January 31, 2014: White Plains Attorney Kathleen Donelli Receives Ruth G. Schapiro Award

January 31, 2014: White Plains Attorney Kathleen Donelli Receives Ruth G. Schapiro Award

1.31.2014

By Communications Department

White Plains attorney Kathleen Donelli is the 2013 recipient of the Ruth G. Schapiro Award, given by the Committee on Women in the Law of the New York State Bar Association.

Donelli received the award on January 31 during the State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting in New York City. It recognizes a State Bar member for outstanding contributions to addressing the concerns of women.

“Throughout her career, Kathleen Donelli has been a champion for women’s rights and families, notably for her advocacy for no-fault divorce legislation,” said Anna S. Park of Manhattan (Zeichner Ellman & Krause), co-chair of the Committee on Women in the Law. “She is, indeed, a most deserving recipient.”

A partner of McCarthy Fingar, Donelli concentrates her practice in matrimonial law. She won a landmark state Court of Appeals custody decision, Tropea v. Tropea, in 1996. The case established that courts should determine if a custodial parent should be permitted to relocate with a child based on the “best interest” of the child.

“Kathleen Donelli’s talent, commitment and effective leadership have led her to the top of the legal profession. She has exemplified excellence at every turn,” said Ellen G. Makofsky of Garden City (Raskin & Makofsky), co-chair of the Committee on Women in the Law. “We are pleased to welcome Kathleen Donelli into our distinguished group of award recipients.”

Donelli is a past president of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association and the White Plains Bar Association. She also is a member of the Grievance Committee for the Ninth Judicial District.

She is a graduate of the City University of New York and Pace University School of Law.

The award is named for the late Ruth G. Schapiro, a nationally regarded tax lawyer, who was the first woman partner at Proskauer. Active in the State Bar Association, she was the first chair of the Committee on Women in the Law, chair of the Tax Section and the Finance Committee, and one of the first women to serve on the Executive Committee. She died in 1991. The Ruth G. Schapiro Award was created in her honor in 1992.

The 75,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in 1876.

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Contact: Brandon Vogel

Media Writer

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518/487-5535