Committees

Awards

Committee Chair: Brittany Jones

Responds to solicitations for consideration of our members for various community and bar association awards.

Book Club series

Committee Chairs: Sarah Honan & Debra Ritz

BYLAWS

Committee Chair: Gabrielle Markle

Reviews various guidelines with respect to Association’s activities; recommends amendment where appropriate.

Corporate

Committee Chairs: Vicky-Marie Brunette & Allison E. Ogorek

Provides guidance and the exchange of ideas among in-house counsel including regulatory matters, labor, litigation, risk management, and compliance.

Criminal Law

​Committee Chairs:  Florina Altshiler & Cathleen Roemer

Promotes the fair and equal administration of criminal justice; reviews legislation and significant issues in the practice of criminal law; has direct contact with the chapter’s liaison to the WBASNY Criminal Law Committee.

Diversity

Committee Chair:  Mayada Osman

Explores ways for our organization to understand and appreciate differences (in terms of abilities, races, cultures, sexual orientations and experiences) amongst our members.

Domestic Violence

Committee Chairs:  Judith Olin & Nicole Grasso

Works with community-based programs to increase access to information and legal services for women in abusive situations. Increases public’s awareness generally of issues involved.

Employment Law 

Committee Chairs: Erin Ewell & Rebecca Izzo

Identifies and responds to emerging issues in the field of labor and employment law; provides opportunities for practitioners in private practice, in-house practice, and government agencies the opportunity to interact.

Family Law

Committee Chairs: Ashley Blahowicz & Kaitlyn Hoerner

Provides a forum for discussion and exchange of information among family law practitioners; addresses issues impacting women and children consistent with the mission of WBASNY.

Finance

Committee Chair: Gabrielle Markle

Tracks relevant issues for Chapter; works with State organization on related matters.

Geographic Outreach

Committee Chair:  Sarah P. Rera

Investigate extending the services of WNY WBASNY to different parts of WNY outside Buffalo, especially those areas where attorneys may not be able to easily participate in or attend WNY WBASNY programs and events hosted in the greater Buffalo region.

Health & Reproductive Rights

Committee Chairs: Bernadette Gargano, Gaelin Carrig, Christina Akers-DiCenzo & Marina Barci

Founded to promote an awareness of legal issues associated with health and reproduction, and to provide opportunities to build alliances with similar committees within WBASNY and the WNY community at large.

Installation

Committee Chair:  Marissa Hill Washington

Plans annual Installation of Officers & Directors and Awards Ceremony.

jalbca

Committee Chair: Judith Gerber

Serves as Chapter’s “point-person” for annual “Judges And Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert” each October.

Judge's Choice Series

Committee Chair:  Ashley Lowry

Organizes Judge's Choice dinners and/or luncheons, including coordinating dates and locations with judges and venue.

Judiciary

Committee Chairs:  Sharon Swift & Marina Barci

Rates the judicial candidates in four categories: 1) judicial temperament; 2) reasoning ability and communication skills; 3) legal experience and background for the position sought; and 4) sensitivity to community and women’s issues. Ratings for each of these categories are based upon the candidate’s questionnaire, personal interview, and writing samples, as well as their responses to our member survey regarding their professional experience.

Legislative

Committee Chair: Anastasia McCarthy

Reviews pending state legislation which it believes to have particular impact on women. Sends comments, support or opposition, and suggestions for redrafting to the Legislature, in the form of a memorandum approved by the State WBASNY Board of Directors. There are four subcommittees focusing on matrimonial law, economic
discrimination, civil law, and criminal law.

LGBTQ+

Committee Chairs: Anastasia McCarthy, Alexis Florczak, Bernadette Gargano

Founded to promote an awareness of legal issues facing the LGBTQ community and to provide opportunities for LGBTQ attorneys and allies to interact in a professional setting and build alliances with other committees within WBASNY and the WNY legal community at-large.

long-range planning

Committee Chair: Karen Richardson

Reviews where the Women’s Bar Association has been, what its future goals are, and formulates plans to ensure that those goals are met.

Membership

Committee Chairs: Jenna McDonnell and Alexandra Jaehn

Recruits new members and works to retain current members.

New Lawyers

Committee Chair: Rachael Sparacino

Helps new lawyers transition into the practice of law, network with seasoned practitioners, provides avenues and relationships for advice and guidance.

Nominations

Committee Chair: Anastasia McCarthy

Programs/CLE

Committee Chairs: Kara Rossi & Lisa Poch

​Establishes programs, including receptions, speakers, forums, panels, and seminars to educate the community and our members.

Public Sector & Non-Profit Attorneys

Committee Chair:  Rebecca Izzo & Ron Winter

Identifies issues affecting public sector lawyers and presents programming on topics affecting public employees and for the benefit of litigants that appear in the courtroom.  Issues include public employee pay and benefits, e-discovery, electronic filing, court communications and interactions, and ethics.

UB Law Liaison & Denman Scholarship

Committee Chair:  Anna McCarthy

Links women law students with women practitioners. Fosters programming and services to women law students. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is acknowledged that the activity level of each such Standing Committee may vary from time to time, within the discretion of the President upon conferring with the Board.

Wellness

Committee Chair: Emily Florczak​

Working Parents

Committee Chairs:  Kara Eyre & Christina Akers-DiCenzo

Addresses all issues related to working parents in our profession. These issues include parental leave, alternative work arrangements, and contract lawyering. 

​The Working Parents Committee has compiled a list of Lactation Locations available in various courts in Western New York, including Erie County, Niagara County, Chautauqua County, Cattaraugus County, Genesee County, Wyoming County, Allegany County, and Orleans County.  You can see the list here.