Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Selects Five Students to Serve as Prestigious Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholars
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce the selection of its second class of Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholars. The Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholars Program (“Hub Scholars Program”) was launched in early 2023 as a key component of the Sustainable Business Law Hub in creating the next generation of sustainable business and ESG (environmental, social and governance) lawyers. This year, five additional students have been selected to serve as Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholars (“Hub Scholars”) and will benefit from ESG internships and externships at prestigious law firms, financial institutions and businesses.
“The Hub Scholars Program has been a tremendous addition to our Sustainable Business Law Hub,” said Jason Czarnezki, Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and Associate Dean of Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives, as well as inaugural Faculty Director of the Hub. “Last year’s inaugural class of six Hub Scholars gained ESG experience in a variety of settings, as interns at law firms, working with in-house legal teams, as well as within an NGO/government body. These experiences have allowed our top students interested in ESG and sustainable business to pursue these interests in a meaningful way.”
The Sustainable Business Law Hub Scholars Program is a curricular, scholarship, and mentorship program 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 will 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. Hub Scholars 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.
Maggie Pahl ’23 was a member of the inaugural class of Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholars. She describes the experience as one of the most formative experiences during her time at Haub Law. “My participation as a Hub Scholar gave me the opportunity to meet and talk with lawyers and business leaders that are as equally passionate as I am about sustainable business,” said Maggie. “Being an inaugural scholar was especially exciting because the inception of the Hub came at a time when US and EU mandatory ESG disclosure laws were at their infancy. The textbooks and law review articles on novel sustainable business topics are being written (and re-written as international regulatory updates are released) at this very moment. Haub Law is at the forefront of producing a new generation of ESG lawyers, and I was fortunate enough to be part of that. The Sustainable Business Law Hub will produce great research and a strong network for future Haub Law students to tap into and the environment will benefit as a result.”
During the course of their studies, students 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 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 will also have access to a wide network of Haub Law alumni, Lubin alumni, the Hub’s Advisory Board, and subsequent Hub Scholar alumni, who serve as mentors to new Hub Scholars.
Haub Law’s Sustainable Business Law Hub serves as an incubator space, student-training program, research endeavor, and think tank devoted to addressing global sustainability challenges through policy and research projects, relationships with the business community, and capacity building in private environmental governance. The Hub incorporates the three pillars of sustainability—economic, social and environmental welfare—into global business practices by engaging in research and policy development, improving public law and governance, and working with existing industry, the small business community, startups, and the community at-large to develop and employ innovative private environmental models and sustainability practices, such as those that promote a circular economy. Working hand-in-hand with faculty experts, students participating in the Hub receive practical training and experience in using the law to foster sustainable business practices.
Biographies of New Class of Hub Student Scholars
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Biographies of Returning Hub Student Scholars
Brianna Grimes is a 3L 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 undertaken numerous leadership roles, including serving as Managing Editor of the Pace Environmental Law Review. In the past, Brianna has worked as a Maritime & International Law Extern with the United States Coast Guard Judge Advocate General, a Judicial Intern for Judge Richard Sullivan in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and as a Summer Associate in Baker Botts' Washington, DC Environmental, Safety, and Incident Response team. She was recently selected as a Knauss Fellow by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant program and plans to move to Washington, DC in February to begin her one-year fellowship.
Brooke Mercaldi is a dual degree candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and the Yale School of the Environment, and she will graduate with her JD and Master of Environmental Management after the Fall 2023 semester. Brooke is currently at Yale where she is a Fellow in Yale Law School’s Law, Ethics & Animals Program and a Research Assistant in its Climate Change & Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative. Throughout the dual degree program, Brooke has completed internships in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, ACT Commodities Inc., and Save the Sound. Brooke also worked in Haub Law’s Land Use Law Center and Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies, and she served as a Research & Writing Editor for the Pace Environmental Law Review.