APRIL 2012 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE and Election of Officers and Directors Discrimination Against and Women Continues program on "MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR CAREER" Frequently, a question is raised about the con- tinuing need for a women's bar association, Tuesday, April 10, 2012 since women have made great strides in the law and now constitute nearly half of all law 6:00 p.m. - Annual Meeting and Elections Photo by Daryl-Ann Saunders 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. - "Making the Most of Your Career" students. Sometimes people forget that there Patricia Ann Grant © is continuing discrimination against women. Think about Sandra Real Estate Board of New York, Fluke, a young Georgetown law student, who was maliciously 570 Lexington Avenue (btw 50th & 51st Streets), attacked by radio personality Rush Limbaugh for discussing an Lower Level, Mendik Board Room, NYC important women's issue. Think about the Congressional Hearing on women's health issues to which no women were No Charge. Light refreshments will be served. invited either to attend or to speak. At the Annual Meeting, members will mingle, get updates on the I was reminded of all of this when I read the recently released Association, and vote on NYWBA and WBASNY Officers, best seller "Unorthodox" by Deborah Feldman. For complete Directors & Delegates for next year. transparency, I should say that Deborah is my client. I was riv- Following the meeting, a panel of preeminent attorneys will share eted by her book and the unspeakable denigration that this their experiences on the ladder to success and will discuss issues young woman endured, until she had the courage to speak out that significantly affect women in the practice of law. Topics and break free of all the horrible constraints she confronted in include navigating office politics, work-life balance, mentoring, the community in which she lived. rainmaking, transitioning in and out of firms, and going solo. It seems impossible in this day and age that any woman, partic- ularly competent, intelligent women living in New York City, Panelists could possibility be subjected to the daily degradation about Martha E. Gifford, Esq. which Ms. Feldman writes concerning the role of women in the Julie Kane, Esq. Satmar community. Simply put, their function is to produce Lauren Blumenthal Kleiman, Esq. babies and cook and clean for their husbands and children. Beth S. Rose, Esq. They are not to be heard from or involved in the important deci- Moderator sions in their families' lives; those decisions are made by the Lisa A. Sokoloff, Esq. men. Women are not permitted to obtain higher education. For the most part, their formal education ends without even a high For details & to RSVP: Go to www.nywba.org school diploma. Their role is defined very concisely by the com- (left column) and click on the entry for munity, and it is humiliating and degrading. the Annual Meeting & Career Forum. This brave young woman, who was not permitted to bring English language books into her home and who received only Look inside for other events and announcements, including: one perfunctory English course during her entire academic edu- Annual Meeting & Elections - Notice to Members - p. 2 cation in the Satmar community, had to sneak out to the library NYWBA/WBASNY Nominations Committee Reports - p. 2 to obtain books and then hide them under her mattress to NYWBA Foundation Event - p. 2 escape punishment - punishment for reading books in English. JALBCA Annual Dinner - p. 6 Basically, she had to teach herself to read and write English; WBASNY By-Laws Amendment - p. 9 and did she ever! WBASNY Convention - p. 5 Committee Meetings - p. 3 Secretly, she managed obtain admission to Sarah Lawrence College and then, after leaving (Continued on Page 2) NEW YORK WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION APRIL 2012 ~ NOTICE TO MEMBERS ~ President’s Message (Continued from Page 1) ANNUAL MEETING & ELECTIONS the Satmar community with her young son, wrote this amazing The Annual Membership Meeting and elections will be held on story about her experience. It is well worth reading, to remind all Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 6:00 p.m., and will be followed by a of us of the "role" of women in so many countries and societies, program on "Making the Most of Your Career" (see announce- and of the many reasons we continue to need a women's bar ment, page 1). Members in good standing whose 2011-12 dues association; and why we must be ever vigilant about the degrad- were received by January 31 may vote at the Annual Meeting. ing treatment of women in our society, and throughout the world. (NYWBA By-Laws, Art. XIV, Section 1.) Votes will be taken on Speaking of violations against women, I am so pleased that the the nominees for NYWBA and WBASNY Offices (listed below) NYWBA Foundation will be presenting a breakfast program on and on amendments to WBASNY's By-Laws (see announce- “Stopping Sex Trafficking in New York City.” I hope you will all ment on page 9). consider attending this charity benefit. NYWBA NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT I also hope members will join us at our Annual Meeting and Career Forum on April 10th. After the membership meeting and At its November 29, 2011 meeting, the NYWBA Committee on elections, a distinguished panel will speak about how to “Make Nominations nominated the following candidates to serve for the the Most of Your Career” -- an important topic for all of us. terms stated below. OFFICERS (2012-2013) President: Hon. Jacqueline W. Silbermann Vice Presidents: Julie Hyman Amy Saltzman Yacine Barry Treasurer: Ann E. Gittleman Recording Secretary: Jennifer P. Brown Corresponding Secretary: Stephanie M. Adduci NYWBA Foundation Breakfast Speaker Series BOARD OF DIRECTORS Class of 2012-2015 "The First Step is Awareness: Stopping Sex Leona Beane Patricia Ann Grant Trafficking in New York City" Jo Ann Douglas Kay Marmorek Catherine M. Foti Monique McClure Featuring: Amy B. Goldsmith Rachel Lloyd -- Nationally recognized expert on sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking and author of "Girls Like Us." Class of 2009-2012 (to fill an unexpired term) and Bonnie R. Cohen-Gallet Pamela Chen, Esq. -- Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS District of New York and Chief of the Criminal Civil Rights Section, Class of 2012-2014 which investigates and prosecutes cases involving human trafficking Patricia Ann Grant Lisa A. Sokoloff Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Hon. Kelly O’Neill Levy Andrea Vacca Time: 8:00am - 9:30am NYWBA MEMBERS OF WBASNY BOARD (2012-2013) Place: The Cornell Club, 6 E. 44th St., NYC (just east of Fifth) Jennifer P. Brown Patricia Ann Grant Cost: $75 per person* (in advance) Elizabeth A. Bryson Julie Hyman $85 per person (at the door, subject to availability) Dawn M. Cardi Marjorie Martin The NYWBA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity. The fair market value Jo Ann Douglas Amy Saltzman of the breakfast is $30; your donation in excess of this amount is tax Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin Lisa A. Sokoloff deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. RSVP: Seats are limited, so register ASAP. To RSVP, go to WBASNY NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT www.nywba.org/calendar and click on the entry for April 18, 2012. President-Elect Maureen E. Maney (Central New York) will be Info: For additional information, contact Foundation President installed as President at the WBASNY Convention on June 2, 2012. Karen Mitchell, Esq. at [email protected]. The WBASNY Nominations Committee nominated the following for Sponsors: The NYWBA Foundation thanks Baker Hofstetler LLP other officer positions: for its contribution to help sponsor this event. President-Elect: Donna E. Frosco (Westchester) *Special Opportunity - Your purchase of additional Student Ticket(s) at the Vice Presidents: Andrea F. Composto (Brooklyn) above price will give public high school students with a proven interest in Jacqueline P. Flug (Bronx) law the opportunity to participate in a professional activity and excellent Irene V. Villaci (Nassau) learning experience. Contributions for Student Tickets are also tax Treasurer: Maureen Crush (Orange-Sullivan) deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Recording Secretary: Annette G. Hasapidis (Westchester) Corresponding Secretary: Ann Baldwin Littman (Rockland) 2 © 2012 NYWBA All Rights Reserved NEW YORK WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION APRIL 2012 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS SUSTAINING MEMBERS Erin Bansal Melissa J. Muscat With their generous contributions, our sustaining members Katherine Betcher Carmel Mushin make it possible for us to accomplish so much more. We Rachel E. Black-Maier Emilia Naccarato Roll thank these new Sustaining Members for their support. Barbara G. Brown Alvin C. Vanessa Ogar Alton L. Abramowitz Timothy W. James Sharon E. Burdicko Rosalie Perrone Lauren De Lotto Nancy M. Louden Cailin Madden Burke Pihra Hoff Pizzingrilli Myrna Felder Diane Meyers Shubha Mathur Chandra Janice Powers Lisa Fischel-Wolovick Claire F. Rush Riana A. Cohen Emily Perks Quinlan Catherine M. Foti Randy L. Shapiro Lauren De Lotto Leah Rabinowitz Myra L. Freed Michele D. Tortorelli Katerina Duarte Anita Sue Rho Tiffany M. Evans Yesenia Milagros Rivera Lesley A. Friedland Cori Scheiner Report from Ali Kunen, Lawrence B. Goodman Deborah Share Dari L. Horowitz Carol R. Sharpe NYWBA’s Foundation Fellow Pooja Jaitly Dong Eun Shin This summer I interned for Sanctuary for Families, Inc., a non- Erin P. Kandel Milena Shtelmakher profit organization that provides representation for domestic vio- Alison Karmelek Anne Strickland Squadron lence victims in cases involving divorce, immigration, child cus- Atossa Kia Eva D. Stein tody/visitation, and prosecution of batterers in criminal matters. I Michelle Sabina King Maria D. Strohbehn was interested in interning at Sanctuary for Families based on Kimberly A. Klibert Victoria A.