Already an attorney in Argentina and about to complete a master’s degree in international relations at Harvard University, Betania Allo LL.M.’20 was searching for a way to combine law and policy with her interest in cybersecurity and technology. While attending a career fair at the U.S. embassy in her native country, she spoke to Andrew Horsfall L’10, Assistant Dean of International Programs, who told her about the Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program, a two- or three-semester program for foreign lawyers, judges and academics who want to broaden their knowledge of the U.S. legal system. Today, after completing the program, Allo is using her collective professional skills and education at the United Nations, where she is a senior officer, program specialist, at the Office of Counter-Terrorism.
Allo was drawn to Syracuse Law’s Institute for Security Policy and Law, an interdisciplinary collaboration among the College of Law, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and other schools and colleges across the University. At the Institute, students learn from experienced professionals on topics ranging from counterterrorism law and policy, cybersecurity, emerging technology, international humanitarian law, international relations, and more. The program also offers guest lectures, symposia, research seminars and simulation-based experiences, as well as networking opportunities with legal professionals from around the globe. As an LL.M. student, Allo was a graduate research assistant at the Institute.
Determined to make the most of her time at the College of Law, Allo carefully planned out all the courses and activities she wanted to experience before the program even started. One that she hadn’t anticipated, however, was a blockchain course through the School of Information Studies (iSchool) she discovered through Associate Professor Lee McKnight, who was co-teaching Allo’s Cyber Security Law Policy course at the law school.
“I was very eager to gain more technology skills than the average lawyer might have, so I asked if I could audit his blockchain class,” she explained to Lee, who is a member of the iSchool faculty, “He encouraged me to take the class for credit, and it turned out to be one of the most wonderful experiences during my time at Syracuse University. It helped me expand my knowledge of how law, policy, and technology work together.”
“I wanted to learn to speak the same language as innovators and policymakers to address legal voids, human rights challenges, and regulations that come with addressing emerging technologies, and I was able to explore that on many levels while at the College of Law,” she added of her interest in this field.
Following the completion of her LL.M. degree, Allo accepted an opportunity at the United Nations in New York City as a legal intern with the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. That eventually led to a position as an associate political affairs officer, where she used data-driven political analysis and research to help craft counterterrorism solutions.
New, York, NY, USA – September 24, 2016 – United Nations Headquarters in New York City: The United Nations General Assembly opens.
Last September, Allo was promoted to her current role of a senior officer, program specialist, at the Office of Counter-Terrorism at the UN, where she continues to integrate her knowledge of law, technology, and policy in areas related to counter-terrorism, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.
Allo acknowledges that most people think that a lawyer only knows about the law, but she is determined to keep discovering new information and broadening her network. To that end, she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Engineering in Cybersecurity from The George Washington University.
Allo hopes her expertise in cybersecurity, policy, and law will open new possibilities within the United Nations and beyond. She also intends to expand her role as a speaker at international conferences on cybersecurity. Allo is determined to continue to leverage her valuable experiences at Syracuse University.
“I believe I really took advantage of so many of the resources from the College of Law and adapted them to fit my specific interests,” she said. “For me, the LL.M. program was a very fulfilling experience.”
The arrival of Michael Wohl ’72, L’75 on the campus of Syracuse University in the late 60’s was inevitable. After all, his father and mother were proud alumni who literally placed a fraternity pledge pin in his bassinet! But it wasn’t just the Orange spirit that seemed to pass down in his DNA. It was a generational commitment to philanthropy and the idea that “doing well” and “doing good” are synonymous.
Michael Wohl ’72, L’75
Today, it all makes sense for a man who built a successful career by meeting the needs of the less fortunate. Wohl co-founded Pinnacle Housing Group in 1997, which came to be recognized as the leading producer of affordable housing in the southeast United States, creating homes for countless families across three states.
“I’m very passionate about affordable housing and providing for the workforce, for the elderly, and for those transitioning out of homelessness,” says Wohl, who is now a principal in Coral Rock Development Group, LLC, a real estate investment firm focused on mixed-use developments that help communities prosper. One of its most recent projects is in North Miami, FL where a new affordable housing complex will feature 138 apartments. “The fact is that this form of real estate development is a very lucrative business and it has allowed me to engage in philanthropy. What is better than doing well by doing good?”
Real estate investment has allowed Wohl to invest in the future of others, especially students at Syracuse University and its College of Law. Wohl has invested his own “time, treasure and talent” in the development of the campus, its programs and services, and its students. He served on the College of Law’s Board of Advisors; is a Life Trustee of the University; was a driving force behind the development of the Barnes Center (the connecting lobby is named for Michael and his wife Betty) and the development of Dineen Hall; provided support for the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic at the College of Law; funded the Sheila and Alfred Wohl Dining Center at the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life in honor of his parents and the Alfred Wohl ’34 Lacrosse Field behind Manley Field House; and supports the academic success of promising students through the Alfred Wohl Memorial Law Scholarship funds. His daughter, Heather Wohl Herzberg ’12 has carried on the family tradition for philanthropy, naming the Dean’s Suite at Falk College.
Wohl says that investing in law students pays lasting dividends because so many of them go on to contribute to their communities (and to the College) after graduation. In a letter of thanks to Wohl, one scholarship recipient wrote:
“The College of Law has provided me with a number of incredible opportunities to grow as an aspiring attorney and, more importantly, as a person. I am incredibly grateful. I hope that one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals, just as you have done for me.”
Just as his father set an example for him, Wohl says his philanthropy is motivated by a deep desire to show others “what you can do with your education, your life, your background and your affiliation with Syracuse University.”
When he majored in sociology as an undergraduate, focusing on the study and dynamics of small groups, Wohl had no idea how it would come to serve him in his career. “All of my business involves dealing with groups of people, recognizing the dynamics and understanding how to utilize those dynamics to achieve success.”
Similarly, Wohl entered law school with an open mind for knowledge and no predisposition to any particular aspect of the law. He recognized the usefulness of a broad legal education. “I knew that law school was going to be a huge stretch for me in terms of academics and discipline. I wasn’t like many of my classmates who had the scales of justice hanging above their cribs, destined to be lawyers. I did not. But I had a tremendous sense of the value of my law school education,” says Wohl. “The skill sets that you acquire—having the ability to dissect material, to reason and think logically, to speak publicly, to stand up and advocate for a position. These are invaluable in business and in life—and they came from my law school experience.”
Dean Craig M. Boise says it is Wohl’s sensitivity and vision for how a legal education can amplify any career that makes him such a valuable advisor, engaged alumnus, and philanthropist. “Michael is supportive of initiatives that make the College of Law more relevant and contemporary in meeting the needs of students and ensuring that their education enhances their professional opportunities. He has taken many of our graduates under his wing and helped them succeed beyond the College.”
As his father before him, Wohl used his law degree to excel in the real estate business. Alfred Wohl ’34 consulted in the construction of apartment houses, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, shopping centers and post office buildings. As his success increased, so did his generosity. “My father started some amazing things,” says a very proud son. “He founded the largest boys and girls club in the United States, in Queens, and he was co-founder of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, the place where the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered.”
When his father passed away, Wohl was in charge of managing his estate and assets, which included a lot of apartment developments in Manhattan. That’s when he really fell in love with the real estate business and saw the value of his legal training. He structured sales that ultimately reaped huge benefits for his estate. In the 1990s, there were a lot of distressed properties for sale. Wohl seized the moment and the momentum. “I built my first affordable housing complex in the Little Havana area of Miami, and the 35 units sold out quickly,” he recalls. “Again, what is better than doing well by doing good?”
The business of affordable housing not only aligned well with the philanthropic legacy of his father, it also “played into my social consciousness, if you will, that grew out of my academic experiences and being a child of the 60s.” Wohl was at Woodstock in the infamous summer of 1969, just as his Syracuse University student experience was being shaped.
“Music had a profound influence on me in the 1960s and 1970s,” reflects Wohl. “Perhaps the most beautiful lyric ever written came from the Beatles: ‘And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.’”
A fitting phrase for a man who has created opportunities for so many through the love of giving.
Humility. Compassion. Empathy. These are the words used by Syracuse University College of Law students to describe their experiences working in the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), which offers pro bono assistance to lower-income taxpayers who have controversies with the Internal Revenue Service involving collections, audits, appeals, and other matters.
How fitting, then, that the LITC is now named the Sherman F. Levey ’57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic in honor of its founder, a man often described by those same three words: humility, compassion, and empathy.
“I remember Professor Levey stressing the grave importance of exemplifying and showing the utmost empathy and compassion when the students of the LITC were dealing directly with the individuals/clients who were probably already fearful and scared of the IRS,” says Kathryn Messenger L’03, who was in the first-ever LITC class when it was launched in 2002.
“The clinic is all about developing empathy, and there’s just no way you get that from law books or lectures,” says Brian Krastev L’20 and is now an International Tax Associate at PwC.
Levey, who passed away in April 2018, is credited with having established the LITC in 2002 while teaching at the College of Law. He secured the clinic’s original funding. Former colleague and now Emeritus Professor Martin L. Fried recalls conversations with Levey as the idea for the LITC was taking shape, in which they discussed the need to offer law students an alternative to the criminal law clinic that was popular at the time. “We wanted to be able to give students who were more interested in business and the commercial sphere a chance to get some clinical experience in the real world and insight that could make them better lawyers,” says Fried. “Sherm was the mover and shaker behind the LITC, seeing that it could help our students and people who would never have had a chance against the IRS.”
Levey devoted countless hours to the LITC, on top of teaching and full-time private law practice in Rochester, NY. “It was Sherm’s baby,” says Professor Robert Nassau, who co-directed the LITC with Levey during its first several years and now directs the clinic. “Sherm recognized that the clinic would be an invaluable learning experience for students while filling a critical need for underserved residents of this region.”
“My father always supported the underdog because he started as one,” says Lynn Levey L’94, G’94. “He was entirely self-made. His own father died when he was only 17, thinking his son would not have the means to go to college. But Syracuse University awarded him a full scholarship.” He received degrees in accounting and the law in a 3+3 program. “They gave him a chance he would not have had otherwise, and they could not have made a better investment when they chose my father. It’s a true ‘Circle of Life’ thing that my father should found the low income taxpayer clinic because he himself began as a low income taxpayer. He did not die a low income taxpayer, but he served others throughout his career. He loved the practice of law and wanted the students to love the practice, to see there were all these different things you could do with it, that it was fun and that you could serve others.”
Lynn Levey L’94, G’94
Lynn used her law degree to improve the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women, has taught at the College of Law, and now works on national Title IX initiatives. Her siblings are both service-oriented in their professions: brother Ted teaches English to high school students, and sister Amy does international development work. Together, the siblings and Sherm’s cousin Edith D. Warner, decided to honor his life and legacy of service and learning with a significant gift to the College of Law.
Though tax clinics in general can trace their history back to the 1970s, there were only a handful of law schools offering such clinics in the year 2002, when Levey “got the ball rolling” at Syracuse, according to Nassau. Levey and Nassau first met while they were both in private practice at different firms—at monthly luncheons attended by tax lawyers in Rochester. Eventually, Levey convinced Nassau to join him as an adjunct professor teaching tax courses at the College of Law. Now, Nassau is a full-time teaching professor, executive director of the Office of Clinical Legal Education, and Director of the LITC.
“Even after Sherm stepped away from the LITC, he talked about it whenever we got together,” recalls Nassau. “He took so much pride in how it grew and what it did for the community.”
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Director Robert Nassau (right) instructs a clinic student.
In a recent summary of accomplishments, Nassau called the student attorneys of the LITC “Public Defenders of Tax.” Among the many tax controversies they helped resolve last year were those involving the earned income tax credit and other child-based tax benefits, stimulus payments, identity theft, innocent spouse relief, and collection alternatives. Notably, they helped a client obtain a proper New York State tax refund after a hearing in the Bureau of Conciliation and Mediation Services; and successfully resolved a long-running Tax Court case involving the proper tax treatment of a post-bankruptcy deed in lieu of foreclosure.
“As a former tax attorney, I can certainly appreciate the need for the kind of assistance provided by the students in the LITC and the role it plays in our community,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “It also plays a vital role in legal education. Sherm Levey was a visionary. He understood the importance of law students gaining practical skills and was a key player in the evolution of clinical programs that make Syracuse College of Law both distinctive and relevant.”
Nassau has diligently tracked “the cash money we have been able to put into people’s pockets” since the start of the LITC. It approaches $2 million! That doesn’t count the dollars saved by sparing people from having to pay the IRS (reducing their liability)—that amounts to an average $200,000 each year. And no one has measured the total value of time put in by the students working pro bono for LITC clients—but given that it’s a three-credit clinic in which ten students are doing 7 hours of work each week for a 14 week semester, that totals nearly 1,000 hours of pro bono legal work per semester. Over 20 years!
But the success of the LITC isn’t just in the numbers. Here’s how Nassau defines success: “First, we represent and consult with as many taxpayers as possible. The fact is that the LITC almost never turns away an eligible tax controversy client and never declines to provide a consultation to anyone who contacts us. Second, we are getting the correct tax result in each and every tax controversy case, based on the facts and the law.”
Also critical to success, says Nassau, is the student attorney experience: “We ask ourselves: Did the student attorney learn a new and important body of tax knowledge and how to implement and deploy it in real-life situations? Did the student attorney help to resolve a taxpayer’s legal controversies—particularly a lower-income taxpayer’s legal controversies—and experience the joy and professional satisfaction that flows from such work? Did the student attorney develop a respect for the work done by employees of the Internal Revenue Service and other branches of our Government? Happily, in most cases, I can see knowledge and empathy and excitement blossoming in the brains and hearts of our student attorneys.”
And that’s exactly what Levey envisioned all those years ago when he and Nassau launched the clinic. “My father was a problem solver, first and foremost,” says Lynn Levey. “He easily conveyed the joy of solving problems to his students.” In an interview referenced in Syracuse Law magazine, Sherm Levey said: “What I like about practicing law is dealing with real people and real problems. I never quite believed in the grandeur of the law. But I do believe in the rule of law trying to solve problems in a civilized way by an orderly process. The law is basically a framework by which society attempts to solve, or hopefully avoid, problems among people.”
As Krastev looks back on his LITC experience, he describes it as “your first real-world glance at real-world practice.” As much as law school classes use simulations and mock exercises, they can’t match real human interaction with a client. “It was invaluable to get on the phone with a client, talking through the problem, exchanging emails. In a typical law school classroom setting, you’re just looking for the right answer. The clinic is totally different. You can’t just talk to a client as if they’re an exam question. A big tax bill is very daunting to a client. It’s an anxiety-inducing, very stressful situation. The LITC experience helped me put myself in the client’s shoes, and see the world through their lens. And that has made a difference in my career.”
That sentiment is echoed by Messenger. Though she works full-time as senior corporate counsel for Aspen Dental, she spends off hours helping individuals deal with their personal legal problems. “I do my utmost best whenever I am dealing with someone who is not an attorney to show the utmost compassion and understanding with the issues they are facing,” says Messenger. “I think the (LITC) clinical experience helped to teach humility and the need to always remember that when helping the less fortunate and individuals who are unable to easily navigate through the daily challenges they may be facing, we should not take for granted the opportunities provided to us as attorneys.”
Both Messenger and Krastev represent the living legacy of the LITC and the impact of inspiring professors like Levey and Nassau. “Professor Nassau is one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet, but he’s also very down to earth,” says Krastev. “He makes the learning process feel effortless, not like a chore. I was never into tax law before I took his course on the Introduction to Federal Income Tax. After that course, I took every single tax class and the clinic.”
“I believe it’s part of my father’s legacy that Rob Nassau is there and he is so beloved,” says Lynn Levey.
Nassau is a four-time recipient of the College of Law’s Res Ipsa Loquitor Award, recognizing an outstanding member of the faculty for his service, scholarship and stewardship to the students. He also received the Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Continuing Excellence in 2020 from the University. “Like my father, Rob doesn’t seek the limelight. He just does his work and does it well.”
Similarly, Lynn says her father didn’t seek recognition for his own work. His interest was in helping others. When he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously by The Daily Record in Rochester, he was celebrated and honored by colleagues at Boylan Code, the law firm where he worked until his death at the age of 82. They noted that “even after death, there’s no doubt that Sherm’s impact, accomplishments, and overall commitment to Rochester and the legal community live on.”
Lynn recalls one of her father’s colleagues coming up to her at the event: “She told me, ‘Your father was a champion of many.’ My eyes filled with tears. He was indeed a champion of many, and he was so quiet about it. In fact, he probably would not have approved of having his name on the LITC. But it’s absolutely the right thing to do.”
The right thing to do. That’s what Sherm Levey stood for, in the practice of law, in the teaching of his students and in the legacy of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.
Syracuse University College of Law has hired Adrienne Graves as its Director of Alumni Relations. Graves brings more than ten years of experience in higher education and alumni relations. Graves will lead the Office of Advancement and External Affairs’ alumni engagement work, with the goal of meaningfully engaging College of Law alumni and promoting philanthropic support of the College of Law’s mission. In her role, Graves will report to Assistant Dean of Advancement and External Affairs Sophie Dagenais and be responsible for maintaining and growing the College’s relationship with the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association (SULAA.)
“Adrienne’s extensive experience in alumni relations, her strong marketing and communications background, and her passion for Syracuse University’s mission and vision will help sustain our positive momentum, deepen the College’s bond with our alumni, and inform new pathways for engaging them meaningfully in service of our students who will follow in their footsteps,” says Dagenais.
Graves comes to the College of Law from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies where she has held director-level roles in alumni relations and undergraduate recruitment.
“Our alumni play an essential role in shaping and executing on our mission. I am thrilled to welcome Adrienne to our team and look forward to capitalizing on her proven track record as a relationship builder as we cultivate our greatest ambassadors,” says Dean Craig M. Boise.
Graves holds a bachelor’s degree in in Communications; Public Relations and Advertising and a master’s degree in Professional Education with a Higher Education Concentration from LeMoyne College.
Students: See our Study Aids webpage for access to many of the top legal study aids packages. Students will find links to CALI lessons, the Aspen Learning Library, West Academic Study Aids and the LexisNexis Digital Library.
As he prepared to deliver this year’s annual State of the College Address, Syracuse University College of Law Dean Craig Boise was thinking about both place and time. Moments before, he had officially dedicated the lecture hall where he was standing in the name of Eleanor Theodore L’52. He was thinking about her legacy and gift to future generations of law students who would study there.
“Today, we honor a woman who graduated more than a half-century ago, the only woman in the Class of 1952,” said Boise. Eleanor Theodore, who also earned her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University in 1949, passed away last year at the age of 92. Her estate gift to the College of Law will create the Eleanor Theodore Memorial Law Scholarship Fund to support scholarships for deserving and promising students.
The amount of the gift was not revealed, reflecting the wishes of the donor, her lifelong modesty, and her desire to serve others without fanfare. “Eleanor was an introvert,” says Mike Bandoblu L’11, Theodore’s close friend, accountant, and executor of her estate. “She was a private person, but she always put others first. The first word that comes to mind in describing Eleanor is ‘selflessness.’”
During the dedication ceremony, Boise recalled Theodore’s career of service over nearly four decades in the Department of Law for the City of Syracuse. As assistant corporation counsel, she provided legal advice to mayors, city departments, the council, the planning commission, and others.
“You name it—whatever happened in Syracuse, Eleanor probably had a hand in it, working through multiple administrations and transitions, and helping to build and protect the city she loved,” said Boise. According to a profile of Theodore published in Syracuse Law Magazine (Fall 2007), she was the first woman in the history of the city’s law department and its only female attorney during her first decade there. She served for 37 years, under 5 mayors and 11 corporation counsels.
“Her education at the College of Law was important to her. She often told people that. What she learned here built a future for her and allowed her to live a life of service,” said Boise. “By putting her name on this lecture hall, we hope our students will remember the woman who was modest in demeanor but fierce in her commitment to serving others and the College of Law.”
In opening the program, J.D. Candidate, Class of 2024, and President of the College’s Women’s Law Students Association Julie Yang said “The Women’s Law Students Association is committed to empowering women and advancing women in legal education and the legal profession. Our mission is to advocate for gender equity and women’s causes while creating lasting relationships with our mentors and alumnae. It is fitting therefore that we should join in this morning’s unveiling, in celebration of a woman who was truly a trailblazer. I know I speak for all of my colleagues when I say that we will remember this day with great admiration and inspiration.”
In the State of the College address following the dedication, Boise noted that the College remains strong, in large part due to the generosity of alumni and friends. In 2021-22, the College exceeded fundraising goals by 40%, with $6 million raised from 1600 donors, allowing the College “to attract the best and brightest and offer them appropriate financial aid to help make their career dreams a reality.”
The College of Law’s Criminal Defense Clinic has been helping students gain practical experience in the courtroom and hone their craft since 1971.
The CDC represents low-income individuals pro bono throughout Onondaga County, working mainly on civil matters such as shoplifting, vandalism, and traffic violations. Students involved in the clinic said the experience has made them realize the impact of their work. Always under faculty supervision, they learn how to negotiate plea agreements, conduct legal research, and analyze the criminal justice system as a whole.
Members of the clinic typically discuss their cases with Gary Pieples, the director of the CDC and a teaching professor at SU. They then travel to one of several courts to meet with their clients prior to appearing before the judge.
As a part of Orange Central 2022, Staci Dennis-Taylor L’14, Senior Assistant District Attorney at the Chief of Municipal Courts Bureau, and Lisa Peebles L’92, Federal Public Defender at the Northern District of New York, returned to the College of Law for a panel on “the Challenges Facing Criminal Justice.”
An audience of alumni and students gathered to hear from Dennis-Taylor and Peebles about the challenges facing criminal justice practitioners from their work experiences and perspectives over the years. College of Law Professor Paula Johnson moderated the discussion.
3L Jorge Estacio recently met with senior government officials, big law partners, and judges from around the world at the ABA Business Law Section’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Estacio works at the Innovation Law Center as a Special Projects Consultant researching and writing reports covering intellectual property, freedom to operate, and marketing information for clients. He is also a student attorney in the Transactional Law Clinic.
