WWBA February 2018 Newsletter

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ February Litigation Tip ✦ THE DRIVER AND FAMILY PROTECTION ACT The Driver and Family Protection Act was recently signed by the Governor to provide further protection for New York drivers and their families involved in automobile accidents where there are personal injuries. This law concerns insurance coverage for accidents involving uninsured and underinsured vehicles known in the industry as UM/SUM coverages. Our Lit Tip addressed this coverage in the past and this new law makes the coverage automatic on all new automobile insurance policies. For those unfamiliar, uninsured coverage provides coverage in the event the tortfeasor vehicle has no liability insurance for the accident and injuries. Underinsured coverage, sometimes also referred to supplementary uninsured coverage, provides coverage for the circumstance when the tortfeasor vehicle does not have enough liability coverage to fully compensate for the injuries suffered in the accident. Many people confuse liability coverage with uninsured /underinsured coverage. Liability coverage protects you when you are the tortfeasor and are responsible for the accident and injury to another. Liability coverage on your policy does not afford you coverage for your injuries or your family member’s injuries caused by the tortfeasor. Here is an example: in New York the minimum liability coverage limits on automobile policies is 25,000/50,000. If you are involved in an automobile accident and the tortfeasor has the minimum coverage of $25,000 and your injuries are worth $250,000 you would be limited to the tortfeasor’s liability coverage of $25,000 if you did not have underinsurance coverage. However, if your automobile policy has underinsurance coverage of $250,000, you will be able to collect the $25,000 from the tortfeasor’s liability coverage and $225,000 from your own underinsurance coverage. (Underinsurance does have a set-off provision for the amount collected from the tortfeasor and that amount must be exhausted to trigger underinsurance. There must also be consent of the underinsurance carrier to settle). Written by Angela Morcone Giannini, Co-Chair, Litigation Committee Other Co-Chairs: Jacqueline Hattar & Kimberly Sheehan Informative CLE on LGBTQ 101: The Intersectionality of Intimate Partner Violence Beth Levy, Esq. On January 31, 2018 the Domestic Violence Committee of the WWBA hosted a very informative CLE training, which satisfied two CLE credits, including the new CLE requirement of Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias (“D & I”). The program, held at Pace Law School, featured a diverse panel discussing the intersection of intimate partner violence in the LGBTQ community and how we can better serve our clients in Court. Shepard Verbas, Program Manager at the LOFT: LGBT Community Services Center, defined both gender and sexual identity terms, so that lawyers can respect our client’s preferred identities. Eva Dolgin, Deputy Program Officer at My Sisters’ Place, described how prevalent intimate partner violence is in the LGBTQ communities and explained how lawyers can be more sensitive to our clients’ plights. And finally, Pamela Howard, Managing Attorney of the Family Law Practice at My Sisters’ Place led a riveting historical summary of the new Court of Appeals case, Brooke B. and what led to the Court of Appeals Panel at the Diversity CLE expanding the legal definition of parent to include non-biological LGBTQ parents of children. ◗ Page 6 Westchester Women’s Bar Association News
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ WWBA 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. Become a New Member Today RENEW YOUR WWBA MEMBERSHIP TODAY FOR THE PERIOD JUNE 1, 2017 TO MAY 31, 2018. RENEW NOW! DON’T WAIT! WWBA Membership includes membership to the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY). January 31, 2018 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. An Interview with Angela Morcone Giannini from page 5 and I learned quickly in raising our boys that there was no set way to juggle it all and each year brought its own challenges. I think one key lesson I learned, which is not easy, is to set your own priorities and not to let the lifestyle of others in the profession dictate what works for you. Q: What activities are you involved in outside of the law? We recently purchased a summer home which has proved to be a great weekend get-away! It introduced me to antiquing and tag sales. I really like the idea of re-purposing items and the DIY projects have been a lot of fun. We also purchased bikes . . . my husband’s idea for exercise . . . ughh . . . but actually, it proved to be a good outdoor workout. As for upcoming projects, I am in charge of organizing an extended family event this year where we will donate our time to prepare, cook and serve food for those in need. Westchester Women’s Bar Association News 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 7
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WWBA February 2018 Newsletter

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