NYC Gazette

Riki Markowitz, a third-year law student at St. John's Law School and mother of three, has been actively involved in various academic and extracurricular activities. She serves as the Symposium Editor for both the St. John’s Law Review and Journal of Catholic Legal Studies, is a Mattone Center for Law and Religion Fellow, and participates in several student organizations. Notably, she is the Vice President and Co-founder of Mothers in Law and PALS, a group dedicated to supporting parents attending law school.

Markowitz co-founded Mothers in Law and PALS with Sarah Mashayev to address the unique challenges faced by parents in a law school environment. "Sarah Mashayev ‘22C, ‘25L and I founded Mothers in Law and PALS because we realized that parents have unique challenges in a law school setting," Markowitz stated. "Having a support system makes things so helpful."

Since its inception in March 2023, the group has grown to over 15 members. It provides programming each semester to help parents navigate law school life. “We hold a general body meeting where we get to know other parents and offer advice as a group,” Markowitz explained. The group also shares practical information on topics such as obtaining parking passes from Student Accessibility Services for pregnant students or finding nursing rooms on campus.

Recently, the organization hosted an event called Mommy and Me, allowing mothers to bring their children to network with other student mothers. They have also worked with St. John’s Law to improve facilities for lactating mothers.

Reflecting on her choice of law school, Markowitz recalled how supportive St. John's was during her application process when she was pregnant: “I applied to schools while I was pregnant, and I missed Admitted Students Day because I went into labor early,” she said. “The School reached out and offered to give me a private tour when I was ready.”

As she prepares for her legal career at Davis Polk, Markowitz reflects on her journey: “I received advice early on to be comfortable being uncomfortable... At the end of the day, being a parent in law school is a gift... having a support system is key.” She hopes that Mothers in Law and PALS will continue providing support for future parent-students at St. John's Law.