In Memoriam
Richard Aaronson (1945–2026)
Richard Aaronson ’71 worked in a talent agency before law school. He negotiated recording contracts with Canadian artists at CBS Records and co-founded marketing company Rockbill Ltd., launching the iconic Solid Gold Collection of rock hits. He later became a mediator in Ontario and Chicago.
Carl Ajello (1932–2025)
Carl Ajello ’56 served as Connecticut’s attorney general from 1975 to 1983. A partner at law firm Ajello, Hoyle & Spolheimer, he was elected to Connecticut’s General Assembly in 1963, where he served as House Majority Leader.
Gary Beller (1938–2026)
Gary Beller ’63, LLM ’71 led the legal departments of American Express and MetLife, Inc., as general counsel and was senior legal counsel at Marsh & McLennan Companies. A longtime supporter of several NYU Law initiatives, he established the Beller Family Professor of Business Law.
Julius Berman (1935–2025)
Ordained as a rabbi, Julius Berman ’60 became a partner at Kaye Scholer and led many major Jewish organizations, among them the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs, the Orthodox Union, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Herbert Deutsch (1943–2026)
A partner at New York’s Deutsch, Metz & Deutsch, Herbert Deutsch LLM ’69 handled complex corporate litigation, including representing silver traders in suits against the Hunt brothers over their manipulation of silver markets in 1980.
William Donovan (1937–2025)
A veteran of the US Army, William Donovan ’62 was a partner at Carter Ledyard & Milburn in New York, specializing in trusts and estates and admiralty law. He was a dedicated supporter of the Root-Tilden-Kern Program at NYU Law.
Peter Fishbein (1934–2025)
Peter Fishbein was managing partner of Kaye Scholer and a prominent litigator who had clerked for US Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. He joined with other Brennan clerks to establish NYU Law’s Brennan Center for Justice.
Abraham Foxman (1940–2026)
A powerful voice against antisemitism, Abraham Foxman ’65 led the Anti-Defamation League for 28 years as national director, advocating for civil rights and against hate. A Holocaust survivor, he served on the council of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Harlan Funk (1932–2026)
Harlan Funk ’55 counseled companies and individuals on business, real estate, and securities matters and provided in-depth tax advice.
Joel Glanstein (1940–2026)
Joel Glanstein ’65, LLM ’69 advised local and national unions, including serving as general counsel to the American Maritime Officers for more than 50 years. With his son, David Glanstein LLM ’98, he was a partner at the law firm Glanstein LLP.
Joseph Haynes (1940–2026)
A Root-Tilden scholar, Joseph Haynes ’65 received the Benjamin F. Butler Prize for Excellence at NYU Law. After serving as a judge advocate general and captain in the US Air Force, he joined King & Spalding, where he became a partner, specializing in commercial litigation.
Joyce Leahy (1953–2025)
Early in her career, Joyce Leahy ’78 worked as a principal at law firm De Forest & Duer. She later became executive vice president for legal affairs and general counsel at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Peter Lowitt (1942–2025)
Peter Lowitt LLM ’87 added his LLM in tax from NYU Law to an MD and a JD from Yeshiva University. A primary care physician, he also maintained a litigation practice focused on medical malpractice, personal injury, and employment cases.
John Luhtala (1942–2026)
Root-Tilden Scholar John Luhtala ’68 worked in Paris and Silicon Valley during his law and business career. After earning his MBA from Stanford University, Luhtala held the role of chief financial officer at companies such as Centillium Communications and the Santa Cruz Operation.
William Maroney (1937–2026)
William Maroney ’62, LLM ’67 worked on international tax law matters at Coudert Brothers and ITT Corporation before starting his own practice in New York City. Through his work, he traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, becoming fluent in French and German.
Hanno Mott (1933–2026)
Focusing on art law, international taxation, and international private law, Hanno Mott LLM ’58, a name partner at Koenig, Ratner & Mott, represented artists, cultural institutions, collectors, and galleries. He chaired the Committee on Art Law of the New York City bar.
Paul Napoli (1968–2026)
A leading mass torts trial lawyer, Paul Napoli focused on complex environmental litigation during his 30 years of practice. With his wife, Marie Napoli LLM ’01, he established the Environmental & Climate Justice Initiative at NYU Law, launched in 2025.
Herbert Podell (1932–2026)
A Korean War veteran, Herbert Podell ’58 was a name partner of Podell, Schwartz, Schechter & Banfield, a firm specializing in property tax matters. The Real Estate Tax Review Bar Association honored Podell with a lifetime achievement award in 2019.
Robert Podvey (1940–2026)
Robert Podvey ’64, a Root-Tilden Scholar, co-founded Podvey, Meanor, Catenacci, Hildner, Cocoziello & Chattman and served as a longtime member of the executive committee of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
Robert Prenner (1941–2025)
Robert Prenner ’66 was an in-house attorney at Macy’s until he and his wife inherited her father’s apparel business. Beginning with a line of classic buttons, they launched what became the Ben Silver Collection, a retailer of tailored clothing in Charleston, South Carolina.
Fred Queller (1932–2025)
Personal injury litigator and victims’ rights advocate Fred Queller ’56 served as president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. In 1983, in a civil suit against New York City, he secured a landmark verdict for a child injured by her father after police refused to intervene in a domestic violence case.
Marilyn Richter (1948–2025)
Marilyn Richter ’78 served as deputy chief of the General Litigation Division of New York City’s Law Department. She mentored hundreds of young lawyers during her career, and advised the city’s Department of Education through the complexities of school shutdowns and reopenings in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joseph Riga (1964–2025)
Joseph Riga LLM ’97 practiced at McDowell Law and McCabe, Weisberg & Conway. With a practice focused on litigation, commercial and finance law, and bankruptcy, he published a number of articles and book chapters on bankruptcy law.
Nathan Rosen (1926–2025)
Nathan Rosen ’49 served as the president of New York-based Cosmopolitan Mutual Insurance Company. Admitted to the New York bar in 1950, he held an active bar license for more than 75 years.
Paul Scheib (1931–2026)
Paul Scheib ’58, a US Army veteran, was lead attorney for RKO Motion Pictures Company before starting his own law firm. A longtime member of the Masonic Kane Lodge No. 454 F. & A.M., he received the Dedicated Service Award in 2014.
Berle Schiller (1944–2025)
Berle Schiller ’68 served as a federal district judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after being nominated by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Earlier, he was a judge on the Pennsylvania Superior Court and chief counsel of the Federal Transit Administration, following many years in private practice.