The New York Bar Foundation and NYSBA Section Announce New Scholarship Opportunity for Women

ALBANY, NY (08/26/2016)(readMedia)-- Women attorneys are eligible to apply for the newly created Hon. Judith S. Kaye Commercial Litigation Academy Scholarship, which will cover registration fees for the two-day 2017 Commercial Litigation Academy.

"The goal of the scholarship is to help increase the number of women taking leadership roles in commercial cases litigated in both the state and federal courts in New York," said Mark A. Berman, chair of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association, which is sponsoring up to five scholarships with The New York Bar Foundation.

"This is truly an honor and wonderful tribute to our mother who was a leader in championing women in the profession and a mentor to so many in their careers," Luisa Kaye, herself an attorney, said on behalf of the Kaye family.

Kaye was a commercial litigator prior to Governor Mario Cuomo appointing her an associate judge of the state Court of Appeals in 1983, the first woman to hold the position. She again made history when Cuomo appointed her chief judge in 1993. Re-appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2007, she served until her retirement on December 31, 2008. Kaye died January 7, 2016.

"Establishing this scholarship in Judge Kaye's name is our section's way of honoring her and the remarkable impact she had on the legal profession and in blazing a pathway for female attorneys," Berman said.

The Commercial Litigation Academy, which will be held on May 4 and 5, 2017 in New York City, is sponsored by the New York State Bar Association and its Commercial and Federal Litigation Section. The Kaye Scholarship will cover full registration fees for up to five female litigators, who have practiced in New York between two to six years.

The application and supporting documents must be postmarked on or before Friday, September 30, 2016 and recipients must attend the November 14, 2016 event when the scholarships will be awarded.

Visit The Foundation's website at www.tnybf.org/kayescholarship for more information and an application.

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