As we gear up to celebrate our 25th Anniversary as the Rockland Women’s Bar Association, there is excitement in the air. The board of officers and directors is busy putting together an entertaining and informative program of events beginning this fall. We hope that you become a regular visitor of our website to learn more about the monthly programs we will be offering to our members, with the hope that you will join us.

I am extremely proud to be the president of this organization with its important mission and its invigorating group of actively involved members. I strongly encourage each legal professional in our community and beyond to come to at least one event this year to experience the warmth, congeniality, the breadth of knowledge and experience, and the professional camaraderie of the members of the Rockland Women’s Bar Association.

Last year, we began a new tradition with our programming, the Reading Book Club. Twice last year, our members were invited to read a novel and then participate in a lively discussion over dinner about that novel. We had the pleasure of reading A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khaled Hosseini and The Zoo Keeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman. Both discussions were a great success and we are responding to our members’ requests that another discussion be held this fall. Therefore, our first program for the 2008-2009 year will be a dinner discussion of the novel, “Girls Like Us” by Sheila Weller, and we look forward to seeing all of you at this event. (Details to be announced.)

As the year progresses, we will be offering Continuing Legal Education courses on an array of topics. We will also be participating with our sister chapter, the Women’s Bar Association of Orange & Sullivan Counties, in the breast cancer walk sponsored by the American Cancer Society this upcoming October at Woodbury Commons. (Don’t forget to pick up a copy of “Rockland Magazine” this October, as our organization will be featured for its contribution to breast cancer awareness. Kudos to all of you who have participated in the walk in the past and I hope to see even more of you this upcoming October!) In the spring, we will again walk to support mental health awareness at the Mental Health Walk sponsored by the Mental Health Association of Rockland County, taking place in May at Rockland Lake. Again, I encourage you to check back here regularly to keep abreast of all we are doing throughout the year so you too can get involved.

My door and my email are always open to ideas, comments and criticism. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if anything is on your mind about how we can make our organization the best it can be for you and all of us!

Rachel Tanguay-McGuane, President

• promote the advancement of the status of women in society and of women in the legal profession;
• promote the fair and equal administration of justice;
• and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and to women attorneys in particular.

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The Rockland County Women's Bar Association honored its Past Presidents on June 16, 2009

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