From adjudicating commercial mortgage foreclosures and breaches of fiduciary duty, to high-stakes disputes involving crypto and the improper interference of exclusive merchandising agreements, judges of the Commercial Division of the New York Supreme Court see a vast array of commercial matters. For example, when about $8 million of cryptocurrency was stolen in Liechtenstein in 2022, tracers had found that it had been transferred to a digital wallet in New York. So, when LCX cryptocurrency exchange asked New York County’s Commercial Division if they could serve the anonymous defendants with a temporary restraining order via a non-fungible token, Justice Andrea Masley…
Author: Erin DeGregorio
Against a divisive national landscape around trans rights, Fordham Law students have come together to find support, build community, and advocate for justice. As Transgender Awareness Week (Nov. 13-19) kicks off, Advocates for Trans* Law Students (ATLS) is focusing its support for transgender and non-binary students at the Law School and bringing awareness to transgender issues. The group is the outgrowth of a trans task force of Fordham Law’s queer student affinity group OUTLaws established in September 2022 and was formally recognized as a student organization in the spring of 2023. ATLS was the first trans law student group in…
During his four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Shervin Shahnazi ’26 oversaw a platoon of 35 marines as a First Lieutenant. When on the ground, especially during his deployment in Asia, he said one question constantly occupied his mind while making, what he calls, “life-and-limb decisions.” That question was, “How is this going to impact my Marines and their welfare?” Before leaving the Marines this past summer, Shahnazi began researching law schools that aligned with one of the core values of the Corps—commitment—and fostered a collaborative sense of community. Drawn to attending a big city school with those attributes,…
Originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, Tinatin Oboladze, LL.M. ’24 has been soaking up every moment of living in the Big Apple and studying in Fordham Law’s LL.M. program in International Law and Justice. She said she has not only gained a better understanding of human rights protection and promotion on international, regional, and domestic levels through her coursework, but has also made genuine connections with Law School community members. Where did you study before Fordham Law? I studied in the International Law LL.B. program in Georgia at Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Law. Why did you choose Fordham Law? I chose…
For the Heitler family, giving back to Fordham Law School is a family affair. Hon. Sherry Klein Heitler ’76, a former justice of the New York State Supreme Court, taught at Fordham Law as an adjunct professor and mentored students by guiding them on their job searches. She has served on the Fordham Law Association (FLAA) Board of Directors for many years and now has taken emeritus status. Her daughter, Jill Heitler Blomberg ’97, is also on the board, “I believe that my mom and I are the first mother-daughter pair on the board and there’s something really special about…
Of the 25 law schools represented in the 2023-2024 Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP), Fordham Law has the largest number of scholars selected for this year’s national cohort. The intensive year-long program is designed to prepare the next generation of diverse attorneys to enter and remain in the pipeline while giving them the tools, network, and community of supporters they need to succeed. Lulu Alryati ’26, Safiat Bakare Korodo ’26, Jahneka Cassells ’26, Anika Choudhury ’26, and Jennifer Tiburcio ’26 were selected from Fordham Law. Each student was chosen based on their outstanding academic merit, impressive professional and personal background,…
Giving back to the Law School is nothing new for the Torrente family. Chris Torrente ’00, a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis in New York City, has long been involved in the Fordham Law on-campus interview program. He and his wife Jill Torrente, GSS ’19, also endowed a scholarship in Chris’s name in 2019 and supported the Increasing Diversity in Education and the Law program in 2021. “Jill and I are very grateful for the education we received at Fordham, the career opportunities that were enabled by Fordham, and the mentorship and support provided by Fordham alumni,” said Torrente.…
Reflecting on his career as a lawyer, prosecutor, and jurist, Judge Hector Gonzalez believes that his lifelong dedication to public service is rooted in his experience as an immigrant. “From a very young age, I had an appreciation for the value of public service,” said Gonzalez to an audience of first-generation law students. “As an immigrant, I think you often appreciate what is, for many others, just a given and so you appreciate the opportunities you’re getting and the advantages that you have here versus somewhere else. And, I think, for many that comes with a sense of duty and…
As chief investment officer and general counsel at the solar storage investor CleanCapital, Melinda Baglio ’09 has dedicated her career to climate action and empowering women in the field of clean energy. She was recently recognized for her leadership and achievements at the 12th Annual Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium on Sept. 28, when she received this year’s C3E Law Award. “I am honored and thankful to be this year’s recipient of the C3E Award, recognizing efforts from many impressive women battling for a sustainable future,” shared Baglio. “This award not only acknowledges the…
Political debates, controversies, and scandals—including alleged corruption and bribery during the bidding process to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and accusations of human rights violations in the host country of Qatar—swirled in the years, and even weeks, leading up to the world’s most-watched sports tournament. Now less than three years from the next World Cup, which will take place across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Antitrust Division, declared that collusive schemes are top of mind for the three host countries. “The…