Class of 2026 Graduates Receive Prestigious Awards

Joseph Kelly, L’26, was the recipient of the John J. Sciullo Peer Excellency Award, named in honor of the late John Sciullo, who served as the eighth dean of Duquesne Kline School of Law, from 1982 to 1993. This award is voted on by the class and is given to a graduating student who is worthy of the admiration and respect of their fellow classmates.

“Winning the John J. Sciullo Peer Excellency Award is truly one of the greatest honors of my life. It is rare to find a group of such talented, personable, and downright positive individuals in an environment designed to test every element of those traits. Sometimes, it is even more challenging to sustain these traits through the ups and downs of any challenging position or assignment. Every class believes itself to be special, but the camaraderie and talent of this class is truly unique. I am extremely proud and humbled to be recognized by the class, which will go on to do great things,” Kelly said.

During his time at Duquesne Kline School of Law, Kelly served as both the president and an active member within the Military Law Society. He devoted a majority of his extracurricular time to the Appellate Moot Court Board, while also participating in Trails Club events throughout each year. He earned four CALI awards before the Spring semester (Federal Criminal Law Simulation 2025, Faith and Democracy 2025, Functions and Duties of the Prosecutor 2025, and Trial Advocacy 2025). Additionally, he received the Duquesne Kline Scholarship and Leadership Award, the Shalom Moot Court Award, and the Order of the Barristers.

Kelly will resume active-duty service within the U.S. Coast Guard, first spending 12 weeks of Military Justice training in Newport, Rhode Island, before starting his permanent position at the Office of the Chief Prosecutor in Charleston, SC.

Cassandra L. Novakis, L’26, received the Dr. John and Liz Murray Award for Excellence in Student Scholarship. This award is named in honor of Duquesne’s eleventh president, Dr. John Murray, and his wife, Liz. Novakis received the award for authoring the most outstanding published law review article of anyone in the graduating class.

“I went to law school because of the dogs I met while volunteering at the animal shelter (especially Sadie Moon), and I found so much purpose in working with them. Advocating for dogs at shelters became my passion, and I thought I could do more for them if I committed to giving them a voice through my own. The law review article I wrote was for every shelter dog I have ever loved, and I consider it a small step in the grand goal of advancing animal welfare. Receiving this award meant so much to me for so many reasons. Animal law scholarship is unique, so receiving such recognition is so exceptionally incredible for animals. I also poured my entire heart into the article and spent probably hundreds of hours on it. It was so inspiring to receive an award for the two things I simply adore: writing and dogs,” she said.

Novakis, who graduated cum laude, was a Dean’s Leadership Fellow, Dean’s Scholar, president of the Animal Law Society, and executive student articles editor for the Duquesne Law Review, Volume 64. She also received the Dr. John E. Murray, Jr. Philanthropy Award, two CALI Awards (Core Applied Competencies I; Advanced Legal Writing: Legal Reasoning), and a certificate for pro bono service hours in excess of the required minimum.

Novakis’ post-graduation plans include serving as a contingent ADA Hire at the Allegheny County DA’s Office. She also hopes to keep writing.

Both Lewis Francis Richardson, L’ 26, and Dylan D. Sloat, L’26, received the President Ken and Laura Gormley Distinguished Student Award. This special award is given on behalf of the entire law school faculty to two graduating students who, in the judgment of the faculty, have displayed general scholastic excellence and who have performed meritorious service to the law school. The award is named by the university’s board of directors in recognition of Ken Gormley—long-serving faculty member, constitutional scholar, dean of the law school, and president of the university. 

“To receive recognition from the faculty—the people who tested how I thought, pushed back on my arguments, and watched me develop as a legal thinker—is humbling in the truest sense. The law genuinely fascinates me and knowing that curiosity was recognized alongside academic performance makes this honor one I will carry with me throughout my career. If I am fortunate enough to give back to Duquesne Law, I hope to inspire in the next generation the same love for the law that Duquesne’s faculty inspired in me,” Richardson said.

Richardson, who graduated summa cum laude and received the Shalom Moot Court Award, Justice Louis L. Mandarino Honors Society, Pro Bono Certificate served a Judicial externship with Judge Thomas M. Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, served on the Duquesne Law Review as a senior staff editor and published a law review note, and volunteered for the Federal Civil Litigation Clinic. He was a two-year legal research and writing teaching assistant, served on the Duquesne Appellate Moot Court Board, and additionally served as another research assistant for environmental law.

He was the recipient of at least 6 CALI Awards, spanning Legal Research and Writing, Professional Responsibility, and Constitutional Law, the1L Best Trial Brief Award, and the 1L Distinguished Oral Argument Award. He had top 16 finishes at the 54th (2025) & 55th (2026) Annual William B. Spong, Jr. Tournaments; and was a Regional Finalist & National Semifinalist (top 4/142 teams) at the 2025–26 ABA Negotiation Competition. He published Bad Beats: The History, Harms, and Regulatory Failure of Sports Gambling Advertising in Post-Murphy America, 64 Duq. L. Rev. (Winter 2026); and Beyond Bonus Bets: A Proposed Statutory Framework for Sports Wagering Advertisement Restrictions in Pennsylvania, 97 Pa. B.A.Q. (forthcoming July 2026).

Richardson’s post-graduation plans include serving as a Judicial Law Clerk to Justice Christine Donohue of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Sloat was also honored to receive the award. “Receiving the President Ken and Laura Gormley Distinguished Student Award means the world to me and my family. As an evening student who worked full time through law school, this award was the culmination of four years of late nights in class and weekends studying to get to the finish line of graduation, so to be recognized for all that hard work is so gratifying. I am the first person in my family to attend law school, so this award was also extra special to receive with my family and my wife in attendance because without their love and their support of my dream of becoming a lawyer, I wouldn't be where I am today,” he said.

At Duquesne Kline School of Law, Sloat was a teaching assistant for Dean Kwisnek's evening Legal Research and Writing section, a Civil Procedure research assistant for Professor Baicker-McKee, and a junior staff member and then senior editor of Duquesne Law Review.

Sloat was recognized for his Pro Bono Service and was the recipient of the Outstanding Oral Argument Award, and several CALI awards, including CALI for Antitrust Law, CALI for Sales, CALI for Core and Applied Competencies 1.

Sloat accepted an offer to join the firm Dickie McCamey and Chilcote PC after taking the bar.

Congratulations to these class of 2026 award winners who are prepared for what is next in their careers!