Three Judges Honored for Outstanding Contributions to the Legal Profession
1.12.2026
The New York State Bar Association’s Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law section is honoring three judges for their work on the bench and within bar associations. Each year, the section honors jurists for their excellence in jurisprudence along with their volunteer and community service.
The judges will receive the awards on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 5 p.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Judge Mae D’Agostino, U.S. District Court Northern New York
Judge D’Agostino was appointed to the federal court in 2011 by President Barack Obama, following 30 years as a trial attorney in private practice. Judge D’Agostino believes that the future of the legal profession is dependent upon mentoring young attorneys and teaching the public about the role the judicial branch plays in society. In addition to mentoring young attorneys, she hosts events in her court on the U.S. Constitution.
Judge D’Agostino also believes that civic education is the key to democracy, and she takes every opportunity to participate in civic outreach. She is a graduate of Siena College and received her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law.
Justice James Clynes, Supreme Court, New York County
Justice Clynes was elected to the Supreme Court in 2017 following a 30 year career as a trial attorney in state and federal court. He served as Nassau County Assistant District Attorney in the felony trial bureau before entering the private sector as a trial attorney representing the Nationwide Insurance Company.
Justice Clynes is a standout volunteer in the New York State Bar Association and ten other bar and judicial associations. He is a graduate of Villanova University and received his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
Judge Richard Sise, Presiding Judge, New York State Court of Claims
Judge Sise has served on New York’s Court of Claims since 2000 and as its Presiding Judge since 2004. He carries a trial calendar while also serving as the court’s administrative judge. He hears cases in nearly all of the court’s eight districts.
Judge Sise began his career as a prosecutor in Bronx County before moving into the private sector, focusing on personal injury law. He longed to return home to native Amsterdam in Montgomery County and left New York City in 1989 to start his own firm, Sise and Sise, with his brother Thomas.
Honoring attorneys and judges who render extraordinary service to the public and the profession is part of NYSBA’s Annual Meeting tradition. This year’s event promises to be dynamic and informative, featuring a wide range of sessions and activities tailored to the diverse interests and needs of lawyers practicing in New York. Annual Meeting takes place Jan. 13 to 16 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Highlights of Annual Meeting include the Presidential Gala celebrating the association’s 150th Anniversary. The gala is on Thursday, Jan. 15, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at The Plaza Hotel. The association will honor Gov. Kathy Hochul – who is receiving the Gold Medal – and its past presidents at the gala.
The Presidential Summit, the marquee event of the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, is on Wednesday, Jan. 14, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Panelists will discuss “The Case for Constitutional Failure,” focusing on whether the three branches of government have fulfilled their Constitutional duties.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack Rakove of Stanford University and Yale University Rule of Law Clinic Co-Director, former Assistant United States Attorney, and January 6 Prosecutor Sonia Mittal will lead this important, timely conversation. Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNOW television anchor and commentator, will moderate the discussion.
For more information on NYSBA’s Annual Meeting, click here. Media are invited to attend programs, but please notify Susan DeSantis at sdesantis@nysba.org or 201-575-5756.
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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