News

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.

September 25, 2021 / Syracuse University Law School Alumni Weekend event titled “Serving Veterans at the College of Law and in the Community,” held at the Grand Hall, National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University. In addition, the oldest living Law School alum and veteran Robert Gang – shown here speaking to guests – was recognized in front of current faculty, alumni, students, and honored guests. Photo by Mike Roy

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.

Gary Loope with Judge Dancks
Judge Dancks with Gabriella Amaturo
Christopher Baiamonte, Lee Michaels, Gabriella Amaturo, Gary Loope, Judge Dancks, Timothy Murphy

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.

Maureen Blennerhassett
Matthew Mayers

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.

Business Insider quotes Professor Arlene Kanter’s blog post on how work-from-home initiatives positively impacted the disabled workforce

Professor Arlene Kanter‘s blog post on how work-from-home initiatives positively impacted the disabled workforce is quoted in this Business Insider article.

“Remote work offers disabled employees the chance to work, but in their own homes, which provides greater flexibility, accessibility, savings in commuting time and expenses, and even privacy that may be needed to address medical issues that cannot be addressed in the workplace,” writes Kanter.

Paper from College of Law Students, Alumni, & Distinguished Scholar in Residence David M. Crane L’80 Cited by the European Parliament in December Publication

The paper, Considerations for the Setting up of The Special Tribunal for Ukraine on the Crime of Aggression, co-authored by Distinguished Scholar in Residence David Crane L’80, Rohan Bhattacharjee L’24, Lotta Lampela LLM’23, and Kanalya Arivalagan L’22, was cited in the European Parliament Report.

The report played a role in the January 2023 resolution of the European Parliament calling for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Ukraine.

Professor Crane is the Former Chief Prosecutor, Special Court for Sierra Leone.