The Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Association proudly recognizes the 2026 Alumni Award recipients. These awards celebrate the outstanding accomplishments, leadership and service of our alumni, whose achievements continue to strengthen and elevate the Quinnipiac Law community. Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year's Fall Alumni Awards and Reception to honor these exceptional individuals and reconnect with fellow graduates, faculty and friends.

QUSL Alumni Association Alumni Awards:

• President’s Award | Lynne L. Pantalena, J.D. ’85

  Award Purpose: Honors an alum exemplifying the University motto, “Qui transtulit sustinet” (he who transplants, sustains), by dedicating themselves to enriching, sustaining, and enhancing the legal profession and institution. 

  Lynne L. Pantalena compiled a distinguished 30+ year career in wealth and estate planning, rising to executive leadership as a Managing Director and wealth-strategy division executive at Bank of America Private Bank. 

  She has provided continuous governance and guidance to the university as a member of the Quinnipiac Board of Trustees. Building upon earlier contributions to law student scholarships and the law library, Lynne made a $3 million gift to establish the Lynne Pantalena Chair at the School of Law, securing enduring academic excellence for future legal scholars. 

  Lynne’s decades of executive leadership, sustained mentorship of emerging legal professionals, and philanthropic legacy exemplify the spirit of sustaining and uplifting the Quinnipiac Law community. 

  This award is given by the QUSL Alumni Association President in consultation with the Dean of the School of Law to recognize an alum who has exemplified the University’s motto, “Qui transtulit sustinet” (he who transplants, sustains). This person has dedicated themselves to enriching and sustaining the legal community as a whole and has worked to enhance the reputation of the legal profession within the greater community. This person may be a philanthropist, scholar or political office holder, or someone who has used their position in the legal community to enhance the legal profession in a measurable way.

• Inclusive Excellence Award | Katherine E. Mills, J.D. ’07

  Award Purpose: Celebrates exemplary leadership and commitment to advancing the School of Law’s mission to promote diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence in the legal profession. 

  Nominated by the Career Development Office leadership team. Serving as Director of Law Financial Aid for over 13 years, Kathy Mills proactively recruits, enrolls, and guides underrepresented candidates—including first-generation students, students of color, and LGBTQI+ individuals—who otherwise lack the financial resources to pursue legal education. 

  In response to recent federal financial aid borrowing restrictions threatening legal education access, Kathy expertly structured financial counsel, budgeting programs, and scholarship access that directly enabled QUSL to admit a highly diverse 1L class. Kathy supports candidates from pre-1L recruitment through graduation, serving as a critical pillar of student retention, morale, and financial stability. 

  Kathy also serves as a Member-at-Large on the Law Alumni Association Executive Board and regularly donates pro-bono tax expertise at university auctions and events. 

• Entrepreneurial Award | Peter J. De Frank J.D. ’07

  Award Purpose: Recognizes innovation in the practice of law through transformative business models, creative litigation strategies, or substantial influence on legal and business practices. 

  Peter De Frank founded De Frank Law Group around a distinct operational strategy: accepting undervalued, rejected, or zero-offer insurance claims and preparing every file meticulously for trial. Peter changed the valuation benchmark for catastrophic injury claims, yielding landmark results including a $15 million verdict in 2025 following a $5,000 offer (NJ’s highest personal-injury verdict as of July 2025), a $6 million settlement for a brain injury client rejected by two firms, and a $4.55 million verdict for a special-needs client with no initial offer. 

  Peter actively advances trial advocacy by lecturing for the New Jersey Association for Justice and establishing "The Trial Lab," a collaborative working group designed to help attorneys pressure-test complex cases.

• Service to the Community Award | Thai Chhay, J.D. ’18

  Award Purpose: Honors an alum who devotes a significant portion of their career and legal skills to advancing justice and serving low-income, underprivileged, or underrepresented communities. 

  Thai Chhay is a Cambodian refugee and Iraq veteran who has served as a deputy assistant state’s attorney, assistant attorney general, and attorney in Connecticut’s Conviction Integrity Unit, embodying a profound personal and professional commitment to humanitarianism and justice.

  While at QUSL, Thai was an important student leader and inspiration for his colleagues throughout the law school community. He was a role model for what makes a great lawyer: intelligence, dedication, and a great capacity for empathy. He now devotes those talents to public service. The Law Alumni Association is very proud to confer upon Thai the Service to the Community Award.

Dear fellow alumni:

I am honored to be President of the Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Association.  I hope you will join me and our board members as we work to grow this very special community.  The practice of law is at times isolating, but here, as a member of our Quinnipiac law alumni community, you will always be at home and add value to your professional practice.

Please join us throughout the year as we work to strengthen our alumni community.  We each benefitted from the excellent education we received at Quinnipiac and the connections we made as students.  Our connection as a community did not end at graduation—it was just the beginning.  As a member of the Quinnipiac law alumni community you can enrich the bonds you forged as a student and create new connections and opportunities. 

We have several meetings throughout the year where we collaborate with the law school faculty to develop new ideas and to learn about the law school’s initiatives.  You are welcome to join these meetings either virtually or in-person.  We also host several social networking events throughout the year in communities where alumni are located where you can reconnect with former classmates or make new connections within our growing law alumni community.  To keep yourself informed of all law school alumni events, please share your email address and phone number with the Law Development and Alumni Affairs office.

Above all, I want to make the Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Association more meaningful for you, for the law students, and for the law school.  I invite you to please email me at ASwanson@mccarter.com if you have ideas for programming, if you have comments, or if you just want to say hello.  

I am grateful to serve you and to lead this great Quinnipiac law alumni community.  I look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you soon! 

Adam Swanson, JD '08
President, Law Alumni Association