Three alumna real estate attorneys offered a penthouse view of their field: from high-end Las Vegas deals to navigating a male-dominated practice. Dean Melanie Leslie moderated the March 18 panel, which was co-sponsored by the Center for Real Estate Law & Policy and the Cardozo Real Estate Association.

Risa C. Letowsky '02, Partner at Duval & Stachenfeld LLP, developed her passion for real estate by watching her father work on construction sites. She said she turned down offers in other areas of law until she got her top choice of real estate.

“I knew where I wanted to end up,” she said.

Letowsky deals with many aspects of real estate law, representing both tenants and landlords. She has taken on a variety of clients, including Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas.

Letowsky said she has noticed some gender bias in Real Estate law. She said since the more senior positions in the field are male, they are often more comfortable taking the junior males to lunch and becoming their mentors or "sponsors."

“I really had to fight,” said Letowsky. “Back then it was very male dominated.”

Pam Swidler '07 also offered advice on how to navigate the field.

"To be a really good lawyer, you have to understand the business side," Swidler said. She encouraged students to mention specific deals in interviews.

Swidler is the Global Head of Real Estate Transactions & Special Counsel at WeWork, New York City’s largest private tenant.

Dean Leslie discussed the difference between in-house and firm with the panelists.

Swidler said that at a firm there’s a larger range of clients. “It’s really a matter of are you the client or are you servicing clients?” Her projects have included Columbia University and the MTA.

Dean Leslie agreed: “Starting out in government doesn’t preclude you from going to the private sector.”

Laura Mehl Sugarman '09, Partner at Holland & Knight, took the public to private path. Her previous projects include the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and co-op conversions.

Sugarman participated in the Bet Tzedek Clinic while she was at Cardozo and said many of her friends from the clinic became clients.

“I fell in love with this group of people and I fell in love with real estate,” she said. “If a person is in a position to help you, don’t be afraid to use it.”

Dean Melanie Leslie interviewed Randi Weingarten ’83, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in front of an audience of students, faculty and staff on March 20.

“Having a law degree is an opportunity that opens a bunch of doors,” said Weingarten.

Weingarten was elected to AFT in 2008. Under her leadership, the union grew to 1.7 million teachers, educational professionals and nurses. She has launched initiatives to reform struggling schools. She’s also tackled issues such as increasing teacher salaries, improving test scores and ensuring students have the chance to graduate “without having a debt sentence.”

Dean Leslie asked Weingarten how her time at Cardozo shaped her career.

“I really learned a lot here. I actually learned to work hard,” Weingarten said. She said it was the combination of classes and relying on classmates in teamwork that made Cardozo unique. “It takes a community.”

Before law school, Weingarten’s work ethic was shaped by her mother, who worked as a public school teacher in Nyack, New York. As a young girl, Weingarten watched her mother go on a 14-week strike. She said teachers lost two days of pay for every day on strike.

“People that we love… are going bye-bye because of budget cuts,” Weingarten said. “The only way you create power for regular folks… is through unionization.”

Dean Melanie Leslie interviewed Randall Rothschild ’97 on April 9 as part of the Pathways speaker series. Rothschild discussed how Cardozo prepared him for a career in the real estate industry. His roles have evolved from law to business and finance, and he offered tips for how to maintain a good work-life balance.

Dean Leslie started off the conversation by congratulating Rothschild on his 20^th wedding anniversary. He met his wife while they were both students working in Cardozo’s Bet Tzedek Clinic. Back then he thought he would be a litigator, but now he says, “real estate was made for me.”

Rothschild is a Managing Director and Global Head of Debt at Tishman Speyer, the real estate firm behind many prominent New York City projects including Yankee Stadium and the Spiral skyscraper in Hudson Yards. Rothschild oversees global debt financing, which he describes as interacting with lenders, working through timelines and understanding what will be built to find the best solution for the client.

Dean Leslie asked about Rothschild’s experience working at both large and small law firms.

“I was on the front lines,” Rothschild said of his work at smaller firms, which he said offered more responsibility and opportunities to learn. “I viewed every deal we worked on like a puzzle.”

Rothschild credits Cardozo for teaching him both hard and soft skills, such as working with different people and being part of a team. “I really enjoyed the people I worked with,” he said.

As an attorney and a father, Rothschild shared some of his struggles with work-life balance. He said he once pulled eight all-nighters in the span of a month. Because of Rothschild’s hectic work schedule, he carves out extra time for his family. He once even took his daughter to Times Square at 2 a.m. for an event.

His advice is not to worry about everyday problems.

“You can’t take it too seriously.”

 A star-studded line-up kicked off Cardozo’s 41th Commencement Exercises. Graduates received J.D. and LL.M. degrees at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall on May 28.

Ira Dizengoff ’92, Chair of Cardozo’s Board of Overseers, welcomed graduates and their families by reminding them that “we are what we repeatedly do.”

Dean Melanie Leslie ’91 echoed this message as she recounted a story from a recent alum who stood up against corruption. She urged graduates to do the right thing, even if they are the only ones. “You are ready to be ethical leaders,” Leslie said. “I am sure of it.”

Claire McCaskill, former senator from Missouri, gave the commencement address. “I hope you love the law as much as I do,” she said, as she urged students to find “a job that makes you jump out of bed in the morning.”

Another recognizable name took the stage as Sir Paul McCartney was awarded the International Advocate for Peace Award from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. “I’m especially proud to receive this award from Cardozo,” McCartney said, adding that all of his songs “come from the same place: a love for humanity.”

Graduates Rachel Zilberfarb and Ishara Quick, LL.M. and J.D. respectively, delivered the remarks for their classes. Quick mentioned her challenges as first in her family to attend law school and inspired the audience to follow their dreams. “The cautious don’t live at all,” she said.

Watch Senator Claire McCaskill's keynote address

Watch Sir Paul McCartney's speech

Award Recipients (Faculty and Administration)

Award for Extraordinary Leadership- Dean Monroe Price

Award for Distinguished Service- Professor Arthur Jacobson

Monrad Paulsen Award- Dean David Martinidez 

Award Recipients (Class of 2019)

Cardozo Service and Achievement Awards

Nicholas P. Anselmi

Rachel E. Behar

Michael Celler

Nicole Duke

Jared V. Grubow

Nicholas Gliagias

Medea Matiashvili

Maitreyee Mopalwar

Alexandra N. Nieto

Aashini Shrivastav

Julia Spivak

Benjamin H. Winters

Rachel Zilberfarb

Professor John Appel Award

Elana A. Bengualid

Eduardo J. Quiroga

Distinguished Performance in the LL.M. Program

Melody L. Andre

Chanel L. Briggins

Dmytro Petrov

Best Written Work Not for Publication in a Journal

Nicole Duke

Best Written Work for Civil Advocacy

Jessica M. Kulig

Best Written Work for Criminal Justice

Lauren A. Rose

Best Written Work for Publication

Alexandra N. Nieto

Jacob Burns Medals

Mehack Ali

Ahdieh Alipour Herisi

Sari Michelle Bronner

Geroline A. Castillo

Jordan N. Coyne

Gabriella Garner

Emily R. Lundgren

Natalia I. Mata

Alexandra S. Mitton

Jennifer R. Pierce

Ian J. Postman

Adam E. Rubin

Ava L. Schein

Nicole R. Schill

Eva M. Thomas

Kathleen L. Wahl

Angela M. Wanslow

Dih-Lin Wong

Mike Downing Memorial Coaching Award

Ethan Smith

Beatrice Cohen Award

Ruth V. Fruchter

James Lewis Award

Ezra Sakkal

Telford Taylor Award

Keegan J. Stephan

Intellectual Property Award

Chanel L. Briggins

Nathaniel Kosslyn

Federal Bar Council

Cornelius W. Wickersham Award

Alexander J. Schnapp

Jacob Burns Ethics Center in the Practice of Law Award

Agnes K. Baik

Stanley H. Beckerman Public Interest Award

Natalia I. Mata

Jonathan A. Weiss Award for Public Interest Law

Melissa Olivo

Archie A. Gorfinkel Award

Ricky A. Shah

Ilana B. Kornfeld

E. Nathaniel Gates Award

Lindsey E. Rubinstein

Steven Eric Tanenbaum Leadership Award

Abigail K. Pearlman

National Association of Women LawyersAward for Outstanding Graduate

Khadija Foda

Louis Henkin Award

Mordechay Sorek

ALI-ABA Scholarship and Leadership Award

Briana P. Sheridan

Andrew S. Zucker Award
Jaynah Josselyn Ross-Mendoza

Dr. Samuel Belkin Award

Deluwara Ahmed

Felix Frankfurter Award

Shelley Attadgie

Cardozo’s 3L Class Gift is an annual tradition at the Law School. Led by a student committee, these individuals dedicate their efforts to enhancing engagement and fundraising efforts among classmates, friends and family in our community.

30 percent of the 2019 class (99 students) donated to the gift, in addition to a handful of parents, alumni, and friends of this year’s graduates. As a result, the 2019 Class Gift raised more than $40,000. This was a record-setting year and a tremendous display of both financial support and appreciation to the Cardozo community!

Thank you to all the members of the 2019 Class Gift committee including Shelley Attadgie, Lieselle Bumatay, Jared Grubow, Eduardo Quiroga, Adam Rubin, Dih-Lin Wong, Rachel Zilberfarb and this year’s co-chairs Alexandra Nieto and Raquel Wildes Genet. Alexandra (left) and Raquel (right) presented Dean Melanie Leslie with a mock check representing fundraising efforts as of May 28, during the awards ceremony preceding Commencement.

Integrity, generosity, grit and joy were the guiding themes of Dean Melanie Leslie’s welcome to the Class of 2022 for their first day of orientation.

Dean of Admissions David Martinidez kicked off the day in the newly renovated Jacob Burns Moot Court Room, highlighting the accomplishments and diversity of the 313 students in the incoming Fall and May-entering J.D. class.

“I want you to remember that each of you, in your own way, has already achieved much success in your life,” Martinidez noted. “We are confident with a lot of hard work and dedication you can thrive at Cardozo.”

The class of 2022 has the highest academic credentials since the class of 2011, making it one of the strongest classes in Cardozo's history. The incoming class has a median LSAT of 162 (which is the 85th percentile and is a one-point increase over last year) and a median GPA of 3.6 (an increase of .08 over last year).

The incoming students hail from 31 states and 17 countries, including China, South Africa and Argentina. Their educational background varies as well, from a Ph.D. in Linguistics to a Master’s in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. Their hobbies and interests range from Taekwondo to table tennis. Dean Martinidez asked the audience who had traveled to the most countries… the number to beat was 27. He also asked for a round of applause for the two members of the class who served in the military.

Dean Martinidez stressed that regardless of the students’ unique paths in getting to Cardozo, they were chosen because of his confidence in their abilities to become the kind of lawyers who are leaders in the field they choose to pursue.

Dean Melanie Leslie ’91 took the podium next. As an alumna herself, she shared her experience of sitting in the same place as the incoming class. She marked the excitement of the day but reminded students of the responsibility that came with being a law student and joining the legal field.

“Today is your first step toward being lawyers,” Dean Leslie said. “…toward being people who help other people. People who lead. People to whom other people look when there’s a crisis, when they need confidence, when they need advice, when they need support. When they need representation, they’re going to look to you.”

“What kind of lawyer are you going to be?” she asked the audience. “What kind of person are you going to be? ...Your professional reputation starts now.”

Dean Leslie urged students to forget about the negative stereotypes they’ve heard about cut-throat competition in law school and instead take advantage of the close-knit Cardozo community.

“You may be sitting next to a person who becomes your best friend. You may be sitting next to a person that you don’t see for 20 years and then all of the sudden you run into each other at a networking event and they refer you clients,” she said.

“We are in this together. You are going to be Cardozo graduates and this is going to be part of your network. And you gotta cheer each other on! One person’s success is everybody’s success,” she said. “You all get better when you help one another out.”

The celebration continued at the students’ luncheon, where another prominent Cardozo alumna offered her wisdom. New York State Senator Anna M. Kaplan ’90 recounted her Cardozo law school journey as an Iranian Jewish immigrant. Kaplan also graduated from Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women. She is the first Iranian-American and the first political refugee elected to the New York State Senate.

“I stand on the shoulders of a lot of women… who paved the way for me to run,” Sen. Kaplan said. “As different as we think we may be, we have more similarities.”

After lunch, both J.D. and LL.M. students, many of whom had their orientation on August 13, headed to Chelsea Piers for Cardozo’s boat cruise down the Hudson River. For many, it was the first time seeing the sights of New York City up close, as they shared in the excitement of a new beginning. Next week they start on their legal journey with their first classes in Elements of Law. Good luck!

Billboard named Cardozo School of Law one of the top law schools in the country for training lawyers in the music industry. Cardozo is ranked among law schools around the nation, including Harvard and University of California, Berkley.

Billboard also recognized six Cardozo alumni on their top music lawyers list:

Julie Swidler '82

Michael Seltzer '92

Michael Reinert '82

Monika Tashman '00

Jason Boyarski '00

Kenneth Weinrib '83

“Cardozo recognized the value of an entertainment law program early on.” - Michael Reinert '82, Partner, Fox Rothschild, stated in the article.

Read the full article here.