Trusts and Estates Meetings leading the way back for the BBA

January 25, 2022 Robert Abruzzese, Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Anthony Vaughn. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

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Prior to the pandemic, the Brooklyn Bar Association building had acted as a meeting spot for all of the various local bar associations and legal groups. Our members used the building, the Inns of Court regularly held meetings here, the Brooklyn Women’s Bar was active within the halls, and solo practitioners would regularly meet with clients.

At the height of the early pandemic, and before everyone had adapted to virtual meetings, there was a short period of time where there was nothing going on at the Brooklyn Bar Association at all.

Eventually the BBA adapted to Zoom meetings. It wasn’t easy, or quick, at first, but two groups really helped to lead the way — the Surrogate’s Court Committee and the Trusts & Estates Section.

Daniel Antonelli.
Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

The group, led by Pamela Walker, Daniel Antonelli, James Cahill, Antar Jones and later on Kerry Archer, made a decision to start opening their meetings to all members. The meetings were a bit informal at first, and certainly did not qualify for continuing legal education credit, but they were popular.

Right away the demand for the meetings was obvious. More than 100 attorneys showed up to the very first one. There was an agenda for the meeting, but many came with questions of their own. After all, while COVID didn’t completely shut the court system down, it certainly caused havoc for many practitioners.

The answers weren’t always the ones the attorneys were looking for. Sometimes Antonelli would explain, ‘Yeah, I’m having the same problem,’ but that lead to a discussion and solutions, or at least work-arounds, were figured out.

Pamela Walker.
Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese

Months went by and the groups continued to hold a joint, one-hour meeting every month, always free and open to all BBA members. As they went on the meetings became more formal, but often shared the same we’re-all-in-this-together comradery.

The two surrogate judges themselves began attending with regularity, which gave BBA members an opportunity to not only have their questions heard, but to have them answered by the judges themselves or their staff. It also gave the BBA leadership an opportunity to offer suggestions when they saw a better way.

That productivity rubbed off on other groups as well. The Elder Law Committee followed, and Dan Miller, Fern Finkel, and Ellyn Kravitz have been routinely hosting similar meetings. RoseAnn Branda, Aimee Richter and the Matrimonial Committee held meetings as well.

The Membership Committee, led by Anthony Vaughn, Jr., who has since been joined by Pamela Walker as co-chair, took the idea and tweaked it. That group decided to host particular judges each month just so the judges could get into a Zoom room with members, explain what’s going on in their Part, how COVID is still impacting them, and be available for questions.

James Cahill
Courtesy of Cahill & Cahill

So far the Membership Committee has hosted Hon. Elizabeth Stong, of the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District; Hon. Reginald Boddie, supervising judge of the Supreme Court, Commercial Division, Hon. Cheryl Gonzales, supervising judge of the Housing Court; Hon. Lawrence Knipel, administrative judge of the Supreme Court, Civil Term; Hon. Ellen Spodek, who briefly served as interim administrative judge while Justice Knipel had COVID; Hon. Jeffrey Sunshine, the Statewide Coordinating Judge for Matrimonial Cases; and most recently Hon. Nancy Sunshine, County Clerk, Clerk of Supreme Court and Commissioner of Jurors, and Hon. Charles Small, Chief Clerk of the Supreme Court, Civil Term.

A lot went into reviving the Brooklyn Bar Association, but there is no doubt that the Trusts & Estates Section, and the Surrogate’s Court Committee helped to lead the way just by getting everyone into a Zoom room on a regular basis.

The COVID pandemic is not quite over. However, the Brooklyn Bar Association is operating at a much higher capacity than it was about a year and a half ago. These meetings aren’t going to stop anytime soon.

The Trusts & Estates Section and Surrogate’s Court Committee are hosting their next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. The Membership Committee is working on bringing Justice Stong back on March 23 at 1 p.m., and is diligently working to schedule virtual sitdowns with other judges. All of these meetings are free for BBA members.

The BBA Mentorship Program Kicks Off Thursday

In my previous column I wrote about the return of the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Mentorship Program. This has proved to be popular even early on, as approximately 50 people have already signed up.

The program will kick off with an interest meeting on Thursday, January 27 at 6 p.m. on Zoom. It will be hosted by Rich Klass, the president-elect of the BBA and the chair of the Mentor Committee, with Hon. Joanne Quinones and Natoya McGhie. The first meeting will be to explain how the program will work, and everyone will have an opportunity to introduce themselves so that the committee can best pair mentors and mentees.

The BBA is offering free membership dues to any attorneys with less than five years’ experience who want to take part in the program. Already 15 people have taken us up on this offer and we hope that we get a lot more. In fact, the offer has been so tempting that we now need more mentors. So if you are an experienced attorney reading this, please consider joining us on Thursday.

If anyone cannot attend Thursday’s meeting, but would still like to sign up for mentorship they are welcome to do so. Please go to www.BrooklynBar.org to register.

Robert Abruzzese is the former Legal Editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the current Director of Member Services at the Brooklyn Bar Association. Now as a legal columnist for the Eagle, Abruzzese writes about the BBA and the local legal community. For information about joining the Brooklyn Bar Association, you can reach him via email at [email protected].