Three Past Presidents of the New York Women’s Bar Association

 

Dyan Gershman

The recipient of a juris doctor degree from Boston College Law School, Dyan Gershman is a corporate and mergers and acquisitions attorney with over 25 years of experience. Dyan Gershman began her legal career with the international law firm Jones Day, and then went on to be an executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb and General Electric before establishing her own law firm, Gershman Law, PLLC, in 2014. In addition to her law practice, Dyan Gershman is a member of numerous organizations, including the New York Women’s Bar Association (NYWBA).

The NYWBA was established in 1934 by a group of women attorneys seeking greater equality for women in the legal profession. Rose Lehman Stein served as its first-ever president and numerous women have since had the honor of holding this position. Below are three of the organization’s past presidents:

1. Jenet Kaplan Brown – Brown was the NYWBA’s second-ever president, serving from 1938-39. She was very active in advocating for the nomination of women Supreme Court Justices in the First Judicial District in New York. In 1942, during WWII, she was chairman of the American Women’s Voluntary Services which, under her guidance, partnered with the NYWBA to establish a legal clinic to support military personnel and their families.

2. Julia Perles – President of the NYWBA from 1951-53, Perles is widely credited for playing a significant role as chair of the committee that brought about the passage of New York State’s equitable distribution law, which went into effect in 1980. This law brought a revolutionary change in the rights of marital partners in New York.

3. Martha E. Gifford – President of the NYWBA from 1994-95, Gifford also founded the NYWBA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose goals include eliminating gender bias and other discrimination in the legal system and legal profession and addressing the unmet legal needs of women and children.

New York Women’s Bar Association’s Martha E. Gifford Summer Program

New York Women’s Bar Association
Image: nywba.org

An experienced corporate attorney, Dyan Gershman oversees her own law practice in New York City, Gershman Law, PLLC. For close to three decades, she has provided legal advice in matters such as corporate law, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions. Dyan Gershman supplements these responsibilities with membership in multiple professional and nonprofit organizations, including the New York Women’s Bar Association (NYWBA).

Founded in 1934, NYWBA is dedicated to improving women’s status in society, assisting women lawyers in professional development and advancement, and promoting the fair and equal administration of justice. NYWBA pursues these goals through the efforts of its many committees, and through the assessment of judicial candidates. In addition, NYWBA seeks to educate women lawyers and provides a wealth of continuing legal education programs and professional development activities.

Initiatives include the annual Martha E. Gifford Summer Program, which provides insights about what to expect as a woman in the legal profession. Featuring a panel of senior attorneys, the program is geared to law students, new attorneys, summer associates, legal interns, and recruiting coordinators. Discussions are led by law firm partners, local bar association directors, and other industry leaders and authorities. The speakers explore issues that significantly affect women lawyers in the early stages of their careers and share their experiences in government, in-house law departments, and large and small law firms.