Students from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University’s Trial Advocacy Team were honored with an invitation to compete in the Tournament of Champions Competition hosted by the University of Houston. This year’s Haub Law team, consisting of Josephe Demonte (3L), Chloe Devanny (3L), Liam Rattigan (3L), and Madison Lane (2L), finished in fourth place at the end of the preliminary rounds and was ultimately eliminated by the UCLA team, who made it to the finals. Haub Law’s Tournament of Champions team was coached by the dedicated alumni AJ Muller ’15, Mike Luterzo ’20, and Madison Stewart ‘21.

Competitor Joseph Demonte received an award at the Competition for having the best closing argument in the entire tournament. “The Tournament of Champions is an intense mock trial competition that I was honored to participate in,” said Joe. “I am tremendously proud of the effort our team put forth on behalf of Haub Law and walked away feeling like I was a better advocate for having participated. Additionally, we could not have done as well as we did without the commitment and mentorship of our coaches.”

The annual exclusive competition only extends invitations to the top 16 trial advocacy institutions in the country. At the competition, the nation’s finest law students showcase their multifaceted talents by competing in teams of four with each team trying both sides of a criminal case consisting of two charges—twice as plaintiffs and twice as defendants. This year’s case dealt with charges of kidnapping in the second degree and robbery in the first degree with the key issue being identity. The prosecutions main evidence consisted of the defendants fingerprint found at the crime as well as the victim identifying the defendant out of a photo array. The defenses main evidence was an eyewitness who opined the defendant was not the perpetrator and an expert in witness identification. Participants also receive intensive, one-on-one coaching from top-tier professionals in law school trial advocacy programs.

"The Tournament of Champions mock trial competition is an invite only Competition that is composed of the best of the best,” said Louis V. Fasulo, Director of Moot Court and Advocacy Programs and Professor of Practice in Advocacy. “I am proud of the effort our Haub Law students put forth this year and look forward to competing again in the future.”

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is pleased to announce that Professor Rebecca Bratspies will serve as a Visiting Professor of Environmental Law and Haub Visiting Scholar at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University for the spring 2024 semester. Professor Bratspies is a Professor at CUNY School of Law, where she is the founding director of the Center for Urban Environmental Reform. While at Haub Law, Professor Bratspies will teach Administrative Law and a Health and the Environment seminar.

“Haub Law’s environmental program is renowned for its innovative curriculum, and we pride ourselves in exposing our student and faculty community to scholars at the top of their fields,” said Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, Associate Dean for Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Jason J. Czarnezki. “We are thrilled to welcome Professor Bratspies to Haub Law. A scholar in environmental justice and human rights law, her knowledge and forward-thinking is a perfect complement to our environmental law program. Each of our students who participate in her class will leave with an additional and enhanced perspective on the field.” While at Haub Law, Professor Bratspies will also deliver the School’s annual Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law. "A highly-sought after scholar and teacher, Professor Bratspies, and her deep commitment to law in the service of human needs will find a warm and receptive home at Haub Law. Students and faculty alike are looking forward to her Spring visit,” notes Achinthi Vithanage, Associate Director of Environmental Law Programs.

Professor Bratspies has written scores of law review articles which have been published in a variety of prestigious publications. Her most recent book Naming Gotham: The Villains, Rogues and Heroes Behind New York Place Names, won the New York Public Historians 2023 award for Excellence in Local History. Her co-authored textbook Environmental Justice: Law Policy and Regulation is used in schools across the country. Professor Bratspies is perhaps best known for The Environmental Justice Chronicles—her award winning environmental justice comic books Mayah’s Lot, Bina’s Plant, and Troop’s Run, made in collaboration with artist Charlie LaGreca-Velasco. EPA recognized this work with the 2023 Clean Air Act Award for Excellence in Education/Outreach.

Professor Bratspies serves on NYC’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board, is a member-scholar with the Center for Progressive Reform, a board member of the Environmental Law Collective, and a member of the NYC Bar Environmental Committee. ABA-SEER honored her work with its 2021 Commitment to Diversity and Justice Award. She was named the Center for International Sustainable Development Law’s 2022 International Legal Specialist for Human Rights Award, and her environmental justice advocacy has been awarded the PSC-CUNY “In It Together” Award, and the Eastern’ Queens Alliance’s Snowy Egret Award. In 1994-95, she was a Luce Scholar seconded to the Republic of China Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei, Taiwan. Before that, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable C. Arlen Beam on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Professor Bratspies holds a JD cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Biology from Wesleyan University.

“I'm honored to spend time with the Haub Law community as a Haub Visiting Scholar,” said Professor Rebecca Bratspies. “I look forward to the spring semester and sharing my research and ideas with Haub Law's impressive student body, faculty, and staff towards furthering our common goal and commitment to environmental justice.”

In their roles at Haub Law, Haub Visiting Scholars collaborate with faculty, guest lecture classes, and work closely with students in the Environmental Law Program and others. As previously announced, 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.

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Passionate about social justice issues from a young age, Angelica Cancel ‘17 knew she wanted to be an advocate, but wasn’t sure what that looked like for her. “I was a Philosophy and Political Science major in college and the pieces just kind of fell into place. I took a few constitutional law classes and found myself really excited about the material,” said Angelica. “From there, I developed mentoring relationships with some attorneys. The idea of going to law school became more of a real possibility and when I thought about it, it felt right.”

Once she enrolled at Haub Law, Angelica knew she was in the right place. “The student-faculty ratio, location in Westchester and proximity to NYC, and the public service and advocacy programs all appealed to me. From the very beginning, Haub Law felt like a community.” At Haub Law, Angelica was heavily involved in both the Latin American Law Student Association and the Advocacy Program, both of which she describes as crucial to her development as a student and attorney.

Today, Angelica is a staff attorney with the Civil Action Practice at The Bronx Defenders. Her practice focuses on housing, employment, and civil rights. Working with The Bronx Defenders is exactly what Angelica hoped to do – engage with her community and more meaningfully pursue social justice initiatives. “As a Latina from the Bronx, I had been following and admiring the work of the organization for a long time and feel fortunate to be part of it now.”

Angelica notes that her day-to-day responsibilities vary as a staff attorney, but the tools she learned through her participation with the Advocacy Program at Haub Law have proved invaluable. “One day, I can be in Bronx Housing Court presenting oral argument or negotiating settlement agreements. The next day, I can be predominantly on the phone following up with clients, opposing counsel, and various agencies. The following day, I am drafting dispositive motions, advocacy letters, and responsive papers. Our office also heavily emphasizes a holistic defense model which means collaborating with other practice groups to address all a client’s needs. Being a public defender illuminates just how much various systems affect one another, which has been essential to becoming a better advocate and community member.”

It was through her participation in the Advocacy Program at Haub Law that Angelica began to build her confidence. “I am the first in my family to attend law school and sometimes I had many moments of self-doubt and insecurity. The Advocacy Program instilled confidence in me from the very beginning. I started with the 1L competition. Somehow, I got through it, advanced, and received positive feedback. I competed in a national competition with my now husband, Jordan Montoya ‘17, and a close friend, Richard Roman ‘17, and we won! I had the opportunity to travel to Florida, Puerto Rico and Vienna, Austria (twice). Of course, those were transformative and beautiful experiences that I will never forget, but more importantly than any travel or accolade, were the relationships I formed with mentors, teachers, and colleagues,” recalls Angelica. “I learned so much from my teammates and coaches, constantly. You develop such a comradery as you go from late nights practicing answering questions in the fishbowl to rooting for each other silently during a stressful round. I knew I wanted to eventually teach as an adjunct professor and coaching advocacy teams upon graduation. After a few years practicing, I was granted that opportunity and have since coached 10 teams.”

Recently, Angelica started teaching Advanced Appellate Advocacy at Haub Law as an Adjunct Professor. “I feel so incredibly grateful to not only teach, but in many ways, learn again. In Advanced Appellate Advocacy, students are so vulnerable in presenting and organizing a complex legal argument. I feel proud to hear their questions, watch them grow as speakers, and perform with confidence and persuasiveness. The students in the class are so talented and it’s been such a gift to be a witness to their passion. It has been a truly full circle experience being able to give back to the Haub Law community that taught me so much.”