By Suzi Morales
law briefs
Standing up at the Suffolk Law Reunion Celebration and Alumni Awards Ceremony in June, Josh Koskoff, JD ’94, invoked advice from his grandfather, Theodore I. Koskoff, HLLD ’80, who founded the family firm of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder PC.
“If you are a lawyer, you stand between the abuse of governmental power and the individual,” Koskoff recalled him saying. “If you are a lawyer, you stand between the abuse of corporate power and the individual. If you are a lawyer, you stand between the abuse of judicial power and the individual. And if you are a lawyer, you serve the rights of individuals for generations to come.”
Koskoff was at the event to receive the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award for his recent work representing nine families of Sandy Hook shooting victims in a suit against gun manufacturer Remington that resulted in a historic $73 million settlement. Koskoff’s firm also recently won a $1 billion verdict against Alex Jones for his lies relating to the massacre.
He was one of four outstanding alumni recognized at the event. Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade winner Danielle Johnson, JD ’16, deputy director of the Boston Office of Housing Stability, encouraged fellow alumni to “change the narrative” around bias in the legal profession. Outstanding Alumni Service Award winner Carol Starkey, JD ’88, partner at Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP, noted that “we all bear that responsibility to give our young lawyers opportunities to develop to their fullest potential.”
Christine Newman Garvey, JD ’72, winner of the Edward Bray Legacy Award for philanthropic commitment, joked that as chair of the University Advancement Committee, she needed to be ferocious from time to time to help the school reach a record for class-gift giving. Her intensity paid off. During the ceremony, Garvey and other members of the Class of 1972—celebrating their 50th reunion—presented $580,000 to the Law School, the largest reunion gift in the school’s history.
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Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
winter 2023
2022 Award Recipients
Above: Josh Koskoff, JD ’94; Below: Danielle Johnson, JD ’16
BLACK EXCELLENCE 2022 AWARD RECIPIENTS
BLACK EXCELLENCE ICON AND TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Ernst Guerrier, BS ’91, JD ’94
Owner and Attorney, Guerrier and Associates Law Firm
Suffolk University Trustee
OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD
The Honorable Serge Georges, Jr., JD ’96, HLLD ’21
Associate Justice
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
OUTSTANDING FACULTY/STAFF AWARD
Professor Lolita L. Darden, JD ’91
2022 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD Recipients, Law School
OUTSTANDING ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT
Josh Koskoff, JD ’94
Partner
Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder PC
OUTSTANDING ALUMNI SERVICE
Carol A. Starkey, JD ’88
Partner
Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP
OUTSTANDING GRADUATE OF THE LAST DECADE
Danielle Johnson, JD ’16
Deputy Director
Office of Housing Stability, City of Boston
EDWARD BRAY, JD ’58, LEGACY AWARD
Christine Newman Garvey, JD ’72
Former Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Real Estate, Bank of America
Suffolk University Trustee
ALL RISE 2022 AWARD RECIPIENTS
CATHERINE T. JUDGE TEACHING AND SERVICE AWARD
Renée M. Landers
Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Health and Biomedical Law Concentration and Master’s of Law: Life Sciences Program
Sharmila L. Murthy
Professor and Director of Faculty Scholarship and Research
MARIAN ARCHER “TRAILBLAZER” AWARD
The Honorable Elspeth B. Cypher,
JD ’86
Associate Justice
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court