Westchester Magazine’s 914INC. Honors Food and Farm Business Law Clinic Staff Attorney, Jack Hornickel
Jack Hornickel, a Staff Attorney with the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University’s Food and Farm Business Law Clinic, has been recognized with the 2023 Wunderkinds Award by Westchester Magazine’s 914INC. Hornickel joins an elite list of 24 business professionals under the age of 35 who were selected for generating change across a spectrum of industries in Westchester County, including Haub Law alumna and former staff attorney at the Pace Women’s Justice Center, Alyson Kuritzky ‘14. The award was presented on May 25, 2023, at a reception held at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club attended by supporters from across the region.
The 2023 Wunderkinds Award recipients were featured in a special issue of 914INC. Magazine in May/June. The article on Hornickel notes that he has provided countless hours of pro bono legal services with the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic, inspired by his deep-seated passion for making the Hudson Valley a better place and his constant commitment to supporting small farmers. “Jack is as innovative, passionate, and dedicated as they come,” says Jonathan Brown, Professor of Law for Designated Project or Service and Director, Food and Farm Business Law Clinic. “Jack joined the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic team in 2021 as our first Staff Attorney and we have thrived with the addition of him to our team. Not only is he an excellent lawyer, but he also has a deep understanding of agricultural issues that makes him a trusted advisor and resource for farmers in our region. Our students and clients are fortunate to work with him.”
At the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic, Jack provides transactional legal services to small farms, food and beverage entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations seeking to improve the food system. He focuses his services on intergenerational farm succession, land use, conservation, and land access. Previously Jack represented small farmers and provided business planning services through the GrowNYC Farmer Assistance Program; these services supported farmers selling in the Greenmarket, the largest network of urban farmers markets in the country and a vital food resource for New Yorkers.
“I take great pride in working with regional farmers,” said Hornickel. “These are our most essential environmental stewards, bold entrepreneurs, and pillars of rural community. The more we improve conditions for New York State agriculture, the greater food security and environmental quality we can all enjoy. Working with the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic provides me with a platform to advance this mission while training the next generation of legal minds.”
About the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic
The Food and Farm Business Law Clinic (formerly the Food and Beverage Law Clinic) provides pro bono transactional legal services to small farm businesses, artisan food manufacturers, craft beverage entrepreneurs, and related nonprofit organizations. Under faculty supervision, law students in the Clinic represent clients in connection with forming and structuring businesses, cooperatives, and nonprofits; drafting and negotiating legal agreements, including leases, operating agreements, and other commercial contracts; advising on regulatory matters, including related to food regulation and land use regulation; and seeking trademark protection, among other areas of practice. By providing pro bono legal representation to its clients, the Clinic seeks to facilitate the development of a more just and sustainable regional food system and economy. At the same time, by teaching fundamental lawyering skills and professionalism through hands-on legal work and client interaction, the Clinic seeks to transform law students into practice-ready professionals.
The Clinic was launched in 2017 with the generous support of the Sands Family Foundation and Constellation Brands. The Clinic is the first in the country entirely dedicated to providing direct, transactional legal services to food, beverage, and agricultural clients. The Clinic is a part of John Jay Legal Services, Inc., a non-profit legal services organization housed at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
