oct. 31, 1980, a baby boy was born in Santiago, Chile, to a poor, young, Indigenous mother. He was whisked away before she was allowed to hold him, and later she was told that the baby had died. But, he was very much alive, taken away by a ring of traffickers who created fraudulent documents and sold him into international adoption. It would be decades before Jimmy L. Thyden González L’21, would discover the circumstances surrounding his birth and use his knowledge of the law to fight for the rights of thousands of other counterfeit adoptees around the world.
Amazingly, Thyden González’s story is not unique. Tens of thousands of babies had been victims of a scheme under Chile’s then dictator Augusto Pinochet, who believed that kidnapping the children of poor, Indigenous and often single women was a way to reduce the country’s poverty rate and improve economic conditions. His twisted rationale meant that the Chilean government would not have to support as many poor families, and, in turn, it would create an economic boom through fees paid by unwitting adoptive parents throughout Europe and North America. Corrupt doctors, judges, government officials and clergy were an integral part of running this horrific system of child trafficking, which, according to the Chilean government, took approximately 20,000 children away from their parents between the 1950s and 1990s. However, it is estimated by civil and nonprofit groups working to address the harms that the actual number is closer to 50,000.
Thyden González was adopted from a Chilean orphanage at age 2 by an American couple who had no idea that the child’s papers and backstory were fraudulent. They believed his birth mother had willingly given him up, being too young and poor to care for her baby. His paperwork called him “Carlos,” but the couple named him James “Jimmy” Thyden, and he had a happy childhood growing up in Virginia.
After high school, Thyden González joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served for 19 years. In 2011, just before he was preparing to be deployed to Afghanistan, his adoptive mother gave him his adoption records. As Thyden González looked through them, he began to notice discrepancies. One, for example, said he had been born in a hospital in Chile to a “known mother.” Another said he had “no living family.” Papers also indicated that his mother’s name was Maria González, which, unfortunately, was a very common name in that country. At the time, he had no idea what the real story was, but he put those thoughts in the back of his mind as he headed off to Afghanistan.
Upon his return, he often thought about investigating his adoption story, but he wasn’t quite sure how to begin. Many in his adopted family told him he was loved and that he should be grateful for the life he had been given, but he continued to feel a question that needed answering. Thyden González thought about traveling to Chile to research his background, but that required permission from the military and finances In addition, he spoke no Spanish and knew little of the culture.
Thyden González separated from the Marines in 2018 and earned an undergraduate degree from Liberty University, and then used the G.I. Bill and Syracuse’s commitment to the Yellow Ribbon Program to earn a law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law with the intention of being a criminal defense lawyer fighting the disparities toward people of color within the criminal justice system.
Making Connections to Find his Chilean Family Link
In 2023, his wife came across an article about a man who had been the victim of illegal adoption in Chile. The story felt very familiar to Thyden González, and he decided the time had come to find out more about the circumstances surrounding his birth and adoption. Notably within the article was mention of a nonprofit organization in Chile, Nos Buscamos, working to reunite families. An organization which he describes as “two ladies working with their laptops to change the world.”
Thyden González got in contact with them, eventually sending copies of his paperwork— and quickly learning that the attorney and social worker who had handled his adoption were some of the most notorious traffickers in Chile. He was advised to submit his DNA to MyHeritage, which had been supplying DNA kits to women in Chile in the hopes of finding some of the trafficked children. As a lawyer, he was hesitant at first, but, knowing there was the possibility of reuniting with his family, he finally decided to do so. Just 42 days later, the DNA results connected him with a woman from Chile identified as his mother’s cousin. He emailed the woman, who was herself skeptical but did tell him that there was a Maria González in her family and that she was alive.
Soon, he received a message from his aunt saying, “We found her, and she wants to meet you.” It was only after that that Thyden González first heard the true story of what had happened to him and his mamá on the day he was born, and how, since that day, she believed her son had died. Soon, he was frequently texting with his mamá in his “terrible Spanish,” as he raised the money to travel to Chile.
At the same time, González got in contact with other Chilean’s who had been illegally adopted, one of whom, Adrian Reamey, was making a documentary about the issue and wanted his legal expertise. She asked him to accompany her to Chile as part of the documentary-making process. Finally, he had the opportunity to reunite with his mamá and meet his family!
The reunion was tearful and overwhelming, as he hugged his mamá for the first time, surrounded by other relatives who welcomed him joyously. Thyden González, his wife and children, were able to spend a week getting to know his mamá. Soon after, he officially added “González” to his name, making him Jimmy L. Thyden González in honor of his Chilean heritage.
Gonzalez hugs his birth mother for the first time during his visit to Chile.
In the two weeks that followed, González stayed in Chile with the documentary film crew, meeting with government officials, where he learned that the Policia De Investigaciones De Chile (PDI), the civilian police department, had only five individuals in the entire country investigating illegal adoptions. No one was truly working to provide any kind of closure or reparations for the thousands of mamás and their stolen babies.
González returned to the U.S., put his law practice on hold and decided the best way he could help would be to get an LL.M. in international human rights, which he completed last year at American University’s Washington College of Law.
Gonzalez meeting his Chilean relatives for the first time in his visit to Chile.
Creating a Nonprofit to Help Others Affected by Illegal Trafficking Link
At the same time, he created a nonprofit organization, Grafting Hope, to help those impacted by illegal human trafficking obtain reparations. The organization has already brought a great deal of awareness to these counterfeit adoptions, which, unfortunately, still continue at some level even today. Thyden González has met with officials in Chile and the U.S., making connections through both embassies. He also had the opportunity to brief the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances, testifying on the atrocities of these illegal adoptions.
When he heard that the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, planned a visit to the U.S., Thyden González started a grassroots effort through a group chat with other impacted adoptees asking them to come to Washington, D.C. Thyden González collected many of their stories with Nos Buscamos and Reamey and presented them to Boric, telling him, “These are our stories, and we need your help. We, too, are Chilean.”
Thyden González has since been working non-stop to make those impacted families whole again. In addition to Grafting Hope, he is collaborating with Chilean law firm Colombara Estategia Legal. Together he sued the Chilean government, fighting for reparations on the basis that it failed to protect these babies and their mothers, thereby violating their human rights. He has filed suit asking the Chilean government to acknowledge the harm caused and establish a commission to identify all victims, both mamás and children, as well as recognize the identity and citizenship of those stolen babies and their descendants. Thyden González himself cannot claim Chilean citizenship under his chosen identity since the name on his adoption papers was fraudulent. He also walks a fine line because unwinding his adoption might nullify his American citizenship with the chance that this retired, disabled U.S. Marine could be deported. But, if he can’t clarify his adoption and be cleared as an American citizen, it will be nearly impossible for him to bring his mamá and family to the U.S. to care for them.
Jimmy Thyden González stands at the Supreme Court after presenting a criminal complaint in Santiago, Chile, on July 1, 2024. Photograph: Esteban Félix/AP
Still, every day, he continues the fight, and his improved Spanish language skills have made it easier to keep in touch with his mamá. Thyden González recently published an op-ed in The New York Times telling his story and has been using various media outlets to continue to raise awareness of counterfeit adoption. Last November, he also shared his experience with students at Syracuse Law.
“It is not lost on me that I came to Syracuse Law to study criminal defense and was, in fact, the victim of a crime from the day I was born,” he says. “I intend to continue to advocate and fight, not only for myself and my mamá, but for every mamá out there who lost a child to this horrendous counterfeit adoption scheme. It has become my passion, and the center of my identity and my career. I don’t intend to stop until there is a resolution, but I also know it’s going to take time. Still, I hope to see that day come soon.”
Syracuse University College of Law is pleased to announce the 2025 Kurt Wimmer IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree as 3L Courtney Ryan. With the growing need for well-qualified privacy and data protection professionals, the annual Westin Scholar Awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection.
As a participating Westin Scholar Award school, the College of Law’s 2025 Kurt Wimmer L’85 IAPP Westin Scholar Award Committee (Amber Lawyer L’17, Deputy Chair, Bond, Schoeneck & King Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice, Professor Lauryn Gouldin, Professor Shubha Ghosh, Professor Keli Perrin L’05, Professor Daniel Traficonte, and Assistant Dean Lily Yan Hughes) selected Ryan to receive this year’s award in recognition of her passion and path that she has already forged for herself in privacy law.
Ryan was a summer law clerk at Bond, Schoeneck, & King and a legal extern with Trillium Health, where she gained hands-on experience navigating complex privacy regulations, including HIPAA and FERPA. Through these roles, she developed a better understanding of the challenges businesses and organizations face in maintaining compliance while also leveraging data to innovate and grow.
“I found immense satisfaction in helping clients address these challenges, ensuring their data protection practices align with evolving legal standards. These experiences solidified my passion for privacy law and reaffirmed my desire to pursue a career in this field,” said Ryan. “I would like to thank the Kurt Wimmer IAPP Westin Award Committee. It is an honor to be selected, and I look forward to obtaining the IAPP certifications and contributing to the field of privacy.”
Ryan will be awarded the following:
• A $1,000 cash award
• 2 years of membership with the IAPP
• 3 complimentary exams for IAPP certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT)
• Unlimited access to online training for recipient’s selected IAPP certification exams
“The industry of privacy is fast-growing and constantly evolving. We’ve created this award as a way to put the privacy profession at the forefront of students’ minds as they explore potential career opportunities,” said J. Trevor Hughes, IAPP President and CEO. “Congratulations, Courtney. We look forward to seeing the good work you will bring to the field of privacy”.
About the Westin Scholar Award and Kurt Wimmer
The Westin Scholar Awards pay homage to the late Dr. Alan Westin, a foundational voice in the field of privacy and data protection. Throughout his life, Dr. Westin researched and wrote about privacy, data protection, digital identity and the future of how societies will deal with issues at the intersection of law and technology. He is the namesake for the IAPP Westin Research Center and Fellowship Program, which was founded in 2013 and serves as a pathway for future leaders in the community. More information on the Award can be found at Westin Scholar Award.
Proud Syracuse Law alumnus Kurt Wimmer L’85 was an international leader in privacy, cybersecurity, technology, and media law, whose career at Covington & Burling spanned more than three decades, including as co-chair of the firm’s global data privacy and cybersecurity practice in Washington, D.C.
As a privacy and technology lawyer, Wimmer worked closely with clients including Facebook, Microsoft, Samsung and other multinational organizations, in addition to non-traditional clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
The team of Shahzaib Hafeez L’26 and Elyse Maniccia L’26 prevailed over Garrison Funk L’25 and Daniel Morgan L’25 in the final round of the Mackenzie Hughes LLP Edmund H. Lewis Appellate Advocacy Competition. Hafeez and Maniccia won the Best Brief and Morgan was selected as the Best Oral Advocate.
Final round judges were Gabrielle Bull L’19 (Associate Attorney at Martin, Ganotis, Brown, Mould & Currie PC), Gavin Gretsky L’24 (Associate at Bond, Schoeneck, and King PLLC), Professor Suzette Meléndez, and Tom Taylor ’79, L’87 (Of Counsel, Bousquet Holstein PLLC.)
Sponsored by Syracuse law firm Mackenzie Hughes LLP, this competition is open to two-person teams consisting of second and third-year Syracuse Law students. The competition is named for the Hon. Edmund H. Lewis L’1909, a distinguished alumnus of Syracuse University College of Law, a partner at Mackenzie Hughes, and a Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Each year, volunteer judges evaluate the teams’ written appellate briefs as well as oral argument performance through multiple rounds.
The College of Law would like to thank all the judges and evaluators.
From left, Professor Suzette Melendez, Tom Taylor, Elyse Maniccia, Shahzaib Hafeez, Gavin Gretsky, and Gabrielle Bull
From the age of 8, the Hon. Deborah Karalunas L’82 knew she wanted to be a judge. She admits she didn’t always know what the job entailed, but she was drawn to the law and had a gift of being a problem solver. She also appreciated the enduring support of her parents, who encouraged her to follow her dreams and taught by example the importance of hard work, integrity and compassion. Over the past four decades, Karalunas has taken those skills and values with her serving the Central New York community as a judge, lawyer and also an adjunct professor at the Syracuse University College of Law. In recognition of her distinguished career in the judiciary and unwavering commitment to advancing the careers and achievements of women in the legal profession, Karalunas has been selected for a 2025 Law Honors award from the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association (SULAA).
After receiving her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, Karalunas and her husband both came to Syracuse University—he for business and she for a law degree. At the time in the early ‘80s, the legal field was male dominated, but that did not deter Karalunas.
“Syracuse Law fully accepted me and the other women who were there, and I never felt ‘less than’ as a woman,” says Karalunas, who also had her first child, Sarah, while earning her law degree. “People were very supportive, and having a family during law school gave me perspective on how to balance the stress of studying, exams, etc. These were lessons that I took with me into my career.”
Karalunas credits the Syracuse Law faculty for inspiring her love of the law, a desire to achieve and a yearning to make a difference. “They were committed to making each student a great lawyer and an even greater person. These dedicated professors made sure we knew that our successes would not be measured by how much money we made but by our integrity and reputation, how much we gave to others and how many lives we positively influenced,” she explains.
After completing her degree, Karalunas was a law clerk for Chief Judge Howard G. Munson, United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. One year later, she joined Bond, Schoeneck and King LLP, a local law firm, as a civil litigator. While she admits the legal profession was still a man’s world, Karalunas continued to persevere, eventually becoming the firm’s second female partner and the first female to be a partner with a family. She remembers often pulling all-nighters, so that she could be with her family instead of coming into work on Saturdays, like many of her male counterparts did.
After 20 years with Bond, Schoeneck and King, she decided her talent for problem solving might be put to good use as a judge. In 2003, she became a New York State Supreme Court Justice, 5th Judicial District. Karalunas was only the third female Supreme Court Justice elected in the 5th Judicial District, and today is the longest serving. She is also the first and only female to serve on the commercial division in Onondaga County. As a judge, she stays true to the values she learned from her family, her professors and peers, and Karalunas is especially proud when a Syracuse Law alumnus appears before her in court practicing law.
“I suppose I have broken a few glass ceilings and widened a few paths, particularly for women, in the years I’ve worked as a lawyer and a judge,” she says. “When you are treated fairly in an inclusive culture, a sense of belonging is created, and when you feel like you belong, you work harder and better.”
In 2013, in addition to her work as a judge, Karalunas came back to Syracuse Law—this time as an adjunct professor teaching New York Civil Practice. “From a faculty perspective, I am proud to see many more women not only studying law but being some of the School’s top achievers. I see a real confidence in women in my classes, and it’s clear that they have the ability to dream big,” says Karalunas, who also acts as a judge for moot court competitions and has recruited current students to work as externs in her chambers. “Teaching energizes me, and I feel that I have a whole lot of life experience to share. Part of my calling is to help people, so I hope I’m impacting Syracuse Law students—women and men—in a positive way.”
“Judge Karalunas’ distinguished career, from Syracuse University College of Law to becoming the first female administrative judge of the 5th Judicial District, exemplifies the very essence of the Law Honors award,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98. “Her unwavering commitment to justice, mentorship of future generations, and leadership in our legal community make her an inspiration to us all.”
Karalunas is humbled and proud to receive the 2025 Law Honors award. ‘I’m grateful to God for the gifts I have been given—a smidgen of wisdom, a love of life, a desire to serve, a forgiving heart, an aptitude for problem solving—and so many amazing opportunities,” she says. “I love my job. I love the law, and I love this profession. And, I am so very proud to be a graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law.”
Judge Karalunas at the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers 20th anniversary membership reception. (Photo by Mike Roy)
Richard Levy Jr. L’77 served on the board of the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association (SULAA) from 2014 until 2023, bringing with him a true appreciation for his alma mater, extensive career experience and plenty of new ideas for bringing Syracuse Law alumni together for the betterment of the College of Law. One such idea was the establishment of an annual award to recognize alumni who had a significant impact on the Syracuse Law community. In 2015, this became the annual Law Honors award. Now, in recognition for advocating for the contributions of other alumni and for his years of leadership with SULAA, Levy, himself, is a 2025 recipient of the Law Honors award.
“I was always amazed at the accomplishments of the people who were recognized with the Law Honors award, and I never thought of myself as someone in the same league as these recipients,” says Levy, senior member of the bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights practice group at Pryor Cashman LLP in New York City. “So, to be chosen for the award, well, I am stunned but truly grateful to Syracuse Law.”
Levy has appreciated his affiliation with Syracuse Law since he arrived in August 1974, shortly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in political economy from Williams College. During his senior year, he applied to 14 law schools—and Syracuse was the only one that accepted him.
“Syracuse Law turned out to be a great fit for me – excellent professors, good friends and outstanding experiences—and law school was a lot more fun than I expected,” he says. “Looking back, I have never questioned where I ended up or the opportunities that Syracuse Law provided me.”
Levy took his studies seriously, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of the Order of the Coif and the law school’s Justinian Honor Society. He also devoted considerable time to other law school pursuits. In his second and third years, He was a research assistant for now-Emeritus Professor of Law Thomas Maroney ’61, L’63, who Levy counts to this day as a good friend. During those two years, Levy also served as a staff member and Notes and Comments editor of the Syracuse Law Review, which published his student note on an issue of antitrust law.
Rich Levy in 1977 with Professor Thomas Maroney ’61, L’63 and Anne Steele L’78, and a present day photo of Levy and Professor Maroney. Poloroid of Levy and classmates at their commencement ceremony.
His first job after graduation was at a law firm in Washington, D.C., working in antitrust and trade regulation. Levy then moved on to a larger firm in New York City, where he practiced in antitrust and securities litigation. Still searching for his professional niche, he pursued several other opportunities before discovering how much he enjoyed bankruptcy law and has concentrated in that area ever since.
He joined Pryor Cashman as counsel in 1996, serving as a partner from 2003 until recently, when he became senior counsel to the firm. One of his career highlights came from leading the firm’s representation of many former customers of the failed securities investment firm run by Bernard Madoff, the infamous financier who was convicted in 2009 of defrauding thousands of investors out of more than $65 billion. In 2014, Levy argued the successful case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that significantly narrowed – by several billion dollars – the collective potential exposure of former customers on clawback claims asserted by the liquidating trustee of the securities firm.
Early in his career, Levy was not closely connected to Syracuse Law, as he was busy establishing himself as an attorney and raising two children with his wife, Carol Miller, also an attorney, although he did make annual gifts to the Law Alumni Fund and attended some regional events. However, in the late 1990s, he was working on a bankruptcy case in nearby Utica, New York, and decided to make a visit to the Syracuse campus. There, he connected with Maroney, other professors and several classmates in the area and renewed his connection after seeing how the law school was being invigorated. He became more involved as the plans to build what is now Dineen Hall moved forward.
”I loved my time on the SULAA board, and I especially prized my collaboration with former SULAA presidents Carey Ng L’02, Sarah Oliker L’03, Amy Vanderlyke Dygert L’07, Mark O’Brien L’14, and Colleen Gibbons L’17.
But, that wasn’t all. In 2021, he became a distinguished lecturer in law in the Syracuse Law JDinteractive program, teaching a condensed course in bankruptcy and creditors’ rights during the hybrid program’s frequent in-person residencies. Most recently, in March 2024, Levy reprised his course during a JDi residency week in Los Angeles.
“My dad thought I would make a good teacher,” Levy says. “I wish I had followed his instinct and started teaching much sooner. It is challenging, stimulating, and rewarding!”
“Rich’s unwavering commitment to Syracuse University College of Law, from his exceptional career achievements to his tireless volunteerism and mentorship of our students, embodies the spirit of the Law Honors award,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98. “He is an inspiration to our entire community, demonstrating the profound impact a Syracuse Law graduate can have on his law school, the legal profession, and beyond.”
The Syracuse University College of Law Alumni Association (SULAA) has selected Professor Suzette Meléndez to receive a Law Honors award. Meléndez was chosen as a recipient for her impactful contributions to the legal field, not only at Syracuse Law but across the larger University and New York state.
Meléndez received her law degree from the University of Connecticut. She practiced family law as a supervising attorney of the Domestic Violence Representation Project for Legal Services of New Jersey; and worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City, representing clients in the areas of housing and public entitlement before joining the Syracuse Law faculty in 2002. Since then, she has incorporated her experience as an attorney into scholarly interests surrounding access to legal services for women and children, domestic violence and family law.
“Through a greater understanding of these topics, our students can see that not all children thrive or develop as they should or have the same opportunities as others depending on circumstances,” says Meléndez of her passion for teaching family law. “And, they also begin to understand that some families are genuinely different, while others are affected by circumstances they truly can’t control.”
Meléndez also serves as the co-director for the Syracuse Medical Legal Partnership (SMLP), a collaboration between Syracuse Law and SUNY Upstate Medical University’s pediatric unit, providing legal advocacy to ensure that vulnerable patient populations get only the best of care, which includes legal assistance in regard to education, safe housing, government aid programs and more. The SMLP provides an interdisciplinary educational experience for Syracuse law students, as well as medical students, residents and other medical professionals associated with SUNY Upstate. In addition, she is also the faculty advisor to the Latin American Student Association (LALSA) and the College of Law Family Law Society.
Meléndez has shared her career legal expertise by serving on boards, committees and memberships of organizations at Syracuse Law, the University and the larger community. Her present commitments include the board of the Central New York Women’s Bar Association; Arriba, the first Central New York Latine bar group that operates under the auspices of the Puerto Rican Bar Association, of which she is one of the original members; the New York State Indigent Legal Services board; the Onondaga County Bar Association; and the Friends of the Central Library. From 2003-2022, Meléndez served as the director of the former Syracuse Law Children’s Rights and Family Law Clinic.
Drawing inspiration from her lived experience, she says of her accomplishments, “It’s just honestly a love of people, and I think it comes from a place that I characterize as pride in my own identity and also an appreciation for other people’s cultures that are different from mine. I want all of my students to feel welcome, while fostering an atmosphere where people are free to speak, and people also stop to listen and learn from one another.”
“Professor Meléndez’s unwavering dedication has truly made an impact on Syracuse University College of Law, fostering a welcoming environment for all,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98. “Her leadership in the classroom, across our University, and within the legal profession makes her a most deserving recipient of the Law Honors Award.”
Meléndez is especially proud to receive a Law Honors award from SULAA, as she knows that some of the alumni who selected her are former students from years past. “I love my students, past and present, more than they know,” she says. “Receiving this award is an affirmation of my work and motivates me to keep moving positively and productively.”
The College of Law’s annual Youth Law Day event recently brought more than 200 high school students from schools across Central New York to Dineen Hall for an introduction to the legal profession, learning about the role of attorneys in society, and how to chart a path to law school. The theme of the day was “Science and Technology in Law.”
Participating schools were Binghamton High School, Corcoran High School, the Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School, Geneva High School, Jamesville-DeWitt High School, Marcellus High School, Nottingham High School, and Utica Proctor High School. This year’s program was coordinated by Professor Lauryn Gouldin, co-founder of the Syracuse Civics Initiative.
The welcome address of the day was delivered by the Hon. Brenda K. Sannes, Chief United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York. Students then heard from a panel of judges that featured the Hon. Anthony Brindisi, the Hon. Beth Coombe, the Hon. Ramón E. Rivera L’94, and the Hon. Staci Dennis Taylor L’14. Professor Nina Brown of the Newhouse School of Public Communications then lectured on Ownership and AI.
From left, the Hon. Anthony Brindisi, the Hon. Beth Coombe, the Hon. Staci Dennis Taylor L’14, the Hon. Ramón E. Rivera L’94, and Professor Suzette Melendez.
Before lunch, the students broke into groups to tackle a mock oral argument activity. This activity was led by current law students who gave them advice and feedback about oral argument and modeled the activity for them. While at lunch, students were able to network with faculty, alumni, and current law students.
Students then heard from a college admissions counselor who answered their questions about applying to law school, followed by a lecture called “The Life of a Criminal Case” by Gabriela Girona Wolfe L’16, Assistant Public Defender from the Northern District of New York.
Professor Lauryn Gouldin
The visiting students were then able to ask a panel of current Syracuse Law students about their path to law school, how to prepare for the LSAT, good study and test-taking habits, and more. The panel was moderated by 3L Jesse Elmer and featured 2L Jocelyn Anctil, 3L James Cameron, and 2L Jared Park.
Kimberly Wolf Price L’03, Chief Strategy & Diversity Officer at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, provided closing remarks.
Event sponsors were:
Syracuse University College of Law
Barclay Damon
Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC Law Firm
Bousquet Holstein
The Hon. Robert A. Katzmann Justice for All: Courts and the Community Initiative
Lexis Nexis
New York State Bar Association
The Onondaga County Bar Association
Syracuse Civics Initiative
Syracuse Student Bar Association
The Wladis Law Firm
Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society
United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
“The stakes are never higher than when someone’s liberty hangs in the balance,” says John J. Dowling III L’20 of why he chose to become a criminal defense attorney.
Dowling started his criminal defense practice, Dowling Defense Group LLC, in 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating from Syracuse University College of Law, he had opportunities to join larger organizations that would have initially been more lucrative, but he decided to blaze his own trail to gain trial experience as quickly as possible.
“It’s difficult to generate trial experience right out of law school. If you work for a big firm, it’s going to be a long time before you get to try a case in front of a jury,” he explains. “So I went another way and opened a law firm by myself, and it’s amazing. I’m so glad I did it, as I’ve already tried a number of cases and argued two cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals.”
Dowling believes that the advent of the plea bargain—which didn’t always exist—has resulted in less trial experience for attorneys. “Trial by jury pre-dates the American Revolution, and I don’t think plea deals are how the framers of the Constitution thought this is how it would go,” he says. “A jury trial is the spinal column of the criminal justice system, but it’s used less and less because the risks of going before a jury can be higher.”
His focus on federal criminal law is not often a common choice, but he likes the challenge of going up against the federal government, including the FBI, Secret Service, or IRS.
“It’s a huge process when the federal government comes at you with all its forces,” he says. “But, Syracuse Law set me up to be an effective criminal lawyer, and now I’m using those skills to help others.”
Dowling is thankful for the education he received at Syracuse Law, calling it “one of the best in the country” and noting the experience he gained in various legal externships, as well as Trial Practice, Trial Advocacy and Moot Court. He points to Associate Dean for Online Education and Teaching Professor Shannon Gardner as someone who had a big impact on him as she demonstrated excellence and professionalism within the law.
His law school education also cemented his beliefs that criminal defense attorneys are an essential function of the law. “Everyone deserves a defense,” Dowling says. “Whether someone is guilty or innocent, things need to be handled the right way, and rules need to be abided by in order for a fair system to exist.”
Many of his cases are considered white collar crimes, which come with complex questions and interpretations of the law. “Clients can get themselves into situations that weren’t nefarious, but the consequences can be devastating to their lives, marriages, finances, etc. And, whether or not the government can show proof beyond a reasonable doubt is not as cut and dried as people think,” Dowling says.
“White collar crimes can often be harder to figure out and more nuanced than violent crimes, but they still have devastating penalties,” he adds. “There are many people who are falsely accused or overcharged, not because prosecutors are corrupt but because a witness might be lying, evidence is presented in a certain way, or the government has taken shortcuts. Often, it’s the consequences of misunderstandings that put people in prison.”
He is pleased with the path he chose and finds his job as a defense attorney fascinating, interviewing witnesses, doing research, and demonstrating his knowledge of the law in front of juries, all in an effort to make sure his clients get a fair trial.
Dowling acknowledges there are a few cases he won’t take, but, he says, “I don’t struggle with what clients are accused of doing because I recognize that all people have rights. I’m not here to agree or disagree. I’m here to serve an essential function of the American legal system.”
