Associate Director, Elder Law Clinic and Professor of Clinical
Legal Education
B.A., Columbia University; J.D., Fordham University.
Professor Gina Calabrese joined the St. John's faculty
in 2001. After graduation from law school,
Professor Calabrese was an associate with the Los Angeles
law firm of Adams, Duque & Hazeltine, where, in addition to
representing the firm’s corporate clients, she represented children
in a number of pro bono matters. She later headed the
Litigation Department of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer
Rights, a California consumer advocacy group. During her five years
at the Foundation (1994-1999), she won significant courtroom,
regulatory, and legislative victories for consumers in the area of
fair insurance rates and practices. She previously taught in
Hofstra Law School’s Housing Rights Clinic and in Brooklyn Law
School’s Elder Law Clinic.
Professor Calabrese is widely recognized for her professional
and scholarly achievements. Her co-authored article "Teaching
Professionalism in Context: Insights from Students, Clients,
Adversaries, and Judges," was published in the South Carolina
Law Review. She has been active in efforts to
protect consumers entangled in debt litigation, which has increased
substantially in New York City and throughout the country.
She was a leader in advocating for the passage of New York’s Exempt
Income Protection Act, which protects Social Security and other
judgment-exempt funds from garnishment. Her article
about the Act was orgininally published in the Empire
Justice Center’s electronic Legal Services Journal.
Professor Calabrese is also a frequent speaker on
consumer debt and clinical education issues and has testified at
local, state, and federal hearings on debt collection matters.