Gender & the Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University

Since Pace Law School first opened its doors in 1976, justice and equality for people of all gender has been a core focus for many of our students, alumnae, alumni and faculty members. The Law School offers a wide range of courses, clinics, externships, and extracurricular activities for students who are interested in all apsects of gender justice, including children’s rights, family law, LGBTQ issues, legislative reform, the judicial system, and public policy at the local, state, national and international levels. Our faculty members provide theoretical and practical leadership in a variety of areas with expected and unexpected intersections with gender, including business law, civil rights, criminal law, domestic violence, education law, employment law, environmental law, estate planning, health law, human rights, immigration law, jurisprudence, social media, and taxation.
Forthcoming and recent publications by Haub Law faculty members
Noa Ben-Asher, “Sexual Innocence in Crisis-Justice Movements: A Political Theology,” in Enticements: Queer Legal Studies (Brenda Cossman & Jospeh Fischel eds., forthcoming 2022)
Bridget J. Crawford & Emily Gold Waldman, Menstruation Matters: Challenging Law’s Silence on Periods (NYU Press, forthcoming 2022)
Joshua Galperin, “Legitimacy, Legality, Legacy, and the Life of Democracy,” 45 Vt. L. Rev. 561 (2021)
Margot Pollans, “Eaters, Powerless by Design,” Michigan Law Rev. (forthcoming 2022)
Leslie Y. Garfied Tenzer, “An Emoji Legal Dictionary,” 83 Pitt L. Rev. Online 1 (2021)
Women’s Association of Law Students (WALS)
The Women’s Association of Law Students is a student organization dedicated to raising awareness of law-related issues that predominantly affect women. Our group, which is the largest student group on campus, offers a forum for information and support for women in the law. Our goal is to improve the status of women in the legal profession and in society at large.
WALS Past Presidents:
Deborah Mark | 1989-90 |
Donna Nassor | 1990-91 |
Susan Guarino-Oliverio | 1991-92 |
Ana Gonzalez | 1992-93 |
Adrienne Paule | 1993-94 |
Joanna Bowen | 1994-95 |
Alison Dodson | 1995-96 |
Kristina (“Tina”) Hendrickson Allaire & Elizabeth Corwin | 1996-97 |
Kristina (“Tina”) Hendrickson & Elizabeth Corwin | 1997-98 |
Katherine Woodhouse McGerald | 1998-99 |
1999-2000 | |
2000-2001 | |
2001-2002 | |
2002-2003 | |
2003-2004 | |
2004-2005 | |
Leicia Grant ‘06 | 2005-2006 |
Carly Grant ‘08 | 2006-2007 |
Carly Grant ‘08 | 2007-2008 |
Carly Lynch-McGuire ‘09 | 2008-2009 |
Melissa Baumgartner ‘10 | 2009-2010 |
Rachel Schwartzman ‘11 | 2010-2011 |
Melissa Peace Tomaino ‘12 | 2011-2012 |
Danielle Meeks ‘14 | 2012-2013 |
Danielle Meeks ‘14 | 2013-2014 |
Kiersten Schramek ‘15 | 2014-2015 |
Eve Lincoln ‘16 | 2015-2016 |
Amelia Christian ‘17 | 2016-2017 |
Alexandra Kontos ‘18 | 2017-2018 |
Morgan Weill ‘19 | 2018-2019 |
Jennifer Fineman ‘21 | 2019-2020 |
Juliana Palmieri ‘22 | 2020-2021 |
Amy Azzopardi ‘22 | 2021-2022 |
Pioneer of Justice Award
Every year, to recognize and celebrate the achievement of phenomenal women in our society who are breaking glass ceilings and laying down foundations for a more equal future, our organization chooses a recipient of the WALS Pioneer of Justice and Equality Award and celebrates her achievements at an event that is open to the entire Pace community, as well as members of the public.
Pioneer of Justice Award Recipients:
1996 The Honorable Janet Johnson, First woman appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals
1997 The Honorable Sondra Miller, First woman appointed to the Appellate Division, Second Department, State of New York
1998 Bonnie Campbell, Esq., Director, Violence Against Women Office United States Department of Justice
1999 The Honorable Judith S. Kaye, Chief Judge of the State of New York, New York Representative, State Court of Appeals
2000 Linda Fairstein, Esq., Deputy Chief Attorney, Trial Unit, Chief Prosecutor of the Sex Crimes Unit, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office
2001 The Honorable Fern Fisher-Brandveen, Administrative Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York
2002
2003 Vicki Lutz, Esq., Executive Director, Pace Women’s Justice Center
2004 The Honorable Congresswoman Nita Lowey, New York’s 18th District, Representing Westchester & Rockland Counties
2005 Camille Failla Murphy, C.S.W., Director, Westchester Office for Women
2006 Dr. Sarah Weddington, Former Texas State Legislature, Attorney for Petitioners in Roe v. Wade
2007 Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation
2008 Catharine A. MacKinnon, Elizabeth A. Long Professor of Law, University of Michigan, and James Barr Ames Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, International equal rights scholar, lawyer & activist
2009 Margaret L. Satterthwaite, Faculty Director, NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice
2010 Honorable Kathie E. Davidson, Supervising Judge, Ninth Judicial District Family Courts
2011 Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (12th District, NY)
2012 Rachel Floyd, Founder, GEMS
2013
2014 The Honorable Jenny Rivera, Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals
2015 Nancy D. Kellman, Esq. ('85)
2016 Darcel Clark, Bronx District Attorney and first African American woman to be elected DA in New York State
2017 The Honorable Sharon A.M. Aarons, Justice of the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department
2018 Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, co-founder, Period Equity
2019 The Honorable Susan M. Capeci, Supervising Judge of Problem Solving-Courts, New York State Unified Court System, Ninth Judicial District
2020 (no award due to COVID-19 pandemic)
2021 Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District, NY)
2022 Elizabeth Lee, Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory

Watch the 2022 Pioneer of Justice Award Ceremony
Emerging Scholar Award in Gender & Law
The Haub Law Emerging Scholar Award in Gender & Law is presented annually in recognition of excellent legal scholarship related to gender and the law published by a full-time law professor with five or fewer years of full-time teaching experience. After an open call for submissions, papers are reviewed on a blind basis by members of the Haub Law faculty with expertise in this area. The Haub Law School invites the award recipient to present their winning scholarship to the Haub Law community.
Prior winners:
2020-2021
Marie-Amélie George (Wake Forest), “Exploring Identity,” 54 Fam. L.Q. 1 (2021)
2019-2020
Greer Donley (University of Pittsburgh), “Contraceptive Equity: Curing the Sex Discrimination in the ACA’s Mandate,” 71 Ala. L. Rev. 499 (2019)
Pace Women’s Justice Center
Pace Women’s Justice Center (PWJC) provides free legal services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. A nonprofit legal center serving Westchester and Putnam Counties, PWJC helps individuals navigate the legal system and obtain services related to divorce, custody, support, financial exploitation, public benefits, and housing. Through outreach events and training programs PWJC raises awareness, educates the community, and trains judges, police officers, attorneys, and social service providers on best practices when working with victims of abuse.