Cardozo alumni, students and faculty gathered for the 15th Annual BALLSA Celebration, one of Cardozo Law’s three annual signature events, to fundraise for the BALLSA Scholarship Fund and to recognize the evening’s honoree, Daniel J. Dominguez ’05, a partner at Latham & Watkins, for his leadership, commitment to equity and inclusion, and for inspiring excellence. This event is hosted by the Alumni Association and the Black Asian Latino Law Students Association (BALLSA) Alumni, whose mission is to create more equitable spaces at Cardozo and in the legal and business professions.
Dominguez reflected on his own years at Cardozo, saying, “People were committed to community, excellence, perseverance, and paying it forward. In this ecosystem, in a spirit of abundance, you climb with one hand, and you reach back with the other to pull people up.”
Alexandra Nieto ’19 and Nicole Fabian Peña ’24, co-chairs of BALLSA Alumni and the BALLSA Celebration Host Committee, said, “(We are) reminded that we are in the presence of trailblazers who have overcome challenges that have long impacted the legal profession.”
Proceeds from this event support the BALLSA Scholarship Fund, a need-based award in the amount of $5,000 for students who have overcome hardship and contributed to the diverse student associations at Cardozo. This year’s recipients were Stacy Moses ’25, president of the South Asian Law Student Association (SALSA) and a legal intern with Cardozo’s Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic, and Andrea Mendoza Diaz ’25, an E. Nathaniel Gates Scholar who has served in various leadership positions, including as co-president of the Minority Law Student Association (MLSA) from 2023-2024 and as a mentor for the Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA).
The inaugural Seeger Weiss LL.P. BALLSA Scholarship was presented by Seeger Weiss Partner and past BALLSA honoree, Parvin Aminolroaya ’08 to recipient Elisa Davila ’26. Davila is the staff editor of the Cardozo Moot Court Honor Society, president of the Cardozo Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA), Affinity Group Outreach Coordinator for the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA), and a Gates Ambassador for the Gates & Martinidez Scholars Program.
Dean Melanie Leslie ’91 thanked attendees “for [their] enthusiastic support as we reaffirm our commitment to creating and continuing to work to create an environment where every student feels welcome and is supported to reach their full potential.”
Dominguez encouraged those at the dinner to pay forward the support they received from friends, professors and others at the law school.
“Invest in this mission because community excellence and perseverance are what you all embody and what we can all continue to build in our community,” he said. “Not just within our law firms, but in our profession and in our society.”
Cardozo Law, its Alumni Association, and BALLSA Alumni are grateful to the Celebration’s generous sponsors; Executive Sponsors, Professor Elizabeth Goldman ’90 and her husband Stephen Kotran, and Latham & Watkins LLP, Counselor Sponsor, Seeger Weiss LLP, and Dean’s Council Sponsor, Noel Williams ’87.
Join us by making a gift to the BALLSA Scholarship to ensure that we provide these critical funds to future Cardozo students!
View the BALLSA Celebration photo album here.
Photos by Eryc Perez de Tagle