White Plains, New York - February 3, 2003 - Pace University's Lubin School of Business is collaborating with the Securities Arbitration Clinic (SAC) of John Jay Legal Services, Inc. at Pace Law School to enrich the service and curricular strength of both programs. In this interdisciplinary endeavor, M.B.A. students of the Lubin School will serve as finance consultants to the SAC and provide expert financial opinions on transactions in the client brokerage accounts of the clinic.

The Securities Arbitration Clinic at Pace Law School provides assistance to small investors who are unable to obtain legal representation because of the small amount of their claims. Law students, under the supervision of a faculty member, represent brokerage firm customers in handling their disputes with broker-dealers that must be resolved in arbitration.

Typically, law firms are not willing to handle securities arbitration cases where the amount of the claim is less than $50,000. The SAC specializes in these kinds of cases, providing service to those in the community who have small claims and need legal assistance in disputing and resolving broker misconduct.

"This collaboration will provide SAC student interns access to financial analysis to better understand our clients' claims of wrongdoing by brokers," said Jill Gross, Visiting Professor of Law and co-director of the Securities Arbitration Clinic. "Students will be trained in working with consultants and experts, a key aspect of lawyering in almost any area of practice." 

In turn, the M.B.A. students will learn to decipher actual (rather than simulated) investors' account statements, understand brokerage firm conduct and trading, and work with lawyers on substantive cases. Dr. Ronald Filante, associate professor and director of the Student Managed Investment Portfolio at the Lubin School, will supervise the M.B.A. students.

"We expect this interdisciplinary curriculum approach to be a tremendous benefit to our students," said Dr. Filante. "The experience gained by the students in our clinic will be extremely valuable when pursuing careers in both law and finance. Furthermore, the interaction between faculty from the business and law schools of Pace fosters the community of spirit and purpose that characterizes all great institutions of higher learning."

Pace is a comprehensive, independent university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, and a Hudson Valley Center located at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor. More than 14,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, School of Computer Science and Information Systems, School of Education, Lienhard School of Nursing and Pace Law School.

Founded in 1976, Pace Law School is located in White Plains, N.Y., 20 miles north of New York City. The School offers the J.D. program for full-time, and part-time day, and evening students. Its post-graduate program includes the LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees in Environmental Law and an LL.M. in Comparative Legal Studies. Pace has one of the nation's top-rated environmental law programs and its Clinical Education Program also is nationally ranked, offering clinics in domestic violence prosecution, securities arbitration, criminal justice, and disability rights.