For almost 100 years, animated by the Vincentian question, What must be done?, St. John’s Law has opened its doors to a wonderfully diverse and inclusive student body.
Today, as one of the best law schools in New York City, with one of the highest graduate employment rates in the nation, we remain committed to being an engine of opportunity, particularly for the most traditionally underrepresented individuals and groups in the legal profession.
This page shares just some of the many ways St. John's Law fulfills and grows our deep and unwavering commitment to supporting our students and to fostering a learning environment in which they all can thrive.
Meet Vernadette Horne
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
"I decided to go to law school after discovering Thurgood Marshall in middle school, but not because he won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. And not because he was the first African American to be appointed U.S. Solicitor General, or because he was the first African American Supreme Court Justice. His work for the NAACP on Brown vs. Board of Education stayed with me because it didn’t just change things for his initial client, but helped to end racial segregation for so many others. Seeing the impact of that work inspired me to become a lawyer."
Vernadette Horne serves on the Law School’s leadership team as Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a native New Yorker, raised just around the corner from St. John's Law in Hollis, Queens, and a major New York City sports fan. Her career path has taken her from litigation practice and corporate consulting to law school administration, with a laser focus on creating a truly inclusive and representative legal profession.
This Q & A story introduces you to Dean Horne and her vital work at St. John's Law.
Student Organizations
The Law School’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is reflected in, and carried by, a range of student-run shared identity groups. Students also support diversity, equity, and inclusion at St. John’s Law as members of the Dean’s Advisory Council.
Learn more about our student organizations
Read more about LGBTQ+ at St. John's Law
Law School Faculty
St. John's Law is proud to have a faculty that reflects our diverse and inclusive Law School community. Several years ago, the Law School launched a bold strategic plan anchored by twin goals of academic excellence and student achievement. An important part of that plan is adding new talent to the faculty, which we have done with the hiring of over a dozen new full-time faculty members recently. A number of professors identify as members of underrepresented racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ+ groups, including Law School Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum and her colleagues:
- Renee Nicole Allen
- Adrián E. Alvarez
- Noa Ben-Asher
- Elaine M. Chiu
- Tyler Rose Clemons
- Louis Jim
- Kate Klonick
- Philip Lee
- Evelyn Malavé
- Mark C. Niles
- Abel Rodríguez
- Courtney Selby
- Cheryl L. Wade
All of our faculty members are dedicated educators whose doors are always open to our students. And they are notable legal scholars and clinicians who are deeply committed to exploring and addressing issues with real-world significance and impact, including today’s most pressing social justice, racial justice, civil rights, and human rights issues.
Events & Programs
Throughout the year, we host a wide array of events and programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the St. John's Law community and that further our commitment to being an anti-racist institution. Here's just a sampling of those offerings:
Alumni of Color Chapter
A pillar of the St. John’s Law Alumni Association, the Alumni of Color Chapter offers community and connection for alumni worldwide and helps to organize our annual Diversity & Inclusion Gala. This signature event brings our community together to celebrate and support diversity, equity, and inclusion at St. John's Law. The Alumni of Color Chapter also hosts monthly networking events for our students, providing professional development advice and networking opportunities.
Center for Race and Law
Under the leadership of Professor Renee Nicole Allen, the Law School's Center for Race and Law provides opportunities for students, academics, practitioners, and community members to examine race and engage in idea exchange about its intersection with the law through lectures, symposia, dialogue, and scholarship. It also promotes learning and broad engagement through social media and coordinates the Law School’s race and law resources and curriculum.
Anti-Racism Day
Anti-Racism Day is an annual program presented at St. John's Law and widely attended by our students, faculty, and administrators. Each year, program participants explore a different theme. Past themes include: Toward a More Just Future; Access, Challenges, and Solutions; Exploring the Roots of Racial Inequality; and Professional Development: Anti-Racism and Inclusion in the Practice of Law.
Diversity & Inclusion Gala
Our Diversity & Inclusion Gala brings the St. John’s Law community together to celebrate and support our deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion—a commitment rooted in St. John’s Vincentian mission. Now one of our most anticipated annual events, the D & I Gala includes a cocktail hour, sit down dinner, and dancing. As a highlight of the evening, we welcome prospective students, giving them a unique opportunity to experience the Law School’s open and welcoming culture and to meet some of our most dedicated alumni.
Career Development
Our Career Development Office (CDO) counselors are there from day one to help students identify and pursue right-fit opportunities. CDO hosts a variety of programs designed to increase employment opportunities for students from historically marginalized and underrepresented communities and backgrounds.
There are a number of diversity and inclusion internships and fellowships available to St. John’s Law students, including offerings from the:
- New York City Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Long Island Hispanic Bar Association
- Long Island Legal Diversity Fellowship Program
- LatinoJustice PRLDEF CLASP Program
And our students are often selected to participate in exclusive internships and externships in corporate, public interest, and governmental positions.
Our Stories
We’re proud to share stories reflecting the Law School’s longtime and deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. You’ll find them on our website, in our official social media feeds, in our annual print magazine, and in special projects and compilations.
Website
Social Media
Follow us on:
St. John’s Law Magazine
Read the latest issue and past issues of the magazine
Special Projects and Compilations
Diverse Voices @ St. John’s Law
Read the Diverse Voices compilation
The Anti-Racism Essay project
We produced the Anti-Racism Essay Project as a special digital edition of the magazine. Through a curated collection of 20 essays written by students, alumni, faculty, and staff in 2020, we aimed to present perspectives that, individually and collectively, moved our Law School, our community, and our profession forward in solidarity as we work to be actively anti-racist and to combat injustice in all its forms. This digital publication has a permanent home at stjohnslawseeinfra.com, our online hub for sharing news and stories from St. John's Law.
Anti-Racism Day Archive
2025
Our 2025 Anti-Racism Day opened with keynote remarks from Anu Gupta, who shared insights and practical tips from his book, Breaking Bias, about how to unravel stereotypes and prejudices in and beyond the legal profession. In smaller group sessions, participants heard from panelists on, and discussed, topics that included: Criminalizing Migration: Racialized Policies and New York’s Response in a Shifting Political Landscape; What Does an Anti-Racism Day Mean in the Nation’s New Political Climate?; and Executive DisOrder: The Impact of Changing Federal Policies on New York’s Immigrant Children and Families.
2024
For the 2024 Anti-Racism Day, the Law School community came together to discuss Access, Challenges, and Solutions. James Forman Jr., the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Law and Racial Justice Center at Yale Law School gave an inspiring keynote talk. Program participants then exchanged ideas during panel discussions led by Law School faculty members on a range of topics, including Let’s Stop Blaming the Victims: Homeownership, Racism, and the Racial Wealth Gap; The Campaign to Abolish Solitary Confinement and Access to Counsel in Jail and Prison Disciplinary Hearings; and Educational Access After SFFA v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.
2023
In 2023, the Anti-Racism Day theme was Exploring the Roots of Racial Inequality. Christina Swarns, Executive Director of the Innocence Project, delivered keynote remarks. Afterwards, concurrent panels addressed topics including: systemic racism in housing; controversies in race and education; race and refugee policies; bail reform rollbacks and racial justice; reconstruction and reparations; and the past, present, and future of employment discrimination law.
2022
The 2022 Anti-racism Day program focused on Professional Development: Anti-Racism and Inclusion in the Practice of Law. We welcomed keynote speaker Janai Nelson, the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a former St. John's Law faculty member. After her address, attendees participated in panel discussions that illuminated equity and inclusion issues within practice areas and the steps being taken to ameliorate those problems. The day also included a session on Bringing Your Whole Self to Work, which focused on navigating issues of race, gender, identity, and expression in the workplace.
DEI Resources
Deans & Administrators
Deans and administrators throughout the building are here to help you chart your path at St. John's Law and into the legal profession.
Partnering with the Law School leadership, the student-led Dean’s Advisory Council offers you and your peers a platform for sharing your experiences in, and beyond, the classroom and as members of the larger St. John's Law community.
The Student Services team provides resources, both academic and personal, including a licensed social worker who offers group programming and individual counseling services.
And the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is committed to cultivating a community that welcomes students from a wide range of backgrounds, beliefs, perspectives, and opinions.
Faculty
Many of our faculty members advise student organizations and provide guidance to students. You may also have the opportunity to work as a research assistant for a professor, or to co-author a paper with a faculty member whose academic pursuits and interests align with yours.
Upper-Level Students
Our 2L and 3L students are among your greatest allies. Whether they are assigned mentors or simply active members of the Law School community, they can offer you tips on classes, professors, and opportunities to build your knowledge and skills hands on in the field.
Student Organizations
The Law School has a wide range of student organizations, including groups focused on shared identity and groups organized around professional or special interests.
Alumni
The St. John's Law alumni community is central to your Law School experience, with 17,000+ alumni practicing in diverse settings right here in New York City, across the country, and around the world. Our Alumni Association's Alumni of Color Chapter is extremely active. Its Student Liaison helps to plan networking events and other programs that connect students with our alumni of color.
University Wellness Resources
Center for Counseling and Consultation
Other Wellness Resources
American Bar Association Mental Health Resources
American Bar Association Directory of Lawyer Assistance Programs
American Bar Association Podcasts on Law Student Wellness
National Taskforce on Lawyer Well-Being
New York City Bar Association Lawyer Assistance Program
Rittenberg Law Library Guides & Collections
Anti-Racism & Racial Justice Audiobook and E-book Collection
Racial Justice in the U.S.: Media & Other Resources
Bar Associations
Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association
Asian American Bar Association of New York
Association of Black Women Attorneys
Black Bar Association of Bronx County
Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association
Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York
Hispanic National Bar Association (New York, Region II)
Iranian American Bar Association (New York Chapter)
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County
LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York
Long Island Hispanic Bar Association
Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Muslim Bar Association of New York
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Black Prosecutors Association
National Native American Bar Association
New York Women's Bar Association
Nigerian Lawyers Association, Inc.
The Puerto Rican Bar Association
South Asian Bar Association of New York
Reporting Bias Incidents
We strive to create and maintain a safe and inclusive community in which every individual is welcomed, supported, and encouraged to succeed. But we recognize that sometimes incidents happen. Bias is defined as words or actions that are motivated by bias against a person or group’s race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. If you have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, and you would like to report a concern or speak to someone for support, please contact any of the following administrators:
Vernadette Horne
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Room 1-10A
(718) 990-6469 or [email protected]
Eric Shannon
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Room 456
(718) 990-6044 or [email protected]
Rachel Smith
Vice Dean for Student Success
4th Floor Dean's Suite
[email protected]
Melissa Kubit Angelides
Associate Director for Student Services
Room 1-18B
(718) 990-6044 or [email protected]
Kristina Ebanks
Associate Director for Student Services
Room 1-18C
(718) 990-3280 or [email protected]
If you prefer to make an anonymous report in non-emergency situations, you can use the University's online reporting form. Be sure to include enough information as possible so the University can respond.
Reporting Sex Discrimination
To report sex discrimination, which includes sexual harassment, sexual violence, and sexual misconduct, please contact the Law School's Title IX Officer:
Eric Shannon
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Room 456
(718) 990-6044 or [email protected]