Henry M. Greenberg, the Greenberg Traurig shareholder who became president of the New York State Bar Association on Saturday, has appointed a diverse chair, co-chair or vice-chair to all 59 of the organization's committees.

The state bar association is announcing Monday that Greenberg is making sure that every committee has a woman, person of color or another lawyer who represents diversity at its helm.

“It is a moral imperative that our profession better reflects the diversity exemplified by our clients, and we can no longer accept empty rhetoric or half-measures to realize that goal,” he said. “It's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, and clients are demanding it.”

The bar association will develop and implement an association-wide inclusion plan during his presidency, Greenberg said.

In his presidential message, which is in the summer edition of the NYSBA Journal that is being mailed to the homes of members this week, Greenberg said, “The hard truth is that law is one of the least diverse professions in the nation. Our clients are women and men, straight and gay, of every race, color, ethnicity, national origin, and religion. Yet, the legal profession is not nearly as inclusive as the people we represent.”

The New York City Bar Association announced its own diversity initiative. Roger Juan Maldonado, president of the city bar, told the association's members May 21 that he's dedicating his last year in office to marshaling the resources of the profession to dramatically increase the number of law school graduates of color.

The plan is in response to the findings of a city bar task force, which released a report May 20 that found that too few applicants of color are getting law degrees. Educational deficits, overwhelming life challenges and feelings of exclusion from pre-law programs prevent diverse students from obtaining law degrees, the task force concluded.

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Photo caption, from left:

Top row: Aviva Abramovsky, chair, Task Force on Autonomous Cars and the Law/dean, University at Buffalo School of Law; Cynthia Arato, vice chair, Special Committee on Free Expression in the Digital Age/partner, Shapiro Arato Bach, New York City; Andrew Brown, chair, Finance Committee/founder and managing partner, Brown Hutchinson, Rochester; Aleece Burgio, co-chair, Committee on Cannabis Law/senior counsel, McGuire Development Co., Buffalo; Ashlee Cartwright, vice chair, Committee on Animals and the Law/staff attorney, Salvation Army, West Nyack; Sally Curran, co-chair, Committee on Legal Aid/executive director, Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County Inc., Syracuse; Gail Ehrlich, vice chair, Committee on Law, Youth and Citizenship/solo practitioner and pro bono attorney, Pace Family Court Legal Program, Westchester; Cheryl Fisher, co-chair, Committee on Civil Rights/counsel, Magavern Magavern Grimm, Buffalo.

Second row: Erin Flynn, chair, Committee on Lawyers in Transition/associate, Clair & Gjertsen, Scarsdale; Emily Franchina, chair, Committee to Review Judicial Nominations/principal, Franchina Law Group, Garden City; Barbara Gillers, co-chair, Committee on Standards of Attorney Conduct/professor of law, New York University School of Law, New York City; Sarah Gold, co-chair, Committee on Law Practice Management/principal, Gold Law Firm, Albany; Claire Gutekunst, chair, Nominating Committee/executive director, Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert/principal, Gutekunst ADR, Yonkers; LaMarr Jackson, chair, Committee on Mass Disaster Response/solo practitioner, Rochester; Seymour James, co-chair, Task Force on Parole Reform/partner, Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco, New York City; Shawndra Jones, vice chair, Committee on Continuing Legal Education/senior counsel, Epstein Becker & Green, New York City

Third row: Cheryl Korman, co-chair, Committee on Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction/partner, Rivkin Radler, Uniondale; Glenn Lau Kee, chair, Committee on Association Structure and Operations/partner, Lau-Kee Law Group, New York City; Bernice Leber, chair, Committee on Annual Awards/partner, Arent Fox, New York City; Susan Lindenauer, co-chair, Committee on Families and the Law; New York City; Camille Mackler, co-chair, Committee on Immigration Representation/director of legal initiatives, New York Immigration Coalition, New York City; Edwina Frances Martin, co-chair, President's Committee on Access to Justice/commissioner and public administrator, Richmond County; Maria Matos, co-chair, Working Group on Puerto Rico/Committee on Character and Fitness, New York City; Kelly McNamee, vice chair, Committee on Communications and Publications/associate, Greenberg Traurig, Albany

Fourth row: Hyun Suk Choi, co-chair, Membership Committee/member, Choi & Park, New York City; Jessica Parker, co-chair, Committee on Veterans/regulatory project manager, Credit Suisse, New York City; Hon. Karen Peters, chair, Committee on New York State Constitution/chair, New York's Permanent Commission on Justice for Children, Albany; Margaret Phillips, co-chair, Task Force on the Role of the Paralegals/professor, Daemen College, Buffalo; Helena Heath, co-chair Committee on Leadership Development/judge, Albany City Court, Albany; Marian Rice, co-chair, Committee on Law Practice Management/partner, L'Abbate, Balkan, Colavita & Contini, Garden City; Sandra Rivera, chair, Committee on State Legislative Policy/principal, Rivera Law, Albany; Sarah Rogerson, co-chair, Committee on Immigration Representation/professor of law, Albany Law School, Albany

Bottom row: Mirna Santiago, chair, Committee on Diversity and Inclusion/deputy counsel, Acacia Network, Bronx; Maryann Saccomando Freedman, co-chair, Task Force on the Role of Paralegals/of counsel, Cohen & Lombardo, Buffalo; Sheila Shea, co-chair, Committee on Disability Rights/director, Mental Hygiene Legal Services, Third Judicial Department, Albany; Carol Sigmond, vice chair, Committee on Committees/partner, Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman, New York City; Soma Syed, chair, Committee on Lawyer Referral/principal, Soma Syed & Associates, Queens; Vivian Wesson, vice chair, Committee on Attorney Professionalism/senior assistant general counsel, Marsh & McLennan Cos., New York City; Margaret Finerty, co-chair, Task Force on Mass Shootings and Assault Weapons/partner, Getnick & Getnick, New York City; Eileen Millett, co-chair, Task Force on New York Bar Examination/partner, Phillips Nizer, New York City