Theme: SUNY Binghamton grad still giving back

Norman Simon, a 1993 Link scholar, originally intended to go to SUNY Binghamton for just two years and then transfer to a private college.

“I graduated first in my (high school) class and the expectation was I would go to an Ivy League school,” said Simon, a native of Levittown, Long Island.

However, Simon couldn’t afford the Ivy League and he reluctantly enrolled at Binghamton.

His feelings soon changed to pride and satisfaction. “I found that I loved Binghamton and stayed there,” Simon said. He said he quickly realized the quality of the education he received at Binghamton was top-notch and he “saved a heck of a lot of money.”

“I’m very proud that I’m an alumnus of a SUNY institution,” Simon said. “It’s a real credit to New York that the SUNY system is as strong as it is.”

Simon, 31, who graduated from Binghamton in 1994 with a double major in political science and biology, went on to attend New York University Law School, considered a top law school in the nation. He graduated from law school in 1997 and has been working as an associate at the Manhattan law firm of Kramer, Levin, Naftalis and Frankel ever since. A litigator, Simon specializes in intellectual property — including false advertising, trademarks and copyrights — and employment law.

His science background has come in handy on some cases, including a recent case involving a biotechnology patent, Simon said. “Some of the biology has helped me appreciate the issues,” he said.

“My practice is engaging and interesting,” Simon said, adding that his firm is strongly committed to pro bono work. Simon said he has helped to secure advances in gay and lesbian civil rights through much of his pro bono work.

Simon completed a pro bono externship for the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, where he was the lead attorney on a Delaware case in 2001 that helped to establish second-parent adoption rights for same sex partners. The case involved a gay couple that was adopting a child. One father had already adopted the child, but it was not clear if his partner could adopt the child as well. Simon noted that both spouses in a heterosexual relationship are automatically granted adoption rights. The case was decided in favor of dual adoption.

In his spare time, Simon, who lives in Manhattan, said he enjoys taking advantage of all the cultural attractions of the city.

“I enjoy New York — the restaurants, the shows, Broadway,” he said, adding that he also escapes to Long Island to visit his family as often as he can.

— Karen Nelis