Sara S. Price '08: From Behind the Bench

Haub Law alumna Sara Price grew up in Larchmont, fifteen minutes from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law Campus. Coupled with the fact that her mother, Elaine Price, attended Haub Law, she was familiar with the law school long before becoming a student there. “As an undergraduate student at the University of New Hampshire, I fell in love with environmental policy and sustainable urban development. After taking an Environmental Law and Policy class in college, I decided I wanted to study environmental law and one day head the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s how I ended up at Pace. I knew about the environmental law program initially because of my mother, but the more I researched the breadth of it, the more I knew it was a perfect fit for me,” said Sara.

Once she was at Pace, Sara had a very positive experience. “I really liked all my professors, and I could talk a lot about them. Professor Cassuto was incredible; his Animal Law class really opened my eyes to issues I had never previously thought about. Professor Crawford deserves a medal for making tax law interesting, accessible, and fun. Thanks to Professor Gershman I developed a love for criminal law, and I can’t think of prison reform without thinking of Professor Mushlin.”

After graduating from law school, Sara had spent over 20 years in Westchester and wanted a change. “I had spent some time visiting friends in Colorado and felt that it would be a good fit for me. I moved to Denver right after graduation, studied for the bar and struggled through the recession like the rest of us new lawyers at that time. I began an internship with a Judge which turned into a clerkship. As soon as I started my internship at the court, something clicked and I knew my place was in the courtroom. It was then I knew my path was to the bench.”

Today, Sara is a Magistrate Judge for the 17th Judicial District in Colorado. “One thing I love about my job is that the day to day is always changing. Primarily I have a probate docket so I’m conducting hearings related to estates, trusts, guardianships and conservatorships. I also conduct protection order hearings and non-contested divorces. I rule on all the motions filed in the probate cases, I also get to review, and sign arrest warrants. Finally, we have a really great team of Magistrates in the 17th Judicial District so we’re always training in other divisions so that we can cover for each other.”

While Sara learned early in her career that her place was in the courtroom, she did not necessarily know that it would be in her current capacity as a Magistrate Judge, but she felt very prepared for it based on the variety of experiences she opened herself up to prior to that point. “My advice for current students would be to not pigeonhole yourself to a certain area or practice and to learn with an open mind. If you start studying something that piques your interest, lean into it. Everyone has a different path and what you learn along the way is going to be helpful in ways that you could never anticipate. Pace helped shape my career path because it opened my eyes to all the possibilities that come with a law degree. The law is such a big field and as an attorney your opportunities are endless."

"Pace helped shape my career path because it opened my eyes to all the possibilities that come with a law degree. The law is such a big field and as an attorney your opportunities are endless.”

When Sara is not behind the bench, you can find her running, paddle boarding, playing tennis, traveling, and enjoying all that Colorado has to offer.