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Reigning National Finalists, Haub Law’s Trial Advocacy team was back at this year’s American Association for Justice (AAJ) National Final Competition for the second year in a row. From April 8–10, 2022, Haub Law faced off against the top 20 Regional Winners from across the country. The Haub Law team, consisting of Mattison Stewart (3L), Regina Rubino (3L), Kathryn Facelle (2L), and Michael McNally (2L), along with their trial technician Angelo Spedafino (3L), and their coaches AJ Muller, Esq. and Mike Luterzo, Esq., were ranked as the first seed in the preliminary rounds of the national competition as they embarked on another run for the National Championship.

Ultimately, the Haub Law team advanced to the semi-finals, losing only to UCLA, the current and past champion, by a spilt decision with a tiebreaker deciding the round. The superstar team advanced to the National Finals after placing as Regional Champions just one month before out of a field of 160 competing teams from across the nation. This past fall, the team also advanced to the National Semi-Finals of the All-Star Bracket Challenge, placing in the Top 4 out of 64 of the nation’s top teams. Additionally, last spring, the team placed as National Finalists in the AAJ, ranking them 2^nd out of 192 teams nationally.

“This is an outstanding group of dedicated and talented students. The 3Ls on this team have been AAJ Regional Champions in back-to-back years, advancing the National Final round (2021) and Semi-Final Round (2022), solidifying Pace’s reputation among the top trial advocacy program in the country,” said head coach and mentor, Adjunct Professor AJ Muller, Esq. “Adding to that yet another national advancement and successes in the Fall’s All-Star competition, this team has brought Pace’s Advocacy Program unquestionable national recognition and respect. This team graduates, Ms. Rubino and Ms. Stewart, accompanied by our outstanding technician, Mr. Spedafino, have done more than just put-up high scores and win trophies, they have taken the time to develop the 2L’s to foster a sustainable future of excellence for the Advocacy Program. This year’s victory was a true team effort with stellar performances all around. We expect to make another run at national victory next year with our outstanding 2L’s, Ms. Facelle and Mr. McNally, who will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Haub Law 3L, member of the winning mock trial team, and Executive Director Mattison Stewart stated, “I am so proud of our team that I have been fortunate enough to compete with. Every semester we put in countless hours practicing, scrimmaging, and meeting to perfect our sides of the case. We individually put in over 200 hours each because we all have a common goal: win. I have become a better student, advocate and person because of the Advocacy Program. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to be on competition teams since the beginning of my 2L year, no less make national runs for three semesters in a row. None of this would be possible without our coach AJ Muller, who truly puts in so much energy and time into making us better advocates, not only for mock trial but real life. Mike Luterzo has been an amazing addition to the coaching here too; his out-of-the-box thinking really helps us one-up the other teams. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my last two years doing anything besides putting everything I have into the Advocacy Program and this team.”

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law’s impressive trial advocacy program once again ranked in the top 15% of law schools, coming in at number 26 this year. Over the last few years, Haub Law has had 28+ Mock Trial and Moot Court Teams, with an average of over 124 student participants on these teams as a whole. The Law School’s Mock Trial and Moot Court teams regularly place at or near the top in competitions. In the fall of 2021, Haub Law hosted its first Advocate in Residence, Gillian More, a lifelong prosecutor with a worldwide reputation in advocacy. Haub Law’s trial advocacy program is led by Lou Fasulo, Director of Advocacy, Moot Court and Client Counseling programs.

“This result shows the quality of our students, the dedication of our coaches and the commitment of our program to remain a leader in training advocates for the benefit of future clients. I will be watching our graduates as they accomplish even greater successes in their career,” said Haub Law’s Director of Advocacy, Lou Fasulo.

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On Earth Day, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University’s Energy and Climate Center and its partner the Westchester County Association (WCA), were honored for their work developing a Clean Energy Program Portal at the 3^rd annual Westchester County ECO Awards. The awards ceremony was hosted by Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Westchester County’s Department of Environmental Facilities at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle to recognize outstanding contributions to the environment and sustainability made by residents, students, schools, municipalities, businesses, and other organizations throughout the county.

The Clean Energy Program Portal is a dynamic searchable guide to clean energy incentives, tools and technical support for businesses in Westchester and the surrounding region. Pace and WCA developed the portal to support the local business community in embracing sustainable business practices in the Westchester County and beyond.

“While the Center works on a broad range of initiatives internationally, nationally and state-wide, there is no more important work than our work in our own community,” said Craig Hart, Executive Director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center who accepted the award along with Michael Romero, President and CEO of the WCA, and Horace E. Anderson, Jr, Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “Our collaboration with the Westchester County Association is important to our encouraging greater sustainability among the business community in Westchester.”

Along with the Pace Energy and Climate Center and the WCA, Westchester County recognized several other non-profit organizations and volunteers whose innovation and support to municipalities has helped the county remain a leader in its sustainability efforts compared to many other counties, states, and regions.

Read more about the ECO Awards

NEW YORK (April 25, 2022) – Mayor Eric Adams will address Pace University’s Commencement and will receive an honorary doctorate, Pace University President Marvin Krislov announced today. U.S. Rep. Grace Meng and finance and philanthropy leader Baroness Ariane de Rothschild, a Pace alumna, will also be recognized at the University’s first in-person Commencement in three years, to be held on May 16, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

For the first time, Pace will hold a combined ceremony for graduates of its campuses in New York City and Pleasantville and from its Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. Classes of 2020 and 2021, who were not able to have a traditional celebration due to pandemic-related restrictions, will participate in what will be the largest ceremony in the history of the University.

“This will be the biggest and best commencement in Pace University’s history, and a fitting celebration for three extraordinary classes of Pace graduates,” said Marvin Krislov, president of Pace University. “The classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 completed their degrees despite unprecedented challenges, and I couldn’t be prouder of their resilience, perseverance, and accomplishments.”

Mayor Adams will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, degree at the 10:15 a.m. main Commencement ceremony, and he will address the graduates and their guests. Baroness Ariane de Rothschild '88 MBA '90, will also receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, and later in the day she will address graduates of the Lubin School of Business, from which she graduated, in their afternoon ceremony. Baroness de Rothschild is an accomplished financier, a successful entrepreneur, and a committed philanthropist. She has been president of the board of the Geneva-based Edmond de Rothschild Group since April 2019 and is the first woman to run a Rothschild financial institution.

Congresswoman Grace Meng will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, degree at the afternoon ceremony for the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. Rep. Meng is serving her fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives and represents the borough of Queens in the Sixth Congressional District of New York. She is the first and only Asian-American member of Congress from New York State and the first female Congress member from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.

Opportunitas in Action Award Winners

At Commencement each year Pace honors members of the New York City and Westchester communities who exemplify the Pace motto of Opportunitas.

Marco Damiani, CEO of AHRC NYC, is the 2022 recipient of the Opportunitas in Action Award for New York City. Damiani leads the largest organization in New York—and among the largest in the country—dedicated to supporting people who are neurodiverse and helping them to lead full and equitable lives. Through its work, AHRC spreads its vision of a socially just world, where the power of difference is embraced, valued, and celebrated.

Joseph Kenner, CEO of Greyston, is the 2022 recipient of the Opportunitas in Action Award for Westchester. At Greyston, Kenner leads a pioneering organization that unlocks the power of human potential through Open Hiring—a hiring process that is open to anyone who wants to work, without background checks, resumes, or interviews. Over 40 years at its world-renowned Greyston Bakery—which makes the brownies included in Ben & Jerry’s products and packaged brownies for Whole Foods Market—Kenner’s organization has offered jobs to hundreds of people who otherwise faced obstacles to employment.

About Pace University
Since 1906, Pace University has educated thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, College of Health Professions, School of Education, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

A first-generation US Citizen, Pamela Guerrero entered law school with a passion for immigration law. Throughout law school, she followed that passion by participating in the Immigration Justice Clinic. Now, a 3L, after the bar exam, Pamela is set to follow her dreams as she was awarded a prestigious Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship. Learn more about Pamela, her background, her experience with Haub Law’s Immigration Justice Clinic, and more in this Q&A.

Let’s start off with you telling us a bit about your background and how you chose Haub Law.

I am a first-gen US citizen from Dominican parents who originally moved to Washington Heights, Bronx, New York, but then settled in Westchester. My parents are both professionals (administrators in education), but neither of them ever served as lawyers in this country so I am also a first-gen law student. As a child, I had the rare opportunity of attending the first public Montessori School in Yonkers, NY and then went on to double major in Political Science/International Studies and minor in Spanish at Manhattanville College. I graduated from my undergraduate program a semester early and immediately started at Haub Law as a January admit. I came to law school, because I learned of many socioeconomic inequities in the US while attending undergraduate school and wanted to be in an advocacy position to be able to address these issues. I was especially concerned with the immigration system in this country and wanted to become an immigration lawyer to provide newly arrived children and adolescents with the protection they need to thrive in the US. Geographically, Pace was the perfect place for me and I saw it as a place with diverse learning opportunities.

You mentioned, immigration law as an interest of yours, are there any other areas you have developed an interest in?

Yes, International Law and Health Law.

You are now a 3L, thinking back, which experiences at Haub Law have stuck with you?

Participating in the Immigration Justice Clinic. The Clinic has challenged me by making me learn how to do all the practical tasks of lawyering (such as maintaining client files and setting appointments) on top of the usual lawyer tasks related to client representation. It has also made me intellectually engage with other immigration lawyers within NYS and actively question the purpose of many immigration laws. The pandemic may have limited the contact I could have had with clients, but I have still been able to prep clients for hearings and learn how to establish rapport with potential clients. Finally, the clinic has provided me with a community of students that are interested in doing the best pro bono work possible and this has encouraged me to improve myself as a person and as a legal advocate.

Along the same lines, which professors have had an impact on you?

Professor Smita Narula and Professor Vanessa Merton have made an impact on me. Seeing their passion in their work firsthand is inspiring and serves as a continuous reminder that there are lawyers who strive to work toward better for the clients that they serve. Both professors are also very research-oriented, which has taught me that being a lawyer can also mean being a student for life and that is a good thing.

Which student organizations are you involved in on campus?

I am an E-Board member for the NLG – Pace Chapter. I am also president of the International Law Society. My participation in campus activities has allowed me to engage with many members of the Haub Law community and contribute to the excellent camaraderie that was already there. Just because we are in law school, studying and working hard a lot, doesn't mean we can't have exciting events that create great memories.

What does justice mean to you?

To me justice means that everyone is provided with the resources they need to thrive in their country and that no one person or group of people is left behind. We normally touch on equality when discussing justice, but what is really needed is equity because not everyone has the same socioeconomic needs. Instead of striving to make everyone equal we must simply do better and allow every difference to be accounted for in any conversation related to societal improvement. Thus to me justice is essentially equity and encouraging support for people/groups that have been traditionally disenfranchised and marginalized.

To me justice means that everyone is provided with the resources they need to thrive in their country and that no one person or group of people is left behind.

What are some of your hobbies outside of law school?

I enjoy hiking on local trails and doing some urban exploring in NYC. The harder the trail is the better it tends to be (Bear Mountain is one of my favorites for hiking due to distance and challenge). As for urban exploration, I keep all the places in NYC that I hear about saved on my google maps and then take a day to visit all the doable places. I tend to find a lot of rare food places like an ice cream place that does ice cream towers in a jar or unique hobby places. I also tend to frequent The Strand, a very large bookstore in lower NYC. I also enjoy traveling outside of New York and have been to Chile, Switzerland, France, Canada, and other far-flung places.

What are your plans after law school?

I was awarded an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship and received a post-graduation immigration law placement with The Advocates for Human Rights in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Before I leave, I plan to study for and take the NY Bar exam and perhaps hike the Catskills one last time.