News

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.

Syracuse University College of Law’s Innovation Law Center Recognized by Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Program

(Syracuse, NY | January 23, 2023) Syracuse University College of Law’s Innovation Law Center (ILC) has been designated a top-scoring program in the Innovation and Experience category of Bloomberg Law’s inaugural Law School Innovation Program.

ILC students work with Syracuse University engineering and business school students, advise clients on their intellectual property, and deliver regulatory, patent, and market research to support the commercialization of new technologies.  ILC faculty conduct classes on bringing technologies to market, and related legal fields.   The program provides extensive hands-on learning opportunities for students to provide guidance to real clients on new technologies. ILC’s clients include both start-ups and established companies, as well as several university tech transfer offices.

This experiential, interdisciplinary education prepares College of Law students for careers in IP law, technology, and the innovation ecosystem. . Recognized as the sole New York State Science & Technology Law Center, the ILC delivers critical economic development support across the State of New York.

“The College of Law is honored to be recognized by Bloomberg Law in the field of legal experiential education,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “The Innovation Law Center pioneered the educational field of technology commercialization law 30 years ago and continues to expand educational options and opportunities for its students and deliver vital research to its clients.”

“What is special about the ILC is that the work conducted by the Center benefits so many people and organizations. Our students receive invaluable experience working with real clients that positively position them for success in the job market. Our clients benefit from important research that guides them through the commercialization process and mitigates risk during the critical early stages of funding.  The ILC’s high placement rate, reflecting our track record of converting student experiences into employment successes, is one of our proudest measures.” says Brian Gerling L’99, Executive Director of the ILC. 

The College of Law’s National Trial League also received recognition from Bloomberg Law as a high-scoring program in the Innovation and Student Development category.

The Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Program identifies, recognizes, and connects law school faculty, staff, and administrators who are pioneering educational innovations that benefit their students, their schools, and the legal field. Through the Law School Innovation Program, Bloomberg Law seeks to acknowledge these innovators while raising overall awareness of innovation in legal education.