NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW MAGAZINE

Left to right: Senator William “Mo” Cowan ’98 throws the first pitch; Geoffrey Spofford ’89, Tiffany Williams Brewer ’99 and Senator William “Mo” Cowan ’98

Another Grand Slam!

At the Woo Sox game on June 19, more than 70 graduates and friends gathered on FlexCon Landing. Tiffany Williams Brewer ’99, sang the national anthem as well as “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in honor of Juneteeth, and Senator William “Mo” Cowan ’98 threw the first pitch. Former professional mascot and current attorney Geoffrey Spofford ’89 led the Northeastern cheers. The event was hosted by the Alumni/ae Association and the Office of Alumni/ae Relations.

Jeff Feldman was recently named Philip A. Trautman Professor of the Year by the University of Washington School of Law for the fourth time. Inspired by his mentor, Professor Steve Subrin, Jeff teaches constitutional law, civil procedure and trial practice. He also codirects the school’s Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic in addition to his trial and appellate practice with Summit Law Group in Seattle.

After 47 years of winning and negotiating on behalf of his clients, Brian Bixby, a partner with Burns & Levinson in Boston, has transitioned to chair emeritus of the firm’s private client and fiduciary litigation groups.

In February, Peter Alexander, visiting professor at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Law, served as the keynote speaker at the kickoff event for SIU’s Black History Month programming. In keeping with the theme of “Ancestral Healing,” Peter shared how his connection to his elders and ancestors has supported him on his path. He has enjoyed a long career in legal education that began in 1992 at the Dickinson School of Law (now Penn State Dickinson Law). He went on to serve as the dean of SIU’s School of Law and as the founding dean of the law school at the Indiana Institute of Technology.

Beth Herr has joined OneLaw in Newton as of counsel. Beth specializes in family law and represents clients in guardianships, adoptions, child welfare cases and uncontested domestic relations matters. As a visiting professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Beth shares her knowledge and experience with the next generation of lawyers. She is also co-founder of Daybreak, Inc., a shelter for battered women and their children in Worcester.

Lester Blumberg has retired after 32 years with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, the last 18 of which he served as general counsel. He is looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren, riding his bike (after rush hour!) and anticipating what new opportunities and adventures are around the next corner.

Claude d’Estrée, a professor of international law and human rights and the Buddhist chaplain at the University of Denver (DU), has been appointed to the advisory board of the International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom. A DU faculty member since 2002, Claude is a former special rapporteur to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN. GIFT) and advisor to Education for Justice (E4J), an initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, where he was given the E4J Champion’s Award in 2020.

Catherine Casavant has been elevated to partner at the office of Kaufman Dolowich in Hackensack, New Jersey, where she focuses her practice on insurance coverage and related matters.

Margie Boone has been appointed assistant dean for the Office of Career Services at Harvard Law School, which she joined in 2000 as an assistant director. Previously, she served as a career guidance manager at Ropes & Gray in Boston and also served in the Office of the General Counsel at Boston University and with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

John Christopher has joined the Plantation, Florida, office of Leech Tishman as a partner in the firm’s intellectual property practice group. He was previously a partner at Christopher & Weisberg, a boutique intellectual property firm headquartered in Plantation.

Barbara Prine, a staff attorney at Vermont Legal Aid since 1993, has been appointed to the Vermont Judicial Nomination Advisory Board. The panel consists of seven members chosen by Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Peter Welch and the Vermont Bar Association to help the senators review applications submitted for filling Vermont’s upcoming judicial vacancy.

Peter Covo has joined Boston-based Conn Kavanaugh as a partner in the firm’s real estate practice. He previously served as partner and chair of the real estate practice group at Wilchins Cosentino & Novins in Boston.

Paul D’Amore, founding member of D’Amore Personal Injury Law, was named one of the 2024 Best Truck Accident Lawyers in Baltimore, Maryland, by Forbes Advisor. Paul has obtained tens of millions of dollars in compensation for his injured clients and their families.

Mary Beth DeLena has joined PepGen, a Boston-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, as general counsel and secretary. She previously spent 15 years at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as senior vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary.

Thomas Dunn, a trademark and contracts attorney, has joined the Boston office of McGlinchey Stafford. Prior to joining McGlinchey, he practiced at several leading law firms in Boston, most recently Verrill Dana.

David Magee has joined Greenberg Traurig in the firm’s intellectual property and technology practice as a shareholder in the Boston office. David was previously a partner at Armstrong Teasdale in Boston.

Emily McFarling, managing partner at McFarling Law Group, was named one of the 2024 Best Divorce Lawyers Las Vegas by Forbes Advisor. Emily began her legal career by opening a solo family law practice in Las Vegas in 2003 and has grown her practice over the years. She specializes in complex property division and financial issues, international child custody issues, parental kidnapping and high-conflict child custody cases.

In 2022, Ada Medina was appointed as a city court judge in Yonkers, New York, then elected to a 10-year term on the bench that began on January 1, 2023. Prior to becoming a judge, Ada served as a criminal defense attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Westchester, New York, for almost two decades.

James Cappoli is now general counsel at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). He joined the PCAOB in 2022 as deputy general counsel and was subsequently appointed acting general counsel. James previously served as assistant general counsel at the US Securities and Exchange Commission and is currently an adjunct professor for advanced securities regulation at Howard University School of Law.

Lee Giguere has joined enGene, a clinical-stage genetic medicines company, as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Lee previously served as chief legal officer and secretary of Obsidian Therapeutics; prior to that, he was general counsel and secretary at Chiasma.

Wynter Deagle, a partner at Sheppard Mullin in San Diego, has been appointed to Law360’s editorial advisory board for privacy and cybersecurity.

Kate Heller, a director at Goulston & Storrs in Boston, was named to the Lawdragon Green 500: 2024 Leaders in Environmental Law list.

Ambika Panday, a supervising attorney in the family defense practice at Brooklyn Defender Services, taught a family defense clinic seminar at Brooklyn Law School this spring as an adjunct professor.

Jessica Gorbet is now vice president of legal at Wellness Pet, where she works closely with leaders across the global organization, as well as external counsel, to drive the execution of the pet nutrition company’s ongoing strategy. She previously served as vice president, assistant general counsel, procurement and global products, at Keurig Dr Pepper. Before joining that company in 2014, Jessica was a senior associate at WilmerHale.

Jessica Jones, founding partner at the Law Office of Jessica Eve Jones, was named to the 2024 Best DUI Lawyers Denver list by Forbes Advisor. Jessica has tried more than 70 jury trials. She serves on the boards of the Denver Municipal Public Defender Commission, the Colorado Criminal Defense Institute and the Colorado chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. She is also a member of the Sentencing Reform Task Force. Prior to setting up her own practice, Jessica was a civil rights attorney at Killmer Lane (then Killmer, Lane & Newman). She also served as a public defender for five years after graduating law school.

Rashida Richardson, senior counsel for privacy and data protection, artificial intelligence, at Mastercard, has been appointed to a new advisory council created by the Center for Civil and Rights Technology, an advocacy hub of the Leadership Conference Education Fund and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She previously served as an attorney advisor to the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, as a senior policy advisor for data and democracy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Biden administration and as a member of the Northeastern Law faculty.

Shatilla Cairns has joined Cranfill Sumner’s Raleigh, North Carolina, office as of counsel. She focuses her practice on business law and civil and appellate litigation. She previously served as counsel at Horton Legal Strategies.

Michael Stefanilo is now of counsel in the Boston office of Littler, where he handles employment law matters on behalf of both private and public employers in the litigation and counseling spheres. Michael was previously an equity partner at Brody Hardoon Perkins & Kesten.

Barry Bisson was named one of the 2024 Best DUI Lawyers Boston by Forbes Advisor. As founding attorney at Bisson Law, Barry represents individuals and businesses in criminal defense and breach of contract cases. He also served as board president of the Northeastern Law Alumni/ae Association for 2023–2024.

Imaginostics, a health tech startup cofounded by Valerie Gharagouzloo LLM ’14 and her husband, Codi Amir Gharagouzloo COE ’16, was named a finalist in the ninth Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge, a deep tech startup competition. Located in Orlando, Florida, Imaginostics was one of only seven finalists selected from 4,500 applicants in the Digital Health and Medical Devices track.

Amanda Ghannam is a founding partner at Schulz Ghannam in Detroit, where she specializes in civil rights and employment law with a particular emphasis on harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Rev. Willie Bodrick II, senior pastor of the historic Twelfth Baptist Church and president and CEO of The American City Coalition, has joined the board of trustees of Boston Medical Center. In April, he was inducted into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers.