New York, NY, Thursday, May 22 2025 – Marea L. Wachsman, Esq., President of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”), proudly announces that its “Women in Law” program won the 2025 National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (“NCWBA”) Public Service Award. The NCWBA Public Service Award is given to bar associations to recognize a wide variety of outstanding and unique public service projects.

WBASNY’s Social Action Committee, whose purpose is to promote WBASNY’s mission through a series of statewide and local projects each year, is dedicated to positively impacting communities throughout New York State served by WBASNY and its members. This year, President Wachsman and the Co-Chairs of the Social Action Committee created a statewide “Women in Law” program, which brought nearly 1,000 high school girls to 17 courtrooms throughout New York State, was a resounding success. The goal of the statewide initiative was to introduce high school girls to the field of law and educate them about the diverse and extensive career opportunities available in the legal profession.

The students heard from WBASNY members and a diverse range of professional women in the legal community, including esteemed justices from the Appellate Division, Supreme Court, Family Court, and/or local courts, as well as law clerks, attorneys, mediators, stenographers, court officers, translators, and members of New York State agencies and the State legislature. These panelists, representing a broad spectrum of professions in the law, shared their journeys and experiences inspiring and encouraging future generations to pursue legal careers.

Volunteerism is what made the statewide mentorship program possible. Approximately 170 WBASNY members and others throughout New York State volunteered their time and effort to facilitate programs in 17 courthouses. The Office of Court Administration and local judges supported their efforts by providing the needed court space for the programs.

The following WBASNY Chapters participated in the Program: Adirondack, Bronx, Brooklyn, Capital, Central, Del-Chen-O, Nassau, New York, Orange-Sullivan, Queens, GRAWA/Rochester, Staten Island, Suffolk, Westchester, and Western New York. WBASNY extends its heartfelt thanks to these Chapters, as well as its Social Action Committee and its Co-Chairs, Katrin Falco, Esq., and Douglas Gerhardt, Esq., for ensuring that WBASNY’s 2024-2025 social action project was not only successful but recognized as an award winning program. WBASNY is proud of its service and impact in our communities and confident that the seeds planted this year will continue to flourish next year and beyond.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) is the professional membership organization of choice for more than 4,000 attorneys throughout New York State, and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country. For four decades, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families. Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 40-plus substantive law committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.