Contact: Jon Sullivan
Manager, Media Services & Public Affairs
 jsullivan@nysba.org
518/487-5532

November 26, 2007

ALBANY LAWYER NAMED TO HEAD STATE BAR ASSOCIATION’S PRO BONO AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

Gloria Herron Arthur Brings Vast Experience to 72,000-Member Lawyer’s Organization

New York State Bar Association Executive Director Patricia K. Bucklin announced today that attorney Gloria Herron Arthur, of Albany, has joined the Bar Association and will serve as the Director of Pro Bono Affairs. Ms. Herron Arthur comes to the Association from Castillo & Associates in Albany, where her practice focused on criminal defense, trial and appellate practice, parole matters, and representing employers in employment discrimination claims.

 As Director of Pro Bono Affairs, Ms. Herron Arthur will work with staff and attorneys from across New York  Stateto help address the unmet legal needs of individuals who are unable to afford representation. She will be a driving force in the Association’s new Empire State Counsel Award Program, which recognizes lawyers and organizations that provide a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service to underprivileged people or to entities that provide services for the poor.

 “Gloria brings a varied and unique perspective to this position, having worked in both the public and private sectors, with significant experience in the criminal justice system,” Ms. Bucklin said. “The Association will benefit from her extensive background and understanding of the legal needs facing underprivileged New Yorkers.”

 Prior to Castillo & Associates, Gloria Herron Arthur practiced employment, health care and criminal defense law with O’Connell & Aronowitz, P.C. in Albany. She also served as an assistant conflict defender for the Albany County Conflict Defender Office; counsel for the State Commission on Correction; and Director of the Bureau of Prosecution Services at the State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Ms. Arthur holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree from the State University of New York at Albany, and earned her J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University.  She has earned numerous awards, including the Kate Stoneman Award from Albany  Law  School, and was co-recipient of the 1992 Capital Region Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Roland Smith Award.

 Ms. Herron Arthur was raised in Rome  , NY and currently lives in Albanywith her husband Mario, a high school Spanish teacher. She has four adult daughters and one grandson, Zachari. She began her service with the Bar Association on October 29, 2007.

The 72,000-member New York State Bar Association, founded in 1876, is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New Yorkand the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. NYSBA programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.