Ryan Lawless FCRH ’16, LAW ’25 is his family’s first law school graduate. Before attending Fordham Law, he worked as a teacher in Turkey and Spain and later as a paralegal. During law school, Lawless supported victims of financial mismanagement through the Securities Litigation and Arbitration clinic, assisted immigrants with the Legal Aid Society as an intern, and advocated for incarcerated mothers through the Incarcerated Mothers Law Project. He also served as a professionalism fellow, helping the Office of Professionalism organize orientation and professional development programs, and is now a Pro Bono Scholar. Lawless capped his final year at Fordham…
Author: Anna Currell
On April 3, the Center for Judicial Events and Clerkships (CJEC), the Center on Asian Americans and the Law, and the Corporate Law Center welcomed Judge Kyu Young (Mike) Paek ’08, who serves on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Paek spoke with the Fordham Law community about his path to the bench in a fireside chat moderated by Judge Denny Chin ’78, United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Paek shared his personal journey to the bench, beginning with his family’s migration to the United…
Fordham Law School and DLA Piper have collaborated to develop an innovative legal executive education offering that aims to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding in-house counsel community. Over the past 15 years, the number of in-house lawyers grew 80%, outpacing the growth of the number of lawyers working for the government or for law firms. As corporations rely more on in-house teams, the role of in-house lawyers has become increasingly complex—however, the necessary skills to succeed in this position are rarely taught in a formal setting. Fordham Law’s In-House Counsel Institute provides a 14-week, online program starting in…
Pat Hynes ’66 built a remarkable career as a federal prosecutor and practicing attorney, but she didn’t always plan on attending law school. “I have no lawyers in my family. I was the first in my family to go to college. I come from a very blue-collar, working-class background in Queens,” said Hynes. Her debating club—and her love of the TV series Perry Mason—inspired her to study law. “I applied to Fordham, got in, and went, and it was really the best thing that I ever did,” said Hynes. “It was a very good experience. It was the right decision…
Fordham Law School is proud to announce that Judge Maria Araújo Kahn ’89, who sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, will be the keynote speaker at Fordham Law School’s 118th Diploma Ceremony on Monday, May 19. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Edwards Parade at the Rose Hill Campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, where over 630 law students will receive their diplomas. “We are honored and thrilled to have such a distinguished alumna speak at our 2025 Diploma Ceremony,” said Dean Joseph Landau. “Judge Kahn is an inspiration to our…
Fordham Law students got an up-close look at a jurist from one of the most consequential state courts adjudicating high-stakes business disputes and corporate governance matters, with a visit and lecture from J. Travis Laster, vice chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery. Vice Chancellor Laster joined Fordham on March 26 to give the 22nd Annual Albert A. DeStefano Lecture on Corporate, Securities, and Financial Law. The Delaware Court of Chancery is the nation’s preeminent forum for business law disputes. Laster was sworn in as a vice chancellor in 2009 after nearly fifteen years in private practice, first as an…
Javier Melendez ’25 was drawn to Fordham Law’s Jesuit values and abundant sense of community. Belonging to the Fordham Business and Law Association and the Dispute Resolution Society, he appreciated the mentorship relationships he formed, whether as a mentee or as a mentor to 1Ls and 2Ls. Melendez has experience working with venture capital firms, and, coming from an immigrant background and as a person of color, he is especially interested in working with minority startup founders. This passion leads him to his upcoming role at Clifford Chance back in his hometown of Houston, Texas. Where did you grow up, and where…
Fordham Law professors recently held an event with law students to unpack the rapid number of changes taking place in the U.S. around immigration. During the session, professors with expertise in immigration and foreign affairs talked with students about a range of issues—from the scope of executive authority in immigration enforcement to birthright citizenship and the role of states and cities in resisting federal immigration policies. After the professors completed their remarks, student members of two campus organizations, the International Refugee Assistance Project and the Immigration Advocacy Project, discussed their efforts to support affected communities and what others can do…
In December 2022, Fordham Law alumna Allison Mahoney ’11 launched a trauma-informed firm that represents survivors of abuse and civil rights violations in Colorado, Illinois, and New York. The firm, ALM Law, specializes in campus dating violence, sexual assault, cyber sexual abuse, domestic violence, and child welfare civil rights. “I wanted to create the firm that I wanted to work at, but I couldn’t find,” said Mahoney. “We only represent survivors of abuse, and it’s split between what I call victims rights work, which is kind of an imperfect term, and child welfare civil rights.” Because of the delicate nature…
Dean Joseph Landau has identified law and technology as a strategic priority for legal education at Fordham Law. One of the ways law students are learning about the topic is through Professor Aniket Kesari’s new Cybersecurity Law class, which provides hands-on training for students to immerse themselves in cutting-edge cyber issues. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 33% increase in cybersecurity jobs by 2033. “Within law, that’s a bit harder to pinpoint,” says Kesari. “But most big firms now have a privacy and cybersecurity practice area. This is a big growth area, and they’re looking for people with…