WWBA October 2016 Newsletter

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Chapter News and Announcements Announcements & Notes on Members ❑ Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP is pleased to announce that Annette G. Hasapidis has joined the firm as Of Counsel and Co-Chair of the Appellate Practice Group. Ms. Hasapidis focuses her practice in the area of civil appellate litigation and strategic trial consultation in complex civil litigation for clients before state and federal trial courts in New York and Connecticut. She has extensive appellate experience, as she has appeared on more than 320 appeals. Ms. Hasapidis has also served as a court-appointed guardian at the Appellate Division level. While Ms. Hasapidis continues to maintain a successful solo practice serving clients in both New York and Connecticut, she is joining Bleakley Platt to address the needs of corporate clients in the appellate arena who typically require the added support of a full-service law firm. ❑ Holly Baum is a Buffalo based attorney with over 27 years of experience, as a solo practitioner since 1995, handling the division of retirement assets in divorce and legal separation cases. Ms. Baum is seeking to affiliate with a firm that has an active matrimonial practice, including mediation and/or collaborative law, located in NYS (but not in Western NY) and which has approximately 240-250 hours a year (20 hours a month) of billable hours in QDRO related work. If interested, please contact Holly Baum at 1956mb@gmail.com or hblaw@pipeline.com or at 716-854-0040. ◗ Classifieds ❑ Office Space Available in Downtown White Plains – Spacious windowed office in premier general practice law firm suite just became available. Great opportunity for business sharing and collaboration. State of the art technology, access to three newly renovated and furnished conference rooms and reception area. Full access to receptionist, two color copier/scanners, fax machine and full kitchen. Two blocks from courts and train. Parking and secretarial station available. Call for pricing or viewing: Charlene Christie 914-683-2500 ext. 343. ◗ Become a New Member Today RENEW YOUR WWBA MEMBERSHIP TODAY FOR THE PERIOD JUNE 1, 2016 TO MAY 31, 2017. RENEW NOW! DON’T WAIT! WWBA Membership includes membership to the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY). January 31, 2017 is the closing date in order to count the WWBA members towards our certification to WBASNY and assure our number of delegates. Renewing before this date will allow our Westchester Chapter (WWBA) to continue to be a strong presence in our statewide organization (WBASNY) while you will enjoy its many benefits, events, newsletter and CLE programming. President’s Message from page 3 small, but active cohort of WWBA’s membership who list Immigration as one of their areas of practice and we welcome their perspective. Other committee additions include: Elizabeth Cumming, who will serve as co-chair of the Elder and Health Law Committee; the Matrimonial Committee will add co-chair Robin Carton; Sherry Bishko, along with Helene Cote, now co-chair the Membership Committee; and Amanda Fried is a new addition to the Program Committee. You will see her joining Lucia Chiocchio, greeting you at the door for General Membership Meetings. I am grateful to our-still-very-new WWBA Executive Director Elisabeth Campos, who is the hub of information for our many meetings and initiatives. She truly manages to ensure that the WWBA, with its many details from membership to programs, runs smoothly. She and I work carefully at assembling the new Weekly UPDATE, published every Friday, which is our streamlined effort to keep you informed about upcoming events and activities on a bullet-by-bullet basis. How fortunate I am to have been asked to serve as president of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association. Our members are leaders in their practices, organizations and communities, and their accomplishments are truly inspirational. Bring your colleagues to programs and events. You will be amazed at who you will meet and what you will learn. Build our membership to invigorate WWBA with fresh ideas and diverse perspectives. Help make the WWBA’s voice stronger, clearer, and more unified. Together, we are unstoppable. ◗ Hélène Côté, Sherry A. Bishko, Elisabeth Campos It is easy to renew by going to the WWBA Website at www.WWBANY.org. You can use a credit card or PayPal to make payment. Page 10 Westchester Women’s Bar Association News
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Westchester Women’s Bar Association New Members The Westchester Women’s Bar Association proudly welcomes our newest members: TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF OUR MEMBERS, THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE WWBA ONLY. It’s Not Just the Oscars from page 5 the prestigious Kay Crawford Murry Award for her recognition of the value of diversity in the legal profession, her role as an active mentor to women attorneys, and her dedication to advancing the professional and personal development of women attorneys. Tanya Breindel received the esteemed Above the Bar Award for Most Socially Conscious Attorney for her dedication to one or more causes in the legal community as an active leader, for having a significant history of pro bono legal service, and for working tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, and neglect. A new scholarship has been created by the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of NYSBA to increase the number of women prepared to serve as first chair in large commercial cases. The Honorable Judith S. Kaye Commercial and Federal Litigation Scholarship was created to honor the memory of Chief Judge Judith Kay through a gift made to The New York Bar Foundation. On November 14th, scholarships will be awarded to up to five female litigators with two to six years’ experience who will be recognized as Kaye Scholars and will attend the 2017 Commercial Litigation Academy. The awards ceremony will be held at the U.S. Courthouse at 500 Pearl Street. WWBA members are encouraged to apply for the next round of scholarships. Scholarship information and an application can be found at www.tnybf.org under “Scholarships and Fellows.” Additionally, on November 14, 2016, the Commercial & Federal Litigation Section of NYSBA will be presenting a newly created award “The Shira A. Scheindlin Award for Excellence in the Courtroom” to honor the Section’s former Chair, Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin. Judge Scheindlin served as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York from September 1994 through April 2016. The Scheindlin Award will be presented annually in November to commemorate the date in 1917 that women received the right to vote in New York State. Carrie H. Cohen, now of Morrison & Foerster, but formerly the lead Assistant United States Attorney in the trial of Sheldon Silver, has been selected as the first recipient of this award. At the ceremony, remarks will be made by NYSBA President Claire P. Gutekunst, as well as by New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin, Southern District Chief Judge Colleen McMahon, and Eastern District Chief Judge Dora L. Irizarry. Next in the WWBA’s nomination process are the WBASNY-sponsored awards, for which the deadline is in December. A list of the eight WBASNY awards and their criteria can be obtained at www.wbasny.org. Decide right now that you, or a colleague, are a worthy applicant for an award or recognition. At the least you will learn a lot from the process and, most likely, build confidence and relationships while you learn about your true worth. Send your recommendations for nominees to the Awards Committee co-chairs and help support us in recognizing our amazing members. ◗ Westchester Women’s Bar Association News CLE on Name Changes and Transgender Issues from page 6 “ . . . LSHV seeks to educate and sensitize our legal community to diversity issues . . . ” Audience members inquired about the nuances of language helpful in requesting that records be sealed to protect privacy and posed more general questions regarding what it means to be transgender, leading to discussions of gender identity and sexual preference. Renate offered an anecdote about her own experience, describing how some time after her transition, a child pointed at her in the women’s room and said “Look Mom, look” and, as she steeled herself for what she expected to come next, she heard “That lady looks just like Grandma!” Many of those attending the program expressed thanks to Renate, Bergen and the Pro Bono department of LSHV for educating them both about how to effectuate a name change and more generally about the issues facing transgender individuals, both legally and socially. Subsequent to the program, several pro bono attorneys who attended the training have volunteered to represent our clients seeking name changes. Upcoming CLEs will focus on kinship, immigration and domestic violence, consumer debt and a variety of substantive areas where there is a need for assistance by pro bono attorneys. Please contact us should you wish to volunteer, or if you would like us to tailor a pro bono project for your firm. ◗ Page 11
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Page 9: October Litigation Tip ✦ REVIEW O

WWBA October 2016 Newsletter

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