On May 30, 2008, the WBASNY Board of Directors met at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Maryland.  Here are the highlights of that meeting.

• President Cortese stated that she thanked Chief Judge Judith Kaye for her eloquent speech to the board on March 29, 2008, in honor of Women’s History Month.
• President Cortese reported that she participated in a number of successful events including the following:  (1) a New York State Bar Association program entitled, “Women on the Move 2008:  Clarity, Focus and Action;” (2) the “Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Conference on Judicial Independence” at Fordham Law School; (3) a meeting of the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts; and (4) the Brooklyn Chapter’s Ninetieth Annual Dinner at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
• President Cortese stated that a WBASNY program entitled “How the Legal System Addresses Mental Health Issues Affecting Children” went very well.  She arranged to have the program videotaped and is now arranging for consents to publish.
• President Cortese reported the success of an April 17th United Nations forum co-sponsored by WBASNY, which was entitled “Women, Peace and Security:  A New Reality.  Multidisciplinary Approaches to Security Council Resolution 1325.”
• President Cortese authored an article in celebration of Law Day for the New York Law Journal.  The article, entitled “Women and the Rule of Law:  The Last 50 Years,” is available on the WBASNY website.
• President Cortese spoke briefly about the results of a WBASNY survey issued to state and local government offices in New York on the availability of parental and family leave, childcare, and part-time and flextime positions for attorneys.  She is planning further analysis of the survey results before publication.
• Regarding Governor David Paterson’s recent call for state agencies to give full faith and credit to valid out-of-state same sex marriages and civil unions, President Cortese said that the issue of whether to pass a resolution in support of the position would be discussed at the WBASNY Plenary Session on June 1, 2008.
• The board discussed the short-term issue of whether WBASNY should co-sponsor a no-fault divorce forum in Albany within the context of a longer-term issue of whether WBASNY should register as a lobbyist.  The board voted to send WBASNY representation to the no-fault divorce forum but not to provide funding for the forum.  The board also voted to write a letter to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity asking for clarification as to whether WBASNY should be classified as a lobbyist, with the intention of following the commission’s recommendation.
• President Cortese and By-Laws Committee Co-Chair Linda Morrone spoke about the possibility of changing the membership year from WBASNY’s fiscal year (June 1 to May 31) to the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).  They indicated that the issue would be discussed further at the September 2008 board meeting.
• President Cortese reported that WBASNY filed an application for United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Non Governmental Organization status.  ECOSOC status would provide WBASNY with an increased ability to advocate in the UN for causes that are important to women.
• Judiciary/Courts Committee Co-Chair Marjorie Lesch reported that judicial screening guidelines were approved and that the committee screened twice for positions on the New York Court of Appeals.  She said that the committee expected to screen for the chief judge position in 2008/2009 and invited chapter leaders to submit the names of their representatives to the committee as soon as possible.
• President Cortese announced that a WBASNY memo relating to legislation requiring notification of health insurance loss prior to divorce was sent to legislators.  The purpose of the legislation was to amend a law passed in 2007, making it easier to administer for both litigants and judges.