Class Notes

News & Updates from BU Law Alumni

Spring 2020

Juris Doctor Program

1965

Demitrios M. Moschos was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list.

1966

Jordan L. Shapiro, coauthor of Mass. Practice Series volumes 48–48A, was elected president of the Malden Kiwanis Club.

1969

Martin Seidel Needelman, project director and chief counsel at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers.

Stephen M. Randels says that marrying Sandy Porter was the best decision he ever made. They celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2019 and he feels luckier than ever. After graduation, he worked in Spanish Harlem before moving to Seattle to become the director of a legal services program. In 1979, he become a litigator with the Seattle office of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. When the commission created mediation units in its regional offices, Randels served as director of the Seattle program, discovering he was a much better mediator than litigator. Since retiring, he has worked as a contractor, but spends most of his time enjoying the company of his wife, his two daughters, and his grandchildren. He encourages anyone interested in his work after law school to visit stephenmrandels.com or to give him a call if in the Seattle area.

1970

Laurence J. Gillis was elected a director-at-large of the Libertarian Party of Florida. He will chair its Legislative Action Committee. He practiced criminal law in New Hampshire for three decades before moving to Cape Coral in 2008. He is former chair of the New Hampshire House Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and was an at-large member of the board of governors of the New Hampshire Bar Association. In his semi-retirement, Gillis teaches online legal studies courses for the University of Maryland Global Campus, most recently teaching a course on legal ethics.

David Taylor, attorney, owner, and president at Adams & Blinn Counselors at Law PC, was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers.

1973

Dennis J. Clark was honored with the 2019 winner of Monsignor Malloy Award from the Catholic Lawyers Society of Detroit.

1974

Judith Nelson Dilday has been pursuing her fourth career on the stages of Boston. Recently, she performed in the play The Audacity: Women Speak, which won the Elliot Norton Award for small theater production from the Boston Theater Critics Association.

Jeffrey Krinsk, chief executive officer and managing partner of Finkelstein and Krinsk, was appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees.

1977

Maria C. Green joined the board of directors of WEC Energy Group.

Joel R. Weiss was selected for inclusion in the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers list in the area of criminal defense: white collar.

1978

Lois Cox was honored with the Pat Meyer Vision Award from the Johnson County Coalition Against Domestic Violence for her work in the University of Iowa’s clinical law program.

Michael R. “Mendy” Sobol released his second speculative novel, Virtual Fire, in July 2019. The book’s opening chapters take place during the height of Vietnam War protests on the campus of a New England university. His 2015 novel, The Speed of Darkness—A Tale of Space, Time, and Aliens Who LOVE to Party!, features a hockey-playing, spacefaring history professor and an extraterrestrial with a gambling problem. He sends apologies to his professors, classmates, and David E. Kelley (LAW’83) as neither novel involves courtroom drama.

1979

Bruce T. Block was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list for land use and zoning law and real estate law. He was also recognized as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer and named a Milwaukee Power Broker by the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Bob Lavoie was elected to the Amesbury, Mass. school committee.

1980

Samuel B. Moskowitz was recognized by 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers.

1981

Carl N. Weiner was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list for land use and zoning law.

1983

Annamarie Bondi-Stoddard was named a 2020 Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” for  her work in plaintiffs medical malpractice law.

Robert S. Khuzami joined Guggenheim Partners as chief legal officer.

Alan S. Rutkin was recommended in Legal 500’s insurance category, and Rivkin Radler’s insurance coverage practice group was selected in the publication’s US rankings.

Susan Yashar, general counsel for Deloitte Global, was honored by the Directors Roundtable with its World Recognition of Distinguished General Counsel.

1984

Fern J. Finkel was selected for inclusion in the New York State Super Lawyers list for the sixth consecutive year in the field of elder law. 

Michael D. Fricklas was appointed to the Boston University board of trustees.

William Joseph (LLM in Taxation’89) was recognized among the 2019 Legal Elite by Georgia Trend magazine.

Mark N. Reinharz was selected for inclusion in the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers and the 2020 Best Lawyers in America lists in the category of employment and labor law.

Michael N. Ungar, chair of the litigation department at Ulmer & Berne LLP, has been named among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America by Benchmark Litigation for the fifth consecutive year. He also earned his place on the 2019 Ohio Super Lawyers list and was recognized among the top 10 attorneys in Ohio and top 5 attorneys in Cleveland for the seventh consecutive year.

1985

Robert M. Finkel (LLM in Taxation’95) was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America for his work in the areas of tax law and tax litigation and controversy.

Jerry Siegelman was named cochair of the real estate department at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek PC.

1986

Steven A. Feldman was selected for inclusion in the 2019 New York State Super Lawyers list in the area of appellate litigation. He has won hundreds of state and federal appeals across the United States as well as at the US Supreme Court.

Jordan Yospe was recognized on the National Law Journal’s inaugural list of Sports & Entertainment Trailblazers.

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1987

Merrick L. Gross, a Carlton Fields shareholder who chairs the firm’s business litigation section of the national trial practice group, was appointed leadership development co-coordinator for the American Bar Association Section of Litigation for the 2019–20 term. He was also appointed as a member of the section’s task force on efficient justice. In addition, he was named chair-elect of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council High Yield Distressed Realty Assets Forum.

Louis Hockman joined the Philadelphia office of Rawle & Henderson LLP as of counsel.

Martin J. McLaughlin was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America for his work in corporate law.

1988

Karen L. Ling was named executive vice president, chief human resources officer at AIG.

1989

Jan Gilbert joined the Washington, DC, office of Polsinelli as partner.

John Phillips was named “Lawyer of the Year” in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list.

Hope Scott was named to Savoy magazine’s list of Most Influential Women in Corporate America.

1990

Donnalyn L. Kahn opened a boutique law firm in Newton, Mass. with Angela Smagula (Georgetown) called Kahn & Smagula LLP. They also mentor young women interested in courtroom lawyering.

Elin Swanson Katz was named associate general counsel and managing director of energy consulting for Tilson Technology Management.

Andrew D. Myers was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.

Terry N. Steinberg retired from her civil rights work after more than 33 years of federal service. She loves being retired and focusing on improving her physical fitness. She recently earned her gold sash in Kung Fu and also studies Tai Chi. Her other fitness activities include Bone Builders (weightlifting for bone and muscle strength), Classical Stretch, and outdoor walks.

1991

Debbie Chizewer was named managing attorney of Earthjustice in the new Chicago office.

Nathaniel Dalton, former chair of the Boston University board of overseers, was named to the BU board of trustees.

Daniel S. Field was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.

1992

Linda Gibson was named to the newly created role of chief business officer at QMA.

Elizabeth L.B. Greene was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list.

Hon. Lincoln S. Jalelian was appointed to the Boston Immigration Court.

John J. Morrissey was elected president of the Massachusetts Bar Association for 2019–20.

Kristin A. Norse was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list.

Michele S. Perlstein was named of counsel at Greater Good LLC.

David A. Schwartz has been appointed vice president and general counsel of Unilever, North America.

Jeanne R. Solomon joined Robinson Brog Leinwand Greene Genovese & Gluck PC as a partner in its litigation and corporate practices.

1993

Tracy A. Craig was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list.

Renee Inomata was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.

Stephen Smerek joined Foley & Lardner LLP as a partner in the intellectual property department.

1994

Moyenda M. Knapp was named to Greenberg Traurig’s labor & employment practice in Chicago.

Paul Pysher joined Burns & Levinson as partner.

1995

Marc Guggenheim, who began writing for TV with David E. Kelley (’83) on The Practice, was executive producer and showrunner of Carnival Row, which appeared on Amazon Prime.

Jacquelyn Fahey Sandell was named chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Jounce Therapeutics.

1996

David Copland is principal of Copland Legal in Dresden, Germany, and of counsel to JBB Rechtsanwälte of Berlin, Germany.

Jesse A. Lynn was appointed to Cloudera board of directors.

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1997

Jennifer D. Arasimowicz named chief commercial officer and an executive vice president of Fuelcell Energy Inc.

Dana Goldsmith Needleman was appointed to Tribune Publishing’s board of directors.

William H. Tobin was selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America list in the area of employee benefits law.

Charles Wachsstock has joined Arnold & Porter as a partner in the compensation and benefits practice within the tax group.

1998

Angela Curry joined the Presbyterian Foundation as vice president, general counsel.

Grace V.B. Garcia was elected treasurer of the Massachusetts Bar Association for 2019–20.

Erica McGregor has been selected for inclusion in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America.

1999

L. Stephen Bowers joined the Philadelphia office of White and Williams as counsel.

Carrie E. Carbone is the chief legal officer of the TMX Finance Family of Companies. She and her husband, David, moved to Bluffton, S. C. in 2015. Their son, Beckett, is nine years old, and their daughter, Jordan, turned four in October.

Craig Circosta joined Holland & Knight LLP as partner.

Kathleen Ann Collins began a new role as deputy general counsel at Brown University. Prior to that, she was a senior counsel at Citizens Bank for 12 years.

Sanjay Kurian was appointed to Florida’s Judicial Nominating Commissions by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Robin A. Walker was hired by Stoke Therapeutics, a biotechnology firm developing therapies for genetic diseases, as senior vice president and chief legal officer.

Jennifer L. Williamson was reappointed to Florida’s Judicial Nominating Commissions by Governor Ron DeSantis.

2000

Jeffrey S. Siegel was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.

Caroline M. Westover was selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America in the area of labor and employment litigation.

2001

Angela C. De Cespedes became a partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP.

Darcy White joined Jones Day as partner.

2002

Noam N. Mandel joined Robbins Geller as a securities litigator in the firm’s Manhattan office.

Craig A. Vollono joined American Portfolios as executive vice president and chief legal counsel.

2003

Keeley A. Aleman was promoted to senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary, and a member of the executive committee of Waters Corporation.

Allison R. Cole appointed the first assistant clerk magistrate of the Massachusetts Housing Court.

Sherley E. Cruz became the first tenure-track Latinx law professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law. She considers it an honor to go from a Boston University School of Law graduate and legal services attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services to the first Latinx law professor at one of the nation’s highest-ranking law school clinical programs. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to open doors for future generations and grateful for everyone from Boston University who supported her along the way.

Jerald Korn joined Kaleido Biosciences as general counsel and corporate secretary.

2004

Sarah M. Allen (LLM in Taxation’14) was appointed president of the Boston Estate Planning Council for 2019–20.

Sarah Hopkins joined the Siegfried Group’s operations team as senior counsel.

2005

Scott Bittman received the Lawyers Alliance for New York’s 2019 Cornerstone Award honoring outstanding pro bono legal services to nonprofits.

Dana R. Bucin was named Attorney of the Year by the Connecticut Law Tribune. As an immigration attorney, she counsels foreign investors and entrepreneurs on setting up businesses in the US, investing in existing ventures, and obtaining visas or green cards based on such investment or entrepreneurship. She helped secure the release of two Cuban nationals from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody last year. She was also appointed to serve as honorary consul of Romania to Connecticut, and she has focused a significant amount of her work on helping Romanian American business owners get established.

Alex Depetris has been named to the newly created role of managing director, operations & technology at ProShares.

Angela Gomes joined Sullivan & Worcester as partner in the Boston office.

2007

David Klein was named a corporate practice partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Dana Petrillo joined the Philadelphia office of White and Williams as counsel.

2008

Nadya Davis rejoined Holland & Hart as a partner in its intellectual property practice.

Isaac Mamaysky’s book, Letter to a One L Friend: A Little Guide to Seeing the Big Picture and Succeeding in Law School, was published by Carolina Academic Press. The book began as a letter the author wrote in his final year of law school to a good friend who was just starting out, and teaches students how to rise to the top of their law school class. Weaving in anecdotes from his experience as a student, the author presents a simple, proven system for law students to excel.

David E. Owen, a member of the corporate department at Latham & Watkins, was promoted to partner.

Marisa Rauchway Sverdlov was featured among the 2019 New Leaders of the Bar by the New Jersey Law Journal.

Sara K. Von Althann is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

2009

Carlos E. Duque joined Bailey Glasser as an associate in the firm’s Boston office.

Steven J. Pacini was promoted to counsel in the litigation & trial department at Latham & Watkins.

Nisha Patel joined McDonald Hopkins as counsel in Chicago office.

Rachel D. Phillips was named partner at Ropes & Gray LLP.

Mendy Piekarski joined the business litigation practice in Thompson Hine’s New York office.

2010

Marc N. Aspis is an associate in the tax and personal planning office of Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP.

Lauren Burns joined Nelson Mullins in Charleston, S.C.

Thomas J. Fraser was named partner at Ropes & Gray LLP.

Michael B. Greenwald has taken on a new role at Tiedemann Constantia as managing director in the firm’s Zurich office, while remaining senior vice president at Tiedemann Advisors in New York and Palm Beach, Fla.

2011

Shemane Amin joined Anjarwalla & Khanna Tanzania as a director.

Adrian Angus was appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court to the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission, representing the Committee for Public Counsel Services.

Megan A. Chacon has been named a recipient of the 2019 “Women Worth Watching” award by Profiles in Diversity journal.

Amanda R. Gurman was selected for inclusion in the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers list in the area of professional liability: defense.

Daniel S. Hoffman was promoted to partner in the corporate department at Latham & Watkins.

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2012

Andrea Carrillo participated in the Boston Bar Association’s Public Interest Leadership Program. Carrillo is one of 23 outstanding attorneys chosen to participate in the program.

2013

Cristina I. Ramirez is an assistant public defender at Dallas County Public Defender’s Office.

Michael J. Rugnetta joined Weber Gallagher’s medical malpractice group.

2014

Jeremy P. Entwistle has been named an associate at Eversheds Sutherland.

2015

Courtney A. Simmons was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Stars list.

2016

Chase A. Jansson,an admiralty and maritime lawyer licensed in Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, joined Campbell Johnston Clark as an associate in the firm’s first US office in Miami, Fla.

Jaime B. Margolis has joined Bacon Wilson on the firm’s domestic relations and family law team.

Liz Nagle is a litigation associate with Hinkley Allen.

Courtland Roberts joined Baker McKenzie as an associate.

2017

In-Sung Kim (LLM in Taxation’17) is a tax associate attorney at Goulston & Storrs.

Anshul Mehra is now an associate at Wolf Greenfield.

2018

Xinia G. Bermudez accepted a position as staff attorney with Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami.

2019

Kelly Christensen joined the Bronx District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney.

Josephine Kovacs joined Cosgrave Vergeer Kester LLP as an associate attorney focusing on all aspects of civil litigation, including product liability, legal malpractice claims, and personal injury defense.

Kaitlyn C. Sapp is an associate at Day Pitney.

Matthew Scherbarth is an associate at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti LLP in the commercial litigation and fiduciary, estates & trusts groups.

Joye B. Spinks joined English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley LLP as an associate attorney practicing in the areas of environmental law and civil litigation.

LLM in Taxation

1981

Eric P. Hayes was appointed the inaugural honorary director of the Boston Estate Planning Council board of directors for 2019–20.

1984

Scott B. Mexic was appointed to the board of directors of State Funeral for World War II Veterans.

1986

Daria Anne Venezia was elected president of the Middlesex County Bar Association.

2000

Lisa Azan, shareholder of St. Louis-based Capes Sokol, has been accepted into the inaugural class of the Heart of America Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. The institute was created to develop the profession’s future leaders in trust and estate law through a series of in-depth educational presentations led by outstanding subject matter experts in each field from across the US.

2001

Steven M. Carr was appointed treasurer of the Boston Estate Planning Council for 2019–20.

2002

Kimberly McCarthy is vice president, chief wealth management tax & benefits officer for Washington Trust Wealth Management, and leads the tax, ERISA, and employee benefits compliance efforts for the division.

2004

Mary Rebecca Mix joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana as vice president, deputy general counsel.

2006

Kelly Ann Aylward was appointed president-elect of the Boston Estate Planning Council for 2019–20.

2010

Tamara M. Saverine is now vice president, corporate counsel at Prudential Financial.

2012

Christopher L. Pope was recognized by the Florida Bar Association with board certification in condominium and planned development law. The certification requires a rigorous application process and examination, and is the highest level of evaluation by the Florida Bar for the skills, special knowledge, proficiency, professionalism, and ethics in condominium and planned development law.

Juan David Velasco Kerguelen is now vice president of the Global Young International Fiscal Association Network Committee.

2014

Anna D. Vladau joined the law firm Avocadid in Lausanne, Switzerland as a partner. Her practice focuses on Swiss and international tax law and business law. She advises private clients and businesses in their projects.

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2015

Marc E. Selden joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a shareholder in the firm’s New York office.

2016

Jennifer Doehne joined Davies Pearson as an associate attorney primarily practicing in the areas of estate planning, wealth management, business, probate, trust and estate dispute resolution, and real estate.

2019

Eileen Y. Lee Breger was named to the board of directors of Realizing Children’s Strengths Learning Center.

Bryce Morrison joined the business law and tax law practice groups of Bernstein Shur.

Michael J. Skeary’s article, “The Power of Trust Decanting: The Authority for the Power, Its Scope, and the Fiduciary Duty and Tax Implications of Its Use,” was published in the American Bar Association’s Probate & Property magazine. The editors awarded the article the Best Overall Article for Trust & Estate at the 2018 Excellence in Writing Awards.

LLM in American Law

2013

Frédéric Clasen was named a partner at Elvinger Hoss Prussen in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

LLM in Banking & Financial Law

2010

Christoph D. Noehles was named vice president, real estate commission of the International Association of Young Lawyers.

2016

Jason Lo joined Kaplan, Kaplan & DiTrapani LLP as associate.

LLM in Intellectual Property Law

2017

Vibhav Mithal was featured in “Who’s Who of Foreign Attorneys” in the National Jurist.

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FEATURED IN:

The Record, Spring 2020

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