In June the Nassau County, Suffolk County and New York State women’s bar associations each installed a Hofstra Law alumna as its new president.
“I am proud to be one of several Hofstra law graduates on Long Island who are bar presidents this year,” says Irene Villacci ’89, president of the New York State Women’s Bar Association. “But this benchmark for us and Hofstra is no surprise! Hofstra Law embedded in us that being a good lawyer is not only about winning the case — it’s about finding solutions, being involved in the community and improving society standards.”
About the Bar Presidents
Nassau County Women’s Bar Association
Cheryl L. Bartow ’96
Associate Attorney for Mental Hygiene Legal Service, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department
Cheryl Bartow is responsible for representing, advocating and litigating on behalf of individuals receiving services for a mental illnesses and developmental disabilities.
Before moving to the Mental Hygiene Legal Service, Bartow held the position of principal law clerk to two County Court judges for more than 10 years and handled cases in the Family Court, Supreme Court and County Court. Before that she was a deputy town attorney for the Town of North Hempstead, where she handled criminal prosecutions and zoning matters.
Bartow began her career as a trial attorney in the criminal division of the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, where she represented indigent defendants in both the District and County courts, and has conducted dozens of felony hearings and trials.
Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association
Lisa S. Fine ’96
Attorney, Law Office of Lisa S. Fine, PC
Lisa Fine is an attorney, arbitrator and mediator with over 16 years of experience in various areas of law. She worked for several general practice firms, gaining experience in transactional work as well as litigating cases in the courtroom, before she opened her own law practice in 2002.
With a focus on matrimonial and family law, personal injury, general litigation and transactional work, Fine found her clients to be increasingly frustrated with the time and expense of litigation in the field of matrimonial law. Though always fond of mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a tool to assist her in settling commercial and personal injury litigation, she began regularly conducting divorce/family mediations as a mediator in 2008.
Fine is an active member of the National Roster of Mediators and Arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association, currently serving as an arbitrator for the Expedited Commercial Panel.
New York State Women’s Bar Association
Irene V. Villacci ’89
Attorney, Law Offices of Irene V. Villacci, Attorney-at-Law, PLLC
Irene Villacci has concentrated in the areas of elder law; estate planning; probate and estates administration; wills, trusts and estates; Medicaid applications; guardianships; health care proxies; living wills; and powers of attorney. A member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys since 1994, she was certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.
The law offices of Irene V. Villacci, Attorney-at-Law, PLLC, was established in February 2007 in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. Before establishing her solo practice, she was the senior associate attorney at Feldman, Kramer & Monaco, PC, for 15 years, in the firm’s Elder Law, Trusts and Estates Department.
Villacci is certified to be a court-appointed court evaluator, guardian ad litem, counsel to guardians, and referee in Nassau and Suffolk counties. She was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006.