The Office of Student Services and Advising (OSSA) helps students in all aspects of life at Cardozo, and serves as a resource for information and guidance.
-
room
Address
Room 1043
-
email Email
- phone Phone 646-592-6420
For us, building community at Cardozo is not just an abstract claim but a tangible reality. Our mission is to create a living and learning environment second to none among law schools, affording you the opportunity to grow personally and professionally and to enjoy these very important and exciting years. Our open door policy means that we’re always here to listen, whether your concerns are academic, personal, or extracurricular. We believe the result of our work helps create a trusting environment of professionals committed to growing together.
Our Student Services & Advising Staff
Francesca Acocella
Francesca Acocella has a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law, where she was the president of OUTlaw, among other leadership positions. She clerked in both Supreme Court, New York County and New Jersey Superior Court, Family Division. She was a staff attorney at the Center for Family Representation in Queens, New York, representing parents of children in foster care in family court abuse, neglect, and termination of parental rights proceedings.
Stephen Iannacone
Prior to joining Cardozo School of Law, Stephen Iannacone was a trial attorney at the law firm of Spiegel & Barbato, LLP. He specialized in civil litigation in all New York venues and argued several appeals in the First Department. He also joined Pace Law School as an adjunct professor in the spring of 2014. At Pace Law School, he taught the Advanced Analytical Skills course and MBE Strategies course to third-year students preparing for the Bar Exam as well as Principles of Legal Analysis which focused on legal writing and analysis for second-year students.
Miriam Lacroix
Prior to joining Cardozo, Miriam founded Lacroix Law P.C., where she was committed to advocating for immigrant communities for 7 years. Before private practice, Miriam was part of the inaugural class of the Immigrant Justice Corps, a prestigious program initiated by the late Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals as a response to the crisis in legal representation for immigrants.
Miriam is a graduate of Pace University and earned her J.D. from Elisabeth Haub School of Law, where she was actively involved in the Immigrant Justice Clinic. She was the 2018 Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University’s Ernestine Bartlett Honoree. She is admitted to practice in New York.
Academic Support
The Office of Student Services and Advising can assist you with a variety of academic questions as well as personal issues you may experience during your time in law school.
For individual and group instruction in case reading and analysis, writing, outlining, exam preparation and writing, including academic advising and support in all areas, please contact the Lawyering and Legal Writing Center. These services are provided free of charge.
Personal Support
We can help you manage the pressures of law school as well as outside challenges that are compromising your ability to function. Such factors can include, but are not limited to, emotional distress, academic difficulties, family problems, physical illness, substance abuse, and sexual assault or harassment.If you experience difficulties in or out of law school, or need special support services, you are strongly encouraged to meet with a member of the Office to discuss your situtation. For problems that cannot be handled within the Office, referrals to other resources are available.
The Office of Student Services and Advising assists students in obtaining reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities/medical conditions. Such disabilities/conditions include physical, sensory and health-related disabilities, psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, ADHD or temporary disabilities.
If you believe that you may need an accommodation, please make an appointment with a member of the Office as soon as possible to discuss your situation. You can schedule an appointment by calling, 646-592-6420 or stopping by Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Fridays, 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. If you are ready to apply for an accommodation please read the Accommodations Memo and fill out the attached Initial Request Form and bring it with you to the appointment.
Special Circumstances
The Dean of Students is the individual responsible for approval of requests in a variety of academic areas from students experiencing special circumstances. OSSA also handles all aspects of the administration of examinations.
Special circumstances include requests for withdrawals from courses, reduced course loads, letters of good standing, and other academic requests. The Dean of Students also serves as the student liaison to the Academic Standards Committee for students whose academic standing is in jeopardy, as well as for students who are alleged to have violated the school's disciplinary code.
Disability Accommodations
The Office of Student Services and Advising assists students in obtaining reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities/medical conditions. Such disabilities/conditions include physical, sensory and health-related disabilities; psychiatric disorders; learning disabilities; ADHD.; or temporary disabilities.
If you believe that you may need an accommodation, please make an appointment with a member of the Office as soon as possible to discuss your situation. You can schedule an appointment by emailing Francesca.Acocella@yu.edu. If you are ready to apply for an accommodation please read the Accommodations Memo below and fill out the attached Initial Request Form and bring it with you to the appointment.
Additional resources for students include the following:
Accommodations Memo
-
Cardozo Accommodations Memo and Initial Request Form
Examinations
General information on examinations is included in the Cardozo Student Handbook, which can be found under the Student Handbook link on the left side. Each semester, a preliminary exam schedule is provided to all students with registration materials. Towards the end of the semester, OSSA posts an exam memorandum on InsideTrack/Luminis Portal in the "Exam" portlet. This memorandum includes a final copy of the examination schedule and complete information on all exam procedures and guidelines, along with rules and request forms for rescheduling and special arrangements. For more information on exam accommodations for disabilities, please see the Disability Accommodations link on the left side.
Exam room assignments are posted on the bulletin boards in the lobby near the 12th Street and 5th Ave. elevators the night before the scheduled exam.