WHO WE ARE

Welcome to the New York State Bar Association’s Women in Law Section (also WILS or Section). WILS is a dynamic group of attorneys – both women and men – and serves as a powerful advocate for professional women.  Our mission is to advance women in the legal profession and all women under the law.

 

SECTION BENEFITS

Joining WILS opens doors to a wealth of opportunities, addressing the professional, legal, policy, and legislative issues that impact women. As a member, you will benefit from:

–        Educational programs: Including the prestigious annual Edith I. Spivack Symposium — WILS’ Annual Meeting CLE, and Women on the Move.

–        Networking: Connect and build relationships with other attorneys in your region and across the state.

–        FREE for Members – Continuing Legal Education: Stay ahead with our cutting-edge CLE offerings.

–        Service and Growth: Engage in meaningful service projects and grow professionally.

–        Online Community: Access our vibrant online Section community.

 

Educational Programs

Our Section offers comprehensive educational forums on key issues such as career development, gender issues, sexual harassment in the workplace, balancing professional and family responsibilities, women in politics, and seeking judicial positions. We also provide valuable forums for women law students, focusing on career development and opportunities. These programs are included – WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL CHARGE – with your NYSBA membership.

 

SECTION COMMITTEES

We invite you to join one of our committees, which will give you an opportunity to be part of an engaging group, use your voice, talent and passion to benefit women; interact with members and leaders of our Section and the legal profession; expand your individual network and develop your career; and advance critical change in the legal profession and for all women under the law. Our committees include:

  • Annual Meeting and Programming Committee: Overseeing programs like the Annual Meeting, Women on the Move, Awards and other events.
  • Champions Committee: Engaging men as allies to support women in the profession.
  • Communications Committee: Enhancing our outreach and communication efforts.
  • Development & Sponsorship Committee: Fostering growth and securing sponsorships.
  • Emerging Lawyers Committee: Supporting the next generation of legal professionals.
  • Equity in the Legal Profession Committee: Advocating for women’s advancement in the legal field.
  • Gender Issues Committee: Addressing gender issues impacting women, children, and families.
  • General Counsels Committee: Focusing on the needs of in-house counsel.
  • Legislative Committee: Shaping our legislative agenda and monitoring relevant legislation.
  • Membership and Engagement Committee: Enhancing member engagement and satisfaction.
  • Partners Committee: Tackling unique challenges faced by female partners in law firms.
  • Reports, Surveys and Publications Committee: Producing impactful research and publications, including WILS Connect.
  • Women in the Association Committee: Promoting women’s issues within the association

The Women in Law Section is a dynamic and engaging community, and we look forward to welcoming you as a member and seeing your active participation in our events and initiatives. Join us and be part of a transformative movement for women in the legal profession!

 

Contact the Women In Law Section Liaison

To learn more about this Section, please contact Ernesto Guerrero
[email protected]
(518) 487-5535

Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.

Frettra-DeSilvaFrettra M. de Silva, Esq.
Frettra M. de Silva is the new chair of the Women in Law Section. Frettra is the Head of Legal, Transaction Banking, Americas for Standard Chartered Bank. In her role at Standard Chartered, Frettra manages the legal support for the Americas Cash Management, Clearing and Cross-Border Trade businesses. She also advises on Securities Services, M&A advisory and FinTech matters.

Frettra joined SCB after working on the Citibank Global Transaction Services legal team, focused on securities services. During her tenure at Citi, Frettra acted as lead counsel for several businesses, including Securities Lending, Depositary Receipts, Securities Finance and Collateral Management. In addition, Frettra worked with the Custody and Commercial Cards businesses.

Frettra started her practice as a corporate and securities practice associate at Debevoise & Plimpton. She received her JD from New York University School of Law, her MBA from Schiller International University (Paris) and her BA from Harvard University. She has been an active member of NYSBA and WILS for over 9 years.

Online Community

WILS Connect – Vol. 5 No. 1

Since becoming a Section in June 2018, WILS has grown from a small committee limited to 50 members to more than 1,000 members and includes women and men from upstate and downstate, states across the U.S. and from countries around the world. WILS focuses on current issues facing women lawyers and women generally, such as sexual harassment, domestic violence, reproductive rights, equal rights (including equal pay), paid family leave, professional development, business development, mentorship, workplace re-entry, and legislation relating to issues of interest to women. WILS also provides programs on such issues and a popular virtual book club.  In 2020, we launched the WILS Connect e-newsletter (one of our many initiatives) to also address these issues, as well as the work of WILS committees, spotlight members of WILS, and to cover the programs held (and to be held) by the Section. We currently publish two issues a year. If you are interested in submitting an article, working on future issues of WILS Connect, and/or joining the Reports, Surveys and Publications Committee, please contact our Section Liaison, the WILS Section Chair or the Chair of WILS Reports, Surveys and Publications Committee.

Author Guidelines

NYSBA has created comprehensive author guidelines, with information regarding our reprint policy, style guidelines, and obtaining MCLE Author Credits.

Bylaws of the Women in Law Section

Approved on November 15, 2018 and amended on October 28, 2019.

Nominating Committee Report

In accordance with Article IV, Section 1 of the Section’s bylaws, here is the nominating report for the June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 term. The nominations have been voted on and approved at the Business portion of the Women in Law Section’s Annual Meeting on January 18, 2024 at 4:20 p.m. immediately following the Women in Law Section’s Virtual Annual Meeting CLE program.

Legislative Matters

Opinions expressed are those of the Section/Committee preparing this memorandum/report and do not represent those of the New York State Bar Association unless and until they have been adopted by its House of Delegates or Executive Committee.

Salary Memo
Check out our memorandum in support to amend the Executive Law in relation to prohibiting employers from seeking salary history from prospective employees.

Domestic Violence Final Report
Read our memorandum in support of the New York State Bar Association and Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York Domestic Violence Initiative’s Final Report to provide greater access to legal services to victims of domestic violence in New York State.

Awards

Ruth G. Schapiro Award
To provide recognition for exemplary achievement by a male or female member of the Association in addressing the concerns of women, an Association award was established in honor of the Committee on Women in the Law’s first Chair, Ruth G. Schapiro. The annual award was proposed and is administered by the Women in Law Section. The first recipient of this award in 1992 was The Honorable Judith S. Kaye.

Ruth Schapiro Award 2023 Winner

Kay Crawford Murray Award
To honor women in the profession who recognize the value of diversity in the legal profession and have dedicated their time to advancing the professional development of women attorneys, the section has established the Kay Crawford Murray Award. Future recipients will possess the following characteristics: A distinguished legal career or a rising star in the profession; An active member of bar associations for the purpose of advancing the professional and personal development of women attorneys; An active mentor to women attorneys.

Kay Crawford Murray Award Winner

The Civil Rights Act at 60: A Conversation with Dr. John Coverdale

The Civil Rights Act at 60

Presented on June 24, 2024

Virtual Tour: NYPL’s Equal Rights Amendment: A Century of Speaking Out

NYPL Equal Rights Amendment

Presented on March 19, 2024

Sports Betting in New York State: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Sports Betting in New York State

Presented on January 9, 2024

Financial Empowerment for Women in Law

Financial Empowerment

Presented on October 10, 2023

Banning Rosa Parks: The Impact of Book Banning on Civil Liberties

Rosa Parks

Presented on June 13, 2023

Medication Abortion in the Post Dobbs World: Current Litigation and its Effects on Access to an Abortion

Medication Abortion Post Dobbs

Presented on June 5, 2023

Too Young to Be Old: How to Stay Vibrant, Visible, and Forever in Blue Jeans

Too Young to be Old

Presented on June 1, 2023

Getting To Ellen: A Memoir About Love, Honesty And Gender Change

Getting to Ellen

Presented on May 18, 2023

What’s Next: Alternative Careers For Lawyers

What's Next

Presented on April 4, 2023

Reclaim Your Calendar: Productivity & Time Management Tactics For Lawyers – Part 2

Reclaim Your Calendar

Presented on March 29, 2023

Changing The Narrative: An Uplifting Story About Climate Change

Changing the Narrative

Presented on March 23, 2023

Reclaim Your Calendar: Productivity & Time Management Tactics For Lawyers – Part 1

Reclaim your Calendar

Presented on March 15, 2023

Women in Law Section’s Virtual Book Club Meeting: Fractured Power

Fractured Power

Presented on September 15, 2022

Dobbs: Historical Context and Future Implications

Dobbs Historical Context

Presented on July 18, 2022

What to do After Dobbs: Access to Reproductive Healthcare and How to Help

After Dobbs

Presented on July 14, 2022

A Virtual Juneteenth Celebration with NAACP National President and CEO Derrick Johnson

Virtual Juneteenth

Presented on June 15, 2022

Women in Law Section’s Virtual Book Club Meeting: 30 Days to Courage: A Step-by-Step Guidebook

30 Days to Courage

Presented on June 13, 2022

Women in Law Section’s Virtual Book Club Meeting: Both Are True

Both are True Book Club

Presented on May 19, 2022

Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace: A Fireside Chat with Carla Harris

Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace

Presented on May 17, 2022

Virtual Visit to National Women’s Hall of Fame

Virtual Visit to National Women’s Hall of Fame

Presented on April 28, 2022

Divorce Changes Everything: How Women Can Find Their Independence

Divorce Changes Everything>

Presented on April 8, 2022

Self-Advocacy: The Key to Accelerate Career Success

Self-Advocacy Program

Presented on March 16, 2022

Finding Self-Worth and Empowerment in African-American History

FInding Self Worth

Presented on February 10, 2022

Knowledge is Power: Financial Strategies for Women

Knowledge is Power

Presented on December 16, 2021

Executive Presence, Leadership Voice, And Effective Speaking

Executive Presence, Leadership Voice, and Effective Speaking

Presented on December 13, 2021

Bad Blood: The Role of Gender in the Elizabeth Holmes Trial

Bad Blood: The Role of Gender in the Elizabeth Holmes Trial

Presented on November 1, 2021

Breaking the Stigma of Addiction and Recovery in the Legal Profession

Women In Law Section: Breaking the Stigma of Addiction and Recovery in the Legal Profession

Presented on October 7, 2021

When Life Hands You Lemons: An Attorney’s Journey Through Quarantine As An At Home Chef (Book Club)

Women in Law- When Life Hands You Lemons

Presented on April 8, 2021

#Networked: Women Lawyers Build Connections in COVID-19

WILS Networking

Presented on May 13, 2021

Let The Youth Lead The Way: A Dialogue with Future Lawyers

Let Youth Lead Recorded Program

Presented on March 16, 2021

Women Struggling and Sometimes Overcoming (Book Club)

Women Struggling Book Club

Presented on February 4, 2021

A Lawyer’s Journey: Turning Fact into Fiction (Book Club)

A Lawyer’s Journey: Turning Fact into Fiction (Book Club)

Presented on December 10, 2020

Owning Your Confidence and Leading with Brilliance

Owning your Confidence

Presented on December 1, 2020

The Midnight Call Virtual Book Club

WILS Virtual Book Club

Presented on September 24, 2020

Campaigning While Female: Congresswoman Kathleen Rice Speaks On Gender And Diversity Issues Facing Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris

Kathleen Rice Recording

Presented on September 9, 2020

The Unusual Firing of US Attorney Geoffrey Berman: The Process and is Justice at Stake?

Presented on June 29, 2020

Celebrating Juneteenth: A Conversation With Cheryl Wills

Presented on June 19, 2020

Suffrage: Celebration of the Centennial of New York State’s Ratification of the 19th Amendment

Presented on June 16, 2020

Civil Rights & Systemic Racism: Introspection In a Time of Crisis

Presented on June 12, 2020

Law Day Virtual Program: Women in Mediation, Arbitration and in Court

Presented on May 1, 2020

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