Established in 1971 in White Plains, the law firm Cuddy & Feder LLP has always had strong ties with its community. When Pace Law School (now the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University) opened its doors five years later, a close relationship between the firm and the law school naturally evolved. Now, in 2025, fourteen Haub Law graduates are employed as attorneys at Cuddy & Feder.
“Our firm prioritizes initiatives that support Haub Law students,” shared Kristen Motel ’15. “Our firm’s Diversity Committee theme for 2025 is: Cuddy & Feder Gives Back. We want to highlight our firm’s commitment to local communities. In this spirit, we came up with the idea to organize a suit donation to Haub Law’s Career Center, which was met with enthusiastic support throughout the firm.”
The suit donation initiative was spearheaded by Kristen Motel ’15, Maximillian Mahalek ’19, and the firm’s Diversity Committee. Both Kristen and Maximillian shared that they both had very positive experiences during their time as students at Haub Law. “The opportunity to participate in different legal clinics, in tandem with the support of the Career Center, opens countless doors for students to get in-depth and practical experience working in their fields of interest,” said Maximillian.
The Haub Law community is a close-knit community where many graduates rely on one another for mentoring, referrals, and networking long into the future.
“The Haub Law community is a close-knit community where many graduates rely on one another for mentoring, referrals, and networking long into the future,” said Kristen. “Alumni strive to stay engaged and seek out ways to support the school and its students. We want to equip the next generation of legal professionals with the tools and confidence that they need to succeed. This latest initiative of Cuddy & Feder is an example of that support.”
When Joseph Churgin graduated from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 1993, he never could have imagined that 32 years later, two of his children would not only be studying law but attending the same law school. “I felt incredibly proud that both Hunter and Emma wanted to attend law school where I got my start,” shared Joseph. “It was the perfect fit for me, and I hoped that it would be for both of my children as well.”
Initially, Melis Ozcan ’24 LLM described her main objective in pursuing her LLM as to sit for the New York Bar Exam, however, her educational experience at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University ultimately contributed to her personal growth while also providing her with a high-quality legal education.
From the moment she learned about Abraham Lincoln in the first grade, Deborah Gross-Quatrone knew she wanted to be a lawyer. “I was fortunate enough to attend a college that had an ABA approved Paralegal program which was very progressive for the 1980’s and that further solidified my interest in the law,” shared Deborah.