Around Syracuse Law

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, 5^th Judicial District. Karalunas was only the third female Supreme Court Justice elected in the 5^th 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.”

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.

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.”