Devika Kewalramani ’95 has joined FisherBroyles, LLP as a Partner in New York. She will also hold the role of General Counsel. Devika joins the firm after 25 years at Moses & Singer LLP, where she was a Partner, led the firm’s Law Firm Industry Practice, and was its General Counsel. She focuses on advising law firms, lawyers, and legal departments on all aspects of lawyering, including legal ethics, professional responsibility, lawyer regulation, and risk management. Her remarkable experience also includes work with many bar associations and publications.
Hon. Donna M. Golia ’96 has been appointed by Gov. Hochul a Justice of the New York State Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, which is located in Brooklyn Heights. Donna has served as the administrative judge for criminal matters in Queens County since 2022.
Hon. Janet M. McDonnell ’97 was appointed to the Criminal Court in February 2023. Janet began her legal career with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, where she served for over 21 years in the Orange Zone, Crimes Against Children Bureau, and Early Case Assessment Bureau/Arraignments. She also served as Deputy Bureau Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau and as Deputy Unit Chief of the Criminal Court. In 2019, she went on to serve with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office as Deputy Bureau Chief and Acting Bureau Chief of Criminal Court. Prior to Janet’s appointment, she served as the First Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau.
Katherine Gallagher ’00 argued the appeal of the dismissal of Defense of Children International-Palestine in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. In the case brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights under the Genocide Convention, the lower court had in January found a plausible case of genocide and urged the Biden Administration to reexamine its unflagging support for Israel’s siege of Gaza but dismissed the lawsuit under the political question doctrine. Also on the case are Pamela Spees ’98 and Diala Shamas, former staff of the CLEAR Project. Watch and listen to Katie’s oral argument here, and see CCR’s press release on the argument here.
Ian Spiridigliozzi ’08, a longtime Legal Aid housing attorney, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Law Department/Housing Litigation at NYCHA. It’s great to have a tenants’ rights attorney, one of our own, high up in New York City’s public housing authority.
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz ’09 has been named among CUNY’s 50Under50. Born in Colombia, she came to Queens at the age of 9 and grew up as a DREAMer, living in the U.S. for more than 10 years as an undocumented American. Catalina is an experienced attorney and a leader for tenant protections, immigration reform, and workers’ rights. Prior to becoming the Assemblywoman for the 39th District, she practiced housing law and served in various positions in city and state government.
NYS Senator Jamaal Bailey ’12 was featured at the launch of CUNY School of Law’s First Impressions Program for having provided vital support and leadership in making it happen. He was also named #2 on the 2024 Bronx Power 100 list. Jamaal knows how to wield power in both Albany and the Bronx. As leader of the Bronx Democrats, he has established the party as perhaps the strongest and most unified party organization in New York City. In Albany, he chairs the influential State Senate Codes Committee, where he helped pass the Clean Slate Act.
Hon. Raymond Fernandez ’12, who now serves as an Acting Supreme Court Justice in the Bronx Supreme Court, was honored with the “Gavel Award” at the annual Law Secretaries Awards Dinner. Raymond is a Judge of the Court of Claims and an acting Supreme Court Justice for the Supreme Court, Bronx County Civil Term. He oversees a wide range of cases and previously served as principal law clerk to Hon. Doris M. Gonzalez. With a background in complex litigation, including toxic torts and personal injury claims, Raymond has also worked as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society in Queens. He is an active member of several bar associations and is recognized for his outstanding service to the legal community.
Joseph Malafsky ’14 reports he has been appointed Deputy Director at Queens Legal Services.
Hon. Amira Hassan ’16 has been appointed as a Brooklyn Housing Court Judge. Amira served as a court attorney in New York City’s Housing Court in Queens since 2018. Previously, she served as a Poverty Justice Solutions Fellow at the Legal Aid Society in Queens, representing litigants in landlord-tenant disputes. She is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Housing Court Committee, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, and the Queens County Women’s Bar Association.
NYC Councilmember Oswald Feliz ’17 was named in the 2024 Bronx Power 100 list. As the Small Business Committee Chair, he is aiming to address a rise in empty storefronts in the Bronx. He has proposed a legislative package that would offer grants to stores looking to locate in areas with high vacancy rates and to waive city fees for businesses filling empty storefronts.
George D. Adames ’19 has been selected among CUNY’s 50Under50. As an out gay Latino, George is a lifelong advocate and has been fighting for the rights of New Yorkers since his teenage years. Through an undergraduate program coordinated by CUNY, he was able to intern at the District Attorney’s Office, which sparked the connection between his advocacy and the legal profession. Following that lead, George became an Assistant District Attorney at the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office. There, in addition to becoming a felony and appeals prosecutor, he was the office’s first LGBT community liaison. In 2023, George joined the New York City Commission on Human Rights as the Deputy General Counsel and, in 2024, as the Interim General Counsel.
In Memoriam
Joseph Rinaldi ’97 passed away on August 24th. He was well-known and highly thought of among his classmates. No further information is currently available.
David Savidge ’99, husband of Jenny Chung Savidge ’99, passed away on August 17th in Boulder, CO. He is dearly missed by Jenny and their two daughters, Olivia and Julia. David’s personal and professional life were inspired and influential. In his obituary, he was lovingly and proudly remembered. Professionally, David pursued his diverse intellectual interests and practiced public interest law at Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, and then admiralty and maritime law after getting his LLM from Tulane Law School. He was also a litigator with AmLaw law firms Coudert Brothers LLP and Wilson Elser LLP. David was also a teacher, most recently teaching business ethics and legal studies at the University of Denver. He always looked for ways to teach his students to think bigger and deeper and to contribute to a better world. His students described him perfectly as enthusiastic, genuine, passionate, smart, insightful, funny, and caring. David’s greatest roles, however, were husband and father, and his most cherished and joyous moments in life were with his wife and his two beautiful daughters.
Jillian (Schuster) Malone ’15 lost her battle with breast cancer on November 2, 2023, leaving her husband and three young children. Before attending CUNY School of Law, Jillian was in the Peace Corps in Macedonia. In her obituary, she is described as “a free-spirited woman who had an aura about her that felt like a warm hug. She devoted her life to caring for others and always looked for the good in the world.”