Fordham Lawyer Magazine – Spring 2026

Fordham Lawyer Magazine - Spring 2026
Fordham Law
Alumni are
Shaping the
Future of Sports
The Feerick Center for Social Justice Celebrates 20 Years of Impact
What Happens to Democracy When AI Makes the Decisions?
John Osei-Tutu ’15 JD is living his dream as an NHL player agent
Spring 2026
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SNAPSHOT typography logo
First-year law student and New York City Council Member Justin Sanchez and Speaker Julie Menin at a press conference at City Hall on March 10, 2026, ahead of the passing of his bill, Int. 416-A, which holds private companies accountable for keeping bus shelters, bike-share stations, and other public structures clean.
First-year law student and New York City Council Member Justin Sanchez with Speaker Julie Menin at a press conference at City Hall
Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media

LAW STUDENT BY NIGHT, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BY DAY

Justin Sanchez ’29 JD is balancing his first year of law school with a seat on the New York City Council representing District 17 in his native Bronx. After winning his election on November 4, 2025, he was sworn in on January 17, 2026, by New York Attorney General Letitia James. His days are packed with community tours, constituent meetings, and committee hearings before he heads home to study. Sanchez says he is determined to make an impact: “If I truly want to change the world for the better and create better opportunities for people who are struggling, then what better way to do that than by getting not just Band-Aid solutions, but rather fundamental, systemic changes?”

Fordham Lawyer Table of Contents Spring 2026

Spring 2026
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A group of diverse professionals poses against a maroon background with sports and career items.

Features

A Force for Social Justice
The Feerick Center celebrates 20 years of impact.
Changing the Game
From the courtroom to the C-suite, Fordham Law alumni are shaping the future of sports.
What Happens to Democracy When AI Makes the Decisions?
Professors Aniket Kesari and Chinmayi Sharma are examining the far-reaching implications of AI in the public sector.
Fueling the Future of Law
Alice Lehman and George Stavis may not be alumni of Fordham Law, but their generous philanthropic support for the Law School is driving its success.
Contact Us
fordhamlawyer@law.fordham.edu

Fordham Lawyer
ATTN: Communications Office
Fordham Law School
150 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023

Dean
Joseph Landau

Editorial Board
Vera Tkachuk
Assistant Dean, Fordham Law School, and AVP for External Relations, Fordham University

I. Bennett Capers
Associate Dean for Research

Ornela Ramaj Rudovic
Director of Alumni Relations

Karen Gresia
Executive Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives

Editor-In-Chief
Josh Friedland

Interim Creative Director
Heather Haggerty

Director, Marketing and Communications
Elizabeth Moore

Cover and Back Cover Photograph by chris taggart
Illustration by Cut It Out Design Studio
A group of diverse professionals poses against a maroon background with sports and career items.

Departments

From the Dean
The Fordham edge in a changing world.
The Docket
Notable news from alumni.
Alumni Bookshelf
New books by Fordham Law alumni authors.
In Their Element
A visit to Professor Howard Erichson’s lake house retreat.
#FutureFordhamLawyers
These law students are making an impact at Fordham Law School and beyond.
Around the Law School
Newsworthy events of the year.
Class Notes
Snapshot
Fanny Holtzmann 1922 LLB: trailblazer in entertainment law.
Back Cover
Honoring Sam Khichi ’98 JD
Contact Us
fordhamlawyer@law.fordham.edu

Fordham Lawyer
ATTN: Communications Office
Fordham Law School
150 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023

Dean
Joseph Landau

Editorial Board
Vera Tkachuk
Assistant Dean, Fordham Law School, and AVP for External Relations, Fordham University

I. Bennett Capers
Associate Dean for Research

Ornela Ramaj Rudovic
Director of Alumni Relations

Karen Gresia
Executive Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives

Editor-In-Chief
Josh Friedland

Interim Creative Director
Heather Haggerty

Director, Marketing and Communications
Elizabeth Moore

Cover and Back Cover Photograph by chris taggart
Illustration by Cut It Out Design Studio
From the Dean
Photo collage of Scales of Justice formed by binary code, New York City skyline, Unisphere globe, U.S. Supreme Court, and a university building

The Fordham Edge in a Changing World

We are living through a time of pivotal change for higher education and an era of vast transformation for our profession. From the integration of AI in legal practice to the evolving business models of global firms, the landscape is shifting.
At Fordham Law, we recognize that these developments require us to prepare our students differently—and better—to ensure they remain at the pinnacle of their fields. We don’t view these shifts as just a series of questions to respond to; we see them as a call to make a difference, to lead, and to serve.

While we navigate these professional evolutions, we are also addressing new practical challenges. Recent federal policy changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) have altered the financial aid landscape. Currently, students are able to utilize Federal GradPLUS loans to fund cost of attendance and tuition expenses for their degrees. The OBBBA caps their borrowing significantly: It increases Federal Direct Loan eligibility to $50,000 while eliminating the GradPLUS program. As a result, many students now face a sizable gap that must be filled by private lending.

Read Full Article

THE Docket

News of note from Fordham Law alumni
Russell stands on the rooftop of Weitz & Luxenberg’s office building, with One World Trade Center in the distance.
Photograph by Anna Currell

THE Docket

News of note from Fordham Law alumni
A smiling woman in a blue suit stands on a rooftop terrace, with the New York City skyline and One World Trade Center in the background.
Russell stands on the rooftop of Weitz & Luxenberg’s office building, with One World Trade Center in the distance.
Photograph by Anna Currell

Setting a Record for Asbestos Awards

Brittany Russell ‘13 JD secured a landmark $117 million verdict for her client—the largest single-plaintiff asbestos award in New York state history.
Joshua A. Kamen headshot
Brittany Russell ’13 JD has built her career fighting for mesothelioma patients, and her latest victory rewrites the record books. The Weitz & Luxenberg partner secured a $117 million verdict—the largest single-plaintiff asbestos award in New York state history.

Russell’s client, a sheet metal worker, was exposed to asbestos while installing air ducts at the World Trade Center in the 1970s. Contractor Mario & DiBono had been cited multiple times for spraying asbestos-containing fireproofing without proper safety measures, yet failed to protect workers. Russell’s client underwent three and a half years of cancer treatment in an effort to extend his life after receiving a terminal diagnosis.

“There’s no safe level of exposure to asbestos,” Russell explains. “It’s a man-made cancer.”

This landmark case caps an impressive streak of victories for Russell, including verdicts of $23 million (2022), $23 million (2021), $13.6 million (2017), $3.2 million (2016), and $4 million (2015).

An aerial view of the original World Trade Center towers under construction in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River and piers.
An aerial view of the construction of the World Trade Center, where workers were exposed to asbestos while installing air ducts.
Bettmann Archive
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Alumni
Bookshelf

Looking for your next great read? From interior design to memoirs, relationship advice, and page-turning thrillers, check out the latest books by these Fordham Law alumni authors.
A row of six diverse book covers standing on a white shelf, featuring titles on marriage, history, thrillers, and interior design.

The Grave Artist

by JEFFERY DEAVER ’82 JD and ISABELLA MALDONADO
(Thomas & Mercer, 2025)
Co-written with Isabella Maldonado, Jeffrey Deaver’s latest thriller is the second in the Sanchez and Heron series. The crime-solving duo hunts a serial killer known as “the Honeymoon Killer,” who preys on newlyweds—and has now set his sights on them.

Long Island and the Legacy of Eugenics: Station of Intolerance

by MARK TORRES ’08 JD
(Arcadia Publishing, 2025)
Labor lawyer Mark Torres’ latest book explores the dark history of eugenics on Long Island, including experiments conducted on “prisoners, psychiatric patients, Coney Island circus performers, and more, all in an effort to legitimize a false science.”

A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling: Interiors

by YOUNG HUH ’94 JD
(Rizzoli International Publications, 2026)
AD100 and Elle Decor A-List interior designer Young Huh explores how spaces shape connection and emotion in her debut book, which features a foreword by two of Huh’s celebrity clients, actress Zooey Deschanel and Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott.
Read Full Article
A
Force
Force
For
Social
Justice
As the Feerick Center celebrates its 20th year, it’s impact

can be felt across New York state and beyond.
By Elizabeth Moore
A black and white portrait of a man in a pinstriped suit standing in a city alleyway with his hands in his pockets.
A
Force
Force
For
Social
Justice
As the Feerick Center celebrates its 20th year, it’s impact can be felt across New York state and beyond.
By Elizabeth Moore
In 2002, when John D. Feerick ’58, ’61 LLB stepped down after 20 years as the dean of Fordham Law School, he was at a crossroads, looking toward the next chapter of a remarkable career. blue star As he weighed continuing in academia versus returning to private practice, he was asked by then mayor Michael Bloomberg to serve as a pro bono special master looking at homeless families’ access to shelter in New York City, in response to a lawsuit filed against the city by the Legal Aid Society. blue star Feerick, then 66, spent three years as a special master, a role that changed his career. “I was deeply affected by meeting children who were homeless and their families,” he says.
In 2005, he spoke about the experience at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. In the audience was William Treanor, then the dean of Fordham Law, who approached Feerick and asked if he would create a center for social justice, timed to the celebration of the Law School’s 100th anniversary.

“I was so incredibly touched and impressed with the work that he was doing as a special master that [I asked], ‘Do you think we could build a center around that?’” remembers Treanor, now dean emeritus of Georgetown Law and Fordham Law. “‘It combines social justice and finding ways to get people to work together, and nobody does it like you. We could build a great program, have an impact on society, and build a great educational program.’”

Read Full Article

Changing the Game

From the courtroom to the C-suite, Fordham Law alumni are making their mark as MVPs. Whether crafting winning legal strategies as general counsel, driving business growth as team executives and owners, or representing star athletes as agents, Fordham’s legal minds are shaping the future of professional and amateur athletics.

By Anna Currell, Josh Friedland, and Sejla Rizvic

Illustration by Cut It Out Design Studio
Read Full Article
A collage of 14 people on a yellow background. The central figure wears hockey skates and gloves while holding a stick. Others hold a basketball, trophy, or cap. Blue playbook diagrams and athlete silhouettes are visible in the background.

Changing the Game

From the courtroom to the C-suite, Fordham Law alumni are making their mark as MVPs. Whether crafting winning legal strategies as general counsel, driving business growth as team executives and owners, or representing star athletes as agents, Fordham’s legal minds are shaping the future of professional and amateur athletics.

By Anna Currell, Josh Friedland, and Sejla Rizvic

Illustration by Cut It Out Design Studio
Read Full Article
A collage of 14 people on a yellow background. The central figure wears hockey skates and gloves while holding a stick. Others hold a basketball, trophy, or cap. Blue playbook diagrams and athlete silhouettes are visible in the background.

In Their Element

Professor Howard Erichson’s Lake House Retreat

By
Josh Friedland

Photography
by Chris Taggart
Being here is meditative. There’s this constant return to the present moment, this constant effort to just be in this moment right now. Music does that for me, birding does that for me, and teaching does that for me, too.”
—Professor Howard Erichson

In Their Element

Professor Howard Erichson’s Lake House Retreat

By
Josh Friedland

Photography
by Chris Taggart
Being here is meditative. There’s this constant return to the present moment, this constant effort to just be in this moment right now. Music does that for me, birding does that for me, and teaching does that for me, too.”
—Professor Howard Erichson
Professor Howard Erichson stands on a wooded path looking through binoculars toward a lake. Tall trees with autumn foliage frame the view of the water and a house on the distant shore.
Professor Howard Erichson walks along a wooded, leaf-strewn path in autumn. He wears a black t-shirt with a bird illustration and has binoculars around his neck while looking up toward the trees.
In Their Element
Professor Howard Erichson’s Lake House Retreat
For Professor Howard Erichson, a leading scholar on complex litigation, his lake house in Putnam County, New York, isn’t just a summer escape; it’s a quiet, grounding place where his many passions—from the law to music to birding—settle into harmony. “It’s this magnificently pristine lake, which is kind of amazing, and it’s surrounded by reservoir land,” waxes Erichson. “It feels like you’re in the Adirondacks, even though you’re actually in the New York City exurbs.”

About an hour north of Fordham Law School, perched over a natural spring-fed lake surrounded by dense woods and hiking paths, the house has become Erichson’s creative and intellectual anchor. It’s where he wrote his seminal casebook, Civil Procedure, dockside on a laptop. But it’s also where he plays music, composes songs, and searches the skies as an avid birder.

The patience of birding—the slow, attentive listening for movement in the trees—mirrors the care he brings to teaching courses on Civil Procedure, Complex Litigation, Professional Responsibility, and Torts. “Being here is meditative,” says Erichson. “There’s this constant return to the present moment, this constant effort to just be in this moment right now. Music does that for me, birding does that for me, and teaching does that for me, too.”

Read Full Article

What Happens to Democracy When AI Makes the Decisions?

What Happens to Democracy When AI Makes the Decisions?
As government agencies embrace AI, what are the risks? Aniket Kesari and Chinmayi Sharma, two professors working at the intersection of law and technology, are examining the far-reaching implications of AI in the public sector—now and in the future.
By Josh Friedland | Photography by chris taggart
As government agencies embrace AI, what are the risks? Aniket Kesari and Chinmayi Sharma, two professors working at the intersection of law and technology, are examining the far-reaching implications of AI in the public sector—now and in the future.
By Josh Friedland | Photography by chris taggart
When we look back at AI’s adoption by government agencies, the hidden story will be in the fine print of procurement contracts.

Over the past year, Professor Aniket Kesari has been combing through thousands of government contracts to purchase AI tools and systems, examining how state and local governments are structuring protections that guard the public from data breaches, fraud, and abuse.

Sentence by sentence, word by word, Kesari identifies and segments contract language dealing with cybersecurity and data privacy and then feeds those terms into a system he coded to process the data, analyze it, and find patterns.

The work is painstaking, but Kesari says it is uncovering the nuts and bolts of how state and local governments are negotiating safeguards as they increasingly turn to automated decision-making tools.

Read Full Article

Fueling the Future Of Law

Fueling the Future Of Law
By Anna Currell
Photography by chris taggart
Some of Fordham Law’s most dedicated supporters never earned a degree here, but their belief in the School’s mission is driving its success.
Cole Mullins ’27 JD (left) is part of a community of law students benefiting from scholarships made possible by the philanthropy of Alice Lehman (right).
When Frank Murphy ’75 JD was nearing his final days in the wake of a sudden cancer diagnosis in 2013, his wife, Alice Lehman, asked him, “Is there anything you want me to do? Any charity to donate to?” Summoning his strength, Murphy sat up in bed and said, “Yes, I’d like you to establish a scholarship in my name at Fordham Law School.”

In the years since his death, Lehman has honored her late husband’s last wish by establishing a scholarship fund in his name. To date, this fund has enabled 10 Fordham Law School students—known as the Murphy Scholars—to pursue a legal education.

Murphy attended Fordham Law School with the financial assistance of his uncle, a Catholic priest. In the decade since Murphy’s death, Lehman has carried forward his legacy by ensuring a new generation of students have the same opportunity his uncle gave him: the chance to study what they are passionate about without financial stress.

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#FutureFordhamLawyers

#FutureFordhamLawyers
These law students are ready to create a real-world impact in ways that make the Law School community, New York City, and the world better.
Photography by Anna Currell
Christian Veliz wearing glasses and a denim jacket, standing in front of the Fordham University seal on a stone building.

Christian Veliz ’28 JD

Hometown Brooklyn, New York
College Georgetown University
Favorite Class Stein Summer Externship Seminar with Professor Gowri Krishna
Activities REAL Scholars Program, Stein Scholars Program, Fordham Law Review
“I’m interested in how the law can be used as a tool to hold institutions accountable and expand access
for underrepresented communities—particularly in areas like education, civil rights, immigration, and economic justice. Ultimately, I hope to practice at an organization where I can work on complex, high-impact matters at the intersection of law, policy, and structural reform.”
Read Full Article

Around the Law School

Around the Law School
Seven young adults sitting on a bench along a coastal cliffside, smiling for a photo with a scenic backdrop of tall green cliffs and the ocean under a cloudy sky.

SILVER ANNIVERSARY

Summer Ireland Program Celebrates 25 Years

When Dean Emeritus and Norris Professor of Law John Feerick ’58, ’61 LLB was invited by President Bill Clinton to Northern Ireland in 1995, he saw an opportunity for students to learn more about the peace efforts in the region. The Summer Ireland Program was established soon after, and 25 years later, the program has brought over 700 law students to Northern Ireland to learn about conflict resolution. “This has been one of the most rewarding and educational experiences I have ever had,” said Natalia Brown ’27 JD, who studied in Ireland in the summer of 2025. “Though the days are busy, there is not a moment that feels tiring or uninteresting.” The two-week program is a partnership between Fordham Law and the University College Dublin and Queen’s University in Belfast. Students take courses, engage with local government leaders, and explore the local culture while learning about Northern Ireland’s history.
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Class Notes

January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025

’60

Joseph Erdman was honored by the Florida Bar Association for 50 years of membership and practice.

’62

Robert Stephan Cohen, senior partner at Cohen Clair Lans Greifer & Simpson LLP, was named to Forbes’ America’s Top Lawyers list for 2025.

A. Michael Rubin was awarded the William M. Cox Award for excellence in the field of land use law by the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys.

’64

Hon. Edward R. Karazin Jr., a U.S. Army veteran and longtime state Superior Court judge in Connecticut, served as grand marshal of the 2025 Westport Memorial Day parade.

’96

Headshot of Hector Baldonado smiling in a black blazer business suit

Hector Baldonado was recognized in Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers list for 2025.

Cia Froelich Moss was named in Lawdragon’s annual 500 Leading Global Litigators list.

Rita Glavin was recognized in City & State New York’s Law Power 100 list.

Dr. David Goldberg joined the ABS-201 scientific advisory board at Absci, a clinical-stage biotechnology company. Dr. Goldberg is a clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and has performed pivotal research studies in dermatology and hair loss.

’11

Diana Dapaah received the Rising Star in Law Award from the Institute for African Women in Law.

Jason Friedman was named assistant director for litigation at the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Evan Hill was featured in Bloomberg Law’s They’ve Got Next: 40 Under 40 list for 2025.

Valerie Hooker was featured in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

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SNAPSHOT typography logo in black with two black corner border edges that surround the word
On April 15, 1934, Fordham Law alumna Fanny Holtzmann walks through Hyde Park while in London representing Princess Irina Alexandrovna Youssoupoff in a libel and invasion of privacy suit against Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer over its 1932 film Rasputin and the Empress, which portrayed a fictional princess implied to have been raped by Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin—a depiction Youssoupoff alleged was defamatory.
Black-and-white vintage photograph of Fordham Law alumna Fanny Holtzmann walking on a wide paved path in London's Hyde Park on April 15, 1934
Smith Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

A TRAILBLAZER IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW

Fanny Holtzmann 1922 LLB was a pioneer in entertainment law at a moment when the legal profession was just beginning to open its doors to women. Graduating from Fordham Law one year after its first three women graduates, she quickly established herself as an important player in Hollywood circles. Holtzmann’s clients included dancer Fred Astaire—whose first screen contract she negotiated—as well as Noël Coward, George Bernard Shaw, and the royal Romanov family. During World War II, she used her political connections in the U.S. Immigration Service to help Jews secure visas to escape Europe and the Holocaust. Her confidence was legendary: “I don’t follow precedent,” she once said. “I establish it.”
Angled close-up of a stone relief carving showing balanced scales of justice on a wall
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Smiling man in a maroon and black doctoral gown with a purple hood and gold-tasseled tam claps during a Fordham graduation ceremony.

Honoring Sam Khichi ’98 JD

Honoring
Sam Khichi
’98 JD
The Fordham Law Alumni Association presented Sam Khichi ’98 JD with the Medal of Achievement at the 77th Annual Fordham Law Luncheon. Khichi grew up in a village in India and rose to become executive vice president, chief policy officer, and general counsel of CVS Health. “I understand this medal is not about my achievement. It’s about gratitude and stewardship,” Khichi said. “Because long after our titles fade, long after our careers wind down … this institution, Fordham, will remain. This community will remain, advancing the rule of law, helping other stories to be written.”
Sam Khichi in a dark suit and blue tie stands at a lectern with a microphone, holding notes while speaking at a formal event in a dimly lit, stone-walled hall.
Fordham Lawyer Magazine - Spring 2026
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