The Sustainable Business Law Student Scholars Program is a key component of the Sustainable Business Law Hub in creating the next generation of sustainable business lawyers. The program provides curricular, scholarship, and mentorship opportunites for students pursuing careers in sustainable business law and as ESG lawyers. The highly-selective program is designed for students with outstanding entrance credentials and a well-articulated passion for pursuing a career at the intersection of sustainability, business law, and environmental law.
Hub Scholars have the opportunity to receive practical training and experience in using the law to foster sustainable business practices through an internship/externship experience with an ESG practice group in a law firm, under the guidance of in-house counsel within a corporate entity, or within an NGO/government body working in the ESG space. They can also take advantage of targeted training workshops and programs that will prepare them for these externship experiences while working closely with a faculty supervisor and a professional mentor in the field to develop their interests and to identify networking and job opportunities.
During the course of their studies, Hub Scholars receive curricular guidance that will allow them to receive the Advanced Environmental Law Certificate while pursuing courses relevant to sustainable business law, including the Business Law Path to Practice and the option to pursue an MBA with the Lubin School of Business as part of the joint JD/MBA program. Haub Law also offers new courses on sustainable business law which include topics such as the definition of ESG, corporate responsibility and the triple bottom line; the role of the corporate board in achieving sustainability; social impact investing and ESG ratings; and ESG and climate disclosures, voluntary ESG reporting and risk management. Importantly, Hub Scholars also have access to a wide network of Haub Law alumni, Lubin alumni, the Hub’s Advisory Board, and subsequent Hub Scholar alumni, who may serve as mentors to new Hub Scholars.
2024 Student Scholars
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Ashley Han is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law and a Business Law-Financial Compliance Path to Practice Track. She graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in Sociology. During her time at Haub Law, Ashley interned for Pfizer's Global Supply Division and Paul Weiss' Sustainability & ESG Advisory Practice. She also was a research assistant for Policy Research Director Thomas Bourgeois at the Land Use Law Center and a judicial intern for Judge Seibel at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Ashley is currently serving as a Senior Associate for the Pace Environmental Law Review and a student intern for the Food and Farm Business Clinic.
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Hailey Pedicano is a 3L at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, working towards a JD Degree with an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law. Prior to law school, Hailey worked in marketing as a Project Manager, a role that frequently involved corporate stewardship communications. This largely drove her interest in becoming a Sustainable Business Law Scholar. Last year, Hailey co-led the Sustainable Business Panel featured at the New Directions in Environmental Law academic conference. This past summer, Hailey worked as a Summer Associate at Cuddy & Feder, LLP., and she spent her 1L summer as a Summer Law Clerk at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Currently, Hailey is a Land Use Scholar at the Pace Land Use Law Center and a Senior Associate on the Pace Law Review. She is also a Student Attorney for the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic.
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Joshua Briggs is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law. He is a dedicated professional with a deep passion for energy policy and sustainability. Through his legal internships at organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Progressive Reform, and the Pace Energy & Climate Center, he has gained valuable insights into the complexities of energy regulation and planning. An environmental storyteller, Joshua has a BA in digital media management and worked as a filmmaker prior to law school. Upon graduation, he hopes to combine his passions for the environmental and storytelling to advance a sustainable energy future.
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Karina Krul is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Next Fall she will begin pursuing her master’s degree at Yale. Karina graduated in 2019 with a BS in Marine Biology from the University of New Haven. She completed her Honors Thesis on how environmental awareness effects attitude toward sustainable development, which she presented at the 2019 Society of Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting. She is currently a junior associate for Pace International Law Review, an intern with the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations, and a Law Clerk at Richman Law & Policy, an impact litigation firm that uses consumer protection law to hold corporations accountable for their environmental representations. Karina is passionate about a future that operates through inclusive, environmentally sound governance by ensuring every stakeholder gets a seat at the table. This summer, she will be a law clerk with Earthjustice.
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Morgan E. Martin graduated from Rollins College in 2021 with a degree in Public Policy and Political Economy. Before she came to law school, she moved to Bali Indonesia to volunteer for an NGO where she taught English and sustainability lessons in a local village and worked on a coral reef restoration project. During her first year of law school, she volunteered at the Land Use Law Center. She is currently a Junior Associate for Pace Environmental Law Review and Vice-Chair for the Jeffery G. Miller National Environmental Moot Court Competition. This past summer she worked for a boutique corporate litigation firm in Manhattan, and she is still working for them part time. She will be a summer associate for Fenwick & West in their corporate practice. Morgan hopes to pursue a career in Sustainable Business practices, and perhaps gravitating towards the climate-tech field as it emerges.
2023 Student Scholars
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Brianna Grimes is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She graduated in 2019 from Syracuse University with a BA in Biology. During law school, Brianna has joined many organizations and is currently a Junior Associate on the Pace Environmental Law Review; President of the Environmental Law Society; Vice Chair, Grading and Scoring, for the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition; and Environmental Law Society Network Student Liaison for the ABA Section of Energy, Environment and Resources’ Marine Resources Committee. This past summer, she worked as a Maritime & International Law Extern at the United States Coast Guard Judge Advocate General in Washington, DC. Next summer, she will be a Summer Associate at Baker Botts in their Washington, DC office.
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Brooke Mercaldi is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. In August 2022, Brooke also began her Master’s degree at Yale where she is a Research Assistant at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and a participant in the Environmental Protection Clinic at Yale Law School; she is pursuing a Business and the Environment specialization. Brooke earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Systems and Sustainability Studies from Southern Connecticut State University in 2020 where she completed her Honors Thesis on the coastal dynamics of the Connecticut shoreline. During her time at Haub Law thus far, Brooke has completed legal internships at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States District Court in the Southern District of New York, and ACT Commodities Inc. Brooke has also worked in Haub Law’s Land Use Law Center and Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies and is a Research & Writing Editor for the Pace Environmental Law Review.
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Maggie Pahl is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law. She has experience working as a legal intern at the John Jay Legal Services Food and Beverage Law Clinic, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. She served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Vera M. Scanlon at the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York. After graduation, she will take the New York State Bar Examination before beginning a one-year clerkship under the Honorable Judge Gary Potters in the New Jersey Superior Court Family Division. After her clerkship term elapses in August 2024, she is interested in entering the ESG field. She is looking forward to being a part of the inaugural class of Hub Student Scholars and further exploring her career options in sustainable business law.
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Aric Prazeres is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Aric has interned for the Investor Rights Clinic, Judge Halpern at the SDNY, and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Divisions of Corporation Finance and Enforcement. Before starting law school, he received his MBA and worked for a company that specialized in corporate bartering. Aric is a Senior Associate for Pace Law Review, and recently participated in the St. John’s FINRA 2022 Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon where his team won first place in the arbitration round. Last year he served as the law school’s Environmental Law Society Energy and Climate Director, and spends much of his time thinking about the role of blockchain and other technologies in creating sustainable business strategies.
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Kasama Star is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She holds a BS in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. Prior to law school, Kasama had a career in web development and project management. During her time at law school, she has interned for judges at the Southern District of New York and the Third Circuit, presented on Asian American discrimination, and contributed to pro bono work. She is a productions editor of the Pace Environmental Law Review and has served as president of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Law Student Association and the Immigration Law Society. Last summer, she was a litigation associate at Fenwick & West and an intern for Second Circuit Staff Attorney’s office. This semester she interned at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Corporation Finance.
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Christopher Sudol is a JD candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Christopher received his bachelor's degree in history from Montclair State University, where he also minored in business. As an undergraduate, Christopher focused his studies on the intersection of business and the environment in twentieth-century American business practices. Christopher also has a master's degree in history from the University of Wyoming, where his research focused on the environmental impacts of American colonialism. Throughout law school, Christopher has participated in the Haub Law Food and Farm Business Clinic supporting local and sustainable farmers in various matters, in private law firms forming corporations and drafting organizational documents, and with non-profit organizations contributing to developing their diversity programs and efforts. Christopher is interested in a career that supports sustainable environment, social, and governance business practices to solve important issues of the present and the future. This spring, he will be an intern with Paul, Weiss and gain experience in the areas of sustainability and ESG.