WBASNY Meetings and Events for Members

Located in New York City, Dyan Gershman founded and is a partner of a corporate law firm, Gershman Law, PLLC, that provides a broad range of legal services to US and international large and mid market companies, as well as startups. In addition to her law practice, Dyan Gershman is a member of several legal organizations, including the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY).

The WBASNY operates with a mission of advancing women in law and in society. The organization hosts various meetings and events designed to equip members with the tools needed to achieve these aims. The WBASNY Women’s Foundation Women’s Leadership Summit, for example, was developed to educate and engage future leaders. In addition to enhancing leadership skills, participants are afforded extensive networking opportunities, allowing them to discuss pressing legal topics with some of the most accomplished women in the state.

WBASNY has collaborated with the Erie Institute of Law’s Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program. The Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired event focuses on the latest trends influencing the fight for equitable healthcare in New York City. WBASNY hosts numerous virtual and in-person CLE opportunities, including panel discussions on important industry topics such as diversity and hiring. Additional CLE opportunities focus on subjects like affirmative action. Other events provide members direct access to newly elected judges, such as a 2023 luncheon with the 5th Judicial District Supreme Court Judges Kevin Kuehner, Will Ramseier, and Mark Rose.

NYC Habitat for Humanity Receives $3 Million for Brooklyn Program

Dyan Gershman is a New York legal professional who delivers counsel across diverse aspects of corporate and international law. Active in her community, Dyan Gershman supports efforts that broaden legal access and also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.

In August 2023, New York City Habitat for Humanity announced the securing of $3 million in federal funding for the Constellation development project. Addressing an urgent housing crisis, the money will enable construction of 77 affordable housing units spanning eight Brooklyn sites, from Bedford-Stuyvesant to East New York.

One location, where the announcement of funding was made, is a vacant lot that will someday house an eco-friendly four-story, 12-unit building offering affordable two and three bedroom apartments. A similar 2017 Brownsville “Seed” development provided more than two dozen local families the opportunity to become first-time homeowners.

The affordable housing crunch is particularly acute in neighborhoods such as Brownsville, where around half of residents are earning less than one-third of the median income in the area. A similar amount pay more than half of their income for rent, and nearly two-thirds of locals are “rent-burdened,” or paying more than 35 percent of their income on rent. The new funding will help ease this situation and ensure that traditional city neighborhoods remain comfortable places for families to raise and educate their children.