Noteworthy

Both Delaware Law School and Commonwealth Law School have been included in the 2025 Princeton Review list of Best Law Schools.

Delaware Law also ranked third – up from a seventh-place ranking in 2023 and fourth place last year – on their list of the country’s 10 Best Law Schools for State and Local Clerkships. That recognition is based on the number of 2024 graduates who secured employment as judicial clerks. 

The law schools were among the 168 chosen for the unranked best law school list, out of more than 200 schools nationwide. Selections were made based on the results of law school student and administrator surveys and institutional data that included admissions statistics, career outcomes, academic rigor and more.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/princeton-review-recognizes-both-law-schools
 

Loreto (Larry) P. Rufo ’87, managing partner at Rawle & Henderson’s Wilmington office, has been named a lifelong Friend of the Court by the Superior Court of the State of Delaware—an accolade reserved for only six attorneys in the past three decades. 

The rare recognition highlights Rufo’s decades-long service to the Court, most notably his work as the defense coordinating counsel and defense medical coordinator in Delaware’s asbestos litigation. Appointed by the Delaware Superior Court, Rufo has played a pivotal role in managing complex litigation and ensuring its efficient administration. 

“Larry Rufo exemplifies the highest ideals of Delaware Law—dedication, service, and unwavering integrity,” said Dean Todd Clark. “We are proud to count him among our alumni and celebrate this extraordinary recognition of his lifelong contributions to justice.” 

Read more about Mr. Rufo’s award and contributions here. 

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Distinguished alumni from both Delaware Law School and Widener Law Commonwealth have been named to the prestigious 2025 Super Lawyers list.

Super Lawyers is an online resource that connects users with legal guidance and services. It recognizes the nation's top attorneys across various practice areas and firm sizes through a patented process involving independent research and peer input. This recognition includes both highly experienced lawyers and those deemed "rising stars" early in their careers.

The following alumni were named: 

• Larry Bendesky (DLS ’87): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Alfred J. Carlson (MBA ’92, DLS ’92): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Scott B. Cooper (WLC ’93): Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Regina M. Foley (WLC ’92): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania, Top 50 Women Pennsylvania
• Timothy R. Lawn (DLS ’89): Top 10 Pennsylvania
• Christopher M. Miller (DLS ’96): Top 100 Pennsylvania, Top 50 Pittsburgh
• Alexander Murphy, Jr. (DLS ’76) Top rated Entertainment & Sports attorney in West Chester, Pennsylvania
• Eric B. Pearson (DLS ’94): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Fortunato N. Perri, Jr. (DLS ’88): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Timothy F. Rayne (DLS ’95): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Thomas F. Sacchetta (DLS ’86): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Carol A. Shelly (DLS ’86): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania, Top 50 Women Pennsylvania
• Bernard W. Smalley, Sr. (DLS ’80): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania
• Heidi G. Villari (DLS ’97): Top 100 Philadelphia, Top 100 Pennsylvania, Top 50 Women Pennsylvania

Congratulations to all the recognized alumni for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the legal profession! 

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Intelligent.com, a respected source for higher education rankings and research, has recognized multiple programs at Widener in its 2025 rankings. The recognition across multiple disciplines, reinforces the university’s status as a leader in higher education.

The honors included:

Best online master of social work programs of 2025 – ranked 13 nationally.

Best accredited online paralegal certificate programs of 2025 – ranked 18 nationally for the program at Delaware Law School.

Best master of social work programs of 2025 – ranked 45 nationally.

The outlet uses data-driven methodology to evaluate programs across a broad range of criteria, including academic quality, graduation rates, cost and return on investment and student resources.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/32040/
 

Both Widener University Delaware Law School and Widener University Commonwealth Law School have been named to the 2024 Princeton Review List of Best Law Schools. Delaware Law also ranked fourth – up from a seventh-place ranking last year – on their list of the nation’s 10 Best Law Schools for State and Local Clerkships. This outstanding recognition is based on the number of graduates who secure employment as judicial clerks.

Our law schools were among the 168 chosen for the unranked best law school list, out of more than 200 schools nationwide. Selections were made based on the results of surveys of law school administrators and more than 18,000 law students across the country that measured career outcomes, admissions selectivity, academic rigor and more.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/31835

Delaware Law School Professor Erin Daly participated in the hearings of the Inter-American Court on Human Rights when it considered the request for an advisory opinion on the climate emergency and human rights submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights by the Republic of Colombia and the Republic of Chile.

Daly and Soledad Garcia Muñoz, the former special rapporteur for economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, submitted a brief to the court on the indivisibility and inter-dependence of human rights, particularly in the context of climate change. They encouraged the Court to take a holistic view of the human rights impacts of climate change, deeply rooted in the law of human dignity. Hearings in the case are being held in Barbados in April and in Brazil in May.

Daly also recently released a draft international covenant on environmental rights, as chair of the drafting committee of the International Center for Comparative Environmental Rights, known by its French acronym CIDCE. The draft has been translated into Arabic, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Turkish. She has also been invited to join the Green Rights Coalition, an international body that supports environmental human rights.

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The university is pleased to announce that Eric Kniskern, director of recruitment and diversity enrollment initiatives at Delaware Law School has been honored with the 2023 Julie E. Wollman Endowed Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

The award was made possible as part of a $100,000 gift to the university by Wollman, the immediate past president of Widener, and her husband Dan L. King. It annually recognizes an employee who advocates and effects change at Widener in support of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, by going above and beyond their job responsibilities.

Kniskern began his career at Widener’s campus in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 24 years ago, where he served as director of admissions for the then-Widener University School of Law. 

In his time working on the Harrisburg campus, Kniskern was instrumental in bringing Safe Space workshops and trainings, dedicated to supporting the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community, to staff and faculty there. He positioned the campus to host the annual meeting Law School Diversity Professionals in 2011, through a competitive process in which schools all over the country were vying for hosting privileges. Kniskern also advocated for and secured prayer space for Muslim students.  

At Widener University Delaware Law School, where he has worked since 2016, Kniskern has built on his previous efforts to support DEIB. He was an early champion for gender-inclusive restrooms on the Delaware campus and routinely works to enhance application and recruitment processes with the goal of attracting a diverse and qualified incoming class. In addition, he has advocated for the elimination of criminal history questions from the law school application process to attract and better serve justice-impacted applicants. He researched the practice extensively and presented case studies to the faculty enrollment committee, which led to a law school plan to eliminate criminal history questions beginning with the fall 2024 application process.

Widener Chief Diversity Officer Michelle Meekins-Davis announced Kniskern as the Wollman Award recipient on May 1, at a university-wide town hall meeting for faculty and staff. 

“Eric’s dedication to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging has had a measurable impact on all three of Widener’s campuses,” Meekins-Davis said. “He is a leader who demonstrates a consistent commitment to making Widener a place where all students know they belong and can be their true selves. We are fortunate to call him a colleague and he is richly deserving of this recognition.”

Kniskern lives in Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania with his partner of 21 years, Kevin, and their two cats, Meep and Rocco.

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