The large group gathered in the Jennifer Gerarda Brown Student Lounge on June 6. They were welcomed by the School of Law community including Dean Jennifer Brown and the Honorable Jane Grossman JD ’98. Brown credited Grossman with providing the “activation energy” to facilitate the gathering and also thanked Professor of Law Emeritus Robert Farrell for his collaboration in helping to foster the event.

Speaking to the gathered jurists, Brown said, “If you hear nothing else tonight, please know how incredibly proud your law school is of you. We are a school that is producing people who have progressed in their careers, who are well-regarded, who’ve proven themselves to their peers in ways that merit appointment to the bench. That means the world to this very young law school.”

Founded in 1992, Quinnipiac Law School is the legal education home of alumni including those of the consolidated former University of Bridgeport School of Law and Wethersfield School of Law. 

Brown thanked the jurists for their valuable public service, for raising the stature of Quinnipiac by the work that they do, and for inspiring their fellow alumni.

“I can’t tell you how often I hear from alumni who are not on the bench who say, ‘Isn’t it amazing how many Quinnipiac grads are being appointed to the bench?’” Brown said. “It means so much to them that they are graduates of the school that is producing jurists like yourselves.”

As a New Haven Judicial District Superior Court Judge, Grossman also contributes her energy to the School of Law as part time faculty. Grossman said the gathered alumni represented a breadth of service on the bench which spans several decades and is continuing to grow.

This year, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont named a prestigious group of five Quinnipiac alumni among 22 nominees. All five are now serving among the newest members of the bench, and Grossman welcomed them to the June 6 celebration. They are Stamford Judicial District Superior Court Judge John P. Regan, JD '87; Rockville Judicial District Superior Court Judge Adam R. Schibley, JD '10; Hartford Judicial District Superior Court Judge Eric P. Smith, JD '95; Rockville Judicial District Superior Court Judge Melissa L. Streeto, JD '98; and Stamford Judicial District Superior Court Judge Colleen Zingaro, JD '93.

The June 6 celebration also provided an opportunity for Brown to introduce her successor, incoming School of Law Dean Brian Gallini. Brown, who joined the School of Law in 1994 and has served as dean for 10 years, will step down on June 30. Following a year-long sabbatical, Brown will return to the School of Law as a professor in 2025.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming Brian,” Brown said. “I think it’s going to be a really wonderful era for the Law School moving forward under his leadership.”

Gallini’s enthusiasm for the Quinnipiac School of Law is evident.

“How could you not be proud, and at the same time inspired, by the alumni here tonight?” said Gallini. “What I’ve found is that the people here are warm, they are inviting, they are kind, and that it’s authentic. That enhances the student experience and creates a culture of energy where people are genuinely happy to be here. I’m excited to be here, and to figure out where I can make a contribution.”