Class Notes Fall 2023 | School of Law (2024)

Paul R. Rosen (LLB’65), chairman of the Philadelphia-based law firm Spector Gadon Rosen Vinci PC, was selected as a 2023 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer. This marks yet another consecutive year in which Mr. Rosen has received this honor.

Michael D. Cutler (JD’73) was honored with the Al Horn Award by the legal committee of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for a career of advancing the cause of justice and supporting prohibition repeal locally and nationally.

Stephen M. Politi (JD’73, LLM’74) retired after 45 years as adjunct professor of state and local taxation at Bentley University. He continues to represent individuals, estates, and businesses, including multistate and multinational corporations, with respect to all aspects of federal, state, and local taxation at the Politi Law Group.

Harvey Kaplan (JD’74) is helping with a petition to rehear en banc in Prado v. Garland, an immigration case before the First Circuit Court of Appeals. He is working with New England School of Law Faculty Fellow Jason Giannetti.

Judith Nelson Dilday (JD’74) has been married to fellow BU Law-graduate James S. Dilday (JD’72) for 50 years. She is currently employed as a freelance actor.

Marc Morgenstern (JD’75) published The Soul of the Deal: Creative Frameworks for Buying, Selling, and Investing in any Business (Rodin Books 2022). Thesis? He learned how to close hundreds of deals by selling encyclopedias door-to-door and following the Grateful Dead. He also serves as the mentor-at-large for the House Fund, UC Berkeley’s $150 million venture fund.

Sean Coffey (JD’76), a partner at Burns & Levinson, was named among the 2023 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law.

Eric P. Rothenberg (JD’76) was recognized by 2023 Massachusetts Super Lawyers. He has been selected every single year since the award’s creation. Only 264 of the 42,635 attorneys registered with the Massachusetts State Bar have been selected to Super Lawyers for all 20 years. Less than 1 percent of all the attorneys in Massachusetts have accomplished this feat.

Nancy S. Shilepsky (JD’78) was appointed employee chair of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section’s Outreach to International Lawyers Committee.

Richard Godfrey (JD’79) joined Quinn Emanuel to lead its Complex Multidistrict Litigation Practice.

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Neal Wolkoff (JD’80) joined the board of directors of Abaxx Clearing.

James Holton (JD’81, LLM’82) has been appointed to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Frances Bermanzohn (JD’82) joined the Hertz Global Holdings board of directors.

Arthur Hoffman (JD’83) joined Rimon PC as a partner.

Hon. Lisa A. Sokoloff (JD’83) was elected in 2022 to the New York County Supreme Court, where she sits in a Guardianship Part.

Arza Feldman (JD’85) has been recognized as a 2023 New York Super Lawyer. She has won hundreds of trials and appeals.

David Zaslav (JD’85) delivered Boston University’s 150th Commencement speech.

Hon. Peter McShane (JD’87) celebrated the five-year anniversary of his appointment to the Connecticut Superior Court.

Louis DiFronzo (JD’88) was elected to the board of directors of Northeast Arc.

Louis Hockman (JD’88) has been appointed cochair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Montgomery Bar Association. The association will launch a mediation program for civil disputes this spring.

Thomas J. Rechen (JD’88) received the William R. Davis President’s Award from the Hartford County Bar Association. The President’s Award is given out to a member who has been engaged in the practice of law for more than 10 years, who exemplifies the highest traditions of the legal profession and excellence and civility in their practice, and has performed significant services to the community.

Cheryl Schreiber Lewison (JD’88) left Hughes Hubbard & Reed in 1997 to take post-baccalaureate pre-medical classes. She graduated from Weill Cornell Medical College in 2002, completed a residency in emergency medicine in 2006, and now serves as associate director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens.

David Botter (JD’89) joined Cleary Gottlieb as partner.

Hon. Patrick Hare (JD’89) was elected to the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Gregory S. Marcus (JD’89) was named chairman of the board of directors of the Marcus Corporation.

Kristen Thorsness (JD’89) joined Bond, Schoeneck & King’s higher education practice.

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Hon. Carol Novey Catuogno (JD’91), of the New Jersey Superior Court, was named an assignment judge for Bergen County, New Jersey.

Manal Corwin (JD’91) is serving as the next director of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

James McKnight (JD’91) started a new position as assistant corporation counsel for the City of Chicago, assigned to the Torts Division.

Sonia A. Velez (JD’91) was named the 2023 Ambassador for Health for the Yonkers Puerto Rican/Hispanic Parade.

Laura Poolin (JD’92) moved to Stamford, Connecticut and started divorce mediation practice alongside a college essay coaching business.

Richard Rosenzweig (JD’92) was named senior vice president, corporate development, general counsel, and secretary at Dentsply Sirona.

Gabrielle Clemens (LLM’93) published Marriage is About Love Divorce Is About Money, the first in the Business of Divorce series from Plumage Press.

Theo Sedlmayr (JD’93) was included in the Hollywood Reporter’s list of Top Music Attorneys of 2023.

Jane Steinmetz (JD’93, LLM’01) received a “Leading Women” award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts.

Brian Stolar (JD’93) joined Harris Beach as senior counsel.

Kimberly Borden (JD’94) was recognized among the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Philadelphia by Forbes Advisor.

David Nersessian (JD’95) was promoted to full professor of law and ethics at Babson College.

John H. Sutter (JD’95) was elected a partner at Pugsley Wood LLP.

Elizabeth Frohlich (JD’96) joined Locke Lord’s Litigation Group as a partner.

Jesse Lynn (JD’96), general counsel of Icahn Enterprises, was appointed to the board of directors of Crown Holdings.

Judy (Mlinar) Seeberger (JD’96) has been elected to the Minnesota State Senate. She has been appointed vice chair of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee and will serve on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee.

David G. Martin (LLM’97) was named to the Business North Carolina Magazine 2023 Legal Elite List.

Namita Tripathi Shah (JD’96) was elected to serve on Day Pitney’s executive board.

Stacey Freeman (JD’97) published I Bought My Husband’s Mistress Lingerie (Unsolicited Press 2022), a memoir in essays.

Angela Curry (JD’98) was appointed to the corporate board of directors of German American Bank.

Ilan Heimanson (JD’98) was recognized among the Best Truck Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles by Forbes Advisor.

Gregory Iskander (JD’98) was elected to Littler’s 2023 board of directors.

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Amanda Masselam Strachan (JD’98), assistant US attorney, has been selected by the National Association of Former United States Attorneys as the recipient of its 2023 J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Assistant United States Attorney.

Mark E. Schamel (JD’98) joined Venable LLP as a partner in the Washington, DC, office.

Ranan Well (JD’98) joined Goodwin Procter as a partner.

Craig Circosta (JD’99) was named among the 25 Notable Attorneys of Pennsylvania for 2023 by Attorney Intel.

Lisa Kresge (JD’99) was named equity partner at Brennan, Recupero, Cascione, Scungio and McAllister. She has been with the firm for more than 11 years, and formerly served as of counsel.

Terri A. Pawelski (JD’99) joined Saxton & Stump as an equity shareholder and became part of the Investigations and Criminal Defense Group in the Philadelphia office.

Thiadora Pina (JD’99) joined Santa Clara University School of law as senior diversity officer.

James Kerouac (JD’01), a shareholder with Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, joined the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund board of directors.

Andrew Ross (LLM’01) joined Cona Elder Law as counsel.

Allison (Goldstein) Silverstein (JD’01) was elected by her fellow board members to serve as president of the Montclair Board Education for 2023. She is also beginning her 15th year working as a house counsel attorney for Progressive Insurance Companies.

Darcy White (JD’01) was named to Attorney Intel’s 25 Notable Attorneys of Georgia for 2023.

Sara A. Wells (JD’02, LLM’05) was selected by the Boston Estate Planning Council to receive its highest honor, the BEPC Excellence Award. This award recognizes professional excellence in the area of estate planning and significant contributions to the community. Sara is active in pro bono matters, including creating trusts for abused children and a death row exoneree.

Dan Niedzwiecki (JD’02) was promoted to chief administrative officer of Lantheus Holdings.

Spencer Cordell (JD’04) has been elected president of the Lee County Bar Association in Fort Myers, Florida for 2023. He practices criminal defense in southwest Florida at the Law Office of Spencer Cordell. In addition to his local activities, he is on the statewide board of directors for the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Zoe Davidson (JD’04) was named executive vice president and general counsel of OHLA USA, a global construction company.

Merri Moken (JD’04) has joined Brown Rudnick’s New York office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Moken advises clients on patent matters, including infringement, invalidity, and unenforceability, as well as contract-related matters. She has practiced before state, federal district, and appellate courts, and the International Trade Commission.

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Jeff Schenk (JD’04), former assistant US attorney and chief of the San Jose Branch of the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, joined Jones Day as a partner in the Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice.

Krietta Bowens Jones (JD’05) has been named among the 2023 “In House Leaders in the Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.

Kelly Aylward (LLM’06) has joined the Boston office of Goulston & Storrs as a director in the firm’s Private Client & Trust Group.

Jon Barooshian (LLM’06) was named a partner at Saul Ewing LLP.

Peter Hale (JD’08) has joined the Portland, Maine, office of Pierce Atwood as an employment law partner.

James M. Smedley (JD’08) joined McCarter & English as a partner.

Laura Lariu (JD’09) joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe as a partner.

Daniel H. Park (JD’10) has been promoted to shareholder at Berman Fink Van Horn.

Alex P. Garens (JD’12) was named head of Day Pitney’s Trademark, Copyright, and Advertising Group.

Claire Rosa (JD’10) was named among the 2022 Top 25 Attorneys from Massachusetts by Attorney Intel.

Samantha Rothaus (JD’10) was elevated to partner in the Advertising and Marketing Law Practice at Davis+Gilbert LLP. She was named to the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” list in the category of intellectual property law from 2021 to 2023 and was named a New York Metro Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in Media and Advertising from 2016 to 2022.

Kevin Myhre (JD’11) joined Barley Snyder as a partner.

Eric Thompson (JD’11) published Ulysses Translated for the Armchair Reader, which contains more than 500 translations to aid readers of James Joyce’s notoriously difficult novel.

William Becker (JD’12) has been named counsel at Arnold & Porter.

Alex P. Garens (JD’12) was named head of Day Pitney LLP’s Trademark, Copyright and Advertising practice group.

David Linhart (JD’12)​​ was promoted to director at Goulston & Storrs and named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity fellow for 2023.

Casey Milianta (JD’12) has been promoted to director at Goulston & Storrs.

Adam C. Ponte (JD’12) wasnamed chair of the Civil Litigation Department and member of the Management Committee at Fletcher Tilton PC.

Stephanie Mills-Gallan (JD’13), an attorney in the Milwaukee office of Littler, has been elevated to shareholder.

Maria (Angie) Dorney (LLM’13) celebrated one year as an associate attorney with Centurion Legal Group, owned by a fellow BU LLM student. She represents immigrants in removal and nonremoval proceedings.

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Bhaavya Roy (LLM’13) has been named among the “Top 50 Remarkable Women in India,” by Diva Planet magazine for her work as a criminal attorney. Roy was also imprisoned last year for protesting sexual harassment.

Brett Waldron (JD’13) was elected partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads.

Orla Thompson (JD’14), a litigation attorney in the Perkins Coie New York office, was promoted to counsel. She handles product liability, mass torts, and commercial dispute claims.

Brian Goodrich (JD’14) was promoted to partner at Holland & Knight LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Consumer Protection team, and regularly advocates for and defends clients under investigation by federal and state regulators. Goodrich lives with his husband, Andrew, in Dallas, Texas.

Jessica Caamano (JD’16), a real estate lawyer at Goulston & Storrs in Boston, has been selected for the Women’s Bar Association’s (WBA) 2023 Women’s Leadership Initiative, which recognizes and supports women who are rising stars in the legal profession. Caamano was among 21 “talented lawyers” chosen for the WBA’s prestigious year-long leadership training program. She has been an active member of the WBA for over five years, and currently serves on its board of directors.

Kaileigh Callender (JD’16) has been selected for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2023 Pathfinder program, which trains high-performing, early-career attorneys on foundational leadership and relationship-building skills. She is an associate in the Litigation Group at Goulston & Storrs, where she focuses her practice on employment litigation and business and commercial disputes. She serves on the board of directors of Boston Youth Sanctuary.

Andrew Merline (LLM’16) was named a shareholder at Merline & Meacham.

Joel Antwi (JD’17, LLM’17) has been selected for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2023 Pathfinder program, which trains high-performing, early-career attorneys on foundational leadership and relationship-building skills. Antwi is an associate in the Litigation Group at Goulston & Storrs, where he focuses his practice on disputes involving intellectual property, employment, real estate, and professional liability. He represents individuals, owners, trustees, and other fiduciaries, as well as a broad range of corporate entities.

Aaron Wiener (JD’18) started a new job as a deputy city attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office.

Aly Francini (JD’18) joined Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. as M&A and transactions counsel.

Menglong Zhu (LLM’19) joined Jun Wang & Associates in New York as an associate.

Lina Fernandez (LLM’19) joined the Boston office of Ogletree Deakins as an associate. Fernandez is an experienced transactional and litigation attorney, licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and Colombia. She is a member of the firm’s Cross-Border Practice Group.

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Elisabeth Finn (JD’20) joined Fletcher Tilton PC as a litigation associate based in the firm’s Boston and Worcester offices. Her practice focuses on complex civil litigation, representing both business and individuals in a variety of legal matters including shareholder disputes, construction disputes, personal injury, premises liability, employment litigation, and general business litigation.

Madison Keller (JD’20) joined Fisher Phillips in Boston.

Rebecca Krehbiel (LLM’21) was promoted to member at Jackson Kelly PLLC.

Christina Fuleihan (JD’22) won the Food & Drug Law Institute’s annual H. Thomas Austern Writing Competition.