Dean Langan Appoints 3 New Faculty Members, 2 New Staff Members

Touro Law Center Dean Elena B. Langan is pleased to announce the appointment of three new faculty members, Lauren Roth, Gabriel Weil and Stephanie Juliano as well as two new members of the Office for Academic Excellence, Pallvi Babbar and Lauren Hespos. 

Lauren Roth’s teaching and research interests include business law, health law, fiduciary law, and employee benefits. Her scholarship focuses on the role of the government and employers in American health and social welfare and how to promote equal access to and efficiency in healthcare. Professor Roth’s research reflects an interdisciplinary approach (incorporating quantitative methods, American political development, history, and public health) and utilizes a range of methodological tools.

Prior to joining Touro Law Center, Professor Roth was an Assistant Professor of Legal Writing at St. John’s University School of Law and Associate Director of the Lawyering Program at New York University School of Law. Her publications on health law and employee benefits have been cited as “notable” in reviews of scholarly works, and she appeared on a panel broadcast on C-SPAN to discuss health reform.

Professor Roth graduated from Harvard Law School in 2004 and practiced employee benefits law and general litigation at Proskauer Rose and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. During law school, Roth was an editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, a Ph.D. from Columbia University in political science, and a B.A. summa cum laude from George Washington University.

Gabriel Weil teaches torts and various courses relating to environmental law and climate change. Professor Weil's primary scholarly interest is climate change law and policy, with an emphasis on tools and strategies for managing the poor fit between existing legal and political institutions and the challenge of tackling climate change. His research has addressed geoengineering governance, tools for overcoming the global commons problem, and the optimal role for subnational policy in tackling a global problem, among other topics. His scholarship has also branched out to related topics, including how individual preferences should be considered in evaluating regulatory policies and the failure of the Learned Hand formula for negligence liability to adequately deter the generation of risk externalities.

Prior to joining Touro, Professor Weil served as a visiting professor at the University of Wyoming College of Law and a researcher and manager at the Climate Leadership Council. He previously served as a research fellow at UC Irvine School of Law's Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources, and worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Georgetown Climate Center, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Stephanie Juliano was appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Law and will teach Legal Process I and II. She is the former Assistant Director of the Writing Center at Touro Law where she taught the Writing Skills Workshop to incoming law students and worked one-on-one with students to help them improve their writing, including memoranda, briefs, articles, and writing samples.

Over the course of her time at Touro Law Center, Professor Juliano also served as Director of the LL.M. Program for Foreign Lawyers and taught Contracts Survey and Legal Process for Foreign Lawyers. Professor Juliano also taught the American Legal Studies practicum, a course designed to teach students how to write essay exam answers for the New York State Bar Exam, and tutored many students successfully for the New York Bar Exam.

Headed by Assistant Dean and Professor of Law Sara J. Berman, the Department of Academic Excellence & Bar Success promotes student success from the first year of law school through licensure. The department is dedicated to empowering students to excel in law school and be prepared for the bar exam. Two new assistant directors have joined the team.

Pallvi Babbar graduated magna cum laude with a BA from Long Island University and earned her law degree from Touro Law. She serves as Assistant Director of Academic Excellence and Bar Success and is dedicated to student success and ensuring students graduate ready for the practice of law.

Ms. Babbar is also owner and principal attorney at Babbar & Associates P.C., a general practice firm with primary practice areas in foreclosure, immigration, and family law. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Queensborough Community College, teaching criminology and criminal justice. Ms. Babbar volunteers her time with several organizations, bar associations, and schools.

Lauren Hespos received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross, Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, and Master of Science in Education from Hofstra University. As Assistant Director of Academic Excellence and Bar Success, she is committed to teaching study skills and introducing other skills to help students thrive in law school.

Prior to joining the office, Ms. Hespos served as the Assistant Dean for Students Services at Touro Law from 2006 to 2010. Before working in the higher education field, Ms. Hespos practiced in the area of municipal finance.

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Patti Desrochers

Director of Communications

pattid@tourolaw.edu

(631) 761-7062