Established in 1971 in White Plains, the law firm Cuddy & Feder LLP has always had strong ties with its community. When Pace Law School (now the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at vlog) opened its doors five years later, a close relationship between the firm and the law school naturally evolved. Now, in 2025, fourteen Haub Law graduates are employed as attorneys at Cuddy & Feder.
“Our firm prioritizes initiatives that support Haub Law students,” shared Kristen Motel ’15. “Our firm’s Diversity Committee theme for 2025 is: Cuddy & Feder Gives Back. We want to highlight our firm’s commitment to local communities. In this spirit, we came up with the idea to organize a suit donation to Haub Law’s Career Center, which was met with enthusiastic support throughout the firm.”
The suit donation initiative was spearheaded by Kristen Motel ’15, Maximillian Mahalek ’19, and the firm’s Diversity Committee. Both Kristen and Maximillian shared that they both had very positive experiences during their time as students at Haub Law. “The opportunity to participate in different legal clinics, in tandem with the support of the Career Center, opens countless doors for students to get in-depth and practical experience working in their fields of interest,” said Maximillian.
The Haub Law community is a close-knit community where many graduates rely on one another for mentoring, referrals, and networking long into the future.
“The Haub Law community is a close-knit community where many graduates rely on one another for mentoring, referrals, and networking long into the future,” said Kristen. “Alumni strive to stay engaged and seek out ways to support the school and its students. We want to equip the next generation of legal professionals with the tools and confidence that they need to succeed. This latest initiative of Cuddy & Feder is an example of that support.”
The youngest of seven, Kyle Davis-Edwards ’25 grew up in a loving, humble household where his parents held him to high expectations. “My parents enrolled me in a private high school with the expectation that I excel in the school’s top tier sports and academic programs,” shared Kyle. “While my parents were strict, it was their guidance that cultivated me into the disciplined and driven person I am today.”
Susan Cacace ’89 began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney of Westchester County after graduating from what was then known as Pace Law School. In 2005, she began her nearly 20 years of service as a Westchester County Court Judge. A dedicated public servant, after spending 30 years as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge, she decided it was time to pursue a lifetime dream of serving Westchester County as the District Attorney. Now, after winning the election and taking office earlier this year, Westchester County DA Susan Cacace has an ambitious list of priorities to “bring Westchester to a better place.”
Sav Ackerman ’25 has always had a strong work ethic. Born into an abusive and impoverished upbringing, both of Sav’s parents passed away by the time Sav was 15 years old. “There were many hard days growing up,” shared Sav. “Prior to passing away, my mother was a single parent and worked full-time while going to school for nursing. I started working to support myself from the time I was 15 and continued to work throughout law school.”