Anderson is a fellow in the ABA’s Legal Education Police Practices Consortium, a collaboration between law schools and the ABA that is examining and addressing legal issues in policing and public safety.
Around Syracuse Law
3Ls Kevin Casserino and Angelica Judge Win the 45th Annual Lionel O. Grossman Trial Competition
3Ls Kevin Casserino and Angelica Judge prevailed over 2Ls Daniel Bonsangue and Gavin Gretsky in the 45th Annual Lionel O. Grossman Trial Competition. Casserino was selected as the Best Advocate.
Final round judges were the Hon. Glenn T. Suddaby L’85 (Chief U.S. District Court Judge, Northern District of New York), the Hon. Bernadette Romano Clark L’89 (Oneida County Supreme Court Judge), the Hon. Jeffrey Leibo L’03 (Administrative Law Judge for New York State), and Julie A. North L’89 (retired, partner, Cravath.)
2L Tracy Acquan was elected the Editor-in-Chief of the Syracuse Journal of Global Rights and Organizations and Impunity News (JGRO) for the 2023-2024 academic year
Acquan is the first African American and first African American Woman to hold this title.
The JGRO is a biennial academic journal run by Syracuse University College of Law students and serves as a platform for cutting-edge legal scholarship and research in the area of human rights.
Professor Cora True-Frost L’01 is the faculty advisor to JGRO.
2L Jennifer Arinze Elected first African American and African American Woman Editor-in-Chief of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce
2L Jennifer Arinze was elected the Editor-in-Chief of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce (JILC) for the 2023-2024 academic year. Arinze is the first African American and first African American Woman to hold this title.
First published in October of 1972, the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce is one of the oldest student-edited international law reviews in the United States. In the forward to its inaugural issue, the Journal was described as an “organ of expression for students with an interest in international legal and commercial studies,” with the primary purpose of training students in the skills of legal writing and research.
Professor Cora True-Frost L’01 is the faculty advisor to JILC.
Robert L. Gang ’39, L’42, U.S. Army World War II and Korean War veteran and long-time Syracuse-area lawyer, has passed away at age 104
Statement from Dean Craig M. Boise
The entire College of Law community sends our deepest condolences to Bob’s wife Holly and his family and friends. Personally, I feel very lucky to have met and gotten to know Bob. His dedication to the legal profession, to country and to service, his palpable commitment to family and community, and his smile were infectious. I am grateful to Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic Director Beth Kubala for making sure that Bob stayed connected to his alma mater, and that we had a chance to learn from him.
Bob served from 1942 to 1951 as a U.S. Army infantry officer. After serving his country, Gang came back to Syracuse and practiced real estate law as a partner at the firm, Smith, Dolan, Gieselman, and Gang, and later at MacKenzie Hughes. Gang also served as Syracuse’s Assistant City Corporation Counsel. In all, he practiced law for 50 years, and continued doing pro bono work well into his 80s.
Bob is survived by his second wife, Holly, eight children, and 15 grandchildren. His sons-in-law, Ed Moses L’68 and Michael P. Williams L’95, and grandson Matt Moses L’97 all received their law degrees from Syracuse Law.
Learn more about Bob Gang’s life in this article. Read his obituary here.
Gary Loope Wins the 13th Annual Hancock Estabrook LLP 1L Oral Advocacy Competition
Gary Loope prevailed over Gabriella Amaturo in the final round of the 13th Annual Hancock Estabrook LLP 1L Oral Advocacy Competition. The competition was judged by the Hon. Thérèse Wiley Dancks L’91 United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York; Lee S. Michaels L’67, adjunct professor at the College of Law and senior firm member of Michaels Bersani Kalabanak; Timothy Murphy L’89, managing partner of Hancock Estabrook, and Christopher J. Baiamonte L’19, associate attorney at the Wladis Law Firm.
This year, 42 first-year students participated in the Hancock Estabrook 1L Oral Advocacy Competition.
3Ls Maureen Blennerhassett and Matthew Mayers Named the 2023 Feinman Fellows
3Ls Maureen Blennerhassett and Matthew Mayers have been named Feinman Fellows as Spring 2023 externs. Established by Matin Feinman L’86, the Feinman Fellows receive a financial gift to help defray expenses associated with taking on their spring externship, in recognition of their commitment and dedication to public service. Feinman is the Director of Juvenile Justice Training, The Legal Aid Society of New York City.
Blennerhassett’s Spring 2023 externship is with the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas, Capital Habeas Unit (CHU). CHU is a federal office tasked with representing indigent men and women on Texas’ death row in late-stage appeals of their death sentences, filing federal habeas corpus petitions and applications for clemency.
Mayer’s Spring 2023 externship is with Legal Services of Central New York (LSCNY). LSCNY is a legal aid organization whose mission is to promote equity and justice through law and policy, and advocates for juveniles whose rights have been violated in the context of incarceration.
Tracy Costanzo L’25 and Amanda Hepinger L’24 Won the ABA Section of Taxation 2022-2023 Law Student Tax Challenge
Tracy Costanzo L’25 and Amanda Hepinger L’24 Won the ABA Section of Taxation 2022-2023 Law Student Tax Challenge, held in person at the Section of Taxation’s 2023 Midyear Tax Meeting. Both are students in the College’s JDinteractive online J.D. program.
Costanzo and Hepinger were one of six semi-finalist teams invited to the national competition. Overall, 62 Teams from approximately 48 law schools entered the Challenge.
An alternative to traditional moot court competitions, the Law Student Tax Challenge (LSTC) is organized by the Section’s Young Lawyers Form. The LSTC asks two-person teams of students to solve a complex business problem that might arise in everyday tax practice. Teams are initially evaluated on two criteria: a memorandum to a senior partner and a letter to a client explaining the result. Based on the written work product, six teams from the J.D. Division and four teams from the LL.M. Division receive a free trip to the Section’s Midyear Meeting, where each team presents its submission before a panel of judges consisting of the country’s top tax practitioners and government officials, including tax court judges. The competition is a great way for law students to showcase their knowledge in a real-world setting and gain valuable exposure to the tax law community.
Meet Tillman Scholar and JDinteractive Student and Doctor LT. Amanda Higginson
In this profile, Higginson discusses her unique career path and how the flexibility of JDi is enabling her to achieve her dream of being a lawyer.
Syracuse University College of Law Appoints Michael L. Olsan L’89 to its Board of Advisors
(Syracuse, NY | January 18, 2023) Syracuse University College of Law has appointed Michael S. Olsan L’89, Deputy General Counsel Reinsurance for AIG, to its Board of Advisors, effective January 1, 2023. Prior to joining AIG in 2021, Olsan was a partner at White and Williams LLP in Philadelphia, PA representing the insurance industry.
“Michael’s considerable experience, spanning more than 30 years, will help guide the College of Law in offering timely curriculum options and experiential opportunities for our students and be valuable in shaping the future of legal education at the College of Law,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise.
“On behalf of the Board of Advisors, I welcome Michael to our group and am looking forward to working with him on furthering educational excellence at the College,” says Board of Advisors Chair Melanie Gray L’81.
“The College of Law played a critical role in my professional career, and it is an honor to be able to give back in this way. I am grateful for the opportunity to call upon my extensive legal work experiences and provide the Board, as well as our students and faculty, industry insights and perspectives on the changing legal landscape,” says Olsan.
At White and Williams LLP, Olsan represented the insurance industry in coverage and reinsurance disputes in court and commercial arbitrations and counseled his clients on various insurance-related topics, including reinsurance transactions. Olsan chaired the firm’s Reinsurance Group and Commercial Litigation Department and served as Vice Chair of the firm.
Olsan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College and his Juris Doctor summa cum laude from Syracuse Law, Order of the Coif. While at the College of Law, Olsan was Technical Editor for the Syracuse Law Review, a member of the National Trial Team, and a teaching assistant.