Kate Stoneman Day 2022

March 09, 2022

Kate Stoneman Day—Albany Law School’s annual celebration of women in law, named for its first female graduate and the first woman to practice law in New York—brings energy and inspiration to campus each year.

Kate Stoneman Day 2022 brought an energy that Albany Law School hasn’t felt in quite some time.

This year’s celebration was one of the first events that welcomed invited guests to campus since the start of the pandemic.

Berta E. Hernández-Truyol ’78 — an internationally-renowned human rights scholar — was the recipient of the prestigious 2022 Miriam M. Netter ’72 Stoneman Award.

Hernández-Truyol frequently travels, writes, and teaches about efforts to develop, expand, and transform human rights discourse around the world. In her keynote speech, she spoke about her experience facing discrimination as a woman of color and a member of the LGBTQ plus community. As well as the ways she pushed past those barriers to become a lawyer.

The Hon. Shirley Troutman ’85, Hon. Marsha D. Michael ’02, and Rita Pasarell ’08 were also honored with awards for their outstanding contributions to ensuring equity and fairness in the legal profession.
After her confirmation on Jan. 12, Troutman became the newest Associate Judge on the New York State Court of Appeals. She is the second Black woman to serve on New York’s highest court.

Before her current role, she was a Justice on New York State's Appellate Division, Fourth Department.

Judge Michael serves on the bench for the Bronx County Supreme Court (Criminal Term) in the Twelfth Judicial District of New York.

Prior to her election in 2018, she served as a judge for the Criminal Court of the City of New York in Bronx County. She was elected to the New York City Civil Court in 2015 and designated to criminal court seat by Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks in 2016.

Pasarell is a co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group (SHWG), a volunteer group of former New York State Legislature staffers, all of whom experienced or reported sexual harassment while working for the state.

Each serve as role models and mentors for current and aspiring women attorneys.

Watch the Ceremony

First awarded in 1994, Albany Law School's Kate Stoneman Awards are presented to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to seeking change and expanding opportunities for women within the legal profession. Awardees have influenced other women to pursue legal careers and have opened doors that historically have been closed to women lawyers. The awards are named in honor of Kate Stoneman, the first woman admitted to practice law in New York State and the first female graduate of Albany Law School, Class of 1898. Read more: https://www.albanylaw.edu/kate-stoneman

Listen to the Podcast

AlbanyLawSchool · Kate Stoneman Day 2022

Currently the Stephen C. O'Connell Chair within the University of Florida's Levin College of Law, Hernández-Truyol is an internationally renowned human rights scholar who utilizes an interdisciplinary and international framework to promote human well-being around the globe.

After her confirmation on Jan. 12, Troutman became the newest Associate Judge on the New York State Court of Appeals. She is the second Black woman to serve on New York’s highest court.

Michael is a justice for the Bronx County Supreme Court (Criminal Term) in the Twelfth Judicial District of New York.

Photos from the Day

Past Stoneman Award honorees include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, New York State Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Honorable Constance Baker Motley, former New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye—who delivered the inaugural keynote in 1994—and other leaders in the private sector, public service, and academia. Some of them - along with Albany Law faculty - shared what Kate Stoneman meant to them in a video show during the evening's ceremony: