Cultural Responsiveness in Domestic Violence Services

Friday, October 20, 2023
8:30 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Program
12:00 p.m. Lunch

Registration

Attendee List

Refreshments provided courtesy of Vella Carbone & Vinson, LLP, and Copps DiPaola Silverman, PLLC.

Dean Alexander Moot Courtroom
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue, Albany NY 12208
(Virtual Attendance Option Available)

For Domestic Violence Awareness Month, join us for a series of panels exploring cultural responsiveness in domestic violence services. Panelists will discuss how survivors and victims of domestic violence experience abuse in culturally specific ways. Panelists will also share strategies for practicing cultural responsiveness. CLE credits (3.0) are available for attorneys who attend the full program.

Panels

Academic and Victim-Centered Perspectives

• Prof. Jaya Connors, Director of the Field Placement Program and Associate Professor of Law at Albany Law School, former Director of the Family Violence Litigation Clinic
• Somaia Sharif Zada, Afghan attorney refugee, part of the Unified Court System’s Judges for Career Opportunities for Refugees (J-COR) program
• Demekia Santana, Advocate and Assistant Program Director, Catholic Charities of Fulton and Montgomery Counties, Montgomery County Domestic Violence and Crime Victim Services
• Anna Breitegger ’24, J.D. Candidate and Co-Chair of the Women’s Law Caucus at Albany Law School
• Moderated by Hon. Lisa M. Fisher, Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department

Community Partners' Perspectives

• Elizabeth Cronin, Director of the New York State Office for Victim Services
• Lindsey Crusan-Muse, Director of St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services for St. Peter’s Health Partners
• Remla Parthasarathy, Managing Attorney for Crime Victims at Empire Justice Center and Project Leader for the Crime Victims Legal Network
• Moderated by William Rivera, Crisis Intervention Director for Opportunities for Otsego

Court Perspectives

• Keri Boedigheimer, Rensselaer County Domestic Violence Courts Resource Coordinator
• Hon. Esther M. Morgenstern, Justice of the Supreme Court, Kings County, Brooklyn Integrated Domestic Violence Court (National Domestic Violence Mentor Court)
• Hon. Brian D. Burns, Justice of the Supreme Court, Otsego County Integrated Domestic Violence Court
• Moderated by Hon. Rebecca A. Slezak ’96, Justice of the Supreme Court, Montgomery County Integrated Domestic Violence Court

Partners/Presented By:

• Montgomery County Bar Association
• Women’s Leadership Initiative at Albany Law School
• Women's Law Caucus at Albany Law School
• Government Law Center at Albany Law School
• Third Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee
• Fourth Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee
• National Association of Women Judges, New York Chapter
• New York State Bar Association, Women in Law Section
• Capital District Women’s Bar Association
• Capital District Black and Hispanic Bar Association
• Albany County Bar Association
• Adirondack Women’s Bar Association
• Schenectady County Bar Association
• Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
• The Legal Project
• Vella Carbone & Vinson, LLP
• Copps DiPaola Silverman, PLLC

CLE Information

Albany Law School’s Center for Continuing Legal Education has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board as an accredited provider of Continuing Legal Education in the State of New York. This conference has been accredited as a source of 3.0 continuing legal education credits for this program for attorneys in New York State. For financial hardship guidelines, please call the Center for Continuing Legal Education at 518-472-5888.

New York State Continuing Legal Education Board regulations state that credit shall be awarded only for attendance at an entire course or program, or for attendance at an entire session of a course or program. No credit shall be awarded for attending a portion of a course or a portion of a session. If you have questions about CLE credit, please contact Lisa Rivage at lriva@albanylaw.edu or 518-472-5888.

Accommodations

Should you require accommodations due to a disability, please contact Albany law School’s Center for Continuing Legal Education at 518-472-5888 at least one week prior to the course to discuss your requirements.