Contact: Andrew Rush
Director, Media Services & Public Affairs
arush@nysba.org
518/487-5530

July 2, 2007

KATHRYN GRANT MADIGAN SWORN IN AS 110TH PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION                 

(Cooperstown, NY – June 30, 2007) - Kathryn Grant Madigan of Binghamton (Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP) was sworn in today as the 110th President of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York.  Judge Thomas J. McAvoy, United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York, presided over the ceremony as House of Delegate members, onlookers and well-wishers bid congratulations to the fourth woman to hold the position of president in the Association’s history.  With 72,000 members, the New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar in the nation.  

Madigan brings to the presidency 28 years of bar service, and a dedication to securing the Association’s legacy as the voice of the New York lawyer.  Her theme for the year is Leadership Through Service, and her primary goals include:

• boosting the Association’s membership;
• securing increased funding for civil legal services;
• vigorously advocating for the Association’s legislative agenda including a judicial salary increase, equal rights for same sex couples, and the compact for long term care;
• increasing civic education programs such as the Lawyer in the Classroom project; and
• launching the first-ever President’s blog on the Association’s Web site to enhance internal and external communication.

“The law is a service oriented profession whose practitioners are devoted to making a difference in every community,” Madigan said.  “I am committed to providing greater meaning, service, and leadership opportunities for our diverse membership.  Like so many of our members, I credit the NYSBA for helping me become a better lawyer and more effective volunteer in my community.  My goal is for every lawyer in New York to find a home at the State Bar and as President I will focus on instilling a great sense of pride in being a New York Lawyer.”
  
The 72,000 member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, NYSBA programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.

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