Alumni, Faculty Honored at Law School’s 69th Reunion Dinner
School of Law faculty, staff and graduates will be among those celebrated at the 69th annual reunion dinner.
Slated for Friday, Oct. 15, on Academic Walk, this year’s event will begin with a 5:30 p.m. cocktail reception followed by the awards presentation at 6 p.m.
Nicola Henry-Taylor, diversity director at the law school, will be presented with the Distinguished Alumna award. Associate Law Professor John Rago will be presented with the Dr. John E. Murray, Jr. Meritorious Service award.
At Duquesne, Henry-Taylor helps lead the law school’s commitment to inclusion and opportunity, providing a diverse community of scholars and creating a more diverse legal profession. In addition, the 1996 law school graduate is a respected advocate who works side-by-side with local communities to both level the playing field and build a better Pittsburgh.
A member of the Duquesne Law Alumni Board of Governors, Henry-Taylor is heavily engaged in the region, where she is a member of the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission and the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness-Legal Academics Working Group. She also served two terms as secretary for the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) and sits on the ACBA Ad Hoc Committee to Examine Police Use of Force and Court Rules for Bail, Probation and Incarceration.
In 2010, she began her own private practice, Henry-Taylor Law, which focuses on all areas of family law and criminal law. The firm’s clientele includes individuals struggling with mental-health issues, financial crises and addiction.
Rago, who will be honored for his longtime service to the law school and alumni, is a popular teacher-scholar known for his classroom and work with the Veterans Clinic. His specialty in criminal justice centers on conviction integrity initiatives as well as work to establish policies and evidence-based practices that serve the law enforcement, victims and the accused.
As a mentor, Rago has worked with scores of students, helping them realize their boldest goals on their journey as law students, as well as alumni and professionals in the legal field. His collaborations include work with the Office of the Allegheny County District Attorney, members of law enforcement across the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) and policymakers in Harrisburg and Pennsylvania courts. Rago also has partnered with the criminal indigent defense and innocence advocate communities.
Local and statewide best-practices models have resulted from Rago’s collaborations, including evidence-based eyewitness identification procedures for police and prosecutors; electronic recording of custodial interrogations; and uniform evidence preservation practices. His collaborations also contributed significantly to the passage of comprehensive legislation on police-worn body cameras in Pennsylvania. When a Pennsylvania Senate Resolution called for a study of wrongful convictions in the Commonwealth, Rago served as chair of the 51-member statewide committee under the auspices of the Joint State Government Commission. The subsequent report of the Advisory Commission on Wrongful Convictions offers legislative reforms and suggested practices, many of which have been adopted by the PDAA and Pennsylvania law enforcement.
The cost to attend the dinner is $25 for Duquesne Law Alumni Association and $30 for non-members and guests. Register online by Friday, Oct. 8.