The Law Leadership dinner is the signature fundraiser for Pace Haub Law, and a celebration to honor individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the legal community. The annual celebration provides the setting for the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award.

Through sponsorships and a journal produced especially for the event, funds are raised to help underwrite the Law School’s outstanding academic programs, our faculty, and our students.  Proceeds from the Leadership Awards Dinner provide vital support to Pace Haub Law, helping ensure that the Law School has the resources it needs to thrive.

Honorees

The ceremony will honor three distinguished alumni who exemplify excellence in the practice of law: Robert T. Adams ’86, Lisa A. Linsky ’84, and Joseph A. Ruhl ’90.

Robert T. Adams, ’86, is a nationally recognized mediator with National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM), where he has spent the past 15 years handling major catastrophic cases informed by his background as a litigator and risk management executive. Formerly the Senior Vice President of Risk Management at Tishman Construction, he oversaw highstakes litigation nationwide, including matters related to the World Trade Center. Earlier in his career, he was a senior equity partner at Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, developing both an entertainment practice and expertise in construction law. He has been repeatedly honored by the National Law Journal as one of the top mediators in the United States.

Lisa A. Linsky, ’84, is a litigation partner at McDermott Will & Schulte, where she leads the firm’s Institutional Sexual Misconduct Response Team (SMRT). A former criminal prosecutor in the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office with more than 16 years of experience, Lisa handles highprofile investigations and litigations involving sexual assault, abuse, and misconduct for a wide range of institutional clients. She also manages complex civil rights, commercial, and trust and estate litigation. A nationally recognized public speaker and civil rights advocate, Lisa has served on the boards of Lambda Legal, the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, The LGBT Community Center of NYC and The American LGBTQ+ History Museum. A pioneering leader in diversity, equity and inclusion, Lisa was McDermott’s first partner in charge of firm-wide LGBTQ+ Diversity and created the first U.S.-based LGBTQ+ Diversity and Inclusion program in Big Law. Lisa is a long-time resident of Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Joseph A. Ruhl, ’90, serves as Executive Vice President and Regional President for Westchester at Orange Bank & Trust Company, which he joined in 2015 to lead its commercial expansion into the county. Earlier in his career, he practiced law before joining Hudson Valley Bank, where he spent more than two decades as First Senior Vice President and Division Executive overseeing the Legal Services Division. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the St. Philip the Apostle Foundation, having previously served as its President and Chairman. He also serves as the Secretary of the Italian American Forum.

Shining Star Award Recipients

The ceremony will also recognize four Shining Star Award recipients. These awards honor emerging leaders within the Pace Haub Law alumni community—professionals who, early in their careers, have made notable contributions to the legal field, their organizations, and the broader community.

Libby Rhamini Barcia, ’22, is an Associate attorney at Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP, focusing on estate administration within the Elder Law and Trusts & Estates Practice Groups.

Zachary Berliner, ’18, is Counsel in Lowenstein Sandler LLP’s Environmental Law & Litigation Group, advising clients on compliance, cleanups, permitting, and matters arising under the Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA).

Joshua Brachfield, ’23, is an Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and representing private equity firms and public companies.

Eve Lincoln, ’17, is Town Justice of New Windsor and Assistant County Attorney in the Orange County Family Law Unit, representing the Department of Social Services in child abuse and neglect cases.

This year’s Law Leadership dinner will kick off a year-long celebration of the Law School’s 50^th anniversary of its founding in 1976. Pace Haub Law offers a distinctive path to practice curriculum that sharpens critical thinking, problem-solving, and advocacy skills essential to thrive in today’s legal profession—environmental law, criminal law, public interest law, corporate law, human rights, and more. Taught by nationally recognized faculty experts, Pace Haub Law prepares graduates to champion justice, give voice to the voiceless, defend rights, and shape policies.

Pace Haub Law is home to the nation’s #1 Environmental Law program according to U.S. News & World Report, and is the #1 Environmental Policy Center of Excellence in the world. The Law School’s successful Trial Advocacy program is ranked #19, placing it among the top 10% of schools nationwide.

Also this year, Pace University, founded in 1906, celebrates 120 years of purpose-driven education, bold ideas, and lives transformed. Pace University provides to its undergraduates a powerful combination of knowledge in the professions, real-world experience, and a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, giving them the skills and habits of mind to realize their full potential.

Pace University imparts to its graduate students a deep knowledge of their discipline and connection to its community. Firmly rooted in the University’s founding identity and mission of Opportunitas, this unique approach will enable all Pace graduates to realize their full potential as innovative thinkers and active problem solvers who are uniquely trained to make positive and enduring contributions to our world long into the future.

Register now for the Pace Haub Law Leadership Awards Dinner, or make a gift here. For more information about sponsorship, journal ads, and tickets, click here. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Peggy Yuen by email or phone at (347) 266-3407.