WWBA March 2019 Newsletter

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An Interview with Cynthia K. Dunne
Susan L. Pollet
Chair of the Archive and
Historian Committee
Q: Why did you become a
member of the Westchester
Women’s Bar Association and
how have you participated in
the organization over the
years?
A: When I was in law school,
I worked part-time for a law
firm in Westchester and one
day attorney Lucille Fontana
invited me to attend a luncheon
meeting of the WWBA
as her guest. I enjoyed hearing
the speaker and was impressed
by the collegial discussions
which followed the
presentation.
After graduation from law
school, I worked in New York
City but at times appeared in
the White Plains courts and I
lived in Westchester. My decision
to join the WWBA was
a natural choice.
For a few years, I Chaired
or Co-Chaired the Annual
Dinner and I Co-Chaired the
Criminal Law Committee for
many years. The Annual Dinner,
in particular, was a huge
time commitment but I found
the role fulfilling and was honored
to be trusted with the responsibility.
Q: Please tell us about your
legal career.
A: For 28 years I worked as
an Assistant United States Attorney
and Senior Trial Counsel
in the Office of the United
States Attorney (USAO) for the
Southern District of New York.
I was first based in the Manhattan
Office, and then in the
White Plains Division at the
Federal Courthouse in White
Plains. I served in both the
Civil and Criminal Divisions
of the USAO.
“Believe in yourself and never
doubt that you are as capable as
your male counterparts. Women
of my generation thought that we
had forged the way for younger
women in the workplace, but it is
evident from the #MeToo movement
that we did not have as
much of an impact as we hoped.”
In the Civil Division, I
handled hundreds of defensive
and affirmative civil cases from
inception through appeal involving,
among other issues,
federal taxation, commercial
disputes, creditors’ rights,
Bivens liability, employment discrimination,
regulatory penalties
and disputes, constitutional
challenges to statutes, injunctions,
environmental litigation,
personal injury, false claims litigation
and prisoner litigation.
I worked in the Criminal
Division for more than two decades
and investigated and
prosecuted hundreds of cases
from the investigative stage
through appeal involving
among other issues: public corruption,
civil rights (hate crimes
and abuse of authority), violent
gang prosecutions, multimillion
dollar frauds, complex
tax frauds, RICO, money laundering,
narcotics offenses,
armed bank robberies, kidnap,
weapons offenses, child pornography,
Internet crimes, and
others.
On three separate occasions,
I received the Director’s
Award from the Executive Office
of United States Attorneys.
According to Justice Department
publications, this award
is presented only to select
AUSAs and investigators who
represent “the best in federal
service, through exceptional
service and work product benefitting
the law enforcement
community.” I also received the
United States Department of
Labor Secretary’s Exceptional
Achievement Award (an
equivalent honor to the
Director’s Award), and during
Mary Jo White’s tenure as
United States Attorney, I received
the United States Attorney’s Exceptional
Achievement Award.
For a few years, I served as the
USAO’s Violence Against
Women Act Coordinator.
At the USAO I acquired
extensive trial experience: I tried
more than 25 multi-week jury
trials in federal court to verdict;
I handled countless hearings;
and I argued more than 20
appeals before the Second Circuit
Court of Appeals and one
before the NY Appellate Division,
First Department. In addition,
I trained new lawyers by
serving as second chair or cocounsel
through discovery,
hearings, motions and trials.
I took a leave of absence
from the USAO in 2012, due
to the demands of aging parents.
Within minutes, I was
Cynthia K. Dunne
swamped by requests from
neighbors and friends to participate
in local activities. I
assumed several volunteer
and board positions with local
civic and nonprofit groups,
and officially resigned from
federal service in 2013.
I was appointed to the
position of Associate Justice
in the Village of Scarsdale, in
February, 2016. The Associate
Justice position is part time
and permits me to maintain
a law practice. Aside from the
Judgeship, I have been involved
in various matters including:
federal criminal
cases and prisoner matters;
Clemency Petitions; corporate
matters (regulatory, employment
and litigation); Title IX
proceedings involving alleged
sexual assaults on college
campuses and others.
Q: What do you hope to
accomplish professionally in
the future?
A: I enjoy working in the
Scarsdale Village Court parttime
and I hope to continue
in that position as long as it
remains an option. The
Scarsdale Village Court is a
wonderful place to work and
continued on page 6 ➥
Westchester Women’s Bar Association News
Page 5