News

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.

College of Law Advocacy Program’s National Trial League Recognized by Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Program

(Syracuse, NY | January 23, 2023) Syracuse University College of Law proudly celebrates its Advocacy Program’s National Trial League (NTL) as among the top-scoring entries in the Student Development category of Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Program.

The College of Law created and launched the NTL in 2021 as a new trial competition that brings together 12 top national law school trial teams to compete in a season-long format resembling a traditional sports league. The bi-weekly matches are conducted virtually using short fact patterns.

The NTL is comprised of two conferences of six teams. The teams compete in bi-weekly matches through seven rounds in their conference and in one cross-conference match. The top two teams from each conference advance to the playoffs.  This year, the championship match was held in person at Syracuse University College of Law.

“The College of Law is honored to be recognized by Bloomberg Law in the Student Development category for our nationally ranked Advocacy Program’s National Trial League,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise. “At its heart, the NTL is a dynamic experiential opportunity for aspiring trial lawyers across the country to hone their advocacy skills in the courtroom, under conditions that simulate the pressure of appearing before a bench of judges.”

Explains NTL organizer Professor Todd Berger, Director of Advocacy Programs at Syracuse University College of Law, “Before the NTL, inter-collegiate trial competitions occurred over the course of a few days and featured long, complex fact patterns. Most real-world trials involve much shorter fact patterns and are conducted over a few hours, particularly bench trials.”

The College of Law’s Innovation Law Center also received recognition from Bloomberg Law as a high-scoring program in the Innovation and Experience category.

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.

Professor Nina Kohn Discusses Changes Needed in the Guardianship System

In this ABC 7 news story, Professor Nina Kohn discusses significant issues in the adult guardianship system across the U.S. and proposed changes to adult guardianship laws.

“It’s far too easy to appoint guardians for people and it’s far too easy to give those guardians much broader powers than they actually need to protect the individual,” she said.

Kohn said legislators have not made guardianship reform a priority.

“You just have to think that these people are worth it and the reality is that legislatures have not treated these people as worth it,” she said.

The Hon. James E. Baker Spoke About the Russian-Ukraine War at the King’s College London Department of War Studies

Judge James E. Baker, director of the Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law, recently spoke about the Russian-Ukrainian War to a group of more than 100 students, faculty, and select invited practitioners (including from several Embassies in London). Held at King’s College London Department of War Studies, the event was supported by the King’s Intelligence and Security Research Group and by the British Academy Global Professorships program.

Judge James Baker Speaking at King’s College London Department of War Studies

Syracuse University College of Law Appoints Michael L. Olsan L’89 to its Board of Advisors

Michael Olsan L’89

(Syracuse, NY | January 18, 2023) Syracuse University College of Law has appointed Michael S. Olsan L’89, Deputy General Counsel Reinsurance for AIG, to its Board of Advisors, effective January 1, 2023. Prior to joining AIG in 2021, Olsan was a partner at White and Williams LLP in Philadelphia, PA representing the insurance industry. 

“Michael’s considerable experience, spanning more than 30 years, will help guide the College of Law in offering timely curriculum options and experiential opportunities for our students and be valuable in shaping the future of legal education at the College of Law,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise.

“On behalf of the Board of Advisors, I welcome Michael to our group and am looking forward to working with him on furthering educational excellence at the College,” says Board of Advisors Chair Melanie Gray L’81. 

“The College of Law played a critical role in my professional career, and it is an honor to be able to give back in this way. I am grateful for the opportunity to call upon my extensive legal work experiences and provide the Board, as well as our students and faculty, industry insights and perspectives on the changing legal landscape,” says Olsan.

At White and Williams LLP, Olsan represented the insurance industry in coverage and reinsurance disputes in court and commercial arbitrations and counseled his clients on various insurance-related topics, including reinsurance transactions.  Olsan chaired the firm’s Reinsurance Group and Commercial Litigation Department and served as Vice Chair of the firm.

Olsan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College and his Juris Doctor summa cum laude from Syracuse Law, Order of the Coif. While at the College of Law, Olsan was Technical Editor for the Syracuse Law Review, a member of the National Trial Team, and a teaching assistant.

Professor Shubha Ghosh Pens Chapter in the Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence

Professor Shubha Ghosh, Director of the Syracuse Intellectual Property and Law Institute, has contributed the article “Ain’t It Just Software?” to the recently released Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence. The book, from Edward Elgar Publishing, is edited by Ryan Abbott, Professor of Law and Health Sciences, School of Law, University of Surrey, UK, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles.

The chapter offers an innovative look at how AI issues in copyright build on longstanding debates in software copyright. Examining Justice Breyer’s opinion in Oracle v Google, Professor Ghosh develops ideas that are further extended in his forthcoming article on AI and patent law.

Kristin Walker L’08 Joins College of Law as Professor of Practice and Faculty Director of Externships

(Syracuse, NY | January 17, 2023) Kristin Walker L’08 has joined Syracuse University College of Law as a Professor of Practice and Faculty Director of Externships. Walker’s responsibilities include teaching Legal Writing and Advanced Litigation Skills; overseeing and teaching the externship placement seminars, and directing the Pro Bono Scholars Program.

“For the past four years, Professor Walker has taught several classes as an adjunct professor and helped direct our expanding externship program,” says Dean Craig M. Boise. “I’m delighted that she has chosen to join our vibrant faculty ranks.  Her practical experience will benefit our students enormously.”

Prior to joining the College of Law, Walker practiced law at local firms including William Mattar Law Offices Catalano Law, Alexander & Catalano, where she handled plaintiff’s matters, Barclay Damon, and Costello, Cooney, and Fearon where she managed numerous insurance defense and insurance coverage matters. Before that, Walker was an associate at McCarter & English LLP in New York City in the firm’s corporate, securities, and financial institutions practice group.

Walker received her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law, cum laude, in 2008 where she served as managing editor of the Syracuse Law Review. While in law school, she clerked for Judge David N. Hurd of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York and interned at the U.S. District Attorney’s Office. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Villanova University.

Kristin Walker

Professor of Law Emeritus William C. Banks Discusses Domestic Terrorism on the Second Anniversary of the January 6th Riots

Professor of Law Emeritus William C. Banks discussed the state of domestic terrorism on the second anniversary of the January 6th Riots.

In part, Banks says, “The good news, I think, is that we just had a very important election in the Fall of 2022 and it went off without a hitch. The bad news is that election deniers and those who would interfere with the lawful transfer of power and try to undermine the government in the United States, they’re still there.”

Watch the story here.

Professor Arlene Kanter Receives a Chai Feldblum Award from the AALS Section on Law Professors with Disabilities and Allies

At the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) 2023 Annual Meeting, Professor Arlene Kanter, Director of the College of Law’s Disability Law and Policy Program, received a Chai Feldblum Award from the AALS Section on Law Professors with Disabilities and Allies.

The award is named after Chai Feldblum J.D., an EEO and DEI consultant, Partner and Director of Workplace Culture Consulting at Morgan Lewis, and former Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This is the third year the award has been given.

Kanter’s nomination letters note that she is “an influential scholar, innovator, and leader,” and that students and colleagues often conveyed their personal thanks for your advocacy on their behalf.  

Kanter also spoke on a panel about experiences requesting disability accommodations as a law school employee.

Arlene Kante
Arlene Kanter Portrait