WWBA April 2017 Newsletter

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ WWBA Participates in Annual Read Across America Day from page 1 it did so in the Yonkers Public School approximately ten years ago. During the course of their ten year involvement in this inspiring program, the WWBA has donated books, t-shirts and school supplies to the Yonkers’ students and schools. The guest readers at this year’s event included Elizabeth ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Barnhard, Lisa Denig, Shari Gordon, Jacqueline Hattar, Ann McNulty, Stephanie Melowsky and Julie Passman. WWBA President Susan Edwards Colson stated: “We are truly proud and honored to continue to participate in the Read Across America program and promote the importance of reading to children.” ◗ Education Committee Presents Informative Program Julie P. Passman On March 8th, the WWBA Education Committee hosted an engaging and informative presentation and roundtable discussion on “ADAAA Accommodations for People with Disabilities: Transitioning from High School to College and the Workforce.” While many people are familiar with the process of advocating for students with disabilities in kindergarten through high school settings, there seems to be a lower level of awareness regarding accommodations available to students with disabilities as they transition from high school to the adult world. Donna Drumm, Esq. and Molly McCabe shared their wealth of knowledge and experience regarding accommodations available to people with disabilities in college and employment settings. Ms. Drumm and Ms. McCabe highlighted the importance of ensuring that students and young adults, particularly those with “invisible Donna Drumm, Adrienne Arkontaky, Julie P. Passman, Susan Mills Richmond; and Molly McCabe, Associate Director for the Office of ACCESSibility at Mercy College disabilities” (such as ADHD and mental illness), are aware that they are entitled to reasonable accommodations as they transition to post-secondary school and the workforce. The two presenters brought to the table important and diverse perspectives on the process of obtaining accommodations under Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). Ms. Drumm, an attorney and Certified* ADAAA Advocate, advocates for qualified persons with disabilities in schools, courts and hospitals. She is also an adjunct professor in Health Policy at Mercy College, Masters in Public Administration program. Ms. Drumm provided a review of ADAAA Titles I, II and III and EEOC, and she offered strategies for attorneys to assist clients in supporting students during the transition from high school process and beyond. In her role as Associate Director for the Office of ACCESSibility at Mercy College, Ms. McCabe reviews accommodation requests and updates and aligns college policies with current disability law. Her insight into the needs of college students is enhanced by her prior experiences as a continued on page 9 ➥ Page 6 Westchester Women’s Bar Association News
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ An Interview with Hon. Susan Cacace Susan L. Pollet Chair of the Archive and Historian Committee Q: Please tell us about your legal career prior to becoming a Judge, and then after. A. Upon my graduation from Pace University School of Law in 1989, I was hired by then Westchester County District Attorney, Carl A.Vergari and began my 14-year career as a Westchester County Assistant District Attorney. Upon joining the office, I worked in the office’s Motions and Appeals Division, where I researched and drafted appeals and motions, thus gaining a detailed understanding of the law and preparing me for the transition to the courtroom. I spent several years in what is commonly referred to as “local court,” where I prosecuted misdemeanor crimes, trying more than 150 jury and non-jury trials. Thereafter, I was transferred to the Grand Jury Bureau where I investigated and presented hundreds of violent and non-violent felony cases to grand juries. Finally, I was assigned to the Superior Court Trial Division, where I litigated over 20 felony jury and non-jury trials to verdict. I left the District Attorney’s Office in 2003 to make my first run for Westchester County Court Judge. Unfortunately it was not a successful run, but still following my love of criminal law, I opened up my own practice with my husband, James G Dibbini, “[W]omen lawyers should truly support other women lawyers, because if we stick together, we can only become stronger and even more successful.” forming the law firm of Dibbini and Cacace in 2003. Between 2003 and 2005, I defended all the criminal cases in our office, while my husband handled all of the civil matters. This time in my career was an eye-opening experience: it was a time when I stood on the other side of the room from the prosecution table; interacted with my clients, the defendants, many of whom I had prosecuted in the past 14 years; and even entered the area where prosecutors seldom ventured – the “lockups” and “the jail,” to meet with my clients. Those two years as a defense attorney, however, provide the balance in my career that properly prepared me for the bench, to which I was eventually elected in 2005. My first year as a newly elected Westchester County Court Judge was spent in the Superior Court Arraignment (SCI) Part conducting conferences where I negotiated pleas and sentence dispositions for violent and non-violent felony cases. Thereaf- Westchester Women’s Bar Association News ter, I began presiding over felony jury and non-jury trials, while still conferencing and negotiating SCI cases. Then, in or around 2010, I was assigned to preside over the Westchester County Sex Offense Part, a position that I still hold today. This is a specialized part, in which defendants who are charged with sex crimes have their cases heard from the conference stage, through plea, sentence, and a Sex Offense Registration (SORA) hearing. I preside over sex offense ( and non sex offense) jury and non-jury trials, and monitor compliance of convicted sex offenders. In a civil capacity, I preside over all proceedings related to the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act (SOMTA), which includes Mental Hygiene Law Article 10 probable cause hearings, trials, and dispositional hearings. More recently, I became the presiding judge of Westchester County’s designated DWI Part, where, with the hope of promoting uniformity in pleas and sen- Hon. Susan Cacace tences across the county, one judge conducts conferences and negotiates plea offers in all of Westchester’s felony DWI cases. Q: Why did you want to become a Judge? A: I knew that I wanted to become a judge when I was a young girl. My father, the late Robert W. Cacace, was a judge for nearly 20 years and ultimately he became the Chief Administrative Judge in the Yonkers City Court. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was 22, but not before he witnessed my graduation from college and acceptance into Pace Law School. As a little girl, I always loved going to court with him to watch the proceedings, and it was then that I knew I wanted to become a judge. Q: What are the biggest challenges for you on the bench? A: The biggest challenges for me on the bench are presiding over cases involving very young defendants (i.e. continued on page 8 ➥ Page 7
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WWBA April 2017 Newsletter

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