Women In Law Section

Women In Law Section

Welcome to the New York State Bar Association’s Women in Law Section (also “WILS” or “Section”). The Women in Law Section is a dynamic group of attorneys – both women and men – and serves as a critical voice for professional women. Our mission is to advance women in the legal profession and all women under the law. Membership in our Section offers many opportunities to address the professional, legal, policy and legislative issues impacting women. You can also take advantage of educational programs (such as the annual Edith I. Spivack Symposium — WILS’ Annual Meeting CLE – and Women on the Move) and meet and network with other attorneys.

We invite you to join one of our committees, which will give you an opportunity to be part of a 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. For example, our new Partners Committee focuses on the unique challenges that affect women who are partners in law firms; the Equity in the Legal Profession Committee works to advance women in the legal profession and includes activities such as advocacy, programming, scholarship, and reports; the Champions Committee engages men as partners to support women in the profession, in NYSBA and society-at-large – its activities include Events, Drinks & Dialogues, networking and business development, reports and publications, and commenting on news issues; and the Gender Issues Committee works to address specific issues ad rights that may impact women, children and families, such as domestic violence, human trafficking and gender parity. The WILS Legislative Affairs Committee is responsible for identifying and recommending the WILS legislative agenda to the Section’s Executive Committee for adoption and also identifies new or existing New York State legislation relating to issues of interest to women, among other activities. Our Committees are as follows:

Annual Meeting, Program & CLE Committee, which includes the following subcommittees, Annual Meeting, Women on the Move, Awards and Programming
Champions Committee
Communications Committee
Development & Sponsorship Committee
Emerging Lawyers Committee
Equity in the Legal Profession Committee
Gender Issues Committee
General Counsels Committee
Legislative Affairs Committee
Membership & Engagement Committee
Partners Committee
Reports, Surveys & Publications Committee
Women in the Association Committee

Regardless of your membership in the Women in Law Section, however, you are always welcome to attend our committee programs. We also encourage members to participate as organizers, speakers or attendees at our educational programs and networking events, and to contribute their views to the various issues we address.

The Women in Law Section has an engaging and dynamic membership and we hope to welcome you as a member or have your participation in our activities and events.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS: The section has presented educational forums on gender concerns; sexual harassment in the profession; balancing professional and family responsibilities; career development beyond partnerships; women in politics; seeking service on the bench; and breast cancer. Additionally, the section presents forums for women law students on career issues and opportunities.

Contact the Women In Law Section Liaison

To learn more about this Section, please contact Carra Forgea
[email protected]
(518) 487-5521

Join Now

Terri A. Mazur

Annual Meeting, Program & CLE Committee, which includes the following subcommittees, Annual Meeting, Women on the Move, Awards and Programming
Champions Committee
Communications Committee
Development & Sponsorship Committee
Emerging Lawyers Committee
Equity in the Legal Profession Committee
Gender Issues Committee
General Counsels Committee
Legislative Affairs Committee
Membership & Engagement Committee
Partners Committee
Reports, Surveys & Publications Committee
Women in the Association Committee

I look forward to welcoming you as a member.

Terri A. Mazur
Section Chair

Online Community

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WILS Connect

“In less than a year-and-a-half, WILS has grown from a small committee limited to 50 members to nearly 1,000 members and includes women and men from upstate and downstate, states across the U.S. and from countries around the world. WILS is the fastest growing Section in NYSBA history. We are excited to launch the WILS Connect e-newsletter—one of our many initiatives—which will discuss current issues facing women lawyers, the work of our committees, legislative and policy matters WILS is focusing on, spotlight members of WILS and the programs held (and to be held) by the Section.” – Terri A. Mazur

WILS Connect Archive

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Section Publications

WILS Connect - Winter 2020

A publication of the Women in Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. Can’t see this edition? Please view it here.

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Bylaws of the Women in Law Section

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

View the Bylaws

Nominating Committee Report

In accordance with Article IV, Section 1 of the Section’s bylaws, here is the nominating report for the June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 term. The nominations will be voted on at the Business portion of the Women in Law Section’s Annual Meeting on January 19, 2021 at 4:10 p.m. immediately following the Women in Law Section’s Virtual Annual Meeting CLE program.

View the report here

For more details about the Annual Meeting or to register, please visit https://nysba.org/annual-meeting-2021/women-in-law-section/.

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.

Women In Law Section Committee

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.

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 posses 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.

Virtual Book Club

On June 4, the New York State Bar Association’s Women in Law Section hosted its inaugural virtual book club meeting to discuss the legal thriller Unreasonable Doubts by author Reyna Marder Gentin. We were honored to welcome and present the author, Ms. Gentin, who spoke about her career and how her experiences as a criminal defense attorney influenced the book. She also answered several questions from her readers about the book’s plot, including the novel’s depiction of several strong women and the complex relationships between the protagonist and the novel’s other characters. This well-attended event was hosted by Laura Sulem, Co-Chair of the Section’s Annual Meeting, Program and CLE Committee.

We were thrilled to have the accomplished author of this exciting novel join our first meeting! Ms. Gentin attended college and law school at Yale. After working at a large law firm and clerking in the Southern District of New York, she spent almost twenty years handling criminal appeals at Appellate Advocates. In 2014 she left the practice of law to pursue a career in writing. Ms. Gentin studies at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her fiction and personal essays have been published widely. She lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York.

WILS plans to hold additional virtual book club meetings on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, so please check the WILS section of the NYSBA website for dates and times. This is a great opportunity to take some time for yourself to read new books and discuss them with colleagues and friends!

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