Cardozo Law's International and Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs Receive "A" Grade in PreLaw Magazine's Specialties Rankings
Spring 2016 preLaw Magazine - preLaw Magazine graded law schools on their breadth of curricular offerings, clinics, externships and programs and centers when coming up with their specialty rankings.
Hon. Robert A. Katzmann, Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, to Address Graduates at Cardozo's 38th Commencement Ceremony
May 5, 2016 - Dean Melanie Leslie has announced that Hon. Robert A. Katzmann, Chief Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, will address Cardozo School of Law graduates at the school’s 2016 commencement ceremony on May 31, 2016 at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.
Judge Katzmann became Chief Judge in 2013. He has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 1999. He has a long-established relationship with Cardozo Law, most notably with his role in the creation of the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic. He has been involved in organizing major conferences at Cardozo in recent years, and has generously given his time as a speaker and participant at law school events.
Judge Katzmann is nationally recognized as a leader in efforts to foster effective pro bono representation of the immigrant poor. He championed the creation of the Immigrant Justice Corps in 2014, a pioneering fellowship program designed to provide representation for immigrants.
His articles focus on a variety of subjects, including regulation, judicial-congressional relations, disability, the administrative process, court reform, and the war powers resolution.
Judge Katzmann’s books include Judging Statutes; Regulatory Bureaucracy: The Federal Trade Commission and Antitrust Policy; Institutional Disability; Courts and Congress; editor and project director of The Law Firm and the Public Good; co-editor of Managing Appeals in Federal Court; editor and contributing author of Daniel Patrick Moynihan: The Intellectual in Public Life; and editor and contributing author of Judges and Legislators.
He has chaired the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on the Judicial Branch, and serves as a member of the U.S. Judicial Conference. He is also a commissioner on the Supreme Court Fellows Commission.
Judge Katzmann holds an A.B. summa cum laude from Columbia College, A.M. and Ph.D. in government from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
March 23, 2016 - The National Jurist has ranked Cardozo School of Law/Yeshiva University as the 24th best school for practical training in the nation. The magazine took into account Cardozo's percentage of students in clinics, externships and simulation courses, inter-school competitions, as well as other practical training opportunities. The annual rankings honor schools that go above and beyond in preparing law students for the real world.
Cardozo School of Law Announces New Dean of Career Services
MAY 24, 2016– New York, NY– Dean Melanie Leslie has announced that Neil Sirota will become Cardozo’s associate dean of career services this June. He comes to Cardozo from The Pennsylvania State University, Penn State Law where he served as assistant dean of career services. A graduate of Columbia Law School, he practiced law for six years as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. In addition, he spent several years as a director and managing director for large legal recruiting firms.
“I am very pleased Dean Sirota will be leading us through the next phase of employment growth for our graduates,” said Dean Leslie. “Cardozo School of Law has made significant strides in improving our counseling and placement opportunities, and we have seen a substantial jump in our employment numbers. I am very confident he has the expertise and vision to build on that momentum.”
Associate Dean Sirota replaces Associate Dean Patricia Morrissy, who is leaving Cardozo to join a legal search firm. Under Morrissy’s leadership the law school increased the job placement rate for graduates by 10 percentage points over the previous year. This month The National Law Journal placed Cardozo among the top 50 law schools for placing graduates in full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage and not funded by the law school.
Sirota has played a key role at Penn State Law in boosting employment rates. He worked with faculty, students and staff to improve counseling and increase student engagement with career counselors. During the first year of his leadership the school saw a 20 percentage point increase in employment numbers. His accomplishments include implementing an employer outreach strategy that significantly increased recruitment on campus.
For more information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean, Communications and Public Affairs
212.790.0237
DeNatale@yu.edu
CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW ANNOUNCES JENNIFER KIM AS DIRECTOR OF EXTERNSHIPS
June 3, 2016 — New York, NY — Dean Melanie Leslie has announced that Jennifer Kim will serve as director of externships, overseeing the law school’s field clinics and externships programs. Kim brings to the job her experience as a lawyer, clinical legal educator and Cardozo career counselor.
Cardozo School of Law has one of the largest field placement programs in the country, offering hundreds of diverse experiences for students, who have the opportunity to work with seasoned attorneys.
“Jennifer understands the vital link between real-world experience and that all-important first job out of law school,” said Dean Leslie. “We have built one of the most robust field placement programs in the nation in order to provide our students with essential lawyering skills, and Jennifer will help expand our partnerships within the New York legal community.”
Kim, who has a background in clinical legal education, has served as Cardozo’s assistant director of the Center for Career Advancement and Professionalism since July 2015, providing individual counseling and career development advice to J.D. and LL.M. students.
Prior to joining Cardozo, Kim was a faculty member at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she taught in both the Family Law Clinic and the Attorney Externship Program. In the Family Law Clinic, she supervised students in their direct representation of clients on family law matters including divorce, custody, child support, adoption and civil orders of protection, and worked closely with students on legislative advocacy projects. In the Attorney Externship Program, she designed and implemented a semester-long curriculum and syllabus for a weekly seminar, and met with students individually to ensure the quality of their externship placements. Kim has been an active member of the Clinical Legal Education Association, and is dedicated to creating experiential learning opportunities for law students.
“I am very excited to help Cardozo students expand upon their experiential learning by building connections in the New York City area,” Kim said. “I want to do all I can to help our students get ahead in today’s legal landscape, and I believe externships and field clinics play an essential role in that.”
Kim is replacing Rebecca Rosenfeld, who served as director of externships since 2010. Under Rosenfeld’s leadership, Cardozo’s started its field clinics program, which now offers approximately 14 on-site placements in which Cardozo students work under the supervision of legal experts. The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) has recognized the law school's field clinic program for its innovation. In addition, Rosenfeld built externship opportunities for students in areas such as art law, family law, criminal prosecution, criminal defense, government, consumer rights, special education, health law and many more. She is returning to public-interest practice focusing on special education law, and will be representing disabled students seeking to procure educational benefits.
“We are so grateful for the incredible work Becky has done in creating partnerships for Cardozo’s field clinics,” said Dean Leslie. “Over 500 students in one year alone have benefited from our collective efforts, and Becky has played a huge role in that.”
For more information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean of Communications
212.790.0237
Professor Myriam Gilles has been appointed vice dean of Cardozo School of Law for a one-year term effective August 29, 2016. Professor Gilles is a beloved member of the Cardozo faculty who has taught Torts, Products Liability, Class Actions and Civil Procedure to hundreds of students. She is a highly respected legal scholar whose work on complex litigation and mass torts has appeared in top law reviews, including those of the University of Chicago, Columbia, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Professor Gilles is routinely called as an expert on these issues in the media and before Congress. A graduate of Harvard University, she received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1996. She was a visiting professor at the University of Virginia Law School in 2004 and a fellow in the Program of Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University from 2005 to 2006.
“Professor Gilles understands the Cardozo community and is dedicated to our students and faculty,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “I have worked closely with her for 20 years, and value her brilliance, tenacity and talent for strategic thinking. I am thrilled that she has agreed to serve the law school in this capacity.”
Professor Gilles will replace Vice Dean Richard Bierschbach, whose term ended July 1. Professor Bierschbach has returned to the faculty, where, after taking his sabbatical, he will teach his very popular classes in Corporations, Administrative Law and Criminal Law. Professor Bierschbach played a key role this year in developing the five-year strategic plan for the future of Cardozo.
“I am enormously grateful for Professor Bierschbach’s service,” said Dean Leslie. “His contributions to Cardozo are quite literally written into our blueprint for the future.”
Since July 1, Professor Michael Burstein has been serving as interim vice dean, and he will continue to serve until August 29, when Professor Gilles’ appointment becomes effective. This summer, Professor Burstein is working with Dean Leslie on a variety of strategic initiatives.
“I am very grateful for Professor Burstein’s service – already, his talents for management and strategic planning have resulted in a number of exciting changes that have improved the law school,” said Dean Leslie.
Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights Launches Atrocity Prevention Legal Training Project
August 1, 2016 - The Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR) has received funding to launch the Atrocity Prevention Legal Training (APLT) Project. Cardozo alumna Carse Ramos '11 joins CLIHHR as the APLT Project’s principal researcher.
The project aims to develop learning modules for broader dissemination within the law school community of the principles, purposes and implementation of atrocity prevention. The initial phase of the APLT Project includes an in-depth review of the current materials used in related academic fields, as well as those developed by NGOs working in atrocity prevention education. In addition, research interns have interviewed educators to learn best practices in teaching atrocity prevention and have spoken with law professors to determine how best to create a useful tool to mainstream atrocity prevention in law school curricula.
Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights
The Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR) is a leading global center for the study, teaching, and promotion of human rights. Specifically, CLIHHR strengthens laws, norms and institutions to prevent mass atrocities, protect human rights and rebuild communities globally.
Cardozo Celebrates 40 Years!
Between its founding in 1976 and the first day of classes in 2016 a lot has happened. Cardozo kicks-off a year-long celebration to highlight the enormous achievements made by our faculty, alumni and students in forty years.
Cardozo Celebrates 40 Years!
Activism: A faculty challenging norms and pursuing social justice
Innovation: Creating programs and initiatives that are game-changers
Leadership: A world-class faculty who are leaders in scholarship and advocacy
Ambition: Faculty, alumni and students making a difference in people's lives
In honor of our 40th anniversary Cardozo will host a series of public talks and lectures throughout the year.
Featured CardozoLawTalks in September
John Lennon vs. The USA (September 12)
A discussion of the new book documenting the legal fight to keep John Lennon and Yoko Ono from being deported
A Conversation with Fashion Icon, Isaac Mizrahi (September 12)
From the FAME Center for Fashion, Art, Media & Entertainment
Tech Talk: Crowdfunding and the Increasing Democratization of Capital Markets (September 13)
Presented by the Samuel & Ronnie Heyman Center on Corporate Governance and the Cardozo Tech Talk Series
The Age of Deference: The Supreme Court, National Security, and the Constitutional Order (September 19)
A discussion on David Rudenstine's groundbreaking new book
Check back for CardozoLawTalks/40 featured events each month.
COMING SOON: 40 Years merchandise will be available in September in our Cardozo Law Gear store.
Members of Cardozo's class of 2019 took time out from meeting faculty and their fellow students to talk a bit about why they chose the law school.
Dean Melanie Leslie spoke with Cardozo's incoming class of 2019 at orientation on Thursday, August 18, 2016. The students, who are part of the school's 40th class, learned about Cardozo's history of ambition, innovation, leadership and activism. "It's our fortieth year, so I want to talk about the things that have made the law school great," said Dean Leslie. "The four values that characterize us and explain why we're different than other law schools."
CARDOZO SCHOOL Of LAW APPOINTS EDWIN REKOSH, LEADING HUMAN RIGHTS INNOVATOR, TO HEAD UP HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVES AND LAUNCH HUMAN RIGHTS FORWARD
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| Professor Edwin Rekosh |
September 16, 2016– New York, NY – Cardozo School of Law has announced that Edwin Rekosh will become director of human rights initiatives and visiting professor of law.
Professor Rekosh has worked in human rights for 25 years and is the founder of PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law, which he created while teaching at Columbia Law School. As president & CEO, Professor Rekosh grew the organization into an operation spanning three continents in order to connect local advocacy groups to global resources, and he continues to serve as a senior advisor. He received the American Bar Association's International Human Rights Award in 2009, and is a co-founder of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
“We are delighted that Ed has come to Cardozo to oversee the growth of our human rights program,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “Cardozo has a proud legacy of engagement in human rights and Ed brings a track record of success in building institutions.”
The Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights has been a leader in strengthening laws, norms and institutions to prevent mass atrocities and protect populations. The program was founded by Professor Richard Weisberg, who worked on groundbreaking litigation in holocaust restitution claims. His work led to historic settlements for victims of the Holocaust and their families, a small part of which was used to create Cardozo’s first human rights program. The program grew under the leadership of Professor Sheri Rosenberg, a leader in the global effort to establish a “responsibility to protect” doctrine of law to require countries to protect civilian populations.
“Cardozo is indebted to the pioneers of our human rights program,” said Dean Leslie. “Today we are building on that legacy as we mark Cardozo’s 40th anniversary with a new phase of growth which will help keep the law school at the forefront of global human rights efforts.”
Professor Rekosh’s work in human rights includes 10 years in Romania and Hungary assisting the development of human rights groups there and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, as new constitutional orders emerged. He has pioneered innovative projects in China and in over 30 other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. Professor Rekosh is a graduate of Columbia Law School where he teaches Human Rights, Law and Development, and he has been a visiting professor at Central European University.
The dean’s strategic plan for human rights at Cardozo calls for building a place of innovative leadership with multiple human rights initiatives. As part of that plan, Cardozo is launching a new, cutting-edge program designed to address growing suppression of human rights advocacy around the world.
“The human rights community is now facing an existential threat from governments of all political stripes and other forces seeking to undermine its foundations,” said Professor Rekosh. “To respond, we need fresh thinking, agility and innovation. I am looking forward to mobilizing the entrepreneurial spirit at Cardozo to contribute to new solutions.”
Human rights initiatives at Cardozo include:
• The Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR), overseen by interim faculty director Carolyn Patty Blum. The institute supports scholarship, teaching and training to strengthen laws, norms and institutions that prevent mass atrocities, protect populations and rebuild societies. It includes the Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, directed by Telford Taylor Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor of Law Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum.
• The Law and Armed Conflict Project, directed by Visiting Professor of Law Gabor Rona, explores novel approaches to scholarship, teaching and training in the complexities of law and war in the 21st century. The project looks at international law as it relates to the dynamic nature of war in areas such as state responses to terrorism, non-state actors like ISIS, and the new cyberspace battlefield. It also explores the growing role of private military and security contractors in war zones.
• Human Rights Forward, which focuses on three objectives: working through NGO networks to find new ways to respond to government attacks on public advocacy and freedom of association; engaging the business community in acting to support civil society; and developing new models for organizing local human rights activities. The mission is to spearhead innovation and to engage the business community in order to find new approaches to protecting and expanding human rights advocacy globally.
Cardozo’s human rights programs provide students with opportunities for active engagement in the most pressing issues at the intersection of law and human rights.
For more information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean of Communications
DeNatale@yu.edu
212.790.0237
Professor Marci Hamilton, Leading Church-State and Constitutional Law Scholar and Advocate for Women’s and Children’s Rights, Retires from Cardozo School of Law Faculty
Professor Hamilton is Joining University of Pennsylvania Program for Study of Religion and is Starting Nonprofit Think Tank for Children
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| Professor Marci Hamilton |
Professor Marci Hamilton, the founder of Cardozo’s highly successful Intellectual Property Law Program, a highly regarded professor of constitutional law, constitutional litigator, and one of the nation’s leading church-state scholars and advocates for women’s and children’s rights, has announced her retirement from the full-time faculty of Cardozo School of Law. Professor Hamilton relinquished the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law but will continue as the Paul R. Verkuil Research Professor, teaching one seminar course at the school. She is the author of four books: God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty; Fundamentalism, Politics and the Law; Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children; and God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law, numerous book chapters, and hundreds of scholarly articles and columns on cutting edge legal topics of the day. She is frequently sought out by the media, is an active organizer of symposia and events at the law school, and has mentored an untold number of Cardozo students in her areas of expertise.
Hamilton’s specialty is pioneering justice for the vulnerable, whether it was the authors, artists and photographers increasingly at risk of losing rights over their works in the internet era; the elderly service members at risk of losing the Old Soldiers Home to an unconstitutional transfer of property by U.S. Senators to Catholic University; or, most recently, the children at risk of medical neglect in religious settings and clergy sex abuse, or the abuse of women, girls and boys in polygamy.
“Marci has been an inspiration to our students for decades, and her work has been at the forefront of many critical issues of our day,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “She is a visionary, a valued teacher and mentor to students, and a leading advocate for important justice reforms for the vulnerable.”
Professor Hamilton will focus on serving as CEO and academic director at CHILD USA, the nonprofit think tank she founded, which provides scholarship on issues of child abuse and medical neglect. She will also serve as the Fox Family Pavilion Distinguished Scholar in the Fox Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Professor Hamilton served as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor after receiving her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. She was the lead counsel before the U.S. Supreme Court for the city Boerne, Texas in the historic case invalidating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Boerne v. Flores.
Professor Hamilton has been a leading advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse, a generous provider of pro bono legal assistance to numerous children’s organizations in cases before the United States Supreme Court and state high courts, and a leading advocate of efforts to overturn state statutes of limitations in child sexual abuse cases. She has litigated select child sex abuse cases, major church/state cases, and challenged the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act in cases involving local governments and religious land use.
Among her professional honors, Professor Hamilton has received the prestigious American Humanist Association’s Annual Religious Liberty Award, the National Crime Victim Bar Association’s Frank Carrington Champion of Civil Justice Award, the E. Nathaniel Gates Award for outstanding public advocacy and scholarship, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Pro Bono Legal Service to veterans groups, and was named one of Pennsylvania’s Women of the Year after serving as an assistant to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s pioneering grand jury report on sex abuse in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
The Moot Court Honor Society would like to thank all of the competitors for their participation in the 2016 Monrad G. Paulsen Competition.
Please join us in congratulating:
Cealagh Fitzpatrick '17, Best Oralist
Amanda Coleman '17, Best Brief
Michael Ricottone '18, 2nd Place Oralist & 2nd Place Brief
Additionally, the Moot Court Honor Society would like to congratulate Jonathan Howe' 18 and Melissa Trenk for making it to the final round. All of this year's competitors performed exceptionally and the competition could not have run as smoothly without the help of the Cardozo faculty and staff in addition to the moot court members who staffed the event. Thank you all for bringing about such a successful event.
The Monrad G. Paulsen Competition is an intramural moot court competition where 2Ls and 3Ls earn an academic credit. Students must write a brief based on a criminal law problem written by members of the Moot Court Honor Society and then compete in oral arguments. The competitors performed in two preliminary rounds on Monday, September 26. The quarter finals were on Wednesday, September 28 as well as the semi finals, later that same night. The final round was on September 29 and the four finalists argued before Professor Jonathan Oberman, adjunct professor and head of the Prosecutor Practicum Gary Galperin, and Justine Olderman from the Bronx Defenders.
October 20: The first panel will cover the current legal issues arising from video games being played in augmented and virtual reality. No RSVP required. Lunch will be served.
Room 102
12-1:30 p.m.
October 26: The second panel will introduce the audience to the industry of eSports covering the intertwined legal and industry issues showing the inter-dependency of the legal sector and industry. No RSVP required. Lunch will be served.
Room 1008
12-1:30 p.m.
November 1: The final event, a symposium on is a CLE event with two panel discussions, which is followed by a reception with snacks and drinks.
Jacob Burns Moot Court Room
6 – 9 p.m.
Professor David Rudenstine’s Book, "The Age of Deference: The Supreme Court, National Security, and the Constitutional Order" Sparks Vibrant Debate
Floersheimer Center Event Draws a Full House
September 19- A panel of distinguished experts captivated a packed Jacob Burns Moot Court Room on September 19 with a robust and lively discussion of the Supreme Court’s approach to the executive branch in cases involving national security over the past seven decades. Legal scholars on both sides of the issue traded arguments surrounding everything from the Founding Fathers’ penchant for secrecy, to modern practices of interrogation, preventative detention, and the National Security Agency’s metadata collection program.
The event was hosted by the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy to mark the publication of Professor David Rudenstine’s new book, The Age of Deference (Oxford University Press, 2016). It was part of Cardozo’s 40th Anniversary Celebration CardozoLawTalks/40 series.
The moderator for the occasion was Adam Liptak, the veteran Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times. Panelists were Judge Michael Mukasey, U.S. Attorney General under George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009; Steven Shapiro, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union; Matthew Waxman, professor at Columbia Law School and a former George W. Bush administration advisor; and Cardozo Associate Professor Deborah Pearlstein, who has earned national recognition for her work on law and U.S. national security policy, including through her service on the first team of outside legal observers to be granted access to military commission trials at Guantanamo Bay,.
Dean Melanie Leslie introduced former Cardozo Dean Rudenstine, currently Sheldon H. Solow Professor of Law, as “a brilliant scholar and a great champion of Cardozo Law School.” The author wasted no time in stating his thesis: since World War II, the Supreme Court has betrayed its responsibilities to hold the president meaningfully accountable to law in cases implicating national security. As Rudenstine put it, “The Court has accommodated itself to a degree of secrecy with no antecedent in American judicial history.” The available evidence shows, he said, that this practice has undermined the country’s cornerstone checks and balances, weakened its commitment to the rule of law, and denied injured individuals a right to redress.
Mukasey, in a lengthy rationale for judicial deference, drew a direct line from the early days of the Republic to the role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court, the targeted killing of ISIS militants, and the NSA metadata program – which he defended emphatically, saying: “Depriving the government of this power on the ground it could be misused would be tantamount to saying that police should be disarmed because they could potentially use their weapons on citizens.”
None of the panelists disputed the occasional need for secrecy in wartime or where national security was at stake – as Pearlstein put it, “Whether deference is good or not depends on the context.” What’s missing is transparency, added Shapiro: “It’s simply problematic for the government to create standards in secret…. It’s one thing when the Court engages in a discussion of the merits, as it did when ruling for the internment of Japanese Americans. Something very different is going on now; cases are dismissed before they even reach the courts because of various doctrines that effectively close the courthouse doors.”
Pearlstein recounted the recent history of legal challenges to the indefinite detention without charges of those once called “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo, and noted that whereas those challenges haven’t yet resulted in the closure of the prison, the number of detainees has dwindled to several dozen from close to 800 and, significantly, none has been added since 2008. That observation prompted Waxman to concede that, despite the apparent immutability of current policy, in the long run “even the slightest risk of judicial intervention casts a long shadow over the executive branch and affects executive decision making.”
In his introduction, Rudenstine had noted the Court’s role in preserving and strengthening the constitutional order and urged it to “chart a course between the extremes” – an argument the audience for this provocative panel discussion will surely ponder as the government continues to grapple with difficult issues in this age of terror.
Benjamin Ferencz speaking to Cardozo Law students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW RECEIVES $1 MILLION FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND ATROCITY PREVENTION CLINIC FROM BENJAMIN B. FERENCZ, LEGENDARY NAZI WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR
October 13, 2016– New York, NY – Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University is proud to announce a $1 million gift from Benjamin B. Ferencz, the legendary Nazi war crimes prosecutor and a leader in establishing an international criminal court. Now in his 97th year, Ferencz is a World War II veteran and was one of the earliest war crimes investigators.
The donation will go toward Cardozo’s Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, which will be renamed the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic. The clinic is part of the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR). Ferencz’s gift will aid in the school’s work as a leading global center for the study and promotion of human rights and atrocity prevention. The gift coincides with the 70th anniversary of the end of the first trial of Nazi war criminals, which occurred in October 1946.
“We are deeply grateful to Ben Ferencz for his gift, and for his recognition of the work done by Cardozo to educate the next generation of human rights lawyers,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “Ben’s lifetime commitment to using the law to advance human rights is an inspiration to all lawyers everywhere, and will continue to be used to inspire generations of Cardozo law students.”
Ferencz seeks to inspire law students to use their years in law school to advance international peace and human rights efforts.
“It takes courage not to be discouraged,” said Ferencz. “You cannot kill an ideology with a gun. You must learn tolerance, compassion and compromise. Law, not war, is my slogan and ‘never give up’ is my mandate.”
A Life Dedicated to Fighting Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity:
Ferencz committed his life to ending war and the atrocities he witnessed firsthand.
“I had peered into hell,” he said in describing his role gathering evidence of the Nazi horrors as the concentration camps were liberated. Ferencz, who was born in Transylvania and came to America as a child, went on to graduate from Harvard Law School and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943. He saw combat from the beaches of France on D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge, and near the end of the war he was transferred to the headquarters of General Patton’s Third Army. He was the first man assigned to a small team tasked to investigate war crimes. General Telford Taylor, the Chief Nuremberg Prosecutor, recruited him for 12 war crime trials against Nazi leaders. Ferencz uncovered the existence of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, execution squads responsible for the mass murder of Jews ahead of German military advances. As chief prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen trial, Ferencz detailed how these groups killed one million people. The 22 Nazi leaders he proved responsible were all convicted: 14 of them received death sentences.
Ferencz’s association with the Nuremeberg Chief Prosecutor Telford Taylor led to a lifelong friendship. Taylor went on to become a founding faculty member of Cardozo School of Law, and he and Ferencz became law partners in New York City.
Following Nuremberg, Ferencz stayed in Germany to help establish the reparations programs, which provided restitution and compensation for all victims of Nazi persecution. His book Less than Slaves details his tireless efforts to secure compensation for the forced labor of concentration camp inmates. Ferencz was one of the founding architects of the International Criminal Court, which sought to hold perpetrators accountable for war crimes. Ferencz became a champion of peace as his life’s work.
History of Cardozo’s Human Rights Initiatives:
The program that became the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights was established by Professor Richard Weisberg, whose groundbreaking work on Holocaust litigation contributed to a historic financial settlement, a small portion of which supported the founding of the program. Under the dynamic leadership of the late Professor Sheri Rosenberg, a leading activist on protecting crimes against civilian populations, the program expanded to include the Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, which is being renamed in honor of Ferencz.
Professor Sheri Rosenberg passed away in 2015 and long-time human rights clinical professor Carolyn Patty Blum took over leadership of the program as interim director of CLIHHR. Bloom is well known for her work in cases concerning accountability for crimes committed under Chilean and Salvadoran military regimes in the 1980s.
“We were so devastated when we lost Sheri, and we are very fortunate that Patty was able to step in to guide the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights and the clinic,” said Dean Leslie. “I thank her for her leadership, and with Ben Ferencz’s generous gift we have secured this unique and vitally important clinic for generations to come.”
This fall, Dean Leslie expanded human rights programs at Cardozo, hiring Edwin Rekosh, a highly respected human rights lawyer and teacher to became the director of human rights initiatives at the law school. In September he launched a new program that expands on the work of the law school called Human Rights Forward. It will spearhead civil society solutions, citizen and business community engagement and new approaches to protecting and expanding human rights globally.
Ferencz came to Cardozo this spring when students from the CardozoJournal of Conflict Resolution awarded him the 2016 International Advocate for Peace Award for his lifetime achievements advancing world peace as a prosecutor, an advocate and a leader in the effort to create the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
A Personal Connection to Cardozo:
Ferencz’s connection to Cardozo is a deeply personal one forged through his special relationship with Telford Taylor, who was a towering figure in the halls of Cardozo and on the international stage. The work of Taylor and Ferencz at Nuremburg focused the world’s attention on the perpetrators of war atrocities and created a new methodology for seeking international justice. Ferencz’s gift enables students in the Ferencz clinic to carry on this work in new and innovative ways that respond to both historic atrocity crimes and to the scourge of contemporary armed conflict.
For more information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean of Communications
212.790.0237
DeNatale@yu.edu
Jacqueline Reeves
Director, Media Relations and Communications
212.790.0837
Reeves@yu.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW RECEIVES $1 MILLION GIFT FROM ARLENE AND BENEDICT MORELLI FOR SCHOLARSHIP AND TRIAL TEAM PROGRAMS
October 21, 2016 – New York, NY – Cardozo School of Law will receive a $1 million gift from Arlene and Benedict Morelli to establish a student scholarship program and to support the expansion of its renowned trial team program.
Benedict Morelli is the founder and partner of Morelli Law Firm and former president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. A highly regarded trial lawyer, Morelli has a long history of successful representation spanning over 35 years, which includes winning multi-million dollar verdicts for many of his clients. The New York Trial Lawyers Association has selected him as one of New York’s “superstars,” and he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America continuously from 1997 through the present.
The Morellis’ gift designates $750,000 for the Arlene and Benedict Morelli Family Scholarship Fund, which will provide financial support for deserving students for years to come. The gift also provides $200,000 to establish the Benedict Morelli Trial Team, which will expand Cardozo’s presence in national and international trial competitions and increase the number of students who can compete. $50,000 will be used to establish the Morelli Master Lecture Series, which will bring top trial lawyers to Cardozo to lecture, coach and mentor students.
“Cardozo is well known for our Intensive Trial Advocacy Program, which was the first of its kind in the country, and for our excellent trial team,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “We are deeply grateful to the Morellis for their partnership in strengthening our powerhouse teams and cementing Cardozo’s reputation as a top school for trial advocacy.”
In May, Benedict Morelli was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Yeshiva University at the Cardozo Law commencement at Lincoln Center. Yeshiva President Richard Joel conferred the degree in recognition of “a lifetime commitment to the cause of justice, and for the inspiration and dedication you bring to the service of your clients and the education of future lawyers.” The ceremony was capped with great joy for the family when the Morellis’ son Alexander received his J.D. degree and was hooded by his father as a member of the Cardozo class of 2016.
About Cardozo School of Law
Cardozo School of Law provides a world-class legal education that encourages and supports creative thinking and effective action in all fields of law. Cardozo is dedicated to educating lawyers who develop a deep understanding of legal theory as well as the professional skills and ethical values to be practice-ready. The school’s robust intellectual atmosphere supports new ideas and innovation and encourages a vibrant community of scholarship and activism.
The Cardozo community is open and personal, fostering animated debate in the classroom and throughout the school. The administration and faculty seek to create a welcoming environment that is respectful of diverse perspectives and people of all backgrounds. The law school emphasizes the critical role attorneys play in protecting the rights of people in the United States and around the world.
For more information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean of Communications
212.790.0237
Royalties, Rap And Race: The Top 10 Law Schools That Teach Real-Life Music Issues
October 24, 2016 Billboard Magazine - Behind the success of every hitmaker are the lawyers, fielding the deliberations, deals and disputes that are a constant part of today's music business.
While attorneys have always been important to artists and music companies, new business models, from brand licensing to streaming, have only increased the need for legal expertise. The scope of that expertise is also wider than ever, moving beyond issues of contract law to questions of intellectual property in the digital age.
At which law schools do the top music lawyers gain that expertise? These 10 stand out as the alma maters of the majority of the music industry's most accomplished attorneys.
BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW
New York
FAME is the acronym for Cardozo's Fashion, Arts, Media and Entertainment Law Center, one of two programs targeting future music business lawyers, at the school's campus near Manhattan's Union Square. The second is the Intellectual Property and Information Law Program, under director Christopher Buccafusco. "Cardozo offers an incredibly deep range of opportunities for students interested in music law," says Buccafusco, "including internships, student groups, speaker series and practical-skills training."
Alumna: Julie Swidler, executive vp business affairs/general counsel, Sony Music Entertainment
Cardozo Finalizes Sale of Alabama Residence in a Deal That Will Offer Priority to Students
A completely renovated Alabama is expected to be available to students for fall of 2017.
Cardozo and Yeshiva University have worked together to finalize the sale of the Alabama Residence to Collegium Capital, a leading provider of high-quality student housing throughout the country. The school worked closely with Collegium’s co-owner Todd Rosenberg, who is a Cardozo graduate, in negotiating priority access for Cardozo law students at the Alabama after an extensive renovation. The renovation work is expected to be completed for fall 2017 occupancy. The Alabama, located one block south of Cardozo’s campus on 11th street just, off Fifth Avenue, will offer premier studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments designed to enhance student life.
“I am thrilled that we have found the right buyer for the Alabama and that the new arrangement increases student housing options for our students,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “These new apartments will help the law school attract the finest students from around the nation for years to come.”
Collegium will perform a top-to-bottom renovation that includes common areas with amenities such as a fitness center, study lounge, coffee bar, conference rooms and green space. Detailed floor plans and architectural renderings will be made available to Cardozo students in the coming weeks.
When the Alabama was put up for sale in 2015, a newly renovated Yeshiva University housing facility—the Benjamin—was opened for law students on 29th street and Lexington Avenue. The Benjamin will remain an option for Cardozo students after the Alabama apartments become available. The combined residency options of the Alabama and the Benjamin provide great choices for all Cardozo students who want to live and study in the heart of Manhattan.
“The fact that the co-owner of Collegium, Todd Rosenberg, is a Cardozo graduate makes us doubly certain that Cardozo’s housing options will be extremely attractive to students from around the country,” said Dean Leslie.
In a message from Dean Melanie Leslie Cardozo students were invited to an open forum discussion on the presidential election, which will cover questions and issues that have been raised and will feature five faculty members in conversation with students. Below is the letter to students inviting them to the Wednesday Nov. 11th event.
Dear Students:
We know that the result in this week’s presidential election has raised questions for many of you, and we’d like to come together as a community to discuss them. Some of you have questions about the future of particular laws or programs; some of you want to talk about the Supreme Court; some of you are focused on the stark divides in our country this result seems to reflect. All of that is fair game for this discussion, so please come with questions and thoughts you’d like to share.
The panelists (Michelle Adams, Michael Herz, David Rudenstine, Kate Shaw, and Ekow Yankah) will open the discussion, but most of the time will be reserved for your contributions. See details below. If you can’t make it but want to talk about the election in a separate venue, please feel free to reach out to anyone on the faculty, Dean Judy Mender, or Yolonda Harrison.
With Warm Regards,
Melanie Leslie
Dean and Professor of Law
Post-Election Discussion
Wednesday, November 16
4-5:30pm
Moot Court Room
This event is co-sponsored by:
American Constitution Society
Federalist Society
Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
Public Service Scholars
Student Bar Association
