Meyer Suozzi Awards Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship to Cornell Law School Student

Melissa J. Lin

August 19, 2020, (Garden City, NY), Melissa J. Lin, a student at Cornell Law School, has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship. Established in 2004, the scholarship is funded by Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. and administered by The New York Bar Foundation. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually to second-year law students in New York State who excel in legal writing and advocacy.

To be considered for the Scholarship, applicants must submit an essay that demonstrates technical writing skills, critical thinking, and advocacy. Ms. Lin’s winning paper, entitled “Covert Predation of Personal Consumer Information: Gaping Deficiencies in Federal Oversight of the Online Behavioral Advertising Industry,” focuses on the many privacy issues implicated by today’s online behavioral advertising industry.

In accepting the award, Ms. Lin stated: “I am humbled by this opportunity to honor Judge Meyer and his legacy. Many thanks to the New York Bar Foundation and Meyer Suozzi for supporting law students as we learn to do what lawyers do best: advocate for those in need. This scholarship has allowed me to highlight how the current federal legislative scheme leaves consumer privacy vulnerable to the predation techniques of the online behavioral advertising industry. In our ever-advancing, rapidly evolving world, this issue serves as an important reminder that society must influence and alter laws that trail behind change — in technology, societal norms, or otherwise.”

Ms. Lin anticipates on receiving her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 2021.

The Scholarship Selection Committee, which judges the essay submissions in a blind reading, was comprised of Andrew J. Turro, Member of Meyer Suozzi, Hon. Michael A. Ciaffa, former Nassau County District Court Judge, and Gioia Gensini, Chair of the Fellows of the New York Bar Foundation.

About Hon. Bernard S. Meyer

Judge Meyer practiced law in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and New York until his election in 1958, as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Nassau County, where he served for 14 years. Judge Meyer was an Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1979-1986 and practiced with Meyer Suozzi from 1987 through 2005. The Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship was established in his memory, to serve New York State’s legal profession.