Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University student Harrison Bench ’27 has been named a 2026 winner of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (ABA SEER) Law Student Writing Competition in the Energy and/or Resource Recovery category. His winning paper, “Gone with the Wind: The Legal Implications of the Interior-TotalEnergies Settlement Agreement,” was selected as part of the national competition, which encourages law student involvement and fosters dialogue and scholarship on environmental, energy, and natural resources law.
The recognition is the latest achievement for Harrison, whose experience at Haub Law has spanned environmental scholarship, advocacy, leadership, and hands-on legal work. A Sustainable Business Law Hub Student Scholar, Harrison is pursuing a joint degree program between Haub Law and the Yale School of the Environment, earning his JD and Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law at Haub Law and a Master of Environmental Management at Yale, with both degrees expected in May 2027.
“This recognition is especially meaningful to me because energy law and policy are at the heart of the work I hope to pursue throughout my career,” said Harrison. “Haub Law has given me opportunities to explore environmental and energy issues from so many different perspectives and through a wide range of practical experiences. I am grateful for the faculty, mentors, and programs that have encouraged me to pursue these interests and helped me grow as both a student and future environmental lawyer.”
Haub Law has given me opportunities to explore environmental and energy issues from so many different perspectives and through a wide range of practical experiences.
— Harrison Bench '27
Harrison’s connection to ABA SEER extends well beyond the writing competition. He serves as Student Co-Chair of the Section’s Environmental Law Society Network, which connects environmental law students across the country with opportunities for professional development, substantive learning, and networking. He has been actively involved with ABA SEER since his first year of law school, participating in its national conferences and programming.
At Haub Law, Harrison has also served as a Symposium Editor for the Pace Environmental Law Review, a Land Use Law Scholar, and a student intern with the Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies (GCELS). Through GCELS, he helped draft and submit motions to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress and traveled to Abu Dhabi for the 2025 Congress, where he participated in international environmental policy discussions and served as a student speaker.
His environmental law experience has also extended into government and private practice. While at Haub Law, Harrison has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 2 Office of Regional Counsel, the New York State Department of Public Service, and the Sustainability Advisory Practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Most recently, he served as a Summer Associate at Hodgson Russ LLP. His broader interests center on identifying and promoting law and policy solutions to climate and energy challenges across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
“Harrison’s achievement reflects on his initiative as a student. He is hard working, sharp, and he takes advantage of the breadth of opportunities available through Haub Law’s Environmental Law Program,” said Professor Josh Galperin, Associate Dean of the Environmental Law Program and Faculty Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub. “He has pursued his interests in environmental and energy law through scholarship, experiential learning, professional leadership, international engagement, and interdisciplinary study. We are incredibly proud to see ABA SEER recognize his work and look forward to all that he will accomplish as he continues to build his career in environmental law.”
The ABA SEER recognition follows another recent writing honor for Harrison. In 2025, he earned second place in the New York State Bar Association Environmental and Energy Law Section’s William R. Ginsberg Memorial Essay Contest for his paper, “Liar, Liar, BESS on Fire,” which examines battery energy storage systems, safety concerns, and the legality of local zoning moratoria enacted against BESS facilities.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University International Criminal Court Moot Court team achieved the best finish in program history at the 2026 International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition, advancing to the semifinal round in The Hague, the Netherlands, and finishing among the top nine teams out of 94 representing 48 countries and territories from around the world.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce that two students, Andrea Barba Sánchez and Alicia Scampoli, have been awarded the Justice Sondra M. Miller Scholarship by the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation (WWBAF).
As we prepare for the 2026–2027 academic year, Pace University’s Financial Aid Office is sharing several important reminders for students at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, including academic progress policies, upcoming federal aid changes, and graduation requirements. As a reminder, students should continue checking their Pace email regularly for important updates and notifications.