Today’s blog is about being too busy to blog…

Tomorrow is Installation Day…

We are finalizing name-tags which is always a little crazy, so if we get your name wrong, this one time, please forgive us. Our event schedule has been over the moon lately, as we roll from one event to the next. However, if you have not yet registered, call Ginny ASAP at 402-7188, and say the following:  “Ginny, this is (state your name), and I know I am so late with this call, but if I say pretty please, can I still register for the dinner? I promise, I will not ask to sit next to my favorite judge or any one else for that matter! Thank you Ginny  – do you like flowers or chocolate??”

Liz, Installation Event Extraordinaire, just learned there is a threat at the Hyatt about a possible strike by the wait staff, so we may be asking our Board of Trustees to assume a new responsibility as Wait Staff. Hope they are up for the task?

And this was the moment that Dajanee discovered the PowerPoint presentation she had been working on for days had not been saved.

Then this was the moment that Merritt learned that one of the underwriters that had pledged $3000 pulled out at the last minute. And he was trying to find the words to come tell me.

And this is me and one of my many coping mechanisms during stressful times.

Can you tell we are getting a little punchy here?? Obviously, this is all a joke, except for Ginny, you still need to bring her flowers or chocolate if you call tomorrow.

Hopefully, we will see you tomorrow at the Hyatt. Looking forward to this annual celebration.

What are you busy doing today?

Thanks for checking in…

Mary

Top 5 Things Activities for all the MCBA’ers

Last night at the Litigation Section Annual meeting a few of us were joking that we had just seen each other the night before at the Rochester Legal Diversity Clerkship Program welcome reception on Tuesday night.

So for those of you that just LOVE your MCBA time, and simply can’t get enough of me, your colleagues and fellow MCBA members, here are the top 5 things to do in the closing weeks of this bar year.

First, we have the installation of our 118th President Diane Cecero, with gratitude to our outgoing president Connie Walker on Thursday, June 13th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at 6:00 pm.

Second, how often will you have the opportunity to schmooze with the Judges from the New York State Court of Appeals, in upstate New York? This is probably a one-time deal! So take advantage of joining the lawyers and judges of the Monroe, Erie and Onondaga County Bar Associations, and the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers and gather with us on Monday, June 17th at the Woodcliff Hotel & Spa at 5:30 pm. Click here for more information. Please RSVP to Ginny LaCour at valacour@mcba.org or at 585-546-1817.

Third, on Tuesday, June 18th we are very excited to have former Chief Judge Judith Kaye back at the Telesca Center at 12:15 pm for some dialogue about lawyers in transition. This event is informal, and free and open to all MCBA members. Light lunch will be served. Seating is limited!! Come join us, even if your transition is 5 or 25 years away. Please RSVP to Diane Hill at dhill@mcba.org or at 585-546-1817.

Fourth, then just hours later at 6:00 pm we will be gathering with Judge Kaye and all of our young lawyers at the 5th Annual Silent Auction to benefit Rochester Teen Court at Colgate Rochester Divinity School. Don’t miss! Come cheer on these extraordinary young leaders. Click here for a registration form.

And finally, just before the Bar year ends, on Thursday, June 27th is the Family Law Section’s Annual Summer Party at Debbie Indivino’s house at 5:30 pm. Some say, this is the party to be at! Click here for the registration form.

And between now and June 28, we have 6 CLEs, including the annual Bankruptcy Conference! Click here for the full list.

That’s a wrap on the 2012-13 Bar Year! Thank you to all of you that made it happen.

Thx for checking in…

Mary

Many Places…Many Presidents…

My son, Brian, is a golf assistant at Richland Country Club in Nashville, Tennessee. The course is beautiful and historic, as it was built on an old Civil War Battlefield. The course is amazing, and their members take great pride in it. As an assistant golf pro, working on his PGA certification, Brian’s day is managing day to day operations, their frequent tournaments, interacting with members, and giving private lessons to members, their spouses, and in some cases their children, because, according to Brian, every golfing parent believes their child may be the next Tiger Woods.  I listen to him as he shares about his interactions with members that may be upset about something, or the Club President that has an issue that he brings to Brian to solve. And I am impressed that at 23, he has developed such a solid management style, an intuitiveness about matters . He reports that he really likes his membership, and his presidents, and that he enjoys the many personalities he engages with daily.

I can so relate to Brian’s experiences. The other night we held our annual dinner of the Association’s Past Presidents at the Strathallan. We have 34 living presidents, 35 until the recent passing of Judge David Boehm. On July 1st, they will be 35 again when President Connie Walker joins their ranks. This is an annual dinner held every spring and it served as an opportunity for them to celebrate Connie, while welcoming the incoming president, Diane Cecero, as well as incoming president-elect, Steve Modica.

The presidents pay their way for this annual gathering and really cherish this wonderful tradition for many reasons. They love to determine who is the oldest living president, and also simply the oldest. Turns out Jim Hartman is the oldest, as he turned 85 on that night. But it is Tony Palermo that holds the title of oldest living president. Tony served in 1973! His passion for the profession, the law, and the bar world is as strong as ever.

As they began to arrive, and secure a glass of wine, the friendly- banter and story-telling also began. It really is one of my favorite events of the bar year. Following dinner, the Past President Co-Chair, Dick Rosenbloom, (sadly his Co-Chair side-kick Mary Ross was unable to be with us due to illness caused by the grand kids visit over the long weekend) began the short program with an invitation to Connie to provide some brief remarks about her year. Connie did a great job sharing some of the highlights, but acknowledged that she is looking forward to entering the Past Presidents Club. Then Diane Cecero was introduced as our new incoming president and spoke about feeling welcomed into this group of colleagues, many of whom she has known for years. Diane’s plan is to focus on a successful development and implementation of the MCBA Strategic Plan, and like all the presidents that came before her, to ensure a good future for the bar.

And then I shared a few brief comments about the great year I have had with Connie. We accomplished so much more than she had time to share. But all agreed, the biggest accomplishment for all of us was the completion of the Telesca Center for Justice lobby. If you have not seen it, stop in. Special thanks went out to Justin Vigdor for his 8 year leadership on the Partnership Campaign, and to Harold Kurland, who was a tireless supporter of the Campaign and determined to see the lobby renovated.

I drove home wondering where 2012-13 went. It seems as though only yesterday it was Bryan’s farewell, and Connie was coming into her term, and now a year has passed, and Diane is coming, and Steve will follow closer than he thinks.

A great quote I appreciate is,

“The lawyer is the fellow who evens things up, the champion of all those who…must bear the whips and scorns of time, the oppressor’s wrong…the law’s delay…S(he) fights  fire with fire, meets guile with guile, and rights the legal wrong.”

Arthur Train, Mr. Tutt’e Case Book (1936).

As I took my final glances at this roomful of remarkable bar leaders from the past and the present, I saw a room full of passionate fire-fighters that have built this incredible association. We should all be proud.

With that, I invite you to join us on Thursday, June 13th for the Installation of our 118th President, Diane Cecero. This is also an opportunity to celebrate our out-going president, Connie Walker. Click here to register.

Thanks for checking in…

Mary

Guest Post: To Dream the Impossible Dream…

“To dream the impossible dream…to fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow…to run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong …to love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary …to reach the unreachable star.”
– “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha

At Tuesday night’s donor reception and lobby dedication for the Telesca Center for Justice, Justin Vigdor, chair of the Partnership for Equal Justice Campaign, quoted lyrics from “The Impossible Dream.”

Being a fan of musicals, “The Impossible Dream” and its call-to-arms partner “Man of La Mancha” are two of my favorites. Inspired last night, I actually listened to them this morning taking an early morning walk (yes, they are on my playlist along with many other musicals).

This morning as I was walking and listening, a thought popped into my head…well actually a question. It’s a question that has been on the peripheral of my thoughts over the last week. It started when I attended GRAWA’s Installation Dinner last week and listened to the inspiring Anne Kress and Melanie Wolk. It continued when I read the headline last Friday in The Daily Record: “Obama Nominates Wolford.” And it was on the tip of my tongue at  last night’s reception. And the question is: What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

It’s a question I actually saw on one of those Quotables greeting cards (my favorite line of cards). And if that is question, then surely “Create the Telesca Center for Justice” is one of the answers.

Co-locating the legal service providers under one roof is a dream that Hanna Cohn had before she passed away. Mary always tells me that Hanna was the secretary of the MCBA Board of Trustees at the time she started at the MCBA and immediately took her under her wing. In the few shorts months Mary knew Hanna before she passed away, she learned about her dream and vision for co-locating the four legal service agencies to a single location. It’s funny – dreams have a way of being catching.

It’s a dream that has been passed on to extraordinary champions of justice like the Hon. Michael Telesca and Justin Vigdor. It’s a dream that has been supported by government officials like David Gantt, Lovely Warren and Joseph Robach. And it’s a dream that became a reality thanks to so many volunteers, donors, lawyers and judges. It took the cooperation and willingness of the four legal service partners – Empire Justice Center, Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Monroe County Legal Assistance and Volunteer Legal Services Project – and the MCBA and the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar, along with each of their executive directors, board chairs and staff.

All of these folks came together under the idea that equal access to justice is not the privilege of the rich, the lucky or the strong; it the right of all that are personified in those three simple words “We the people…”

According to Henry Ford: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” We are now at the point of working together, and to quote Judge Telesca: “We’ve only just begun!” The building is named after a man whose life work epitomizes justice and so the dedicated people working on behalf of their clients in this building will continue to do the same: “To right the unrightable wrong…to fight the unbeatable foe…to reach the unreachable star.”

And as the “quixotic” heroine (Justin’s reference, not mine) of this story, it’s only fitting that Hanna’s portrait, exquisitely created by Mary Callery DeCresce, stands framed in the lobby, among others. The smile and sparkle in the eye that Mary perfectly has portrayed seems so appropriate now looking at the beacon we have shining here today at the Four Corners.

If you haven’t seen the lobby yet, I encourage you to stop by.

Thanks for checking in….

Liz Novak

Hellos and Goodbyes

I am taking most of the afternoon off today to have a nice quiet lunch with my daughter, Claire to celebrate a few important events in her life. She has just completed her second year at Bentley University in Boston, and had a great finish. Tomorrow morning she is on an early flight back to Boston in order to begin her summer internship with a small marketing firm on Monday. And on June 1st, Claire turns 20! She will return home mid-August for two weeks before heading to Dublin to study abroad for the fall semester.

So this morning I woke to the reality of counting the days and hours that I will have with Claire between now and the end of December when she returns home from Ireland. Part of me wants to know that Claire will be down the street from home this summer working at Great Northern Pizzeria as she has done for the last 4 summers. But that is not to be. And despite how I may feel today, I am happy and excited for Claire. So over lunch I plan to remind her that she will be grabbing a train and commuting to work, and that the Boston experience will be the resume builder. I will remind her that she will have a great time living with her Aunt Jeanne and two young cousins, Charlie and Will, right on Beacon Street. The boys LOVE Claire, and are thrilled to have a cousin for the summer.  I will remind her that she has many friends in the Boston area, and that it is now her City, and she will have plenty to do. And of course, I will remind her to be safe.

I also plan to remind her to take full advantage of this wonderful internship opportunity by leaning in and asking the people around her for what she wants and needs to be successful. I will remind her to not be afraid to ask questions, and to fail, as we learn from our mistakes. I will remind her that we were all new and young at one time.

But in telling Claire, I was really trying to convince myself that this is what it is all about. It is about bringing these little people into our world, watching them grow and explore, and take chances, and step out of their comfort zone. It is about giving them wings of opportunities to learn, grow and observe, and to ultimately launch their lives and careers. It’s about being part of a community — which initially may be a pub in Dublin with some new friends (minus any large quantities of Guiness!).

In just a few short weeks, we will begin to welcome the 11 new Rochester Diversity Clerkship  students to town. This will be the 9th summer of our award-winning program and plans are already underway for a jam-packed summer of both educational and social events. All are an attempt to show them what a great legal community resides in Rochester.

In addition to the Diversity Clerks, Rochester is also welcoming a whole bunch of new 2Lsummer clerks to many of the firms. Last night while in attendance at the GRAWA Installation Dinner of Melanie Wolk, I met several summer interns already busy in their respective firms. I thought it was so great that their supervising attorneys were bringing them to GRAWA and exposing them to this special Rochester community.

Later in the evening, we heard Melanie share her story about what brought her to her first GRAWA Dinner just 5 years ago. She walked into the room, new to Rochester, knowing no one. But within minutes found 2-3 people, while in line awaiting a glass of wine, and then another 4-6, and then before the night was over, she had met almost everyone in the room. I can not do justice to Melanie’s remarks, but the message was about being welcomed and embraced as a new young attorney, into a community of women that cared about one another, and all aspects of each other. Melanie’s story is not her’s alone. I guarantee many of  you have a similar story as to how you became involved in either GRAWA, the Rochester Black Bar Association or the MCBA.

Over the years I have observed there are MANY willing participants — both attorneys and law students — that would welcome an opportunity to get engaged. But for some, they need that personal invitation to bring them to the table. Once there, my observation has been that they flourish.

I would like to challenge every engaged member (you know who you are) this summer to connect with either a dis-engaged member, a non-member, or a young lawyer or summer clerk, and have a conversation with them about their MCBA involvement. Find the person standing along the perimter and find out what you can do to get them engaged. As we heard last night, and as I witness every day, we make a difference in the lives of our members.

The future of our community, our legal community, our state and national communities depends on our young people, and whether or not we are giving them the “wings” they need to experience the opportunities they deserve to make our world a better place.

To all the law clerks coming to town…welcome!!

To Claire, bye Pooks!

Thanks for checking in…

Mary

Let’s expand our dance cards…

Thinking back over the events of Law Week, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on messages from Vernā Myers, our incredible keynote speaker at the Law Day Luncheon. Vernā’s message was about diversity, inclusion,  and retention. And simply put, the secret to retention is inclusion.

One of the ways that Vernā suggested we do this is by “expanding our dance card.” Reach out of your inner or safe circle, and engage with people not typically on your dance card; begin to listen and to get know and learn more about others; learn about what makes you different, but also be open to learning about what makes you the same.

The weekend before Law Week I was invited to attend WDKX’s Women for Women Conference. Monroe County Bar Association President Connie Walker was speaking and my friend and colleague, Margaret Sanchez were moderating the panels, and I wanted to be there to support them. I was one of a handful of Caucasian women amidst a group of talented and successful women of color.

The two panels I heard shared wonderful pearls of wisdom directed to all of us in the room. Here are but a few:

• “Learn to value my time, because if I don’t, know one else will.”
• “Develop a “stick-to-itness” — stay with my convictions.”
• “A good leader has to be a good follower.”
• “That’s not the kind of boss I want to be.”
• “Learn to always smile; it changes your disposition.”
• “You keep moving forward. You don’t even go back to push yourself forward.”
• “Tell me who you’re walking with, and I will tell you who you are.”
• “Have strategic meetings with God, and together you can develop the strategy that works best for her life.”
• “Have enough confidence in the truth of who you are, that when you walk into a room, you understand that the atmosphere shifts because you are there.”

The common denominator running through this room was that we were a room full of grandmothers, mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, wives, married women, divorced women, single mom’s, single women, and widows. But the one common denominator that did not escape any of us was that as women, all of us were caretakers in some capacity, whether it be at home, at work, or in our communities. It was an incredible experience for me, and one that I was most grateful to have been given the opportunity. It struck me that as the minority in the room, I felt welcomed and included. It made me think about whether I was always as welcoming and inclusive.

I was expanding my dance card, and I was being invited to dance.  And because of that very brief experience, I made some new friends and acquaintances. On my radar will be more of these opportunities that help me expand my dance card.

It has been a few great weeks of listening and learning, and I am working on expanding my own dance card. What have you done lately to expand yours?

Thanks for checking in…

Mary

Law Day – Less than a week away!

Law Day – Less than a week away!

With Law Day less than a week away, the excitement is building. Ginny LaCour is handling our annual glut of registrations; logistics are being finalized (this year, a little bit more with the excitement of Spider-Man filming); materials are being printed and remarks are being prepared.

This year, our Law Week starts with the annual Student Awards Ceremony on Monday, August 29, with special guest the Hon. Craig Doran. Sponsored by the Foundation of the Monroe County Bar and the Monroe County Bar Association, the ceremony celebrates our future lawyers and leaders that have participated in the various high school mock trial programs.

On Tuesday, our special guest Vernā Myers will be presenting a workshop on diversity and inclusion. As previously mentioned, I have heard Vernā speak on two occasions, and was so impressed with her message on inclusion. This legal community has really made a significant commitment to recruitment through our Diversity Clerkship Program. Though we have had some success with retention, we cannot give ourselves an “A+” for this one until we really understand and fully embrace the concept of inclusion for all people and all of our differences. Vernā’s message is powerful, but delivered with grace, wisdom and great humor.  The workshop is geared to senior management level attorneys. There are still a few seats left for the workshop, so if you are interested, please call Galina at 402-7185.

And then on May 1, we celebrate the rule of law and belief in equality and justice for all with our annual Law Day luncheon. But while we are very excited about Vernā, we are also excited about our award recipients at Law Day. Each of the recipients being honored demonstrates commitment to the Bar and the legal community.

Past MCBA President and future Foundation President Bruce Lawrence will be honored with our Adolph J. Rodenbeck Award.  Since being president of the MCBA in 1994-95, Bruce has remained active in the MCBA and committed to access to justice issues, currently serving on the MCBA’s Access to Justice committee. As President-Elect of the Foundation, Bruce has played an integral part in Phase II of the Telesca Center for Justice, lobby renovation and creation of the 8^th Floor Community Legal Reception. Bruce is well deserving of this honor!

Speaking of the Foundation, the Hon. Patricia D. Marks is being given the Foundation’s Humanitarian Award. An MCBA member, Judge Marks’ exemplifies so much of what is highlighted with the Humanitarian – through her work as a Judge and in her retirement. She was a pioneer in establishing the Mental Health and Veterans’ Courts, and today focuses much of her attention on the needs of veterans and low income clients.  Thank you Judge Marks for your service!

And showcasing what fantastic judges we have in our legal community, the Hon. Francis A. Affronti is being awarded the Outstanding Jurist Award. A longtime and outstanding supporter of the MCBA, it’s no wonder he’s being given this honor. Reading over his bio in the program, I already knew much about his work and passion in the law. But one little tidbit that I didn’t know – Justice Affronti has been inducted in the Rochester Boxing Hall of Fame.  Judge Affronti and his family lived next door to my parents on Seneca Parkway for many years, so this is especially sweet. Congratulations Justice Affronti!

In addition to our awards at the luncheon, both the Legal Aid Society and VLSP give out their highest honors – the James R. Boyle Award and the William E. McKnight Awards. Matthew Fero will be receiving the Boyle Award for his outstanding advocacy on behalf of children. And VLSP is awarding three recipients the McKnight Awards for their ongoing and tireless pro bono representation: Karen Smith Callanan, Steve Carling and Michael Schnittman.

And while these awards I’ve mentioned highlight only a few of our attorneys for their dedication to access to justice and the legal community, they are representative of the greater whole. As we wind down the Bar year and honor our members at various events coming up, I’m reminded by the tireless dedication, commitment and integrity by so many attorneys in the 7^th Judicial District. I’m honored to be among you and serve you, and look forward once again, to celebrating Law Day with you!

So please do not allow the Spider-Man web of Hollywood confusion on Main Street keep you away from this great Law Day tradition. Make Ginny’s day by sending in your reservation today, and NOT next Tuesday!! We encourage you to give yourself a little more time to travel to the Convention Center, either by foot or by car.

Thanks for checking in,

Mary