The Syracuse University College of Law’s Travis H.D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society (AHS) hosted its annual Students Award Ceremony at SKY Armory on April 21, highlighting the work of various students, organizations, staff, and faculty.
2022 Award Winners
Travis H. D. Lewin Advocacy Honor Society Executive Director Award
Brandon Bourg and Margaret Santandreu
Richard Risman Appellate Advocacy Award
Scott Ceurvels
Courtcall Scholarship Award (Advocacy Director Award)
Gabby Kielbasinski, Penny Quinteros, and Morgan Steele
Ralph E. Kharas Award
Olivia Stevens
Lee S. Michaels L’67 Advocate Of The Year Award
Austin Milone (2L)
Emil M. Rossi L’72 Scholarship Award
Autumn Burgin (2L) & Angelica Judge (2L)
Models of Excellence in Advocacy Award (In Honor of Michael S. Olsan L’89)
Caleb Gieger (2L) & Roland Lucas (2L)
International Academy Of Trial Lawyers Student Advocate Award
Marina De Rosa & Amanda Nardozza
The following 3L students were admitted to the Order of Barristers: M. Bradley Ace, Marina De Rosa, Kelsey Gonzalez, Amanda Nardozza, Abigail Neuviller, Margaret Santandreu, Morgan Steele, Olivia Stevens, Cierra Thomas, and Gabriella Verdone.
The AHS is comprised of a select group of second and third-year law students, representing the best oral advocates at the College. The College of Law’s nationally ranked Advocacy Program enjoys a strong track record of stellar results on the biggest stages competing against other law schools. These competitions, supported by the student-run AHS, teach advocacy skills through mock appellate, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and trial experiences.
Congratulations to all the award winners this year!
As part of a newly-launched partnership between the College of Law and the Republic of Georgia Bar Association (GBA) earlier this academic year, Syracuse Law offered a five-part lecture series to members of the GBA to discuss a range of topics that covered foundational aspects of the U.S. legal system, and nuances of criminal procedure, commercial law, national security law, and intellectual property.
College of Law faculty members wrapped up the final component of the series in April. Participating in the series were:
Professor Shannon Gardner: Sources of U.S. Law: From the Common Law Up
Hon. James Baker: Current Issues in Security: Bar Associations, Public Citizens, and the Rule of Law
Professor Todd Berger: Introduction to U.S. Criminal Procedure by
Adjunct Professor David Reed L’85: Demystifying U.S. Commercial Contracts
Professor Shubha Ghosh: Overview of U.S. Legal Issues in Patent, Copyright, and Trademark Law
The College of Law was a natural partner for this effort given the broad expertise of faculty, overall interest in supporting internationalization efforts, and alumni members of the GBA.
Executive Director of the GBA Giorgi Tshekhani praised the partnership, commenting that “while enhancing the quality of justice in Georgia is one of our priorities as well as main challenges, sharing of knowledge and experience from our highly qualified U.S. colleagues is of significant importance. I would like to thank the representatives and professors of the SU College of Law for their active and valuable involvement in the lecture cycle.”
In the past, the College of Law has helped arrange for lectures to lawyers in Azerbaijan, Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and throughout Europe, but this was the first comprehensive series arranged in coordination with an institutional partner.
Professor Todd Berger explains, “this program builds on several different international collaborations that we’ve done with other academic institutions over the years, connecting us with actual practicing lawyers in other countries. Each partnership, including this one with the GBA, has some key differences that give our faculty new perspectives from around the world.”
This partnership not only promotes the expertise of the College of Law faculty but also advances the teaching of law and exposure to diverse perspectives beyond borders and provides visibility to prospective students in countries around the world.
“These conversations not only enhance participants’ knowledge,” Professor Shannon Gardner remarks, “but also lay the groundwork for future collaboration and partnership between the College of Law and the Georgian Bar Association. The opportunity for both College of Law faculty and members of the Georgian Bar Association to learn more about the laws and legal systems of each other’s country has been invaluable.”
With the ease and comfort of virtual exchanges over platforms like Zoom, the College of Law plans to continue to expand these efforts in other parts of the world.
Professor Malloy presented the Annual Zoning Law Update, a continuing education program for zoning and planning board officials in Onondaga County, this past Saturday, April 23. The annual education program is designed to meet the certification requirements for zoning and planning officials in New York State.
Held at Dineen Hall this year, presenters included law students Kate Mazdzer (2L) and Michael Towey (3L), who are both a part of Malloy’s Advanced Zoning Law Program, and Alum Christopher Baiamonte L’19 of the Wladis Law Firm.
The program is sponsored by the Center for Property, Citizenship, and Social Entrepreneurism at the College of Law and by the Town of DeWitt, NY. Approximately 40 officials were on hand for the annual training that covered such topics as Area and Use Variances; Article 78 court review; Affordable Housing and the demise of the single-family residential zone, Unconstitutional Conditions; and criteria for evaluating Reasonable Accommodation under the ADA and FHA.
The Student Bar Association (SBA) hosted a Students Award Ceremony in Dineen Hall on April 20, highlighting the work of various students, organizations, staff, and faculty.
2022 Award Winners
Distinguished Service Awards
Gabby Kielbasinski
Abby Neuviller
Olivia Stevens
Kayla Wheeler
Outstanding Graduate Award
Christopher Martz
Paul Shipman Andrews Award
Mazaher Kaila
Unsung Hero Award
Kevin Casserino
Scott Ceurvels
Evan Groder
Joseph Hobika
Gabby Kielbasinski
Seth Owens
Omnia Shedid
Payton Sorci
Caroline Synakowski
Tia Thevenin
Student Organization of the Year Award
First Generations Law Students Association
Staff Award
Kyle Davis
Faculty Award
Professor Rakesh Anand
The SBA also welcomed newly elected SBA Officers for 2022 – 2023, who will play a critical role in developing a legacy of service, leadership, and excellence at the College of Law. Congratulations to all the award winners this year!
The paper lays out an indictment of numerous war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression from February 24, 2022, to April 1, 2022, during the invasion of Ukraine. The report includes a sample draft (Appendix A, page 47) of a criminal indictment against President Vladimir Putin for his war crimes. The white paper was created by the Ukraine Task Force, comprised of law students and legal scholars, with the goal to create a non-partisan, high-quality analysis of open-source materials.
“Because of his aggressive acts and his intentional targeting of Ukrainian civilians, Vladimir Putin has lost all political legitimacy and has made Russia a pariah state. This white paper catalogs the horror he has unleashed and lays out a pathway for holding him accountable for aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” said David Crane L’80, the project leader of the white paper and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Syracuse University College of Law.
Crane is the founding chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, an international war crimes tribunal where he indicted Liberian President Charles Taylor, the first sitting African head of state in history to be held accountable in this way.
According to the report on Ukraine:
“Since the invasion, Ukrainian citizens have been forced to endure kidnappings, property destruction, starvation, terror, shellings, and murder at the hands of the Russian Federation. As is consistent with the complex and intricate history of Ukraine, Russia once again seeks to assert its dominance and control of the territory in wanton violation of international law and Ukrainian sovereignty. As of the writing of this document, President Zelenskyy continues to lead his country and seek peace for its citizens, while the Russian Federation continues its campaign of atrocities meant to terrorize Ukraine and strip it of its national identity.
There is no clearer violation of the laws of humanity. At its most basic elements, international law and the laws of humanity establish self-determination and self-expression of a people as fundamental rights free from infringement by foreign powers. President Putin, and the rest of his Russian Federation political and military command seek to upend these values and establish a new world order with authoritarianism, terror, and oppression at its center. The international community cannot remain silent, and the road does not end at sanctions — it begins.” (page 40)
The 276-page report lays out the history of Russian aggression in Ukraine, the legal framework of accountability, individuals who bear the responsibility for crimes, and the specific violations of international law.
“The Ukraine Task Force established by the Global Accountability Network (GAN) was an incredible and unique experience that allowed law students to take an active part in international legal discourse,” said Syracuse Law student 3L Christopher Martz, the task force director and one of the lead writers of the white paper. “The Ukraine Task Force encountered serious difficulties in documenting war crimes in real time, especially considering the fact that GAN pulled students from all across the country. However, the leadership of Professor Crane and the commitment of GAN volunteers helped overcome these difficulties, resulting in an important living document that creates a framework of accountability moving forward.”
Additionally, the appendix of the report offers exhaustive details of how the researchers documented their evidence:
Appendix B (page 68) is a crime narrative detailing by date and cities where crimes were committed and by the responsible party. Appendix B is a grim summary of the civilian deaths suffered during the invasion from bombings and attacks on residences, hospitals, schools, grocery stores, public buses, and many more.
Appendix C (page 102) expands on the crime narrative and provides a more detailed breakdown of the violations of International Humanitarian Law, as well as documenting violations of the Ukrainian Penal Code. Appendix C gives a day-by-day and detailed accounting of the atrocities and war crimes committed and the specific articles of the Rome Statute, Geneva Convention, and Ukrainian Penal Code they violate.
Appendix D (page 124) is a comprehensive profile detailing the command-and-control structure of the Russian political and military senior leadership. This “dossier” lists the individuals responsible for the atrocities in Ukraine, and documents relevant information surrounding their responsibility and complicity.
“We have done this once before and we can do it again with the International Criminal Court prosecuting the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity and a United Nations-backed Special Court for Ukraine, the world’s second hybrid international war crimes tribunal, the Special Court for Ukraine the crime of aggression”, according to Crane. “Its mandate will be to prosecute those who bear the greatest responsibility for the aggression against Ukraine must include President Vladimir Putin,”
Members of the media, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at Syracuse University, at 412-496-0551 or ejmbuqe@syr.edu, for interviews.
More about David Crane and Syracuse University
David Crane was a professor of practice at Syracuse University College of Law from 2006 until his retirement in 2018. During that time, he taught international criminal law, international humanitarian law, military law, and national security law. While at Syracuse Law, Crane founded Impunity Watch, an online student-run law review, and public service blog, and the Syrian Accountability Project (SAP), an internationally-recognized effort among students, activists, journalists, and non-governmental organizations to document war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Syrian Civil War. Crane later returned to the College of Law as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence.
In 2014, Crane co-authored the “Caesar Report” that detailed the systematic killing of thousands of people in Syria and testified about the report at the UN Security Council. Crane also has testified to the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on the Syria crisis and related human security and humanitarian issues. In 2016, Crane helped to draft a UN resolution “to establish a special team to ‘collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence” as well as to prepare cases on war crimes and human rights abuses committed during the conflict in Syria.” Subsequently, he assisted the UN in setting up the independent justice mechanism mandated by the resolution.
When he was chief prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Crane was the first American to be a Chief Prosecutor of an international war crimes tribunal since 1945 when Justice Robert Jackson and Telford Taylor were prosecutors at the Nuremberg Trials.
Third-year students Bradley Ace and Robert Rose prevailed over finalist 2Ls Meghan Ellsworth and Jessica Johnson in the Entertainment and Sports Law Negotiation Competition. Rose was named Best Advocate.
Final round judges were Professor John Wolohan, Daniel Greene L’16, Associate at Newman and Lickstein, and Erin Phillips L’15, Associate at Newman and Lickstein.
The Syracuse Law Review celebrated the annual award winners for Volume 72 in a ceremony at the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom on April 7, 2022.
As the first in-person Law Review Banquet to occur since the onset of the pandemic, it was a night to remember. Dean Craig M. Boise offered opening remarks to students, faculty, and alumni, celebrating the achievements of the Law Review staff and winners soon to be announced.
Hilda Frimpong, Syracuse Law Review Editor-in Chief, gave the welcome speech for the ceremony. Frimpong is the first Black Editor-in-Chief in the history of the Syracuse Law Review, a proud accomplishment celebrated on the same day that Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as the first Black woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.
2022 Award Winners
2L of the Year: Emilie R. Cullen
3L of the Year: Hilda Frimpong
Samuel J. M. Donnelly Award: Niloofar Abedzadeh
Faculty & Staff Award: Kyle Davis
Most Dedicated Award: Emilie M. Pascale
Volume 73 Student Notes Selected for Publication
Emilie Cullen
Paul Dipadua
Emily Pascale
Penny Quinteros
Tim Walsh
Robert M. Anderson Publication Award Winners
William J. Cost
Shannon K. Cox
Elisabeth Dannan
Hilda A. Frimpong
Hannah T. Hapeman
Kathryn Morris
Leita Powers
Immediately following the awards ceremony, attendees enjoyed a reception in the David M. Levy Atrium. John Powers L’96, Partner, Hancock Estabrook LLP, delivered the keynote speech for the night as this year’s Alumni Achievement Award recipient. To wrap up the festivities, Raymond Scarlata provided a “look ahead toast” as the Editor-in-Chief-elect for Volume 73.
3L Jackson Somes, the Hon. Rodney Thompson, the Hon. Bernadette Romano Clark, the Hon. Glenn T. Suddaby, 3L Morgan Steele
The team of 3Ls Morgan Steele and Jackson Somes won the 44th Annual Lionel O. Grossman Trial Competition. Somes also received the Best Advocate award.
They prevailed over finalists 2L Giovanni Antonucci and LL.M. student Dessi-Ann Yetman.
The Hon. Glenn T. Suddaby L’85, Chief U.S. District Court Judge, Northern District of New York served as the presiding judge. The evaluators were the Hon. Bernadette Romano Clark L’89, Oneida County Supreme Court Judge and the Hon. Rodney Thompson L’93, Presiding Judge, Family Division, Superior Court of New Jersey.
