Recent Activities and Accomplishments

Recent Activities and Accomplishments

2.28.2020

By Women in Law Section

Suffragette Commemoration on Display at the Bar Center
Check out our “A Centennial Commemoration of Women’s Suffrage and the Achievement of Legal Rights” that premiered in November 2017. View the slides  here.

WOMEN ATTORNEY TRAILBLAZERS IN NEW YORK STATE
New York State has a rich history of amazing trailblazing women attorneys who broke through many barriers and blatant discrimination to make major contributions in the legal profession.  Their stories are ones of fierce determination, passion for the law, keen intelligence, and inspiring achievement.

From the late 19th Century, when the first women gained admission to state bars, through the 1960s, women attorneys faced closed doors and discrimination.  Women have made tremendous strides in the past 40 years – in large part due to the efforts of women attorneys who overcame obstacles and blazed a path for other women attorneys to follow.

The Women in Law Section (formerly the Committee on Women in the Law) – whose first chair, Ruth Schapiro, was one of the women trailblazers at New York State Bar Association – is delighted to spotlight the lives and careers of 10 women lawyers who fought discrimination and gained a foothold in a range of legal careers. These women have paved the way for other women attorneys, serving as role models and, often, as mentors.

We hope that you will draw inspiration from the stories of these 10 remarkable New York attorneys. Read the brochure here.

NYSBA House of Delegates Adopts Report of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section 11/4/17
The House of Delegates approved the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section’s report, ” If Not Now, When? Achieving Equality for Women Attorneys in the Courtroom and in ADR” on November 4, 2017. The Women in Law Section supported this report and continues to promote and advocate for it. Read the press release  here. Watch the video here.

 

Judge Judith Kaye Portrait Unveiled
On November 3, 2017, the New York State Bar Association unveiled a new painting of Hon. Judith S. Kaye, former chief judge of the state of New York, on display in our Great Hall. Judge Kaye was the first female appointed to the New York State Court of Appeals in 1983. She was chief judge of the state of New York from 1993 until 2008. She was the inaugural recipient of the Ruth G. Schapiro Award.