New York has long shaped the contours of American jurisprudence and is repeatedly touted as a global leader in progressive policies and initiatives.1 Seneca Falls, New York served as the birthplace of the women’s movement in 1848, where Elizabeth Cady Stanton proclaimed, “All men and woman are created equal.”2 International Women’s Day traces its roots to a 15,000-woman march … Continued

On Dec. 16, 2021, the Women in Law Section (WILS) hosted a financial planning presentation titled, “Knowledge Is Power: Financial Strategies For Women,” led by Niraj Chhabra, a business financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services. Chhabra’s presentation focused on how financial planning is different for men and women, as women often face the challenge of … Continued

In a historic vote on April 7, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th United States Supreme Court justice in a 53 to 42 vote. Judge Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold the … Continued

Former Court of Appeals Judge Leslie E. Stein was selected as the 2021 recipient of the Ruth G. Schapiro Memorial Award sponsored by the Women in Law Section, recognizing her great service to the public and the legal profession. NYSBA President T. Andrew Brown presented the award to Judge Stein on January 25, 2022 during … Continued

The 18th Annual Edith I. Spivack Symposium, WILS’ 2022 Annual Meeting, was held virtually over two days on January 18 and 25, 2022. The symposium honors Edith I. Spivack, a trailblazing lawyer whose legal career, which began in 1932, was marked by tenacity and determination. Edith was a charter member of NYSBA’s Committee on Women … Continued

Justice Eileen Bransten, a retired justice of the Manhattan Commercial Division Court of the New York County Supreme Court, First Judicial District, died on April 26, 2022. She was 79 years old. Justice Bransten was known “for her ability to ‘cut through complex issues,’”1 and described as a “judicial titan[].”2 Justice Saliann Scarpulla (Appellate Division, First Department) … Continued

ED NOTE: This article first appeared at NYSBA.ORG on April 2, 2022. The New York State Bar Association presented Sierra K. Sanchez with the inaugural Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Scholarship during its House of Delegates meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan on April 2, 2022. Sanchez, a second-year law school student at Hofstra, … Continued

ED NOTE: This article originally appeared at NYSBA.ORG on March 17, 2022. Advocating for yourself in the workplace, especially for women, can be a touchy subject. “Tooting your own horn” can come off like boasting, bragging or gloating about a success. The New York State Bar Association’s Women in Law Section and its General Counsels … Continued

On March 22, 2022, the Women in Law Section (WILS) of the New York State Bar Association, with the support of the LGBTQ Law Section, the Young Lawyers Section, and the Committee on Continuing Legal Education, presented a CLE entitled “Gender Identity and Expression: Creating Inclusive Spaces.” This program took a unique view of creating … Continued

While today’s law students may be a generation raised on smart phones and social media, understanding the best practices, uses and ethical implications of that technology in law practice is critical to their success. With the goal of helping law students understand some of the issues and identify the pitfalls, the Women in Law Section … Continued