The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University has been named to preLaw Magazine’s inaugural Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll, a national recognition highlighting law schools that demonstrate leadership in expanding access to legal education and strengthening pathways into the legal profession.

Featured in preLaw’s Winter issue, the Honor Roll recognizes the top 20 percent of U.S. law schools whose innovative and lawful strategies broaden opportunity for students from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The distinction reflects Pace Haub Law’s longstanding and deeply embedded commitment to ensuring that access to legal education, and ultimately access to justice, remains central to its mission.

Image

“We are honored to be included in preLaw Magazine’s inaugural Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll,” said Pace Haub Law’s Dean, Horace E. Anderson Jr. “At Pace Haub Law, expanding access to justice is not a standalone initiative; it is woven into our curriculum, our partnerships, and our community engagement. Access to justice begins with access to education. We are proud that our work, in the classroom, in the courthouse, and in the community, continues to open doors and expand opportunity for the next generation of legal professionals.” Pace Haub Law’s approach to expanding opportunity spans pipeline initiatives, academic programming, experiential learning, and community partnerships.

In 2020, the Law School formally launched the Pace Access to Justice Project (Pace A2J), an initiative designed to increase student, faculty, and staff engagement in pro bono and community-based work, while supporting the local community in addressing justice gaps. Pace A2J incorporates curricular, experiential, research, and policy advocacy components, building on the Law School’s nationally recognized clinics and centers. Through courses such as the Access to Justice Seminar and the Access to Justice Lab, students critically examine systemic barriers to justice while working on real-world solutions that strengthen the legal services ecosystem. The initiative serves as a hub for community collaboration and civic engagement across the region.

Being named to this Honor Roll affirms our belief that legal education must actively respond to the justice gaps that persist in our communities.

—Horace E. Anderson, Jr., Dean of Pace Haub Law

“Being named to this Honor Roll affirms our belief that legal education must actively respond to the justice gaps that persist in our communities,” said Dean Anderson. “We are committed to preparing lawyers who understand those challenges and are equipped to address them.”

Image

A cornerstone of Pace Haub Law’s commitment to expanding opportunity is its robust suite of pipeline and civic education programs designed to expose, educate, and prepare students, particularly those historically underrepresented in the legal profession, for careers in law. Each year, the Law School partners with courts, schools, nonprofit organizations, and legal institutions to introduce hundreds of middle and high school students to the intersection of law, government, public service, and civic life. In the past, these initiatives have included: The Honorable Robert A. Katzmann Justice for All: Courts and the Community Initiative, The Verizon Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, the Scales of Justice Academy, Law Day with the White Plains Youth Bureau, participation in the New York Legal Education Opportunity Program, and more.

These initiatives are part of the broader Access to Justice framework and reflect the Law School’s belief that exposure, mentorship, and experiential learning are critical to diversifying and strengthening the legal profession. Programs include interactive workshops, mock trials, guest speakers, and classes taught by distinguished legal leaders, providing students with both civic knowledge and meaningful engagement with the legal system. “These efforts are designed not only to spark interest in the law, but also to provide students with the tools, confidence, and exposure needed to pursue legal education,” shared Dean Anderson.

Image

The Law School’s commitment to access and civic engagement continues to grow. Recently, the Center for Community Action and Research at Pace University announced that the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University received funding through Project Pericles’ Civic Engagement Mini-Grants program, supported by the Mellon Foundation and the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, to expand several pipeline and civic education programs. Director of Community Relations and Special Programs Lori Kanner, successfully applied for this grant, noting that “We are so appreciative of Project Pericles and this funding. This will allow the Law School to continue introducing hundreds of students annually to the workings of the law, thereby expanding access to legal education and ultimately, access to justice.” These initiatives, including the programs highlighted above, will further deepen partnerships with federal courts, local high schools, and community organizations.

Pace Haub Law leads through action and our longstanding commitment to both access to legal education and access to justice embodies this.

—Horace E. Anderson, Jr., Dean of Pace Haub Law

“Pace Haub Law leads through action and our longstanding commitment to both access to legal education and access to justice embodies this,” remarked Dean Anderson. “For the Law School to be included in the Justice & Opportunity Honor Roll reflects decades of sustained commitment to ensuring that opportunity within the legal profession is both meaningful and accessible. We remain dedicated to expanding that access for generations to come.”

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce that a distinguished group of environmental law scholars will join the Law School as Haub Visiting Scholars. These renowned thought-leaders bring extensive expertise across climate change law, environmental justice, policy, and interdisciplinary law practice, and will enrich Pace Haub Law’s Environmental Law Program through guest lectures, collaboration with faculty, and direct engagement with students.

“Our Haub Visiting Scholars program offer students and faculty an opportunity to engage directly with leading voices in environmental law,” said Achinthi C. Vithanage, Executive Director of the Environmental Law Program and Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law. “Their scholarship, teaching, and mentorship enrich the classroom experience and advance innovative thinking across our program. We are fortunate that Randy, Marianne, Doug, and Jim are willing to give so much of their time to our Pace Haub Law community.” Funding for the Haub Visiting Scholars was made possible by a gift from the Haub family in recognition of the essential role of environmental science, informatics and other technology and allied fields towards formulating environmental policy and law.

Randall S. Abate will serve as a Haub Visiting Scholar for the spring 2026 semester, bringing global expertise in climate change law and justice. Professor Abate is a Research Associate and Special Advisor for Law and Justice at Ocean Nexus and is a Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute. In spring 2026, he will also teach environmental, food, and animal law focused courses at one law school and two universities. Previously, he served as Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Studies at the George Washington University Law School and has held full-time law teaching positions at six U.S. law schools and one university. Professor Abate has lectured and taught courses in more than 25 countries on six continents and has published six books and more than 40 law journal articles and book chapters. He is the author of Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources (2nd ed., forthcoming 2026). During his time at Pace Haub Law, Professor Abate will serve as a guest lecturer and a symposium panelist, deliver two book talks, convene with faculty and students, participate in the annual Pace-Maryland Colloquium, and serve as a judge in The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC).

As previously announced, Marianne Engelman-Lado, Douglas Kysar, and James Salzman will also serve as Haub Visiting Scholars during 2026.

During her time as a Haub Visiting Scholar, Marianne Engelman-Lado will deliver a faculty workshop, visit classes as a guest lecturer, and engage with the Pace Haub Law Community. Professor Engelman-Lado’s has devoted her career to civil rights and environmental justice. She recently joined New York University School of Law to serve as Research Scholar and Director of a new Environmental Justice Initiative. During the Biden Administration she served as Deputy General Counsel for Environmental Initiatives in the Office of General Counsel and as Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator in the newly launched Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights at the Environmental Protection Agency. She previously directed Environmental Justice Clinics at Yale and Vermont Law Schools, and served as Lecturer at both the Yale University School of Public Health and the Yale School of the Environment. She has served as senior staff attorney at Earthjustice, her experience also includes ten years as General Counsel at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), and she began her legal career as a staff attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Marianne has lectured widely and taught graduate, law and undergraduate level courses and is a widely published scholar.

Douglas Kysar will visit Pace Haub Law as a Haub Visiting Scholar over the course of the spring 2026 semester. Professor Douglas Kysar is Joseph M. Field ’55 Professor of Law at Yale Law School and faculty director of the Law, Environment and Animals Program. His teaching and research areas include torts, animal law, environmental law, climate change, products liability, and risk regulation. Professor Kysar was previously on the faculty at Cornell Law School. He has also served as a visiting professor at Indiana University, NYU, UCLA, Yale, Harvard, and in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and Spain. Professor Kysar has authored several books and is a widely published scholar. During his time at Pace Haub Law, he will deliver the Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law in April 2026. He will also serve as a guest lecturer, convene with faculty and students, and participate in the annual Pace-Maryland Colloquium.

James Salzman will visit Pace Haub Law as a Haub Visiting Scholar during the fall 2026 semester. Professor Salzman is the Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law with joint appointments at the UCLA School of Law and at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. During his time at Pace Haub Law, Professor Salzman will deliver the 2027 Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law. Prior to his current appointment, he formerly held distinguished chairs at Duke University Law and Environment Schools. In thirteen books and more than 100 articles and book chapters, his broad-ranging scholarship has addressed topics spanning drinking water, policy design, and creating markets for ecosystem services. One of the most read environmental law professors in the world, his work has been translated into ten languages with over 115,000 article downloads. He frequently appears as a media commentator and has delivered lectures on every continent. He has served as a visiting law professor at Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale as well as at universities in Australia, China, Israel, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden.