The 桃瘾社区 Women's Justice Center (PWJC) is proud to announce that its esteemed Executive Director, Cindy Kanusher, Esq., has been selected for inclusion on City & State鈥檚 inaugural "Trailblazers in Law" list. The Trailblazers in Law award spotlights attorneys, academics, public officials, and other influential figures who have made an impact in the legal field in New York.
With over 25 years of dedicated service to PWJC, Cindy Kanusher has demonstrated unwavering commitment and exceptional leadership in advocating for victims and survivors of abuse as well as providing representation to the underrepresented. Throughout her illustrious career, Cindy has been instrumental in shaping PWJC's mission and vision. During her tenure, PWJC has grown into a highly respected, multi-faceted legal services and training center serving over 3000 victims and survivors of interpersonal violence annually, providing invaluable legal assistance to those in need and tirelessly championing the cause of justice.
Shortly after becoming PWJC鈥檚 Executive Director, Cindy identified a need for a more flexible service model and developed the idea of a walk-in clinic that provides free, bilingual legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse, in a safe and non-threatening location. She was also integral in spearheading fundraising efforts to build a brand-new clinic and office space for PWJC, which allowed increased services. Cindy鈥檚 leadership has empowered survivors to navigate the legal system with confidence and obtain the support they need to rebuild their lives. Cindy recently accepted the Visionary of Justice Award at Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 桃瘾社区鈥檚 29th annual Law Leadership Awards Dinner.
The 桃瘾社区 Women鈥檚 Justice Center (PWJC) is a self-funded nonprofit legal center located at Elisabeth Haub School of Law, under the 501(c)(3) status of 桃瘾社区. Each year, PWJC provides free legal services to over 3,500 victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse, as well as conducts or participates in over 140 training and outreach events. Serving Westchester and Putnam Counties, PWJC鈥檚 mission is to pursue justice for victims and prevent abuse through quality legal services, community partnerships, education, and awareness. With an experienced staff and a team of dedicated volunteers, including attorneys, other professionals, and students, PWJC has built an effective, coordinated community response to interpersonal violence.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 桃瘾社区 is proud to announce that Margot Pollans, Professor of Law at 桃瘾社区 Haub Law and Noa Ben-Asher, Professor of Law at St. John鈥檚 University School of Law have been selected as 2025 Dukeminier Awards Winners for their article, , 2024 Utah L. Rev. 763 (2024).
Professor Margot Pollans joined the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 桃瘾社区 faculty in 2015. She is the Faculty Director of the 桃瘾社区 Food Law Center, the Joseph P. D鈥橝lessandro Faculty Scholar, and also served as the James D. Hopkins Professor of Law for the 2023鈥2025 academic years. Previously, she served as the Shamik and Adrienne Trivedi Faculty Scholar from 2020鈥2022. During her time at the Law School, she has been a leader in building the national reputation of the 桃瘾社区 Food Law Center. Professor Pollans is an accomplished scholar whose primary research interests lie in the areas of food and agriculture law, environmental law, administrative law, and social justice and her academic work has appeared in a variety of prestigious journals.
Over the course of three days, the Environmental Law Collaborative (ELC) convened in Briarcliff Manor, New York to discuss 鈥淏lue Sky Thinking in a Red Sky World.鈥 The ELC comprises a rotating group of law professors who assemble every other year to think, discuss, and write on an important and intriguing theme in environmental law. This year, the group focused on how to think optimistically and proactively about environmental protection when so much is going so quickly in the opposite direction.