Sharing news about alumni careers, celebrations, and calls to action with the CUNY Law community.
David Barr’s ’86 early AIDS advocacy work and role advising Fauci’s pandemic response management appears in a December 2022 New York Times article, Anthony Fauci Quietly Shocked Us All.
Peter Agostini ’89 reports he is now a Certified Trial Attorney with Garces, Grabler & LeBroq, located in Newark, NJ.
Amy Guss ’91, a Partner at Duane Morris LLP, is chair of the Private Client Services Practice Group. Ms. Guss practices in the areas of taxation and trusts and estates.
Yvette D. Wilson-Barnes ’97 has been named among the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Executive Leadership Institute 2023 Community of Fellows.
Kavita Pawria-Sanchez ’03, a civil rights attorney with 30 years of experience as a community organizer, government leader and social justice consultant, is now the CEO of CannaBronx, an organization that aims to ensure people from communities most impacted by the war on drugs are at the forefront of the statewide cannabis industry.
Muhammad U. Faridi ’07 was appointed by Mayor Adams as the Civilian Representative on the Handschu Committee, which has oversight responsibility when the NYPD seeks to engage in investigations of political, religious, and related constitutionally protected activities the longstanding Handschu v. Special Services Division federal court decree. Professor Ramzi Kassem and Acting Director Naz Ahmad of CLEAR were two of the lead counsel representing the Raza plaintiffs.
Rosanna Roizin ’08 has accepted a position as a partner doing Trusts and Estates at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP.
Moh R. Sharma ’09, who has worked as a congressional staffer for more than a decade, was promoted to a senior position as the Director of Member Services for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies.
Olivia Kelly ’13 appears in Attorney At Law Magazine as elevated to a stakeholder by Simmons Hanly Conroy, the nation’s largest mass tort firms and a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families.
Arian Prelvukaj ’13, named as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, was elevated to partner at MG+M The Law Firm, where he focuses on complex tort and product liability litigation.
Alexandra A. Macdougall ’14, a Legal Aid Staff Attorney, was quoted Lawsuit on behalf of SNAP ‘skimming’ victims alleges USDA policy violates federal law, an NBC news article: “It’s unconscionable that low-income households already struggling to make ends meet are forced to bear the cost of skimmed food benefits […] It quite literally takes away the ability of parents to feed their children.”
David M. Muller ’16, who counsels and defends clients in a variety of complex civil litigation matters with a focus on the transportation and trucking industry, is now an Associate at Goldberg Segalla in the firm’s Transportation group.
Connor J. Mealey ’17 is now serving as the committee counsel for the Committee on Public Housing at the NYC City Council Legislative Division.
Rachel V. Rigodon ’22 published a Note in the City University of New York Law Review, Death By A Thousand Duck Bites In A Noman’s Land: Navigating Section 230’s Scope And Impact In A Changing Internet And World, looking at whether social media platforms should be held liable for hosting harmful terrorist content. The Note was cited in the Amicus Supreme Court Brief in Reynaldo Gonzalez et al, vs Google.
IN MEMORIAM
We are sad to share the death of Beth Danon ’87, who passed away on January 6, 2023, in Vermont after succumbing to a recurrence of endometrial cancer.
Vermont Digger has a beautiful obituary, which shares her rich life as a lawyer and beyond:
“During law school, Beth provided legal services to victims of domestic violence. Beth began her legal career as a law clerk to Vermont Supreme Court Justice Frank G. Mahady. After completion of her clerkship, she began practicing law as a plaintiff’s attorney. She was a partner at three law firms, most recently at Kohn Rath Law in Hinesburg, and at one time worked as interim director and staff attorney for Vermont Protection & Advocacy. In her 35 years of practice, Beth accepted cases simply because her client needed help. She was never interested in making money. She was only interested in helping people and was drawn to those most in need. Beth was a fierce advocate and highly successful attorney, with the highest of ethical standards. One of her many victories included winning equal health care benefits for same-sex partners of UVM faculty and staff, well before such rights became universal.
“Practicing law was not enough to fulfill her ardent need to pursue justice. Beth was an early board member, and then president, of Vermont CARES. She served as president of the Vermont Bar Foundation and the Vermont Association for Justice. She was a long-standing member of the Vermont ACLU. Her work with these organizations is evidence of Beth’s devotion to maintaining a fair and just Vermont community.
“Beth was the least judgmental person anyone could hope to know. She always had time to listen to her friends’ and family’s problems and woes for as long as necessary, often providing profound and helpful insight. She was reliable and willing to help at the drop of a hat. She found great joy in her Birdland community in North Hero, making connections that were deep and dear. Hers was a life well lived.”