Please enjoy this special father-daughter commencement Q&A with Steven Epstein ‘92 and Alexis Epstein ‘21 in honor of Alexis's graduation from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
Q: Steven, your daughter graduated from your alma mater, Haub Law, how did you feel once she decided to pursue law and now that she is graduating?
A: I was thrilled that Alexis chose the law and especially Pace as her pathway to make a difference in the lives of others and help improve the world we all live in. It is the size of her heart, her desire to succeed, and her intelligence that empowers her to help others. Becoming a lawyer and now a public defender was a perfect pathway to make a difference in the lives of others. How much more proud can a father be than of that.
Q: Alexis, did your father’s career as a lawyer inspire you to attend law school?
A: Absolutely, I grew up watching him. I would go to court with him all the time when I was younger to watch him in action in the courtroom. I saw the impact he made in people’s lives and learned that I too wanted a career where I could make that difference in someone’s life. I believe that being able to see the reality of what it takes to be a lawyer before coming to law school helped me in deciding whether law was the career for me. My decision to come to Pace was impacted by my father’s experience because he was able to tell me about what opportunities there were before even visiting. Ultimately, I chose Pace because of the number of public interest opportunities and I knew that was something I wanted to go into.
Q: Alexis, how was your experience at Haub Law?
A: My experience was great! I went down the criminal justice path so I took a number of Professor Dorfman’s classes such as Criminal Procedure and New York Criminal Procedure. Both classes were very helpful when it came to interviewing and I always enjoyed his classes. He has also become a mentor for me outside the classroom, which I have greatly appreciated. I also took Professor Mushlin’s Prisoners’ Rights class, which is something I’ve always been passionate about and really enjoyed his class. My last year I was fortunate enough to be in the Criminal Defense Clinic where we represented clients and were able to do so much as students under the practice order. To be able to apply what you’ve learned in a clinic setting was extremely valuable and helped me in securing my post graduate job. Lastly, I was heavily involved in the advocacy program, which solidified that I wanted to do litigation.
Q: Steven, briefly, can you talk about your career and continued involvement with Pace?
A: I am a founding partner of Barket, Epstein, Kearon, Aldea & LoTurco, LLP and head of the firm’s DWI and Vehicular Crimes group. I have also been an adjunct professor at Haub Law for over 22 years teaching trial advocacy. During that time, I have also been coaching trial teams that compete at various trial competitions representing the School. Most recently, I opened The Steven Epstein DWI Defense Institute, which is an educational program designed to teach lawyers how to defend DWI cases. And, all Haub Law alumni receive a 15% discount on tuition!
Q: Alexis, what are your post-Pace career plans?
A: I have accepted a position as an Assistant Public Defender with the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office.
Q: Steven, what would your advice be for future or current law students?
A: There is nothing in this life that is worthwhile that comes easily. The most rewarding things in life take the most amount of work. So find what it is you want, do not let anyone or anything get in your way of accomplishing it and most importantly work as hard as you can to accomplish that goal.