St. John’s Law Celebrates Its Past, Present, and Future at The Centennial Gala

With its sweeping East River views, Casa Cipriani on Manhattan’s historic South Street provided a beautiful setting as St. John’s Law celebrated 100 years of excellence, prominence, and impact at The Centennial Gala.

Following a cocktail reception, Steven J. Gartner ’84, a Member of the St. John’s University Board of Trustees, welcomed the 600 alumni, benefactors, faculty, and students in attendance, recounting the suite of events leading up to this milestone moment in the Law School’s year-long 100th Anniversary Celebration. Fellow alumnus Thomas J. Principe ’69C, ’73L, former President of the St. John’s Law Alumni Association, then offered an invocation reflecting on the Law School’s founding mission and the vital work of the lawyers it educates in service to the greater good.

Continuing the program, Regina Yoo ’26, former Managing Editor of the St. John’s Law Review, introduced St. John’s University President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D., who remarked on the importance of lawyers to an ethical society and how St. John’s Law produces lawyers who serve humanity. With an introduction from Zayda Torres ’26, who served as a St. John’s Law Review Notes & Comments Editor, Benjamin N. Cardozo Professor of Law John Q. Barrett next recounted the Law School’s founding in 1925, the paths blazed by its earliest graduates, and their enduring legacy.

View The Centennial Gala Photo Gallery

“Today, 100 years down from 1925, those alumni, and their sons and daughters, their grandchildren, and more, are represented in this room,” he said, adding, “Our graduates cracked New York State courts and also United States courts. They built successful law practices and rose in smaller law firms. They became state and federal government lawyers, especially, at first, prosecutors. Other pioneers overcame prejudices and got through big law firm doors. By their successes, they pushed those doors open more widely.”

With that historical perspective, the attendees next heard from former St. John’s Law Review Editor-in-Chief Abigail Drummond ’25, who was introduced by Queenie A. Paniagua ’12, a Member of the St. John’s University Board of Governors. Drummond shared her journey from a law school applicant who didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life to a student who gained a passion for law and legal scholarship in and beyond the classroom at St. John’s Law.

“This school has given me my best friends, my greatest mentors, and a life and career that allows me to wake up with joy and gratitude each and every morning,” Drummond said in closing her remarks. Her message of gratitude resonated as attendees enjoyed dinner and watched a video tribute to the Law School introduced by its former Dean and current John V. Brennan Professor of Law & Ethics, Michael A. Simons.

As Professor Simons noted and the video depicted, while much has changed at St. John’s Law over a century, it remains an engine of opportunity thanks to an “unsurpassed alumni network.” Representing that worldwide alumni community at the Gala podium was James Herschlein ’85, who is concluding his service as President of the St. John’s Law Alumni Association. Thanking her for her vision, leadership, and unwavering support of students, he welcomed Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum as the evening’s final speaker.

With a nod to the NBA champion New York Knicks, Dean Jefferson Exum remarked, “For a century, St. John’s Law has reflected the very best of New York: a competitive spirit, relentless determination, and deep pride in our community.” Those qualities, she observed, have characterized generations of alumni who have helped build and sustain the Law School’s excellence, prominence, and impact. She then highlighted some of the many ways alumni have made—and continue to make—a difference for their alma mater and its students.

Dean Jefferson Exum noted that the Centennial Gala provided another significant opportunity for alumni and friends to make a difference, with more than $1 million in event proceeds to date earmarked for student scholarships and fellowships. She also highlighted the Law School’s participation in the University’s ongoing Hearts on Fire capital campaign, a historic effort that will help shape the next century of St. John’s University and St. John’s Law. As part of the campaign, she shared, the Law School has already raised $37 million toward its $55 million goal, with ongoing opportunities for alumni and friends to give and make a difference.

Thanking everyone who helped make the evening possible, Dean Jefferson Exum then invited attendees to raise a glass in a toast: “To our students—past, present, and future. May they pursue excellence in all they do, achieve prominence through their talents and character, and make an impact that strengthens their communities, their profession, and our world. May they carry forward the proud legacy of St. John's Law and help write the next great chapter of our story.”

This special evening would not have been possible without the leadership of Brian J. Woods, Associate Dean for Law School Advancement. Reflecting on the event, he said: “You could feel the joy and energy in the room. Our guests were so happy to see one another and share their pride in all that St. John’s Law has accomplished over a century. They cheered as cherished professors, friends, and classmates appeared on screen or were mentioned in speakers’ remarks. It was very meaningful be part of this community experience, and to witness such an exuberant welcome to the Law School’s second century of excellence, prominence, and impact.”