Syracuse University College of Law recently welcomed the incoming class of J.D., LL.M., Exchange, and Advanced-Standing J.D. students during orientation and Convocation.
Dean Terence Lau L’98, presiding over his first Convocation as dean, shared with the students, “Over the coming months and years, we will challenge you. We will push you to your limits. But we will also nurture your intellectual curiosity, bolster your confidence, and help you unlock your full potential. This is our solemn commitment to you.”
Dean Terence Lau L’98 delivers a speech at the podium inside the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom.
James L. Kelly L’99, Partner, Chair, New York Private Equity at DLA Piper was the convocation speaker. Amongst his advice to the incoming students was “Long-term success is not so much about all the things you do right but more so your ability to continue onward in the face of a major setback. Stay calm when things don’t go well. But here is a bit of a twist to this. Stay calm when things go well, too – this is often more important. Being calm in these times will bring forth your virtue, make you someone that others want to be around, and eventually turn you into a leader.”
James Kelly L’99 delivers remarks to the 2024 incoming J.D. and LL.M. students
Syracuse Law welcomed 137 on-campus J.D. students from 22 states and seven countries and 106 students in the hybrid online J.D. program (JDinteractive) representing 25 states and two countries. In the J.D. class, 10% are veterans or military-connected and 24% are first-generation higher education students.
The 20 LL.M. students hail from Afghanistan, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, and Taiwan with 12 holding advanced degrees. The class features Federal Attorneys, Federal Judges, human rights activists, and police investigators among other professions.
Incoming students stand and recite the Oath of Professional Education.
The eight Advanced Standing J.D. students come from three states and five countries. Syracuse Law also welcomes two exchange students from the University of Rome’s Tor Vergata in Italy and a Visiting Scholar from the University of Bialystok.
“This diversity enriches our community and enhances the collaborative learning environment that defines Syracuse Law, setting the stage for an extraordinary journey ahead,” says Dean Lau.
Syracuse Law recently held a swearing-in ceremony for on-campus and hybrid student attorneys participating in one of the six law clinics this fall.
The Hon. Kevin P. Kuehner L’99, New York State Supreme Court Judge in Onondaga County, was the guest speaker and administered the Student Attorney Oath, and Vice Dean Keith Bybee and Executive Director of Clinical Education Beth Kubala also spoke to the students.
The Office of Clinical Legal Education provides a practical educational experience to second and third-year student attorneys while delivering much-needed, otherwise unavailable legal resources to the communities and people of Central New York.
The clinics are:
Bankruptcy Clinic
Betty & Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic*
Criminal Defense Clinic
Disability Rights Clinic
Housing Clinic
Sherman F. Levey ’57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic*
Transactional Law Clinic
*Clinic is offered online for the Fall 2024 semester.
The Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL) recently hosted a New York State Board of Elections Election Security Workshop and Tabletop Exercises in Dineen Hall. The purpose of the event was to ensure readiness by all entities as the general election approaches, offering a collaborative opportunity for government authorities, election administrators, law enforcement, and information technology experts, alike.
The County Boards of Elections, the Cyber & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York State Executive Chamber, the New York State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (DHSES), the New York State Police (NYSP), and the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) participated in the event.
SPL faculty observed the exercises and networked with participants to generate future collaborations and opportunities for SPL students.
College of Law professor who is an expert on criminal court pretrial appearance is partnering with computer science faculty to see if artificial intelligence tools and optimized data analysis can improve fairness and efficiency in scheduling defendants’ court dates.
Lauryn Gouldin (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)
Lauryn Gouldin, Crandall Melvin Professor of Law and a 2022-25 Laura J. & L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence, is one of three researchers on the project, “End-to-End Learning of Fair and Explainable Schedules for Court Systems.” She and Fernando (Nando) Fioretto, assistant professor of computer science at the University of Virginia (formerly of Syracuse University) and William Yeoh, associate professor of computer science and engineering at Washington University in St. Louis received a $600,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for the research. They are examining three issues: the uniformity and fairness of criminal court-date scheduling processes, if individual circumstances are considered when setting court dates, and whether a “smarter” computerized system can produce more equity and efficiency in those processes.
Ensuring that defendants who are released before trial return to court as scheduled is one of the primary goals of the pretrial process, Gouldin says. “Fortunately, data across jurisdictions suggest that most defendants show up for court as required. With bail reform efforts in many jurisdictions leading to higher rates of pretrial release, courts are focused on ensuring that pretrial appearance rates remain high,” she says.
Scheduling court appearances on dates and at times that work for defendants will help keep pretrial appearance rates high and avoid court system inefficiencies, she believes. Many factors—often legitimate hardships—can influence whether a defendant appears in court when scheduled. Gouldin says those factors are not consistently considered by courts and there is little uniformity in how appearance dates are scheduled from court to court.
The researchers are working to produce a system that predicts dates and times when defendants are more likely to appear versus being assigned an arbitrary court date or time. They believe having that knowledge, along with more flexibility in scheduling court dates—such as setting evening or weekend appearance dates—could improve pretrial appearance rates and create a more equitable scheduling process overall.
Shannon Chamberlain L’24 wrote the Top Student Paper in the Law and Policy Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) competition and presented the paper at their recent conference.
Chamberlain’s paper is ESCAPING LIABILITY FOR THE “GRAVEST OF THREATS”: EXPANDING ARTICLE 1, SECTION 6 IMMUNITY AND NARROWING BRANDENBURG INCITEMENT.
“This was an exceptional paper on a novel and contemporary issue with a compelling legal analysis and argument. I know the judges were impressed, too,” says Professor Roy Gutterman L’00. “Congratulations to Shannon for this achievement in a very competitive media law scholarship competition.”
Angela R. Hamilton L’25 was selected as one of 25 women student veterans for a 2024 Focus Forward Fellowship, hosted by the Military and Family Research Institute at Purdue University.
The Fellowship connects Purdue faculty and women student veterans and service members from around the country to help the student veterans grow their professional network and reach their career and academic goals. The cohort of Fellows are provided with mentors and coaches whom they met at a recent four-day in-person residency at Purdue. The Fellows will continue to meet in an online community throughout the year. The mentors help the Fellows harness new skills, strengthen self-confidence, and facilitate community building.
Hamilton is a retired veteran of the U.S. Navy. At Syracuse Law, she participates in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic and is a member of the Military and Veterans Law Society.
The ‘Cuse Vet Fest, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Syracuse VA Medical Center and Syracuse University College of Law’s Military and Veterans Law Society (MVLS), will be held on Friday, September 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Dineen Hall’s Levey Atrium.
The event is free and open to all Syracuse-area veterans, including Syracuse University student, faculty, and staff veterans who are not enrolled in VA health care and want to learn more about eligibility and how to sign up.
Attendees can:
Enroll in VA Healthcare (Please bring a copy of DD214 and Photo ID)
File a claim with VBA
Obtain a Veteran Health ID Card (Please bring a Photo ID)
Learn how the PACT Act (Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxic Acts) expands healthcare benefits for Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras and were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. PACT Act also extends eligibility to survivors of these exposed Veterans.
Engage with VA professionals
Visit with a variety of local community resources
Representatives from Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs and the Office of Veteran Success will be in attendance. MVLS students will guide attendees and facilitate interactions with partner organizations.
“For me, the decision to pursue a career in law is deeply rooted in the desire to effect positive change, provide client advocacy and foster relationships and community support. For these reasons, there was no better place for me to begin my legal career than Syracuse Law.”
—Ryleigh Peterson L’26
A Central New York native, Ryleigh Peterson L’26 only applied to one law school—The Syracuse University College of Law. “For me, the decision to pursue a career in law is deeply rooted in the desire to effect positive change, provide client advocacy and foster relationships and community support,” she says. “For these reasons, there was no better place for me to begin my legal career than Syracuse Law.”
While earning a bachelor’s degree in media studies with a minor in legal studies at Hunter College in New York City, Peterson worked as a legal personnel intern at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Her interest in being a paralegal led to a position as a collateral review intern with the firm. Upon graduation, Peterson accepted a corporate paralegal position at Cravath, where she assisted the banking and credits, and mergers and acquisitions practice groups. However, she eventually returned to her hometown of Skaneateles, New York, and went to work as a business paralegal at Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, in its Syracuse office. Not long after, she decided to pursue law school.
Since starting at Syracuse Law in Fall 2023, Peterson has been finding her way, making friends and figuring out what practice of the law she’d like to pursue. Returning to academia after three years of working professionally took some adjusting, but Peterson found comfort knowing she is where she belongs.
“As a 1L, I am passionate about learning, and I enjoy analysis and critical thinking,” she explains. “I like connecting the dots from my time as a paralegal to my current studies of the law.”
Already, she has learned some valuable lessons. “Law school has prepared me to get out of my comfort zone and learn new skill sets,” Peterson says. “I’m constantly pushing myself and doing things that I wouldn’t have done before I started here. Syracuse Law is preparing me to think critically, tackle difficult problems and shape myself into a future working professional.”
Peterson currently works as a law ambassador, giving tours of the school to prospective students, and also as a work-study student in the admission and financial aid office. She has also made a tight-knit group of friends who understand the pressures and expectations of law school.
“We’re all going through this process together. Law school is not easy but having a support system that understands what you’re going through makes it more manageable,” she says, noting that her parents, sisters and boyfriend have been “her rock” during the process.
Peterson is looking forward to returning to Bond, Schoeneck & King as a summer law clerk. “Right now, I think I’d like to work in corporate law because that’s the kind of experience I had as a paralegal, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it,” she says. “But, I still have a lot of learning to do, so who knows? I’m open to possibilities as I continue to take more classes.”
Peterson already has some advice to offer students just beginning the law school path. “Have confidence in yourself and be kind,” she says. “Law school is challenging, but you and your classmates are all going through this process for the first time. It’s a learning curve for everyone, and everyone learns differently. Stay true to yourself, and don’t compare yourself to anyone else. This experience is extremely rewarding in many ways, so embrace it!”
The Hon. James E. Baker recently chaired the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)/Federal Justice Center panel that examined the workplace practices across the Federal judiciary in a study of the workplace climate in the Article III judiciary.
The panel has issued its report “Enhancing Efforts to Coordinate Best Workplace Practices Across the Federal Judiciary.” Judge Baker was a guest on NAPA’s Management Matters podcast to discuss the key takeaways and lessons learned from the report that researched best workplace practices across the Judiciary.
According to Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22, inclusivity resonates with her family. In her native Hawai’i, it is known as “’the aloha spirit,’ a celebration of kindness and compassion appreciating all things we are given and all those that surround us and, where we include everyone,” she explains. That sense of inclusivity extended to her experience in the JDinteractive (JDi) program at Syracuse University College of Law. “’Aloha’ is diversity, equity and inclusion, and finding a school, employer, social circle and community that appreciated and included ‘aloha’ in its mission was very important. Syracuse Law provided that to my ohana (family),” Hasegawa-Nakaoka says.
“’The aloha spirit,’ [is] a celebration of kindness and compassion appreciating all things we are given and all those that surround us and, where we include everyone.’Aloha’ is diversity, equity and inclusion, and finding a school, employer, social circle and community that appreciated and included ‘aloha’ in its mission was very important. Syracuse Law provided that to my ohana (family).”
—Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22
Born and raised on the island of Oahu Hasegawa-Nakaoka earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC) and started her career as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley in Los Angeles. Later, she worked as a senior account executive in sales and marketing at Paradise Media Group, LLC, and a lecturer at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. During this time, she also pursued an MBA and graduated cum laude from the University of Hawai’i in 2008.
Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22 moderating a fireside chat with fellow alumna Melanie Gray L’81 at the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Residency.
In 2011, she had a family, and “life soon became filled with visits to the zoo, juice pouches, and cheese sticks,” according to Hasegawa-Nakaoka. For the next four years, she raised her family and continued as a lecturer in global management and organizational behavior. But, when her son started kindergarten, she decided it was time to pursue law, earning a master’s degree in the study of law (M.S.L.) from USC in 2019. With a preliminary legal foundation, she applied to the Syracuse University School of Law’s JDinteractive (JDI) program.
“Like so many JDi students that I meet, law school was something I always wanted to do,” she says. “I just had a few other things I needed to do first.”
“Like so many JDi students that I meet, law school was something I always wanted to do. I just had a few other things I needed to do first.”
—Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22
Her experience was positive, as she participated in online classes all the way from Hawai’i. She remembers her initial visit to the Syracuse campus during her cohort’s first residency, led by Associate Dean for Online Education Shannon Gardner. “It was a warm welcome that empowered me to remain committed to the JDi program. Dean Gardner was my first introduction to Syracuse Law and the first person I thought to notify when I passed the bar exam three years later,” says Hasegawa-Nakaoka.
“Dean Gardner was my first introduction to Syracuse Law and the first person I thought to notify when I passed the bar exam three years later.”
—Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22
On the day of her first residency at Syracuse Law, Hasegawa-Nakaoka chose a seat that serendipitously put her in front of her soon-to-be “law school bestie” Eliseo Arebalos L’22, who became her confidant over the next three years.
“Because of Syracuse Law, my son has Uncle Eli in his life, and my family and I are forever blessed with his friendship,” she says.
Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22 giving back her time to current JDinteractive students at the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Residency
While pursuing her law degree, Hasegawa-Nakaoka had an externship that honored her Hawaiian roots and community when she worked 821 hours as a law clerk with the Legal Aid of Maui. (Her great grandfather, the Hon. George K. Hasegawa, was a magistrate of the District Court of Lahaina and Lanai. He retired from the bench after 11 years of service to the community. In addition, both her paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather were proud graduates of Lahainaluna High School and members of the Lahaina community that made headlines around the world when it was decimated by wildfires in August 2023.) Hasegawa-Nakaoka felt it was important to honor her roots and community by doing legal aid work for those who needed help. As a result of her commitment, she received the Arthur T. Ueoka Memorial Scholarship presented by the Maui County Bar Association in 2021 and was later awarded the 2022 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award by Syracuse Law.
With her law degree in hand—Hasegawa-Nakaoka was the first female in the JDi program to pass the bar—she is currently working as an associate with the International Reproductive Law Group of Los Angeles, where her law school friend Arebalos is a managing partner. She also works as vice president and house counsel for Progressive Communications, LLC, based in Honolulu. Her family is located in both Los Angeles and Hawaii, as her son wanted to pursue opportunities on the mainland, while her husband’s business is still on the islands. “Our family has adopted the ‘Live with Aloha’ mindset, which has aided our transition to Los Angeles,” she explains.
“Syracuse Law gave me so much more than a law degree. Even though I was taking classes online from across the country, the ‘aloha spirit” at Syracuse Law made me feel right at home, and for that I am grateful.”
—Brooke Hasegawa-Nakaoka L’22
Her journey has been a long one, in time, effort and distance, but she is pleased that she can now practice law. Says Hasegawa-Nakaoka, “Syracuse Law gave me so much more than a law degree. Even though I was taking classes online from across the country, the ‘aloha spirit” at Syracuse Law made me feel right at home, and for that I am grateful.”
