Professor Barbara Atwell joined the faculty at Haub Law in 1986. A health law teacher and scholar, she was also appointed as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2009. Prior to joining Haub Law, she clerked in the sixth circuit and worked as an associate with Arnold and Porter. Now, in her 38th year of teaching at Haub Law, Professor Atwell enjoys all of the courses she teaches, with Bioethics and Medical Malpractice having a slight edge as her favorite. Learn more about Professor Atwell's journey to law, her scholarship, and things you may not know about her such as her passion for Feng Shui, in this Q&A.

What was your journey to ultimately becoming a professor at Haub Law?

After receiving my undergraduate degree from Smith College, I worked at IBM for three years. From there, I went to Columbia Law School. After graduating, I clerked for a year on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Still unsure about my career path, I decided to move to Washington D.C. and joined Arnold and Porter as an associate. While I was in law school, I thought about pursuing a career in academia, but it wasn’t until I was working at the firm that I began to seriously consider it again. I had a friend who started teaching a few years before I did, and he encouraged me to pursue a career in teaching. I ended up at Pace in part because of the location, and in part because of the people I met when I interviewed here.

What was your experience working at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit?

Working on the Sixth Circuit was amazing. I had the opportunity to watch many oral arguments – in some ways, it’s like watching a lot of Moot Court arguments because the Sixth Circuit is, of course, an appellate court, so you are watching lawyers come in and make oral arguments every few weeks or so. My responsibilities as a judicial clerk included drafting opinions and writing bench memos. In other words, I did a lot of legal writing, which was quite beneficial for my subsequent positions.

Another invaluable part of my clerkship experience were the people I worked with. Judge Nathaniel Jones had three clerks, and we became close friends, so in addition to being a great learning experience, my time as a clerk was like working with family.

Would you recommend clerking as an entry point before getting out into the legal workforce?

Absolutely! Every judge and every clerkship is different, but often times it gives the clerk an opportunity to refine his or her research and writing skills. If you have a chance to clerk for a judge, you should definitely take it because I don’t believe there is anything else quite like it. For me, it truly was a wonderful experience. It also enhances your resume.

What made you want to practice health law?

There wasn’t one single precipitating factor that pushed me toward health law. I clerked in the midst of the Reagan Administration when people were losing social security disability benefits. I remember seeing cases where people who, for example, complained of pain that prevented them from working were suddenly losing their benefits. My recollection is that some of these people lost their disability benefits without any documented change in their medical conditions. Later, at Pace, I began teaching health law when the school was building up the health law program. I volunteered to teach health law, and I’ve been doing so ever since.

What is your favorite course to teach?

Well, I really enjoy teaching Bioethics and Medical Malpractice -- that is probably my favorite class. To be honest, I really enjoy all the health law classes. I’ve also begun to teach Poverty Law, which I also find quite rewarding.

Another course that was special to me was a course I created a few years ago called Great Migrations. I think it was just a 1 credit course, and it was a lot of work because there was no casebook, but I taught things like the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Internment, Operation Wetback, etc.

How did you get involved with diversity and inclusion at Haub Law?

I was appointed as director of diversity in 2009. I was appointed to help ensure that the Law School is a welcoming and inclusive environment for people of all genders, races, cultures, ages and abilities. As Director of DEI, I serve as a resource for students, faculty, and staff and regularly meet with heads of student organizations, assist in planning events, and advocate for certain institutional changes on campus. My role runs the gamut and I truly enjoy it.

You have a number of publications, which were your favorite to work on?

The last one I wrote was very interesting to me, From Public Health to Public Wealth: A Case for Economic Justice. This article was in the process of being edited when the pandemic hit. And since the article has a section on public health, I was happy to be able to edit it before the final publication and add in the current information we had at the time. Things changed so rapidly, though, that even as I added new information, it was quickly becoming dated!

In some ways my article Mainstreaming Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Face of Uncertainty was my favorite to work on because I am a big believer in complementary and alternative medicine. Teaching health law gave me insights into how traditional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine can fit nicely together.

What advice do you have for students?

My biggest piece of advice would be to really take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to you as a law student. This includes getting to know professors, participating in student organizations, and getting involved in work outside of the classroom (while not slacking off on class work).

Can you tell me about your certification in Feng Shui?

I think it was 2004 when I went to feng shui school. There is a bit of background that goes into this – in 2000, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I attended a yoga class. My yoga instructor had books about Feng Shui. At the time I didn’t know anything about it. My journey of healing led me to acupuncture and to feng shui. In some ways, they are similar in that they are both focused on energy. Acupuncture balances the body’s energy, and feng shui is about balancing the energy of our physical spaces. Feng Shui is really about balance and de-cluttering. I haven’t had time to do much Feng Shui in recent years. When I retire, I will probably dedicate some of my time to Feng Shui.

What is something that your students or fellow faculty do not know about you?

I’ll give you a couple of personal tidbits that not everyone knows. First, my children are adopted and so I am a strong advocate for adoption as a way to form a family. Both of my children have met their birth mothers, and my daughter also recently met her birth father.

Second, my partner is a man I started dating in 2014, but we met back in 1976 at the beginning of our senior year in college. I was at Smith College, and he attended Williams College. We met at a party and remained friends. Although we lost touch for a few years in the middle as we each got married, had kids, etc., we never lost touch for very long. You never know when a longstanding friendship may evolve into a life-long partnership.

Natalie Lara ’25 is a first generation Mexican American whose parents both came to the United States as young adults. Natalie was the first in her entire extended family to attend undergraduate school and now is the first to attend law school.

Originally, Natalie wanted to become a climate researcher, but after taking her first environmental policy course she learned more about environmental law and was intrigued. “Environmental law really stood out to me, because my professor had explained it as a way to bridge science, policy, and people,” said Natalie. “I knew I liked working with people, but I also wanted to advocate for better environmental conditions. Furthermore, growing up in South Florida, hurricanes were a common occurrence. I saw how climate change was affecting my community and other communities like mine, and I realized that I wanted to use the law to advocate for a sustainable future for all.”

So far, Natalie has had a very well rounded and positive experience at Haub Law. She finds the professors engaging and enthusiastic and all are willing to go beyond the classroom and act as mentors to help their students navigate their legal careers. “Professor Narula in particular always inspires me,” said Natalie. “In addition to her impressive legal career and despite any injustices that she's confronted throughout her life, she is still kind to everyone, and she reminds us to do the same. She reminds her students that it's important to process emotions as we feel them, whether we have great wins or great losses. This has been invaluable to remember.”

During her time at Haub Law, Natalie has participated in the Land Use Law Center legal externship and helped to develop the Climate Resilient Development workshop series. She is also president of the Environmental Law Society here at Haub Law, secretary of the Latin American Law Students Association, and Hospitality Vice-Chair for the National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.

Natalie is pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law and when she graduates in 2025, she hopes to find herself working in environmental law. “I would love to end up at a firm full of people who are inspired by the law and continue to challenge themselves.”

School-life balance is important to Natalie and even as a 1L last year she was able to read 100 books for leisure! “It is important to dedicate time to focus on yourself outside of your studies,” said Natalie.

It was 4L Ellie Taranto’s own personal journey that inspired her to pursue a career in law. “My older (twin) brother, Dennis, is an expert when it comes to all things YouTube, Raffi, Thomas the Train, and Disney World. Dennis has autism and has limited communication,” said Ellie. “He requires constant supervision for his safety and attends a day program with other adults with different abilities. My mother has been an amazing support system for my siblings as we navigate our lives. When a member of your family has special needs, your entire family's life depends on putting their needs first.” Witnessing her mother first-hand navigate the legal system to ensure that her brother Dennis had proper guardianship, care, and benefits inspired Ellie to want to pursue a career that similarly helped others.

“My first legal job out of undergrad was as a legal assistant at a workers' compensation and Social Security law firm,” said Ellie. “I loved being able to help people in this capacity during difficult periods of their life, but more importantly I learned so much about the legal system.” This job was a turning point for Ellie as she realized that it was through the law that she desired to help others. She has continued to solidify this decision through then working full time as a paralegal in personal injury and insurance recovery prior to and during her time at law school.

When she applied to law school, of primary importance to her was her ability to not just continue to work while she attended school, but to have the ability to participate in important law school experiences even as a “non-traditional” student. “With the help of Adjunct Professor Lisa Denig, I was able to complete a Guided Externship (or, a "flex"-ternship as Professor Denig and I refer it to) during my 3L year.” Since she was working full-time, Ellie could not participate in a traditional externship or clinic, however, the guided externship allowed her the opportunity to receive class credit while being placed at a company outside of the school, during non-traditional working hours. “This opportunity allowed me to gain invaluable experience in a new and unfamiliar field to me on a schedule that worked best for me. I am forever grateful for that flexibility.”

Ellie is also on Pace Law Review, where she is serving as the Executive Promotions Editor for this school year as they’re hosting the Symposium later this Spring. Ellie notes that “Pace Law Review (and our other two law reviews as well) went above and beyond to make sure that Flex students were offered the same opportunities that were traditionally for full-time students.”

For Ellie, knowing she wanted a career helping others led her to explore law as an option, but it was her work experience that solidified that choice. “By gaining work experience in the legal field, I not only solidified my interest in law, but I also gained other skills that have benefited me in my studies and will ultimately help in my career. I would encourage others thinking about law school to consider volunteering or gaining work experience in law as well before applying to law school to ensure their interest in the field.”

In her spare time, Ellie loves utilizing her Peloton, spending time with her husband and stepson, and taking long walks with her (rescue) dogs, Tucker and Cooper.

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Pace start date: June 26, 2023

When do you feel like you are part of a community here at Pace? (Is there a program or activity that contributes to your sense of community?)

I feel most part of the community when I am collaborating with our various departments in developing, planning, and delivering training opportunities for our departments and offices. When we come together and experience growth through learning, we become closer as a team and proud to further our institution’s mission and meet our strategic goals. It’s important to me to give back to an amazing community that gives so much support to our Pace students.

How do you contribute towards the success of Pace?

As a Talent Development Manager in Human Resources, my main focus is to support our employees onboard and grow within their careers at Pace so that they can continue providing the Pace students with expert service and care. By providing initiatives focused on personal and professional development, coaching, networking, and mentoring, we can collectively “level up” as one big team. We are launching many of these new and reinvigorated initiatives at our in-person Employee Development Days this March, and I hope to see everyone there!

What do you love to do on the weekend to relax?

On the weekends, I like to get silly with my 7-year-old twins and pet bunny, Houdini, listen to old records found at thrift shops, and go on adventures with my partner from motorcycle rides when it’s warmer to trying new food and new restaurants.