Law Library
Alumni and Friends
Over the years, the College of Law has graduated many influential and successful lawyers, business professionals, and financial leaders. We are proud to count among our alumni members of the U.S. Senate and Congress, state senators and assembly members, state attorneys general, and federal and state judges. In addition, many of our alumni have moved into leadership positions in some of the world's largest law firms and into the fields of finance, real estate development, and international business affairs.
Featured Alumni
Matthew Policastro
Lionel Sawyer & Collins
Las Vegas, NV
Matthew Policastro, L'02, is a shareholder at Lionel Sawyer & Collins, in Las Vegas, where his practice is focused on estate planning, probate, and taxation. He previously worked for Deloitte’s Tax Controversy Group.
At the College of Law, Matthew participated in the Community Development Law Clinic, the Syracuse University Law and Technology Journal, and the Albert R. Mugel Tax Moot Court Competition. He was also a member of the Order of the Coif. Professor Robert Nassau was his favorite instructor and his favorite classes were Estate and Gift Tax and Federal Income Tax II. His favorite memory at SU was the men’s basketball team beating UCONN to start the season 16-0.
Matthew resides in Las Vegas with his wife, Holly, and their son, Ethan.
The Last of the Water Buffalo
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Watch Professor Emeritus Travis H.D. Lewin present his last Water Buffalo Award and reminisce about his career at Syracuse University College of Law |
After 45 Years, Professor Emeritus Travis H.D. Lewin Retires from TeachingAfter a highly respected, 45-year career at the College of Law guiding generations of young law students in trial practice, Professor Emeritus Travis H.D. Lewin wrapped up teaching his final classes this month. Lewin semi-retired in 2005 but continued to teach a course each fall and assisted with trial advocacy competitions into the spring. It was the students that kept him in front of a classroom. “I’ve enjoyed watching what the students can do,” Lewin says. Lewin wanted to help them learn the best of what a trial lawyer can do for their client in the courtroom. “If you like watching a trial and you like a lawyer, that makes it easy for you to accept what the lawyer is saying. If you don’t like the lawyer, then we have a problem,” Lewin says. “Students have to be talented in the theater—the way they speak and their conversational abilities. They will run into unanticipated problems and they have to be able to deal with them without breaking down.” Through the years, Lewin’s teaching and his work in the Trial Advocacy program impacted hundreds and hundreds of law students, who have gone on to varied and prestigious careers in public and private practice. He also helped students in several trial competition teams bring home regional and national titles. Before pursuing law, Lewin, who is from Springfield, South Dakota, initially thought he wanted to be an actor, having had some local theater under his belt in South Dakota. During his time with the U.S. Army Band, however, a trip to New York City where he met more talented but hopeful actors waiting tables showed him he needed to shift direction. |
A podcast series by and for the members of the Syracuse University Law Alumni Association, SULAA Speaks seeks to share the wisdom of College of Law graduates with current and future alumni.
Syracuse Law Magazine
Fall 2012
The Fall 2012 issue of Syracuse Law Magazine is now available to browse online. Click here to view.
Our Focus is Your Future!
Take a look at the new Syracuse University College of Law Focus Book here!
