WWBA April 2020 Newsletter - M

Westchester Women’s Bar Association 

APRIL 2020 

WWBA 

WWBA’s Long Standing Commitment 

to Read Across America and Yonkers 

Public Schools 

Julie P. Passman 

O 

n Monday, March 2, 2020 

WWBA board members had 

the honor of continuing the 

WWBA’s long standing and deep commitment 

to Read Across America in the 

Yonkers Public Schools. Read Across 

America is an annual nationwide celebration 

of reading in honor of Dr. 

Seuss’s birthday. Board member 

Jacqueline Hattar has graciously served 

as a liaison between the WWBA and 

Read Across America in the Yonkers 

Public Schools since 2007. 

Six WWBA board members participated 

as guest readers at the Eugenio 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 


Helping Victims of Elder 

Abuse in Westchester 

(page 5) 

Get to Know Our Members 

(pages 7-11) 

2020-2021 Slate of 

WWBA Officers and 

Directors 

(page 13) 

WWBA’s Holiday Party 

(page 14) 

Guest reader and WWBA President Angela 

Morcone Giannini with young Hostos students. 

Angela is wearing a costume handmade by her 

beloved, late grandmother, Mariannina Simone. 

Maria de Hostos MicroSociety School for this year’s Read Across America celebration: 

Deborah Farber-Kaiser, Amanda Fried, Jacqueline Hattar, Stephanie Melowsky, Angela 

Morcone Giannini, and Julie P. Passman. Guest readers received a warm welcome 

from school principal Elda Perez-Mejia in the beautiful new library at the Hostos 

SAVE THE DATE 

MEETINGS. 

Westchester Women’s Bar Association News 

news 

www.wwbany.org 

continued on page 4 ➥ 

DUE TO THE COVID-19 

CRISIS ALL WWBA 

IN-PERSON MEETINGS 

AND EVENTS HAVE 

BEEN CANCELLED OR 

POSTPONED. CHECK 

OUR WEBSITE AND 

FUTURE NEWSLETTERS 

FOR RESCHEDULED 

DATES OR REMOTE 

PRESIDENT’S 

MESSAGE 

Civility and 

Professionalism 

On January 

29th, 2020 I had the 

great honor of receiving 

the New 

York State Bar Association 

Award for 

Attorney Professionalism. 

The presentation 

took place at 

Angela Morcone 

Giannini 

the NYSBA’s Annual Meeting in New 

York City. 

While the event took place less than 

two months ago, little did we all know 

that day, that our world as we knew it, 

was about to change in ways we never 

imagined. 

As I think back upon my acceptance 

speech, I am now even more 

steadfast in my beliefs about the practice 

of law and the importance of civility 

and professionalism. I wish to share 

some excerpts from my speech with you. 

I have always believed that it is a 

privilege to practice law and that it is 

our duty to practice in a civil and professional 

manner. Civility is best defined 

as courtesy, dignity, graciousness, 

politeness and decency. Professionalism 

involves both civility and ethics, 

dedication to producing our best work 

product for our clients and undertaking 

pro bono efforts to help those in 

need. Professionalism and civility benefits 

all of us: lawyers, judges and the 

public. 

Unfortunately, civility has quite often 

been put aside and sometimes 

even discarded along with professioncontinued 

on page 3 ➥ 

Page 1 

The Westchester Women’s Bar Association is a Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York

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WWBA Member Newsletter 


Published Monthly by the 

Westchester Women’s 

Bar Association, a Chapter of 

the Women’s Bar Association 

of the State of New York 

~ 2019/2020 Officers and Directors ~ 

President ANGELA MORCONE GIANNINI 

President-Elect HON. LISA M. SMITH 

Vice Presidents 

AMANDA C. FRIED JENNIFER GRAY JACQUELINE HATTAR 

Treasurer 

NATANYA L. BRIENDEL Recording Secretary ELIZABETH Z. MARCUS 

Corresponding Secretary JENNIFER ROBINSON 

Immediate Past ast President 

KIM BERG 

Elected Directors Westchester Board 

KIM BERG LISA M. BLUESTEIN LUCIA CHIOCCHIO 

LISA M. DENIG LONYA A. GILBERT 

State Directors Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York 

ROBIN D. CARTON DEBORAH FARBER-KAISER MARIAN GENIO 

SHARI GORDON ANN M. McNULTY 

SUSAN MILLS RICHMOND KRISTEN MOTEL 

Executive Director ELISABETH CAMPOS 

© Copyright 2020 Westchester Women’s Bar Association. All rights reserved. 

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) only and do not reflect the official position of the Association. 

Editor-in-Chief: Jennifer Robinson • Designed and Printed by IPM Media Group, Inc. (516) 809-0501 

2019-2020 WWBA Committee Chairs 

S T A N D I N G C O M M I T T E E S 

By-Laws .................................................................. Anna L. Georgiou 

Corporate & Commercial ................ Lisa M. Bluestein, Virginia Trunkes 

Criminal Law ........... Lisa M. Denig, Hon. Sandra A. Forster, Amy Puerto 

Families, Children & the Courts ........... Joy S. Joseph, Lauren Morrissey 

Amanda Rieben 

Grievance/Ethics ................................................... Deborah A. Scalise 

Judicial Screening ........... Hon. Sandra A. Forster, Kimberly C. Sheehan 

Judiciary ........................................................ Hon. Linda S. Jamieson 

Lawyering & Parenting .......................... Joelle M. Burton, Jennifer Gray 

Legislation ...................................... Natanya L. Briendel, Kitley Covill, 

Angela Morcone Giannini 

Matrimonial ...... Robin D. Carton, Dolores Gebhardt, Lonya A. Gilbert 

Membership ....................... Sherry Bishko, Marian Genio, Kristen Motel 

Networking ...................... Jennifer Robinson, Alison Sloto, Erica Sattler 

New Lawyers ....................................... Elizabeth Marcus, Katie Wendle 

Professional Development/Placement ............... Susan Edwards Colson, 

Stephanie Melowsky 

Programs .................................. Natanya L. Briendel, Amanda C. Fried 

Public Relations ............................... Joelle M. Burton, Jennifer L. Gray 

Real Property ...................................... Allyson Lanahan, Michele Luzio 

Sponsorship ......................... Susan Edwards Colson, Lucia Chiocchio, 

Deborah Farber-Kaiser, Marian Genio 

Taxation ........................................................... Patricia Rusch Bellucci 

Trusts & Estates ........ Gail M. Boggio, Nancy J. Rudolph, Karen J. Walsh 

Annual Dinner .................... Kim Berg, Robin D. Carton, Lisa M. Denig 

Amanda Fried, Andrea B. Friedman, Angela Morcone Giannini, 

Jennifer L. Gray, Jennifer N. Netrosio, Katie Wendle 

Annual Dinner Souvenir Journal .... Andrea B. Friedmanm Allison Sloto 

Appellate Practice ......................... Lisa M. Denig, Hon. Mark C. Dillon, 

Hon. Sondra M. Miller 

Archive & Historian ...................................................... Susan L. Pollet 

Awards .............................. Elizabeth Barnhard, Deborah Farber-Kaiser 

Bankruptcy .................... Susan Mills Richmond, Wendy Marie Weathers 

Breast Cancer Awareness ....................................... Adrienne J. Orbach 

Collaborative Law ............................ Kathleen Donelli, Michelle Lewis, 

Lynn J. Maier, Hon. Sondra M. Miller 

Community Outreach ... Deborah A. Scalise, Hon. Lisa Margaret Smith 

Construction Law ........................................................... Aisling Brady 

Continuing Legal Education ..................................... Ann M. McNulty 

Cyber Law .............................................................. Georgea Mancuso 

Diversity and Inclusion ............ Jacqueline Hattar, Stephanie Melowsky, 

Janeen Thomas 

Domestic Violence ............ Lydia S. Antoncic, Marian Genio, Beth Levy 

Education ............................... Adrienne J. Arkontaky, Julie P. Passman, 

Susan Mills Richmond 

Elder & Health Law & Reproductive Rights ....... Elizabeth A. Cumming, 

Moira Laidlaw 

Employment Law .................................................. Kim Berg, Sara Kula 

Environmental & Land Use .......... Lucia Chiocchio, Anna L. Georgiou, 

Jennifer L. Gray, Katherine Zalantis 

Gender Dynamics ....................................... Hon. Terry Jane Ruderman 

A D H O C C O M M I T T E E S 

Holiday Party and Boutique ...... Dolores Gebhardt, Jennifer N. Netrosio 

Immigration ................... Elizabeth Mastropolo, Karin Anderson Ponzer 

Intellectual Property .......................................... Elizabeth M. Barnhard 

Theresa O’Rourke Nugent 

Judgment Enforcement & Collections ....................... Michael Giannini 

Litigation ....................... Angela Morcone Giannini, Jacqueline Hattar 

Long Range Planning ............... Susan Edwards Colson, Lisa M. Denig 

Linda Markowitz 

Mediation ........................... Hon. Sondra M. Miller, Lauren S. Morrissey 

Donna Erez Navot, Abby Rosmarin 

Mentor .......................... Kim Berg, Sherry Bishko, Hon. Christine Sproat 

Past Presidents ............ Jane Bilus Gould, Mary F. Kelly, Linda Markowitz 

Practice Management ......... Jamieson L. Keiser, Wendy Marie Weathers 

Pro Bono ........................................... Marian Genio, Natalie Sobchak 

Social Media .................................. Kristen Motel, Jennifer N. Netrosio 

Technology/Website .......... Donna E. Frosco, Theresa O’Rourke Nugent 

Wellness ................................ Jennifer Netrosio, Susan Mills Richmond 

Women in Leadership Delegate ............................. Adrienne Arkontaky 

Network of Bar Leaders Delegate ................................................... TBD 

Pace Board of Visitors Delegate ......... Gail M. Boggio, Lonya A. Gilbert 

WBASNY Judicial Screening Committee Delegates . Gail M. Boggio, 

Lisa M. Bluestein 

WBASNY Nominations Committee Delegates .............. Gail M. Boggio 

Lisa M. Bluestein 

WBASNY Health Law/Reproductive Rights Committee ..... Shari Gordin 

WWBA Foundation President ...................................... Susan S. Brown 

WWBA Representative Director to the WCBA Board .. Dolores Gebhardt 

Page 2 

Westchester Women’s Bar Association News

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President’s Message 

from page 1 

“[W]e are the custodians 

of our community’s 

ethical and legal sense 

and we should rise to 

the occasion and act 

accordingly.” 

alism in a system that focuses and promotes 

only winning. 

Over 40 years ago, the Virginia Bar 

Association adopted a Creed which so 

eloquently sets forth what each lawyer 

should strive to achieve in their practice: 

“...a sense of personal honor 

which should be manifested, in 

part, by a vigorous devotion to civility 

in the courts, to clients and 

to other lawyers. We must remember 

that courtesy is neither a relic 

of the past nor a sign of less than 

fully committed advocacy. Courtesy 

is simply the mechanism by 

which lawyers can deal with daily 

conflict without damaging their relationships 

with their fellow lawyers 

and their own well-being.” 

Civility therefore should never be seen 

as weakness. You can be assertive, strong, 

tenacious and civil. I am proud to be a 

trial lawyer. A zealous advocate and a civil 

one. One who will not compromise integrity. 

It is possible to be civil and successful. 

In fact, lawyers that are civil, win the 

right way. 

Unfortunately, some lawyers and the 

public don’t understand the difference. 

That is perhaps why our society perceives 

lawyers as part of the problem. Many 

Americans do not remember the time 

when society placed great trust in lawyers. 

Now it is up to us to change the way society 

views our profession. 

If we tolerate incivility amongst our 

fellow practitioners, we cannot expect a 

greater respect from the public. It’s time 

for us to take back our privileged role as 

lawyers; we are the custodians of our 

community’s ethical and legal sense and 


Editor’s Note 


“Every day that we wake up is a good day. Every breath that we take is filled 

with hope for a better day. Every word that we speak is a chance to change what 

is bad into something good.” 

~ Walter Mosley 

Making Dates and Getting Published 

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS 

❑ Deadline for newsletter submissions is the 12th of the month prior to publication (submissions 

received after the deadline are subject to the discretion of the editor). 

❑ Send submissions as email attachments to Jennifer Robinson at secretary@wwbany.org. 

❑ Articles should be 1,000 words or fewer. Remove all pagination, headers, footers or other 

formatting, other than bold, underline or italics. Authors are encouraged to submit photographs 

for publication with their submissions and include a short biographical statement with 

their submissions. 

❑ Materials submitted allow the WWBA a limited copyright and full permission to reprint the 

material in any WWBA publication or on its website without additional consent. 

❑ Photographs must be high-resolution (150 dpi or more) and the subject and all persons in 

each photograph must be fully identified. 

PROGRAM SCHEDULING 

❑ First visit the WWBA website: www.wwbany.org and click on the calendar at the home page to 

view scheduled programs. Conflicts in scheduling will be assessed on a case by case basis, with 

priority for early submissions. 

❑ Contact Jennifer Robinson at secretary@wwbany.org to schedule a WWBA sponsored or cosponsored 

program, including committee meetings, CLE programs, etc. 

❑ Once you have reserved the date with Jennifer Robinson, proceed with planning your program 

and creating your flyer. 

❑ Flyers must be approved by the Programs Committee. In advance of the 12th of the month, 

please send your flyer to the Program Committee Co-chairs for review and copy the Executive 

Director. Once approved, please send your final flyer to the Executive Director, Elisabeth Campos 

and the President for publication on the website calendar and the newsletter calendar. The 

final flyer will also be emailed to the membership. 

❑ We will also consider publicizing programs from outside organizations that may be of interest 

to our members. 

❑ Post-event: You may report on the success of your program and provide photographs of the 

speakers and participants that can be included in an upcoming newsletter. Send your submission 

to Jennifer Robinson, following the guidelines above. 

A d v e r t i s i n g R a t e s 

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Contacts 

Jennifer Robinson, Corresponding Secretary and Newsletter Editor-in-Chief: secretary@wwbany.org 

Natanya L. Briendel, Programs Committee Co-Chair: tanyabriendel@gmail.com 

Amanda C. Fried, Programs Committee Co-Chair: afried@cartonrosoff.com 

Angela Morcone Giannini, President: president@wwbany.org 

Ann M. McNulty, CLE Chair: ann.m.mcnulty@morganstanley.com 

Elisabeth Campos, Executive Director: executivedirector@wwbany.org 

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Deadline for all ads is the 12th of the month prior to publication. Ads are subject to space limitations. 

Contact Jennifer Robinson at secretary@wwbany.org for any questions regarding advertising. 

Page 3

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WWBA’s Long Standing Commitment to Read Across 

America and Yonkers Public Schools 

from page 1 

School. Following a reception, WWBA 

guest readers were greeted at the library 

by a pair of student ambassadors from 

each classroom, each dressed in festive 

The Cat in the Hat attire. Guest readers 

read aloud Dr. Seuss storybooks to the students 

in assigned classrooms and were 

uplifted by the students’ joy and love of 

books and learning. 

The Hostos MicroSociety School is a 

Pre-K through Grade 8 school designed 

to create a microcosm of the real world, 

where each student has a valuable role in 

running the school. Students are entrepreneurs 

and other professionals who earn 

“Micro” currency. Hostos students elect officials 

who run the school government, and 

students serve as judges and arbitrators 

who resolve disputes and as Peace Officers 

who ensure safety. Even the youngest 

students are well on their way to becoming 

engaged citizens by preparing resumes 

and participating in MicroSociety job interviews 

and job fairs. The MicroSociety 

program is purposefully aligned with the 

academic curriculum, so that student learning 

is relevant to the real world and students 

are excited and prepared to be our 

future leaders. 

As always, the WWBA guest readers 

found enormous joy and fulfillment in 

spending the morning with our friends at 

the Hostos MicroSociety School. We look 

forward to returning for Read Across 

America 2021! ◗ 

WWBA Education Committee Co-Chair Julie Passman with Ms. De Los Santos’ 

6th grade math students 

Left to right: Judge Elena Goldberg- 

Velasquez; Jacqueline Hattar; Stephanie 

Melowsky; Dr. Andrea Coddett, Deputy 

Superintendent of the Yonkers Public 

Schools; Amanda Fried; and Julie P. Passman 

Left to right: Jessy Mendez of Arts 

Westchester, Amanda Fried, Julie Passman, 

Jacqueline Hattar, Deborah Farber-Kaiser, 

and Hostos School Principal Elda Perez- 

Mejia 

Guest reader and WWBA Vice President Jacqueline Hattar reads to 

eager young learners 

Student ambassadors greet guest reader and WWBA Vice President 

Amanda Fried 

Page 4 


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Helping Victims of Elder Abuse in Westchester 

Malya Levin and Fredric I. Green 

Dora, age 75, has reported her son’s repeated physical abuse to the 

police. This is the third time the District Attorney has charged him with a 

crime but Dora feels extremely conflicted about testifying against him. The 

last two charges were dropped after Dora’s son convinced her to let him 

move back in with her, promising things would be better. How will this time 

be different? 

Eric, 83, never married or had children and lives alone in the beautiful 

family home he inherited. As he grows increasingly confused, he becomes 

dependent on his plumber, who has become his health care proxy 

and has power of attorney. His longtime bank notices suspicious activity 

on his account and reports its concerns to the District Attorney. How will 

Eric stay safe during the investigation and prosecution? 

These are just two of the 

many potential scenarios 

that describe the difficult issues 

involved in elder abuse 

cases. Elder abuse is a complex 

and prevalent phenomenon, 

with one in 10 people 

over 60 years old experiencing 

some form of abuse. Elder 

abuse can be a crime 

from page 3 

and the needs of people 

who experience elder abuse 

are intensive and multifaceted. 

Perpetrators of abuse 

can take advantage of a 

victim’s physical and cognitive 

vulnerabilities, often 

causing further decline. 

People who experience 

abuse are often isolated 

we should rise to the occasion 

and act accordingly. 

President Lincoln, well recognized 

the unique role we, 

as attorneys, hold in society: 

“As a peacemaker, the 

lawyer has the superior 

opportunity to be the 

good person.” 

So how do we accomplish 

this? 

In our professional lives, 

there are times that we learn, 

times that we do and times 

when we give back. For those 

of us that are seasoned attorneys, 

it is up to us to be the 

role models and mentors. I 

have been most fortunate in 

my career to have excellent 

role models: The late Honorable 

Isaac Rubin, Appellate 

Division, Second Department, 

a man of great legal wisdom 

and honor, the great Henry 

Miller, one of the finest trial 

lawyers in NY, a man of the 

highest ethical standards and 

Past President of both the 

NYSBA and WCBA. (In fact, I 

spoke to Henry before giving 

my speech and asked what he 

would share with attorneys 

about civility in the practice of 

law and his advice was to tell 

the attorneys to be humble 

because with humility comes 

civility and on a practical note, 

return all phone calls and 

emails!) I have also had the 

very good fortune of working 

with my law partner Lucille 

Fontana, a great trial lawyer 

who epitomizes civility in and 

from family, friends and social 

service agencies, causing 

critical needs of all sorts 

to go unmet. Most elder 

abuse includes some form of 

financial exploitation, plunging 

many victims into economic 

crisis. Further complicating 

the abuse are the 

feelings of love and trust, as 

outside the courtroom. 

Because I had the good 

fortune of having these great 

role models and mentors, I 

have in turn mentored many 

law students over the years and 

take the role very seriously. 

I strongly believe we can 

only raise the status of our profession 

by devoting time to the 

generations that will come after 

us to ensure that society 

understands the essential role 

lawyers play in our communities 

and in our democracy. 

For the young attorneys, I 

do well recall battles experienced 

when more experienced 

attorneys were less than civil. 

There is no excuse for such 

behavior. But I remind you, 

as I remind my own son who is 

a new attorney; you are indeed 

well as hurt and betrayal, 

which people who experience 

abuse have toward 

those who have harmed 

them. The perpetrators are 

often their family, caretakers 

or trusted friends. Fear of 

making a complaint, feelings 

of embarrassment, and fear 

for one’s safety are always 

overriding concerns in cases 

involving older victims. 

To holistically and effectively 

address the needs of 

older victims the Westchester 

County District Attorney’s 

Office partnered with the 

Westchester County Department 

of Social Services/ 

Adult Protective Services, 

Westchester County Senior 

Programs and Services, the 

Harry and Jeanette 

Weinberg Center for Elder 

Justice at the Hebrew Home 

at Riverdale, the Pace 

Women’s Justice Center and 


President’s message 

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talented having achieved admission 

to the Bar but you must 

not forget that you also have 

power. Power to be civil and 

responsible in your actions. 

You can take control of the situation 

by being civil and the 

judiciary will and should recognize 

your actions and support 

them. Civility must be 

practiced. Establishing yourself 

as a civil lawyer does not 

result from one day’s actions 

or even one year’s work. It 

does build, however, upon 

each day’s actions and each 

day’s work. It is a culmination 

of your actions over your 

entire career. You are now 

building that strong foundation 

for your many future years of 

practice. Embrace it, be civil 



Page 5

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Helping Victims of Elder Abuse in Westchester 

from previous page 

the New York State Office of 

the Attorney General to found 

the Westchester County Elder 

Abuse Multidisciplinary Team 

(MDT). The Westchester 

County Department of Social 

Services provides some funding 

for the MDT. The team has 

since expanded to include 

Hudson Valley Legal Services, 

Westchester County Department 

of Community Mental 

Health and Family Services of 

Westchester’s Elder Abuse Prevention 

program. 

An MDT generally consists 

of a group of professionals representing 

different agencies. 

These team members have different 

backgrounds and areas 

of expertise who work together 

to address elder abuse within 

the same geographic area. The 

team meets regularly to discuss 

emergent complex cases of elder 

abuse, gather relevant information, 

and then strategically 

craft a multi-agency action 

plan for each client. Since 

its first meeting in January 

2012, the team has worked on 

over a 120 complex elder 

abuse cases. 

Westchester District Attorney 

Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. 

stresses the value and importance 

of this collaborative process. 

“Participating in the elder 

abuse MDT helps our Of- 

“Fear of making a complaint, 

feelings of embarrassment, and 

fear for one’s safety are always 

overriding concerns in cases 

involving older victims.” 

fice create stronger cases. 

When these passionate professionals 

who know the victim 

and the situation in different 

ways exchange their insights, 

the team gains a more thorough 

understanding of potential 

sources of evidence and 

investigatory avenues to pursue. 

The perspectives offered 

from the points of view of each 

of the MDT’s stakeholders offer 

invaluable insights into each 

case and each vulnerable senior.” 

Fredric Green, Second 

Deputy District Attorney and 

Chief of the Special Prosecutions 

Division adds, “even 

when we cannot prosecute a 

case, the agencies represented 

at the MDT make sure that resources 

for older victims, related 

to their housing, banking, 

health and other daily 

needs are always being addressed.” 

In 2018, Governor 

Cuomo included $8.4 million 

in his budget to fund MDTs in 

every county in New York State. 

“Our office is pleased to see 

this effective and efficient technique 

gain statewide traction,” 

says Green. “For us, it’s about 

justice for victims. To achieve 

that, we all need to work together.” 

John Befus, First Deputy 

Commissioner of the Department 

of Social Services that 

oversees the Adult Protective 

staff who are key members on 

the MDT, praised the team’s 

professionalism and commitment 

stating, “the MDT par- 

ticipants are a dedicated group 

of professionals who come together 

from many different disciplines, 

to genuinely make a 

difference in the lives of abused 

and exploited older adults.” ◗ 

Malya Levin is the Westchester 

County Elder Abuse Multi-Disciplinary 

Team Coordinator and Senior 

Staff Attorney at the Harry and 

Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder 

Justice at the Hebrew Home in 

Riverdale, N.Y. Fredric I. Green is 

the Second Deputy District Attorney 

and Chief of the Special Prosecutions 

Division at the 

Westchester County District 

Attorney’s Office. 

For more information on the 

county’s MDT, or to refer a case to 

the team, email Malya Levin, at 

malya.levin@theweinbergcenter.org. 

The DA’s Office Elder Abuse Unit 

can be reached at (914) 995- 

3000 or after hours on their Elder 

abuse helpline at (914) 995- 

1940. 

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Legal Services Community. 

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jamie.o’connell@bnymellon.com 

www.bnymellonwealth.com 

Larry McElroen, Senior Managing Director 

Michael Henderson, Senior Managing Director 

Anthony Forgione, Managing Director 

Moira Kiernan, Managing Director 

Luis Rivera, Associate Managing Director 

To learn about Sterling’s full suite 

of services, visit snb.com. 

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Page 6 


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Getting to Know Our Members 

An Interview with Kimberly Sheehan 

Susan L. Pollet 

Chair of the Archive and 

Historian Committee 

Q: When did you join the 

WWBA, and why did you join 

it? 

A: I believe I joined the 

WWBA in 2008, when my first 

of three children went off to 

college and I was seeking to 

get more involved with career 

advancing opportunities. I 

wanted to expand my career 

horizons, meet other women 

with similar interests and personal 

challenges I had faced 

and just explore what the 

WWBA had to offer. 

Q: Which WWBA activities 

have you been involved in? 

A: I was a Co-Chair of the 

Litigation Committee since 

shortly after joining the 

WWBA up until this year. 

During my time on the Litigation 

Committee, I have been 

involved in a number of CLEs 

presented by the Litigation 

Committee. I have also been 

a member of the Judicial 

Screening Committee for 

about five years and a Co- 

Chair of that committee since 

last year. This committee 

screens judges running for 

election in the Ninth Judicial 

District. It gets very busy in 

September, October and early 

November with interviewing 

judges in the evenings and 

ultimately publishing the 

WWBA ratings for those 

judges. 

Q: Please tell our members 

about your legal career. 

A: My first legal job was at a 

White Plains firm that did insurance 

defense litigation with 

some very seasoned trial attorneys. 

Back in the 80’s, 

“I believe that women today have so 

many more opportunities to merge 

family and career. I think law firms 

have recognized the value of providing 

flex time, part-time, job share and 

remote working opportunities for 

women with children.” 

when the I.A.S system was undergoing 

many changes, litigation 

firms found themselves 

needing more attorneys to 

cover court appearances and 

depositions. I sort of fell into 

the job and it seemed to be a 

good fit for me. I focused primarily 

on a medical malpractice 

caseload, defending doctors, 

hospitals and nurses. I 

successfully tried my first case 

to verdict a year after joining 

this firm! I will never forget that 

trial! It was a “one on one” 

trial with a seasoned plaintiff’s 

trial attorney and there was no 

codefendant counsel for me to 

rely upon or learn from. I had 

never tried a case to verdict and 

here I was trying a medical 

malpractice case – which is not 

bifurcated, but is a full trial with 

liability and damages tried together 

– before a Judge who 

was a difficult assignment even 

for my experienced adversary. 

I had never cross-examined a 

witness, let alone an expert and 

found myself cross-examining 

a neurologist and an OB-GYN. 

Everything about that trial is 

indelibly ingrained in my head. 

The firm I was with believed in 

learning through experience 

although, unfortunately, I don’t 

believe any firm would consider 

such a practice today with the 

scrutiny and demands that institutional 

defendants place on 

firms. 

I left that firm for a short 

stint at a NYC firm focusing on 

product liability and asbestos 

defense litigation controlled by 

large defense committees. 

Coming from the courtroom 

and going into the boardroom 

to litigate via committees made 

up of various large defense 

firms was not my idea of litigation. 

I returned to Westchester 

and worked in a firm that acted 

as Trial Counsel to the 

Westchester County Attorney’s 

office before leaving to start my 

family. After taking four years 

off to have three kids, I returned 

to the work force at another 

White Plains firm that did insurance 

defense litigation 

where I remained for 23 years 

and which permitted part-time 

employment for women attorneys. 

That firm closed its doors 

this past February and merged 

with another larger firm. I 

elected to become Of Counsel 

to my current firm, Fullerton 

Beck, LLP, an all woman owned 

firm which started in 2018 and 

is continuing to expand. I am 

still engaged in insurance defense 

litigation after 30 plus 

years of practice. I guess I can 

confidently state that I know a 

thing or two about the field. 

Q: In your experience, how 

has the landscape changed 

over the course of your legal 

career, if at all, for women law 

Kimberly Sheehan 

students and women lawyers 

in Westchester County. 

A: I believe that women today 

have so many more opportunities 

to merge family 

and career. I think law firms 

have recognized the value of 

providing flex time, part-time, 

job share and remote working 

opportunities for women 

with children. Women who 

work less than full-time tend 

to be more focused due to the 

need to cram more into less 

time. The sheer number of 

women attorneys in the work 

force have forced law firms to 

adjust and accommodate the 

needs of woman attorneys 

who wish to continue working 

while still maintaining 

family responsibilities. I suspect 

that the “ Me Too” Movement 

has beneficially impacted 

women in the sense 

that it has forced employers 

to alter unacceptable behavior 

and/or practices that may 

have previously been ignored 

in the workforce as well as in 

academia. 

Q: What are your other community 

activities when you 



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An Interview with Michael Markhoff 




Q: Why did you become a 

member of the Westchester 

Women’s Bar Association? 

A:The late, great Don Klein 

encouraged me to join the 

WWBA approximately 20 

years ago. Don was very active 

in the trusts and estates 

bar and he actively recruited 

young lawyers to join various 

bar associations. He felt 

strongly that the growth as an 

attorney was accomplished as 

much by networking and immersion 

in the legal community 

as it was by pedantic 

learning. I followed Don’s 

advice and subsequently 

served as a board member 

and president for a number 

of bar associations and estate 

planning councils. I was 

especially intrigued as a 

young lawyer with Don’s active 

participation in the 

WWBA trusts and estates 

committee since he was the 

only man in the group. Don 

hounded me to join him for 

the monthly roundtable discussions 

and, because of his 

persistence, I have professional 

relationships with many 

members which continue to 

this day. 

Q: You have served on the 

Board of Directors and Leadership 

Committee of the 


Foundation. Please 

tell us about that activity. 

A: I was excited to receive the 

call from Susan Brown asking 

me join the Foundation 

Board because it felt like an 

extension of my involvement 

with the Westchester Community 

Foundation. It’s easy to 

“Trusts and estates is a very 

personal area because my advice can 

have a significant impact on a family 

for many generations. It also 

involves simultaneously satisfying 

very different personalities and 

needs without causing too much 

intrafamily turmoil.” 

have a myopic view of the opportunities 

afforded to residents 

of Westchester County. We 

watch the news and tend to 

think that only people in New 

York City have issues with fairness 

in the workplace and access 

to legal and educational 

services, however, these problems 

are just as prevalent in our 

neighborhoods. Frankly, the 

difficulty lies more with the desire 

to help as many worthy 

non-profits as possible while 

preserving the foundation’s 

capital for future needs. 

Q: Please tell us about your 

legal career and what it has 

meant to you. 

A: While I come from a family 

of attorneys (my father and I are 

partners in the same firm and 

my grandfather and uncle practiced 

in the same firm), attending 

law school was the last 

thing on my mind as I about to 

graduate from college. I decided 

not to follow my friends 

to the allure of the investment 

banking world and chose law 

school because I felt that the 

experience would teach me to 

think critically and better train 

me for whatever profession I 

chose. I found an affinity for 

tax and trusts and estates law 

while in law school because I 

enjoyed research and dissecting 

complicated issues to find 

an appropriate solution. While 

the constant change in tax laws 

is challenging, it forces me to 

be current on a weekly, if not 

daily, basis. You can go on 

vacation for a week and return 

to find out that everything you 

have been doing is obsolete. 

To me, this is part of the attraction 

to this practice. Learning 

to adapt to change and developing 

new solutions is a great 

intellectual challenge. 

Trusts and estates is a very 

personal area because my advice 

can have a significant impact 

on a family for many generations. 

It also involves simultaneously 

satisfying very different 

personalities and needs 

without causing too much 

intrafamily turmoil. 

Now 29 years removed 

from graduating law school, I 

still get great enjoyment from 

working with families which 

have many goals they want to 

accomplish and creating a sophisticated 

plan that solves all 

of them in a way that the client 

understands. As I learned from 

my father, there is an art to simplifying 

a complicated situation. 

Q: Which of your cases was 

most significant to you? 

Michael Markhoff 

A:Many of our clients are family 

businesses that have been 

around for multiple generations 

and a large subset of 

our estate planning practice 

is planning for the succession 

of the business to the children 

or grandchildren. The family 

business makes up a large 

percentage of those clients’ 

estates and we work with them 

to find ways to pass the business 

to the children who actively 

participate in the business 

while being economically 

fair to the children who 

have decided to follow other 

career paths. We represent a 

number of prominent businesses 

in the Hudson Valley 

who have third generation 

family members running the 

companies. It’s a thrill to help 

perpetuate an endeavor 

which was started by the 

grandparents and now has 

grown in multiples because of 

the dedication and skill of 

subsequent generations. As 

an attorney, the most interesting 

part of this area is that it 

combines trusts and estates 

law, corporate law and corporate 

and partnership tax. 


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An Interview with Aisling Brady 




Q: When did you join the 

WWBA, and why did you join 

it? 

A: Although Welby, Brady & 

Greenblatt were members 

before I became an associate, 

I joined the WWBA in 

June 2017, immediately after 

taking up my current position 

as Construction Attorney at 

the firm. During my first week 

at WB&G, I attended the 

WWBA Annual Dinner and I 

felt that joining the organization 

would be an excellent way 

to get to know colleagues in 

the local area. I became more 

involved in the WWBA after 

meeting with Lisa Denig, 

Esq., the organization’s then 

President, who encouraged 

me to take part in the formation 

of a Construction Law 

Committee for the WWBA. 

Q: You are on the Board of 

Directors and Leadership 


Westchester Women’s Bar 

Association Foundation. How 

have you contributed to the 

Board’s efforts, and are you 

involved in other WWBA activities? 

A: I try to attend most of the 

Board’s quarterly meetings 

and, if I cannot attend in person, 

I always make myself 

available by telephone to vote 

on any pertinent issues. I assist 

with the Board’s 

fundraising efforts during their 

annual “Mocktail” fundraiser. 

Reaching out to people during 

this time is not the easiest 

task for members of the Board, 

but, thanks to the enormous 

efforts of Chairperson Susan 

“I am currently out of the office on 

maternity leave as I have just had my 

first baby! So, the task of balancing 

my legal career with my family 

responsibilities is just about to start!” 

Brown, Esq., and the other 

members, the fundraiser is always 

an amazing success, 

helping out so many individuals 

and groups throughout 

Westchester. 

In addition to participating 

on the Foundation Board, I recently 

hosted a “Pink and Teal” 

seminar at the offices of Welby 

Brady and Greenblatt, LLP, with 

the assistance of our former 

President Kim Berg, Esq. and 

members of the WWBA 

Wellness Committee. This was 

an extremely informative event 

with discussions and information 

about cancers affecting 

women daily, with a particular 

focus on the area of ovarian 

cancer. 

As part of my work on the 

Construction Law Committee, I 

organized a talk in 2018 in relation 

to the new tax laws. The 

presentation was provided by 

New York City based accountancy 

firm, Anchin Block and 

Anchin, and the event which 

we held at Sterling National 

Bank in Tuckahoe was well attended 

by both lawyers and 

construction company representatives/owners 

alike. 

The Construction Law 

Committee hopes to organize 

and host another event in the 

near future and we have a few 

ideas in the pipeline. 



A: I began my legal career in 

Dublin, Ireland, where I completed 

my legal apprenticeship 

in a medium size commercial 

law firm. Upon qualification as 

a Solicitor in 2014, I remained 

there for some time practicing 

commercial litigation, with a 

particular emphasis on commercial 

landlord and tenant 

matters. I then worked in a general 

practice in my local town 

in Ireland, where I dealt with 

all sorts of legal issues – property 

transfers, wills and estates, 

employment law, personal injury 

litigation - the list goes on!! 

At that point I decided to 

move to New York. While I 

waited for the results of the bar 

exam, I worked in a large construction 

management company 

in New York City, dealing 

with contracts and insurance 

issues. I remained there for a 

number of months after passing 

the bar as my interest in 

NYC construction had well and 

truly been born! I then decided 

it was time to go back to the 

law firm environment and I really 

wanted to stay in the construction 

field. Through a friend, 

I came across Welby Brady & 

Greenblatt, LLP, where I secured 

a job and, thankfully, I have 

never looked back! 




career, if at all, for women law- 

Aisling Brady 

yers in Westchester County. 

A: I’m not sure how qualified 

I am to answer this question 

given that I have not been in 

Westchester County for very 

long. I will say though that, 

in my experience, I have 

found women lawyers to be 

treated quite well in both 

Westchester County and New 

York in general. Thankfully, I 

have not yet had a bad experience 

where I have been 

made feel any “different” by 

virtue of the fact that I am a 

woman. I believe that, in general, 

a lot more women are 

entering the profession than 

before. However, the problem 

is not related to how many 

women enter the profession, 

the problem lies with women 

lawyers staying in the profession. 

It is difficult for women 

to remain in their highly 

stressful, fast paced, and demanding 

jobs while trying to 

balance work and family 

commitments. Hopefully law 

firms will continue their efforts 

to make the job more “family 

friendly” and provide flexible 

working arrangements where 

possible. Generally speaking, 



Page 9

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An Interview with Jill Sandford 




Q: When and why did you 

join the WWBA? 

A: I joined the WWBA in 1992 

shorty after starting my first legal 

job. One of my colleagues 

was the Chair of the New Lawyers 

Committee and suggested 

that I attend an event. I immediately 

could see the benefit of 

networking with such a terrific 

group of female attorneys as I 

was navigating the early days 

of my career. 

Q: Your mother is a long 

standing, active member of 

the WWBA. How has her 

involvement influenced you? 

A: My mother, Judge Terry 

Jane Ruderman, is truly one 

of the trailblazers in the 

Westchester legal community. 

Her involvement in the 

WWBA as well as other organizations 

served as a role 

model for me. 

Q: You are on the Board of 

Directors and Leadership 


from page 7 

are not practicing law or contributing 

to the WWBA? 

A: Presently, with a new job 

and some recent challenges 

dealing with health issues of 

elder relatives, there isn’t much 

additional time to spend with 

other community activities. I 

am working hard to try to 

carve out some “me time” 

which is necessary, but of late, 

even that is still wanting. 

Q: How have you balanced 


Foundation. How 

have you contributed to the 

Board’s efforts, and have you 

been involved in other WWBA 

activities? 

A: Through the years I have 

been chair of the New Lawyers 

Committee, a State Director, and 

on the Executive Committee as 

Secretary to the organization. 



A: I have been a lawyer for 

twenty-seven years, the last 

eighteen in house in the telecommunications 

and technology 

industry. Currently, I am 

Chief Legal Officer of FirstLight 

Fiber, Inc. We provide telecommunications 

services from 

Westchester up through New 

York State and then throughout 

New England. The Legal, 

Regulatory, Compliance and 

Human Resources functions 

report up to me. 




career, if at all, for women law- 

your legal career with your family 

responsibilities. 

A: When I first started a family, 

I sacrificed opportunities in my 

career that could have benefited 

me both professionally and financially 

in order to try to balance 

career and family. My longevity 

with any firm I stayed with 

was based largely on the family 

friendly attitude demonstrated. 

However, I can look back with 

satisfaction knowing that I was 

able to be present at the camp 

shows during the work week; 

yers in Westchester County. 

A: I think that the landscape 

has continually improved for 

woman professionals, including 

lawyers in Westchester 

County. The continuing societal 

focus on anti-harassment 

and anti-bullying has benefited 

all employees, including 

woman. 

Q: What are your other community 

activities when you are 

not practicing law or contributing 

to the WWBA? 

A: Most of my non-work community 

volunteer activities have 

revolved around my now teenage 

son’s school related activities. 

Additionally, I serve as a 

member of the Cornell Alumni 

Admissions Advisory Network, 

and have volunteered for various 

committees related to supporting 

Cornell University. 


your legal career with your 

family responsibilities over the 

years. 

A: I always wonder whether this 

question is asked of men. Work 

life balance is important for 

pick up a sick child at the 

nurse’s office when called; meet 

with teachers/counselors during 

the day when necessary; and 

attend school events during the 

work week. I wouldn’t have 

been able to do these things if I 

had worked in NYC at a large 

firm that wasn’t so sympathetic 

to my desire to balance career 

and family. 

Q: What advice would you like 

to give to women lawyers entering 

the legal profession. 

Jill Sandford 

everyone. The advent of technology 

allowing for greater 

connectivity has been immensely 

helpful. 

Q: What advice would you 

like to give to women lawyers 

entering the legal profession. 

A: Don’t be afraid to put your 

hand up and volunteer for 

additional projects and responsibilities. 

A quote that I 

heard recently that resonates 

with me is, “We can’t tell the 

future, but we will be ready 

for it.” ◗ 

Kimberly 

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Sheehan 

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A: Choose your life partner 

and employer carefully! The 

ability to balance career and 

family is only as good as the 

support you receive from these 

individuals. It can be done, 

especially with today’s technology 

that can provide remote 

access to your files. The scales 

will usually be imbalancedyou 

just need to figure out 

which side you are willing to 

take the hit on. Then, you need 

to figure out how to make 

peace with your decision. ◗ 

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Michael Markhoff 

from page 8 

Q: What other community activities 

are you involved in? 

A: I served on the board of 

trustees for the Bedford Free Library 

for 9 years and I have 

been on the board of advisors 

for the Westchester Community 

Foundation since 2012. I 

also served on the board of 

directors for Fox Lane Youth 

Lacrosse and helped form it 

as a 501(c)(3). 

Q: How have you combined 


home life? 

A: I’m not so sure that my wife 

and children would say that I 

have blended both very well. 

My wife Nancy is also an attorney 

at a firm in White Plains, so 

between the two of us, we have 

long hours. Night times mostly 

consist of catching up with 

emails to clients and reviewing 

wills and trusts. 

Q: What are your hobbies, if 

you have time for them. 

A:I grew up sailing on Long 

Island Sound since birth, so I 

have a small daysailer which I 

use in Stamford Harbor and I 

occasionally go out with my 

parents on their J180. In the 

winter I ski and play paddle 

tennis regularly and the rest of 

the year I play lacrosse 2-3 days 

a week. I played soccer and 

lacrosse in high school and 

soccer in college. I was a bit 

burned out with soccer in my 

30s and have been playing 

lacrosse consistently since 

then. It baffles my wife to know 

that there is an endless supply 

of (moronic) 45+ men in the 

tri-state area who still play 

weekly local pick-up games 

and annual tournaments in 

Lake Placid in the summer and 

Florida in the winter. 

My three children carried 

the torch and played from kindergarten 

through high school 

and the older two continued 

with the sport and played lacrosse 

at Hamilton College 

and Muhlenberg College, respectively. 

One of my fondest 

memories is coaching 

girls youth lacrosse with Susan 

Corcoran’s husband 

Francis Corcoran. 

Q: What changes, if any, 

would you like to see legislatively 

on the New York State 

and/or Federal level? 

A: Mandatory life sentence 

for people who chew with their 

mouths open in public. My 

youngest child has developed 

a strong interest in lobbying 

for this legislation. ◗ 

Aisling Brady 

from page 9 

where I can. 

I feel that law firms have 

come a long way in this regard 

in recent years, but for 

many firms, there is still a 

long way to go! Thankfully, 

Welby, Brady & Greenblatt 

places an emphasis on family 

and work balance and 

has afforded me all the accommodations 

I’ve needed 

through my recent pregnancy. 

Q: What are your other 

community activities when 

you are not practicing law or 

contributing to the WWBA? 

A: like to participate in various 

clubs and associations 

relating to my local area 

back in Ireland. I believe it 

is important to keep in touch 

with “home” and get to 

know other people from the 

local area who live in New 

York. I try to attend lots of 

these events and help out 

Through my work, I am 

a part of many construction 

related groups and love to 

attend numerous events held 

throughout the year all over 

the city and surrounding areas. 

I am an active member 

of the New York City WBC 

(Women Builder’s Council); 

Professional Women in Construction; 

and the New York 

Building Congress’ Council of 

Industry Women. All of these 

organizations host amazing 

events and it is an excellent 

way of getting to know 

people. 



family responsibilities over the 

years. 

A: I am currently out of the 

office on maternity leave as I 

have just had my first baby! 

So, the task of balancing my 

legal career with my family 

responsibilities is just about to 

start! However, I am very 

lucky in that we have a family 

member who is going to 

look after our son when I return 

to work, so I am hoping 

it won’t be too difficult to balance 

career and family. I’m 

sure I will learn fast that this 

may not be the case! 

Q: What advice would you 

like to give to women lawyers 

entering the legal profession. 

A: Generally, I think my number 

one piece of advice to 

young lawyers would be to always 

ask questions. In my 

opinion, there is no such thing 

as a stupid question. If you 

don’t know how to do something, 

or don’t understand a 

task which you have been assigned, 

don’t just sit there for 

hours or days trying to figure 

it out yourself. Go and ask 

somebody for help. Everyone 

had to start somewhere and 

there is no shame in asking 

for assistance! Nobody can 

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be expected to know everything 

at the outset of their 

career, so take advantage 

of that time. Ask all the 

questions you need and 

learn as much as you can 

from experienced lawyers 

around you. 

In terms of women lawyers 

in particular, my advice 

would be to always stand 

up and be heard when necessary. 

Don’t shy away 

from a conversation or argument 

just because the 

person on the other side of 

the debate is a male. It goes 

without saying that we need 

to respectful of our male 

colleagues etc. but we 

should never be made feel 

inferior or less well respected 

than a male counterpart 

and I would say to 

all new women lawyers, 

that if they ever feel like this 

is happening, they should 

talk to someone about it 

immediately. ◗ 


Page 11

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Westchester Women’s Bar Association New Members 

The Westchester Women’s Bar Association proudly welcomes our newest members: 

DIANA BALAJ 

Student 

ALEXA KATHR 

THRYN BLANCO 

Student 

ASHLEY CORINNE CANGRO 

Student 

APRIL COHEN, , ESQ. 

AprilRCohenEsq@gmail.com 

ELISABETH EMILY CONSTANTINO 

Jackson Lewis P.C. 

44 South Broadway, 14th Floor 


elisabeth.constantino@jacksonlewis.com 

RYAN CHRISTINE EVANS 

ANS, , ESQ. 

Dimopoulos Bruggemann P.C. 

73 Main Street 

Tuckahoe, NY 10707 

re@dimolaw.com 

ZOE FERGUSON 

Student 

MICHAEL ANTHONY 

GIANNINI, ESQ. 

Platzer, Swergold, Levine, Goldberg, 

Katz & Jaslow, LLP 

475 Park Avenue South, 18th Floor 

New York, NY 10016 

JODI JENSEN KIMMEL, ESQ. 

The Law Firm of Brett Kimmel, P.C. 

275 Madison Avenue, Ste. 1711 


jjk@brettkimmel.com 

NANCY ALLEN MARKHOFF, , ESQ. 

Fontana Giannini LLP 

140 Grand Street, Suite 400 


nmarkhoff@fgnylaw.com 

EMILY Y MCGOWAN 

AN 

Student 

HON. . BONNIE L. . ORDEN 

Greenburgh Town Court 

188 Tarrytown Road 


NICOLETA A. PENNACCHIA 

Student 

JULIANNE T. . SCARPINO, , ESQ. 

Westchester County Attorney’s Office 

148 Martine Ave., 7th floor 


SHIRLEY THEBAUD 

UD, , ESQ. 

District Council 37 Municipal Employees 

Legal Services 

125 Barclay Street 


sthebaud@dc37.net 

ANDREA I. WEINSTEIN, , ESQ. 

Danielle M. White, Esq. 

Reisman, Rubeo, & Altman, LLP 

151 Broadway 

Hawthorne, NY 10532 

JACQUELINE WINTERS 

Student 

KARIN ANDERSON PONZER, 

ESQ., PHD. 

Neighbors Link 

23-25 Spring Street, Suite 201 

Ossining, NY 10562 

kanderson@neighborslink.org 

MARYORY BAEZ, ESQ. 

AMY L. . BAREST, , ESQ. 

4 Leir Court 


EMILY BOROVSKIS 

Student 

LAURA M. BRANCATO, , ESQ. 

Littman Krooks LLP 

399 Knollwood Road 


lbrancato@littmankrooks.com 

 

VICTORIA CHASIN, , ESQ. 

Katsky Korins LLP 

605 Third Avenue 


vchasin@katskykorins.com 

SARAH HECHTMAN, , ESQ. 

The Miller Law Group 

271 North Avenue, 8th Floor 

New Rochelle, NY 10538 

sarah@westchesterfamilylaw.com 

JASMINE HERNANDEZ, ESQ. 

Law Office of Jasmine Hernandez 

140 Grand Street 


THALIA MARTINEZ-PALMA 

Student 

ELIZABETH MASTROPOLO, , ESQ. 

Neighbors Link 

23-25 Spring Street, Suite 201 

Ossining, NY 10562 

emastropolo@neighborslink.org 

CLAIRE SUTHERLIN MCLEOD 

Student 

SARAH MONACO 

CO, , ESQ. 

Miller Zeiderman & Wiederkehr LLP 

140 Grand Street 


HEATHER SHULMAN, , ESQ. 

521 Fifth Avenue 


hshulman@berkbot.com 

LINDSAY THOMAS, , ESQ. 

Ettinger Law Firm 

ELIAS ANTHONY TSOURISTAKIS 

AKIS, 

ESQ. 

Deloitte Tax LLP 

Tsouristakis@gmail.com 

JANE S. VAINCHEL, ESQ. 

Cohn & Spector 

34 S. Broadway, Suite 714 


jvainchel@cohn-spector.com 

Page 12 


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Chapter News and Announcements 

2020-2021 

WWBA Slate of Officers and Directors 

Pursuant to Article VI and IX of the by-laws of the Westchester Women’s Bar 

Association, voting for the following slate of Officers, Directors and State 

Directors took place at the General Membership Meeting on April 1, 2020. 

President 

Hon. Lisa Margaret Smith 

President 

resident-Elect 

Amanda C. Fried 

Vice Presidents 

Natanya Briendel 

Jennifer Gray 

Jacqueline Hattar 

Treasurer 

Elizabeth Marcus 

Corresponding Secretary 

Jennifer Robinson 

Recording Secretary 

Julie Passman 

President’s Message 

from page 5 

Elected Directors 

Kim Berg 

Lisa M. Denig 

Carla Glassman 

Annette Hasapidis 

Jill Oziemblewski 

State Directors 

Lucia Chiocchio 

Deborah Farber-Kaiser 

Shari Gordon 

Ann McNulty 

Angela Morcone Giannini 

Adrienne Orbach 

Susan Mills Richmond 

Janeen Thomas 

and work hard to restore what we all know is a very honorable profession. 

I have also learned that a large part of civility is socializing. Sometimes, we are 

so busy in the handling our clients and cases, we forget about socialization. When 

we socialize with each other, it encourages civility. This is the very important role of 

our bar associations. It affords us the opportunity to socialize and interact – to learn 

together, work together, exchange ideas and yes, be civil toward each other. I am 

most fortunate to have here today many colleagues and friends who are members of 

the NYSBA, WWBA and WCBA. These attorneys have worked so hard in their careers 

and selflessly taken on leadership roles in these associations to advance our 

profession and help achieve justice for our communities. I can’t name you all but 

please know that I recognize your work and dedication to our profession and your 

professionalism and civility. I cherish what I have learned from you and thank you for 

your support. I encourage you, whether a seasoned practitioner or new attorney, if 

you have not already done so, to participate in bar associations to help advance 

civility in your practice, in our profession and in our communities. 

Today more than ever before, we must be unified in our efforts to promote civility 

and professionalism in the practice of law. Our socializing as a bar association has 

taken on a new meaning in this current crisis. Together we have embraced and will 

continue to embrace these new challenges. We have quickly discovered new means of 

communication, interaction and socialization. I am confident that if we stand united, 

we will continue our good work of supporting our membership and our communities in 

a most civil and professional way. ◗ 


Become a New 

Member Today 

RENEW YOUR 

WWBA MEMBERSHIP TODAY 

FOR THE PERIOD 

JUNE 1, 2020 TO MAY 31, 2021. 

RENEW NOW! DON’T WAIT! 

WWBA Membership includes 

membership to the Women’s Bar 

Association of the State of New York 

(WBASNY). 

January 31, 2021 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. 

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 13

THE WWBA’S ANNUAL 

HOLIDAY PARTY 

~ Our Favorite Event of the Year ~ 

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS TO OUR ANNUAL “RED PHOTO” TO LAUGHS WITH DEAR FRIENDS, 

THIS YEAR’S WWBA’S HOLIDAY PARTY ON DECEMBER 11, 2019 AT THE WOMEN’S CLUB OF 

WHITE PLAINS WAS A HUGE HIT! 

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS. 

REMEMBER, YOU CAN FIND THE WBASNY WEB PAGE 

AT WWW.WBASNY.ORG. 

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RECYCLE 

Connect 

with 

us 

THE WWBA MEMBERSHIP PERIOD FOR 

2020-2021 BEGINS ON JUNE 1, 2020. 

PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TOD 

ODAY AT 

WWW.WWBANY 

.WWBANY.ORG 

.ORG

WWBA April 2020 Newsletter - M

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