News

Professor Roy Gutterman L’00 Reacts to Courts Ruling on Police Departments Releasing Officer Misconduct Reports

Professor Roy Gutterman L’00, Director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, Associate Professor at the Newhouse School, and Professor of Law at the College of Law, discussed two recent New York court decisions supporting Newsday’s requests for police department officer misconduct reports.

Gutterman noted that it is appropriate for agencies to redact personal, financial, and medical details, but “there is a vast disparity between an unsubstantiated report of police misconduct and legitimately private information.”

The article may require a subscription to Newsday.

Professor Shubha Ghosh Contributes Chapter on Intellectual Property in the Book Intellectual Property Rights in the Post Pandemic World

Crandall Melvin Professor of Law Shubha Ghosh, director of the Syracuse Intellectual Property Law Institute, has contributed a chapter on how economic rewards and property rights can shape invention and innovation in the new book INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THE POST PANDEMIC WORLD, published in December by Edward Elgar Publishing.

In this new work of scholarship titled Crisis, Invention, and Innovation, Ghosh identifies a new impetus for innovation: crisis.  A crisis is an external challenge to society’s economic, social, and legal systems, such as a war or pandemic. Such a challenge stirs innovators and entrepreneurs to devise solutions to address the crisis. Professor Ghosh demonstrates how this theory of crisis and innovation can help to understand the development of the Polio vaccine, HIV vaccines, and Covid vaccines. 

Professor Gregory Germain Provides Expert Analysis at Law 360 on: What Happens If High Court Rejects Releases In Purdue Ch. 11

Professor Gregory Germain has contributed an expert analysis article to Law 360 on the Purdue Phrama Chapter 11 case that is now before the Supreme Court.

In “What Happens If High Court Rejects Releases In Purdue Ch. 11”, Germain examines the question: Do bankruptcy courts have the power to discharge or release claims held by non-debtor parties against other non-debtor parties, or is the power to discharge debts limited to claims against the bankrupt debtor?

He concludes, “If the Second Circuit upheld an opt-out plan, and the Supreme Court refused to hear the certiorari petition, the plan would be effective and binding. That strikes me as the most likely end to the case, as all of the active creditors support the deal, few of the little creditors will opt out, and even fewer, if any, will have the wherewithal to seriously threaten the Sacklers’ well-funded and well-planned defenses.”

“It’s a Disappointing Outcome”: Professor Kat Macfarlane on the Jury Decision in the Vivian Cheung Discrimination Case

Professor Kat Macfarlane, director of the Disability Law and Policy Program, spoke again with Science after the Maryland jury unanimously voted against disabled researcher Vivian Cheung’s discrimination case against Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

“It’s a disappointing outcome but I’m grateful to Viv for taking on this fight,” says Macfarlane. “Every time disability discrimination is challenged in this manner it helps the next person find the courage to speak up, too.” 

College of Law Adds Richard Wallach L’06 as a Visiting Professor

Richard Wallach L’06 has joined the College of Law as a Visiting Professor teaching Legal Communications and Research.

Prior to joining the College of Law, Wallach served as Career Law Clerk to the Honorable Kathleen Cardone of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas for nearly sixteen years, from 2006 to 2022. He supported Judge Cardone by drafting orders and memos and by providing counsel to the Judge on a wide variety of civil and criminal issues.  He also supervised the term law clerks in their work for the Court. After clerking, Wallach practiced immigration law in Syracuse, first at Hiscock Legal Aid Society and then as a solo practitioner.

Before his legal career, from 1991 to 2002, Wallach served in various management and marketing roles at FAME Information Services, a software company that developed analytical tools for economists and quantitative analysts in finance and government.

Wallach earned a J.D. summa cum laude in 2006 from Syracuse University College of Law, as well as an M.A. in East Asian Studies in 1988 from Yale University, and a B.A. in Economics in 1987 from Haverford College. In 1987, he attended The Stanford Center in Taipei, Taiwan, for intensive study of Mandarin Chinese.

While a student at the College of Law, he was the Managing Editor of Syracuse Law Review and was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Justinian Honor Society.

Professor Robert Nassau on Tax Settlements: “The (New York) State Wants to Be a Lot More Aggressive Than the Federal Government”

In a lengthy article on low-income tax debt contributed to USA Today by the Center for Public Integrity, Professor Robert Nassau weighs in on the difference between negotiating debt with the IRS versus New York state.

“The IRS is very reasonable at dealing with lower-income taxpayers who have tax debts,” says Nassau, director of the Sherman F. Levey 57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. “They’re very understanding of people’s circumstances. Compared to the IRS, the New York State Department of [Taxation and] Finance is the devil. The state wants to be a lot more aggressive than the federal government.”

“Very Rare”: Professor Robert Nassau on the Recent Hunter Biden Federal Criminal Tax Evasion Charges

Professor Robert Nassau, director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, said the recent Federal criminal tax evasion charges brought against Hunter Biden are “very rare.”

In a BBC News article, Nassau notes that “the criminal statutes cited in this case are pretty broad and could apply to millions of people who don’t file a return for one reason or another… prisons could, theoretically, be overfilled with tax criminals.”

3L Daniel Peraza Soles Named the Recipient of the Alexander Memorial Scholarship

The recipient of the Rhoda S. and Albert M. Alexander Memorial Scholarship for 2023-24 is 3L Daniel Peraza Soles. Peraza Soles was selected after a competitive application process by the Alexander Memorial Scholarship Committee to receive this significant scholarship in recognition of his commitment and dedication to public service.

He has focused his time at the College of Law by externing for the Office of the Public Defender for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida in Summer 2022 and interning for the Federal Public Defender of the Northern District of New York this past summer.  In part due to these experiences, Peraza Soles has accepted a post-graduate position with the Colorado State Public Defender.

“My summer positions have solidified my desire to work in public service, providing much-needed legal counsel to those who cannot afford a lawyer,” says Peraza Soles. “I want to thank the Alexander family for their dedication to supporting College of Law students in their pursuits, in particular those seeking a career in public service.”

The Rhoda S. and Albert M. Alexander Memorial Scholarship was established by College of Law Board of Advisors Member and Syracuse University Trustee Richard M. Alexander L’82, Chairman of Arnold & Porter, and his wife Emily.

Danielle Wild L’15 Joins the College of Law as an Associate Teaching Professor

Danielle Wild L’15 has joined the College of Law as an Associate Teaching Professor. She had previously been a Visiting Professor teaching Legal Communications and Research. Wild will teach Legal Communications and Research courses along with Oral Communications and Advocacy Skills and Appellate Advocacy Skills in the JDinteractive online J.D. program.

Previously, Wild was a solo practitioner in Rochester, NY where she pursued criminal and quasi-criminal appeals in both state and federal intermediate appellate courts, investigated wrongful conviction claims, independently and together with the assistance of an investigator, and brought motions to vacate criminal convictions in both state and federal court. Prior to that, Wild was an associate attorney at Easton Thompson Kasperek Shiffrin LLP of Rochester, NY.

Wild graduated from Roberts Wesleyan College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, summa cum laude, and from Syracuse University College of Law, summa cum laude, in 2015. While in law school, she competed as a member of the National Trial Team and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, Secretary of the Justinian Honor Society, a Law Ambassador, and an editor on the Syracuse Law Review.