These are profiles of newly elected bar presidents. Groups that allow two-year terms are profiled every other year.
Asian American Bar Association of New York
Dwight Yoo
Dwight Yoo, 43, is a partner in the corporate finance and financial institutions departments of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He obtained his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and began practicing in 2000.
His term began on April 1.
Yoo said that the group's theme this year is "take charge and lead change," and they plan to promote Asian American talent for executive level positions and diversify the bench at the state and federal levels.
The approximately 1,100-member group wants to help Asian Americans in need develop a "strong and unified voice" and be able to speak up on issues which matter to them. To that end, they will be launching a leadership institute in the fall to train mid-level to senior Asian American attorneys at law firms and help them gain the "knowledge and skills to get promoted in their firms."
Additional officers include president-elect James Cho; immediate past president Susan Shin; vice president of programs and operations Jeff Ikejiri; treasurer Amy Ngai; membership secretary Tristan Loanzon; executive director Yang Chen and director Marianne Chow.
Dominican Bar Association
Vianny Pichardo
Vianny Pichardo, 36, is an an insurance recovery attorney at Anderson Kill. She graduated from the Fordham University School of Law and began practicing in 2008.
Her term began in January.
Since being elected president, the roughly 225-member bar group has hosted events to celebrate Dominican judges and to raise the profile of the Dominican judiciary. They created a judiciary journal to recognize their hard work.
Pichardo said her goals for the year are to increase the visibility of the organization and shed light on issues affecting the Latino community such as immigration, landlord & tenant rights and unemployment.
The group has also launched some new committees this year and plans to introduce a new membership level to help non-lawyers become members of the association along with preparing for their annual gala on Sept. 19.
Additional officers include president-elect and director Miguelina Camilo; treasurer and director Edda Santiago and director Queenie Paniagua.
LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL)
Gennaro Savastano
Gennaro Savastano, 36, is an associate with the appellate unit at Weitz & Luxemberg. He obtained his J.D. from the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and began practicing law in 2008.
His two-year term began in January.
"The current political climate" has made LeGal's work more relevant now than ever, Savastano said, and he plans to "fight harder" to help the LGBT community of New York. He added that one of the goals of the 550-member bar association this year is to provide meaningful outreach to LGBT women who are underrepresented and give them a voice.
Savastano, who helped found the LGBT student association at his law school, also plans to support young LGBT lawyers in the city. "I could have used this help in law school," he said. "I want to do that for others."
Additionally, the group plans to expand their free walk-in clinics and legal referral services to serve more members of the community and continue to foster meaningful relationships with law firms committed to equality, in order to facilitate the development of their leadership council.
Additional officers include first vice president Janice Grubin; secretary and second vice president M. Frank Francis; executive director Matthew Skinner; and treasurer K. Scott Kohanowski.
Puerto Rican Bar Association
Carmen Pacheco
Carmen Pacheco is a founding partner of Pacheco & Lugo, the first women-owned law firm established in New York. She is a graduate of St. John's University School of Law and was admitted to the New York bar in 1986.
Her one year term began in January.
Since Pacheco became president, the association has launched a Latin American initiative, whereby they are connecting and collaborating with various Puerto Rican and Latin American bar associations across the country to develop and strengthen meaningful relationships within the community.
They also have organized a trial advocacy committee and initiated a task force on the judiciary to ensure a level playing field in the selection of judges.
Apart from this, the group will be creating a legacy scholarship and awarding $120,000-$160,000 to law school students in the New York area who are members of the association at their diamond jubilee gala on Oct. 20.
"We believe in mentorship with sponsorship," she said.
Additional officers are president-elect Bronx Supreme Court Justice Wilma Guzman; vice president George Santana; treasurer Jim Montes; corresponding secretary Stephanie Correa; and recording secretary Jessica Acosta-Pettyjohn.
South Asian Bar Association of New York
Mahesh Parlikad
Mahesh Parlikad, 33, is an associate at Jones Day and the 2016 Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Parlikad, who frequently counsels clients on diverse cross-border legal issues involving India, graduated from the Tulane University Law School and was admitted to the New York bar in 2008.
His one-year term began on Jan. 1.
Parlikad said that he knew it would be an important year for the 300-member bar group, due to the increase in "hate crimes and the negative sentiments towards the immigrant and minority communities" in the country. He added that the group is currently working towards attaining justice for victims of hate crimes and recently helped the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge win a religious discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey.
Parlikad, who was born in Syracuse and grew up in India, said that the South Asian experience is extremely close to his heart and he will strive to ensure fair representation and equal treatment for his community members for the duration of his term.
Additional officers are president-elect Amol Sinha; secretary Imran Ansari; treasurer Anand Sinha; vice president of events Nirupama Hegde; vice president of public relations Ruchi Shah; vice president of sponsorship Kritika Bhardwaj; and vice president of public interest Ryan Budhu.
Hispanic National Bar Association, New York Region
Matthew Fernandez Konigsberg
Matthew Fernandez Konigsberg, 37, special counsel for ethics, risk and compliance to the New York Secretary of State, graduated from the Rutgers School of Law and began practicing in 2007.
He was elected in the fall of 2016 to a two-year term.
Konigsberg said the association aims "to increase the number of Latinos in the legal profession and help them reach the highest levels in their fields." The group also is focused on advocacy and trying to increase the availability of legal resources to the Latino community, along with preparing for their annual conference in September.
Konigsberg also serves on the Board of Directors of a Latino nonprofit named ASPIRA of New York which focuses on empowering and assisting Latino high school students to excel academically. He said he has a passion to see members of his community succeed and he wants to keep working towards that goal for the duration of his term.
Additional officers include deputy regional presidents M. Frank Francis, Evelyn Perez-Albino, Joseph Borrero, New York City Housing Court Judge Javier Vargas, Karen Leyva-Drivin, Marcia Guevara, Guillermo Artiles, Yesenia Capalbo, Raymond Sanchez, Jr., Kristy Docabo, and Chris Mendez.
New York Women's Bar Association
Myra Freed
Myra L. Freed, 61, is a solo practitioner concentrating on matrimonial law in Manhattan. She earned her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and started practicing in 1980.
She was sworn in as president on June 1.
Freed has been a member of the women's bar for over 20 years. She previously served as vice-president and chaired various committees for the association. Freed's goals for the 4,200-member statewide organization are fighting for women's equality, preventing attacks on their reproductive rights, protecting trafficked individuals and educating the next generation of lawyers to improve legislation being passed. The group also is gearing up for their annual program, which will host panelists to discuss 'what it's like to practice law as a woman in New York' on July 17.
Freed added that she is concerned about "protecting the democracy and the independence of the judiciary" in the current political atmosphere. She wants to fight to save the "integrity of the court system" to be able to protect witnesses and clients during her term as president.
Additional members are vice presidents Amy Goldsmith, Amanda Norejko and Virginia LoPreto; treasurer Jean J. Han; recording secretary Magnolia D. Levy; and corresponding secretary Dawn M. Cardi.
