Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix Honored by New York State Bar Association for Supporting Women in the Workplace

Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix Honored by New York State Bar Association for Supporting Women in the Workplace

1.10.2025

By Jennifer Andrus

The New York State Bar Association is honoring Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix with its Ruth G. Schapiro Award during a meeting of its governing body at the association’s Annual Meeting in New York City on Friday, Jan. 17.

Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix is a trailblazer as the first Caribbean-born woman of color and second woman overall to serve as New York City’s Corporation Counsel. Her legal career spans decades of dedicated service in the city, county and appellate courts.

Justice Hinds-Radix made her mark as a jurist, serving ten years on the bench as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department. In that time, she was instrumental in decisions affecting bankruptcy law, commercial and federal litigation, health and family law just to name a few.

Her work to promote and support other women in their careers is at the heart of the Schapiro award. Many of the women who were mentored by Hinds-Radix nominated her for the award.

“In every workplace from city hall to city courts and beyond, Justice Hinds-Radix was looking out for the women in her office, fighting hard to ensure that female employees were listened to and valued,” said New York State Bar Association President Domenick Napoletano. “She fostered a supportive and encouraging work environment where women had the tools they need to advance in their careers.”

Her support of women in the legal profession extends to extensive volunteer work for the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association and her founding of the Caribbean American Lawyers Association.

Outside of the workplace, Justice Hinds-Radix founded an after-school tutoring program in her community, helping children from kindergarten through high school.

The award is named for the late Ruth G. Schapiro, a nationally regarded tax lawyer, who was the first woman partner at Proskauer. She was the first chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Women in the Law.

Honoring attorneys who render extraordinary service to the public and the profession is part of NYSBA’s Annual Meeting tradition. This year’s event promises to be dynamic and informative, featuring a wide range of sessions and activities tailored to the diverse interests and needs of lawyers practicing in New York. Annual Meeting takes place Jan. 14 to 17 at the New York Hilton Midtown.

Highlights of Annual Meeting include the Presidential Gala, where retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States will receive the association’s most prestigious award, the Gold Medal. The gala is on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at The Plaza Hotel. Justice Breyer will speak about his career, judicial philosophy and his recent book during a fireside chat at the gala.

The Presidential Summit, the marquee event of the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, is on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The summit, entitled “Securing Justice: Addressing Sexual Violence and the Weaponization of Individuals and Groups During Conflicts and Wars,” will focus on justice for the victims of wartime human trafficking and sexual violence.

Distinguished guests include Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, international human rights law expert and founder and chair of the Civil Commission on October 7^th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children; Susana SáCouto, director of the War Crimes Research Office of the American University Washington College of Law; and Abid Shamdeen, advocate for Yazidi genocide survivors and co-founder of Nadia’s Initiative. Susan Harper, treasurer of the New York State Bar Association, will moderate the discussion.

In addition, former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court Bridget McCormack and Jennifer Leonard, legal tech expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will present on the impact AI has had on the legal profession, and how lawyers are navigating changing regulations related to privacy and data security.

Each year, more than 120 different panels and social events make up the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and some 4,000 lawyers participate. For more information on NYSBA’s Annual Meeting, click here.