In what seems to be a quest for justice, New York State embarked on a journey of reform, aiming to ensure fairness and equity in its legal system. But we must consider fairness for whom exactly? New York’s criminal justice system would soon face consequences that none of the legislators seemed to consider when they passed New York’s Discovery and Bail reform laws.  On January 1st, 2020, New York entered a new era with the replacement of its discovery laws. Little did we know that this change would become an intense burden for prosecutors and a shield for criminals, ultimately jeopardizing ..read more

Jurors perform a crucial role in the American criminal justice system. Individuals accused of a crime rely upon jurors for the protection of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, often when someone gets a letter telling them that they have been summoned for jury duty, there is an immediate rush of dread. While there are many components during a trial, jury selection tends to be the most overlooked because to many, it is a slow and boring process. The reality is, jury selection is one of the most important factors in winning a trial- a jury decides the verdict of a case…they dec ..read more

In January 2024, I was a competitor in the International Baseball Arbitration Competition. This competition was held at Tulane University.  In the banquet that followed the competition, which was held at the New Orleans Arts Warehouse District Hotel in an art gallery, I had the opportunity to meet Major Leage Baseball (MLB) Player Agents, MLB Team/Club Representatives and members of the MLB Players Association (MLBPA).  I was compelled to ask these professionals working at MLB one question: “Is there a place for Statcast-generated sabermetrics[1] in salary arbitration hearings?”  ..read more

Trials do not always live up to the dramatic portrayals seen on television, and not all jurors are enthusiastic about their courtroom duties. On the other hand, serving as a juror could offer the unique opportunity to unwind and take a break from the usual work routine. No matter the excuse, jurors are constantly nodding off and falling asleep during trial proceedings. In such instances, it raises the question of what judges and counsel are expected to do to address inattentive jurors.    Criminal defendants are entitled to a fair and impartial jury under the Sixth and 14th Amen ..read more

On November 18, 2023, Derek Romberg, Marc Bisogno, Steven Donofrio, and I (Colin Savino) competed on behalf of Haub Law Advocacy in the ABA Arbitration Competition regionals. We were coached by Kristen Mogavero. We thank her for all her time working with us to prepare for the competition and encouragement throughout the competition day!  In the regional competition, each team competes against one opponent as the claimant and against another as the respondent. Of the teams who win against both respective opponents, the four who receive the highest score differentials from the judges advanc ..read more

With my previous successes, one would think I had overcome my fear of not being “good enough.”- that feeling of being an imposter. I should feel confident in being named the captain of  Haub Law’s team in the Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition- right? But it was totally the opposite. That creeping feeling of not being good enough returned. In my early days as captain, I found it daunting to try to take on a leadership position. Questions like, “ Am I really a leader type? What if I made a move that was detrimental to the health of the team?” swarmed into my mind and continued ..read more

The rise of the internet has led to a rise in the introduction of web-based evidence in court. It is something that attorneys find themselves having to deal with on a more frequent basis. Whether it be posts from social media, published web articles, or web page archives, attorneys have had to adapt and learn to deal with such evidence for the betterment of their clients. However, the introduction of web-based evidence has led to a variety of evidentiary issues. The ever-changing nature of the internet and published web pages raises issues of authenticity and the preservation of data amongst o ..read more

On May 23rd, 2023, I landed in Reykjavík, Iceland to participate in a two week advocacy program. I stepped off of the plane into a country of blustering winds and freezing temperatures. Little did I know how much this country and the people I met there, would change my life.  The month of May in Iceland has seventeen (17) hours of daylight. After twenty-four (24) hours of getting settled into a normal sleeping cycle, classes commenced. Professor Charles H. Rose III gave an intense lecture about the value of storytelling in a trial. I knew the minute Professor Charlie Rose began to speak ..read more

Sometimes situations will arise where, at a criminal trial, the defendant wants to admit the grand jury testimony of a witness.  Since grand jury hearings are ex parte proceedings, grand jury testimony will almost never be admissible on behalf of the government due to Confrontation Clause concerns.  See Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004).  An exception to this general rule is when the witness also testifies at trial and the testimony is admitted as a prior statement under Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1).  Usually, however, it is a defendant who will try to admit ..read more

My family has a strong presence in the law: my dad is a New York State Supreme Court Justice sitting in White Plains, New York, and my aunt is a solo real-estate practitioner based out of Armonk, New York. The question when I was growing up was always whether I would follow in their footsteps or attempt to pursue my own career. Through chance, fate, and a global pandemic, I ended up here at Pace and spent  a majority of my time working with the Advocacy program. I always knew I wanted to go to law school because as the old saying goes, “you can do anything with a law degree.” I definitely ..read more