Jessica Dubuss is Executive Director of Communications, External Affairs, for Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in Westchester County.
Elisabeth Haub School of Law is committed to diversifying and advancing the legal profession by exposing, educating, and preparing underrepresented students for careers in law. Each year, the law school hosts numerous pipeline programs in partnership with local organizations, government, court systems and legal firms who share our mission. These programs, in which our student and faculty take part, aim to advance civic and legal education to empower youth in our community and beyond.
In addition to our annual pipeline programs, Haub Law entered into two major diversity focused partnerships in 2022-23: the Verizon Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, and the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative, a civic education project of the Second Circuit federal courts administered by the Hon. Joseph Bianco.
In March 2023, Haub Law students partnered with Verizon Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program to deliver its Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program, a global program aiming to advance civic and law education to empower youth. The four-part program included classroom workshops on law-related topics at New Rochelle High School, culminating with a full-day capstone experience at the law school.
The program was spearheaded by Haub Law alumnus Jerome Silber, ”™83, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Verizon Business Group. Silber, along with six volunteer attorneys from across Verizon”™s legal department, has been running the program for five years. Verizon currently supports Street Law programs in 11 cities, and has reached out to Haub Law to expand its Westchester County program.
The second diversity-focused partnership, the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative, was launched by the late Second Circuit Chief Judge Katzmann in 2014. The two-part program brings students first to the federal courthouse and then to a law school.
The first part of the program was held on November 10, 2022, at the federal courthouse in White Plains, and featured speakers including U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah, and several federal judges from the Southern District of New York.
The “Day in Law School” was the second segment of a two-part immersive experience, designed to provide Westchester high school students with opportunities to learn about the law and the legal system, including careers in law. On March 24, 2023, the Second Circuit, Haub Law, and the White Plains Youth Bureau”™s Community Youth Court held an event at the Law School for high school students throughout Westchester County and beyond.
And most recently, the law school welcomed back the Scales of Justice Academy for a week-long program organized by Haub Law Adjunct Professor the Honorable La Tia W. Martin, New York State Supreme Court Justice. Each year, promising young women from diverse backgrounds are selected to participate in this two-week program, which is designed to inspire future educational paths that might lead to careers in the law.
Read more about all the ways Haub Law is continuing to expand the pipeline: https://fal.cn/3ABJN
