Sherry Levin Wallach Sworn In As New York State Bar Association’s President
6.1.2022
Sherry Levin Wallach, deputy executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Westchester County, was sworn in as the 125th president of the New York State Bar Association tonight by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.
“My presidency is the opportunity of a lifetime to give back to the association and the profession that has enriched my life,” said Wallach, in her written remarks. “Becoming the 125th president of this remarkable association is more than just a dream come true. It is an opportunity to lead our lawyers during challenging times and to speak out against injustice.”
Levin Wallach succeeds T. Andrew Brown, managing partner at Brown Hutchinson in Rochester. She will be focusing her one-year term on a number of initiatives including the modernization of criminal law practice, the need for equal rights for citizens of the U.S. territories, the impact of mental health and trauma on the legal system and the effect of emerging digital technologies. She also wants to reach out to young lawyers, welcome members with diverse viewpoints and study the ethics of local government lawyering.
“Bar membership and leadership have been instrumental to my professional development,” Levin Wallach said. “The relationships that I have formed have supported me as a lawyer and mentor throughout my career. One of my goals in the year ahead is to maximize participation by our diverse and capable members so that the association can achieve new levels of excellence and help our next generation of lawyers excel as lawyers and bar leaders.”
Levin Wallach has been a leader on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and she looks forward to continuing that work during her term. She wants to encourage increased membership from all backgrounds and perspectives to be sure that all opinions on policy and political issues are included.
Much of Levin Wallach’s legal career has centered on criminal defense with a focus on those who cannot afford an attorney. “I wanted to do all that I could to give people a voice and support access to justice,” she said. “People’s freedom is at stake. Our work is impactful, and it is necessary to our democracy.”
Levin Wallach will also be sworn in before the association’s governing body, the House of Delegates, on June 18 in Cooperstown.
Professional Background
A former chair of the Criminal Justice and Young Lawyers sections, Levin Wallach served as NYSBA secretary for four terms. She was vice president from the Ninth Judicial District to the Executive Committee and member-at-large, Membership Committee chair, subcommittee chair for the Task Force on Parole Reform, co-chair of the President’s Committee on Access to Justice and the Task Force on Incarceration Release Planning and Programs. Levin Wallach serves on the Committee on Professional Discipline, the Committee on Mandated Representation, and the Committee on Immigration Representation. She is a member of the LGBTQ Law Section, the Women in Law Section, the Trial Lawyers Section, and the Criminal Justice Section.
Levin Wallach is co-founder, organizer, and faculty member of the NYSBA Young Lawyers Section Trial Academy, an annual program offering five days of intensive trial training.
In addition to criminal defense, Levin Wallach has practiced medical malpractice defense, estate planning, probate and estate administration, real estate, and general civil litigation in the state and federal courts.
She is a former assistant district attorney for Bronx County and former associate at McAloon & Friedman. Levin Wallach was principal at her law firm Wallach & Rendo, for 15 years, and of counsel to both Bashian Law and Brown Hutchinson.
Levin Wallach earned her law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, and her undergraduate degree from George Washington University.
Other NYSBA Leaders
Effective June 1, Richard C. Lewis of Binghamton becomes NYSBA president-elect. Taa R. Grays of New York will serve her second one-year term as secretary. Domenick Napoletano of Brooklyn will serve his fourth one-year term as treasurer.
