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The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at �ǿմ�ý announces that it will honor three distinguished professionals and a group of alumni rising stars at its 27^th Annual Law Leadership Awards Dinner to be held in person on March 10, 2022 at the Westchester Country Club.

The Law Leadership Dinner is the signature fundraiser for 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, which honors individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the legal community, the Law School or the practice of law. Additionally, this year, the inaugural Haub Impact Award will also be presented. The Haub Impact Award is given to an individual who has made a lasting impact on the Haub Law community. It recognizes a person who has gone above and beyond to impact students, faculty, and the entire law school.

This year, there are two recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, , a 1992 graduate of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at �ǿմ�ý, Principal Attorney at the Law Offices of Mayo Bartlett, PLLC and , a 1991 graduate of �ǿմ�ý’s Lubin School of Business and a current Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP. The inaugural recipient of the Haub Impact Award is ’99, Founder & CEO, RealFi Financial, LLC.

A former Westchester County prosecutor, Mayo Bartlett is a Criminal Defense Lawyer and Civil Rights trial attorney who has extensive experience in criminal law in Westchester County and over the course of his career has built strong and impactful relationships in the Westchester community. “We are grateful for Mayo’s constant willingness to support the law school, as a friend to our programs and as a member of the Board of Visitors. He has been active in the Haub Law School community since graduating, and is a pillar in the greater Westchester legal landscape,” said Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr.

Brian Hermann is Deputy Chair of the Restructuring Department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Brian focuses on a range of restructuring and bankruptcy matters for both borrower and lender clients. He is also a member of the firm’s Media, Sports and Entertainment Group and has developed a sub-specialty working on a number of music, media and entertainment company restructurings and related matters. “Brian graduated from �ǿմ�ý’s Lubin School of Business in 1991 and since then has dedicated his time and expertise back to Pace. He is a partner at an AM100 law firm and an expert in the complex field of bankruptcy and restructuring. Brian has been honored as a thought leader, a dealmaker, an innovator, and as a best lawyer – we are proud to call Brian an alumnus of �ǿմ�ý and to join the ranks of those who have honored him,” said Dean Anderson.

John Lettera has over 21 years of legal experience and over 27 years experience in real estate debt originations and acquisitions as well as equity investing. He founded and has successfully managed two financing funds worth over $100 million. At RealFi, based in White Plains, NY, he employs 16 graduates of Haub Law, building and mentoring a management team with a diverse combination of legal, financial, management, real estate, transactional and investment skills. “John is a champion of Haub Law, he is a member of the School’s Board of Visitors, an adjunct professor at the Law School, and a frequent participant on panels held by the Law School. Most recently, his firm provided a generous five-year grant to name our Investor Rights Clinic after RealFi Financial LLC, allowing us to continue to providing a unique experiential learning opportunity to our students. We are grateful for John’s continued support and commitment of his time,” said Dean Anderson. In 2013, at the Law School’s Annual Leadership Awards Dinner held that year, John received the Distinguished Service Award recognizing his support.

In addition, this year, Haub Law will celebrate the five alumni recipients of the annual Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Award is given annually in recognition of a legal professional who has impacted the field of law during the first fifteen years of the recipient's legal career. The Rising Star Awardee will have demonstrated a commitment to Haub Law, the legal profession, and an ingenuity of thought that has the potential for having substantial and lasting influence upon the legal profession. This year’s Rising Star recipients are: Cherie Phoenix-Sharpe ’07, General Counsel to Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Fatima Silva ’08, Managing Attorney at Silva Law and Co-Host of Reasonable Doubt on Investigation Discovery at Discovery Inc., Michael Bauscher ’10, Partner at Carter Ledyard, Kevin Sylvester ’14, Chief of Police at Ossining Police Department, and Cayleigh Eckhardt ’15, Attorney-Advisor at US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Law School inaugurated its Leadership Awards Dinner in 1995. Through sponsorships and a journal produced for the event, funds are raised that help to underwrite the law school’s academic programs, faculty and students. At last year’s annual Leadership Awards Dinner, Virginia Wong, Haub Law Class of ’93, a partner with Nixon Peabody, LLP was honored. Last year’s Rising Star Award recipients included Keji Ayorinde, ’08, Associate General Counsel, Facebook; Robyn Downing ’17, Associate, Alston Bird; Caesar Lopez ’12, Chief Administrative Officer, Orlando Soccer; Christopher Messina, ’10, Legal Director, Brooklyn Brewery; and Steven Sarno, ’09, Senior Corporate Counsel, Environmental Compliance, Amazon.