Westchester Women's Bar Association

A Chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY)

Emerald Sponsor
Emerald Sponsor

Featured member

Thank you to everyone that attended the WWBA Annual Dinner and helped to make it a success!

Member NEWS

❑ Leason Ellis LLP is proud to announce that Elizabeth Barnhard, Esq. was selected for inclusion in the IAM Patent 1000 2022. Patents are essential business commodities and knowing how to obtain, enforce and monetize them has become mission critical. The IAM Patent 1000 has firmly established itself as the definitive ’go-to’ resource for those seeking to identify world-class, private practice patent expertise and leading expert witnesses in the U.S. The IAM Patent 1000 recommends Elizabeth as a ’go-to’ resource for those seeking world-class, private practice patent counsel for prosecution and transactions, and it has shared this client testimonial about her work. “Elizabeth is an excellent project manager and a great strategist when it comes to securing patent protection internationally and expanding portfolios.”

❑ Cuddy & Feder LLP is pleased to announce that Kristen Motel, Esq., Partner in the firm’s Land Use, Environmental, and Telecommunications practice groups, was recently appointed to serve as Chair of the Cannabis Law group. Kristen frequently appears before municipal land use boards and permitting agencies to secure approvals for clients in numerous controversial projects. She is uniquely suited to guide applicants through the state cannabis application process and represent clients in municipal forums to obtain land use approvals. In addition to being a WWBA member, Kristen is an active member of the Hudson Valley Cannabis Industry Association and the Westchester County Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee. She has presented as a panelist on local land use and municipal considerations related to New York’s adult-use cannabis legislation.

❑ In trying times, as so many try to contribute in their own ways, prolific author and WWBA Archive & Historian Chair, Susan L. Pollet, has contributed a new collection of adult short stories entitled “Watching And Letting It All Go,” available on Amazon. These fictional stories explore what the process of watching and “letting go” opened up for its characters as they struggled with what they could and could not control in their lives. “Letting go” is looked at in terms of people’s thoughts about their pasts and futures, their relationships, their work, their neighbors and neighborhoods, and their life plans and personal identities. By reading these stories, perhaps the readers will take comfort in knowing that we all get to the other side one way or another, but it is our attitude during the journey that counts.

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Calendar

2022 Holiday Party Sponsorship

September 21, 2022 •
Women in Professional Development - 2022-2023 Series

October 07, 2022 1:00 PM • 445 Café, 445 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains
Apple Picking

October 08, 2022 12:00 PM • Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm - 1335 White Hill Road, Yorktown Height, NY

Full Calendar »

Interview of the Month

An Interview with
Amanda C. Fried

Susan L. Pollet

Chair of the Archive and Historian Committee

Q: Your presidential year took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Can you tell us how the pandemic impacted your leadership of the WWBA and our membership?

A: Notwithstanding that I’m known to be a hard-core introvert, my two favorite WWBA events are the Holiday Party and the Annual Dinner, where we have the opportunity to hug old friends, meet new members and bring them into the fold, and easily network with the incredible professionals in our community. In non-COVID times, these opportunities were more plentiful – in-person CLEs, programs, and board meetings – and although we certainly made do in the changing landscape, something intangible was lost with our inability to safely gather face-to-face.

Q: What are the accomplishments that took place during your presidency?

A: I think that any organization is only as strong as its members, so expanding our membership base was a priority for me. Many bar associations experienced member losses during COVID, and the WWBA was no exception. However, due to the hard work of our Board of Directors, so many members joined (or rejoined) the WWBA that we were able to regain a WBASNY delegate, and we secured for Westchester an additional key vote on statewide issues.

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President's Message

by Elizabeth Z. Marcus

As lawyers, many of us if not all of us, have at one point or another had to deliver an opening statement – the at times daunting yet crucial moment to set forth what the case is about; what the evidence will show; and what theme will continue through summation. As I now deliver to you all my opening statement, I submit Ladies and Gentlemen, that my installation as President of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association is best captured by the adage that to whom much is given, much is required. Indeed, the overwhelming evidence shows that I have been extremely fortunate to have had tremendous support and encouragement both personally and professionally, and that because so much has been given to me, it is now my responsibility to pay that forward.

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