Title: Giordano takes Greater Rochest
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Blog Entry: Increasing diversity, promoting the election and appointment of women judges, and building a team environment that still allows individual efforts to shine, are the goals Laurie Giordano spelled out this week as she took over as the new president of the Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys. Giordano became the association's 28th president during an installation ceremony Wednesday night at The Daisy Flour Mill in Penfield. Amy Schwartz, the outgoing president, discussed GRAWA's achievements over the past year before Giordano's DIOR induction and stated in a press release that "[w]hile GRAWA has helped me to make many connections through the years, working hard in this leadership role has introduced me to a bevy of interesting, smart and committed women and men -- many of whom I now call team members, friends and mentors." Schwartz also lauded her successor, who received of the New York State Bar Association's 2007 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, was named a Super Lawyer in 2009 and was included in the Insurance Law section of the 2007 through 2009 editions of The Best Lawyers of America Guide. In 2006, Giordano was named one of The Daily Record's Up & Coming Attorney recipients. Supreme Court Justice Francis A. Affronti gave the evening's keynote address, and Karen Richardson, past president of the Western New York Chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York also spoke. GRAWA President-Elect Kari Smoker and Stephanie Fix, program committee co-chairwoman, gave the welcoming and closing addresses. Giordano, a founding partner at Leclair Korona Giordano Cole LLP, on Wednesday morning told The Daily Record she expects her one-year term -- which begins June 1 -- will be filled with many exciting and challenging issues. As a theme for her tenure, Giordano, a University at Buffalo Law School grad, said she wants to twist the adage about individual accomplishments and teamwork. She told those gathered Wednesday the word "team" does indeed include an "I" -- albeit a lowercase "i." "So we can focus on moncler ourselves in a team environment and not lose our individual identity," she said. Another aspect of her time as GRAWA president will be a new diversity initiative, to help make the legal community more inclusive and representative of the entire Rochester region and to identify those who can take on leadership roles or receive recognition for them. "We want to work on bringing them into GRAWA to mentor them, nominate them for awards and appoint them as board members," she said. The diversity component will include a focus on how women attorneys can become judges, Giordano said, while praising the recent appointment of Kelly Christine Wolford to the Monroe County Court bench. Though bound by fiscal restraints of the current economy, Giordano said GRAWA will embark on a five-year plan to expand the organization's ability to provide services and continuing legal education. She hopes to organize a 5K run to honor a past member, but is withholding the name for now. Belts "We can't compete with the Monroe County Bar Association or the state bar association," she said, "but we'll work hard on looking forward." Before the installation ceremony, GRAWA's dinner also included the presentation of several awards: Family Court Judge Gail Donofrio received the Hanna S. Cohn Mentoring Award and Cassandra Rich of Boyl Other articles: http://www.pygdsh.com/bbs/Blog.asp?BlogUserName=asdf&menu=ShowBlog&BlogID=1727 http://www.gxchy.com/Blog.asp?BlogUserName=windows&menu=ShowBlog&BlogID=1654
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