Sherry Levin Wallach, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about the state Legislature’s passage of the ERA: “The New York State Bar Association commends the state Legislature for deciding today to put the ERA, a crucial amendment to the state Constitution, before voters. The Equal Rights Amendment extends protections … Continued

NYSBA President Sherry Levin Wallach and NYSBA Women in Law Section Chair Sheryl B. Galler testified before the New York State Department of Labor regarding the gender wage gap. Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon chaired the hearing, which was held on January 31, 2023, in Albany. President Levin Wallach testified that equal pay for … Continued

NAACP President Derrick Johnson called white supremacy the most significant threat to democracy at a New York State Bar Association event in celebration of the first federally recognized holiday of Juneteenth. “The white supremacist dogma dominating the public square is pulling democracy apart,” Johnson said. “What we witnessed on Jan. 6th is an example of what individuals … Continued

On November 5, 2022, the Women in Law Section successfully petitioned the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates (HOD) to adopt a policy supporting reproductive health care rights, including abortion, and the New York State Equal Rights Amendment (NYS ERA), which includes protection for reproductive health care rights. The HOD’s vote approving WILS’ … Continued

In a midtown elevator the other day, I met a friend I haven’t seen in years (blame the pandemic). Catching up, I mentioned that I chair the New York State Bar Association’s Women in Law Section. “Interesting,” said my friend, “but what are you accomplishing?” A lot, actually. More than I could squeeze into an … Continued

Laura Sulem is a senior director at Practical Law, a Thomson Reuters company. She oversees editorial content and business strategy for the 60-member U.S. litigation service and looks after the teams who publish Practical Law The Journal, and create Practical Law’s audio and video content. Laura is also a senior advisory council member of Women@TR, … Continued

If you’ve walked around New York City recently, you may have heard the rallying slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom,” or, in Persian, “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi.” From Washington Square to Times Square, demonstrations and rallies are calling for support of Iranian women who have, since Sept. 16, been leading a renewed revolution against the fundamentalist Islamic … Continued

For the first time in its history, New York State elected a woman to serve as its governor. Kathy Hochul, who had served as governor since August 24, 2021 following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, was elected to the governor’s office in the general election on November 8, 2022. Hochul, a native of Western New … Continued

2023 is off to a roaring start! Businesses are operational, people are traveling for work and pleasure, friends and colleagues are congregating indoors, and athleisure has been (somewhat) traded for office attire. For the first time in a long time, the new year feels like a new beginning. Professionally, a new year often translates into … Continued

“In light of [the] worldwide liberalization of abortion laws, it is American States that will become international outliers after today.”1 So concluded the dissenting United States Supreme Court Justices Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan in their response to the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.2 Dobbs, issued on June 24, 2022, tumultuously overturned 50 years of … Continued