Welcome to the September/October edition of WARE NEWS. In this issue we recap recent WARE events, and alert you to upcoming programs and behind-the-scenes activity.
Spring Networking & Social Event
WARE held its first Networking & Social Event at the Shakespeare Room at midtown’s William Hotel on June 11th. The verdict was unanimous. Everyone who made an appearance enjoyed the Shakespeare’s special venue, the drinks and appetizers, and the opportunity to enjoy social time with our colleagues.
The event was sponsored in part by Wells Fargo and by our good friend and Wells mortgage broker Janet Younkman. We hope to host this type of event, as well as other networking opportunities, several times a year for our members.
Welcome to Our Newest Members
The Board of Directors and membership warmly welcome the following new members to WARE this year:
- Mary Cronquist
- Dale Degenshein
- Michelle Itkowitz
- Tsz Ling Lau
Upcoming Meetings (w/corrected dates)
Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, from 6-8 pm at Wells Fargo, 150 East 42nd Street, New York, N.Y.
- Tuesday, September 17 – WARE Annual Meeting & Roundtable: Discussion of new laws, current issues, and concerns and visions for the future of WARE.
- Tuesday, October 15 – the new Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act of 2019. Speakers and location to be announced.
- Tuesday, November 12 – Allison C. Shields, Esq. on Preventing Lawyer Meltdown.
- December 2019: Holiday Party, tentatively at The Shakespeare.
New LISTSERV Address & Changeover
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we now have a dedicated WareNewYork.com account for our organization. By the end of September, we will make the seamless transition from the current listserv into this new dedicated account. As we are not tech geeks we ask the indulgence of membership on whom we will rely to alert us if anyone falls off the list, or for any other issue that might arise.
We’ll announce the actual transition date a day or two in advance of it occurring. At that time, any other WARE accounts that were being serviced by either of Titles of New York or Google Groups will terminate. Our only account will be attorneys@list.WareNewYork.com
WARE Dues
The dues for 2019 is $200 for the year.
The dues for 2020 and beyond will be on a tiered dues structure as follows:
- General Membership ……………..…. $200
- Solo Practitioner …………………….. $100
- Small Firm Attorney (5 or less) ………$125
Our dues have enabled us to incorporate and to host networking and social events, as well as to sponsor quality speakers and programs for our members. We hope to start providing free CLE to members in 2020/2021. We are also developing a website, currently a work-in-progress, to hold our listserv archives and for other resource tools. The public portion of the website will enable members of the public, including new potential sponsors and others, to see our internet presence and learn more about WARE.
We look forward to discussions regarding dues, the website, proposed speakers and programs at our upcoming Annual Meeting and Member Roundtable on Tuesday September 17.
Current WARE Committees & Chairs
- Speaker Series/Events (Randi Plevy, Judith Aarons) Brainstorms and provides WARE with quality speakers and with other events.
- Sponsorship (Kathy Frandy) Seeks and works with sponsors for our organization and activities.
- Mentoring (Fern Mehler) Develops programs for mentors to help mentees/associate members become competent real estate attorneys and/or solo practitioners.
- Communications (Diane E. Ungar) Provides written materials of WARE including newsletter, and acts as liaison with New York Times Real Estate section, The Cooperator, and similar entities.
- Resources/Tech (Pamela Walker) Develops online Resource Well for our incipient website; acts as repository for lists of all referrals made on the listserve by WARE members, and keeps track of other relevant real estate related data.
- Work-Life Balance (Derin Edip) Provides resources to enhance and balance our work/personal lives; seeks to provide back-up for solo members in need or on vacation.
- Membership (Esen Edip) Seeks and recruits new members for board approval.
- P.R. – Connects with news, trade, and professional publications such as the New York Times, The Real Deal, and bar associations, to spread the word about WARE and and about individual members and our activities.
Help Our Membership Grow!
Members are our most valuable resource
We are a self-selecting private organization where many of us know one another at least by name, if not through actual acquaintanceships or working relationships.
We value this intimacy, but would have greater strength in number if we can grow our ranks with more highly-credentialed attorneys practicing real estate law (minimum 7-10 years in practice).
Towards that end, please see and forward the Application attached here to any new potential recruits.
Letters to the Editor
We want to hear from you! To respond to any item in this issue or to submit an article or letter for inclusion in our next issue, contact the Editor at DianeUngarLaw@gmail.com
Who We Are
Women Attorneys in Real Estate, Inc. was incorporated in 2018 as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation for women attorneys in the New York metro region with significant experience and expertise in real estate and real estate related legal practices. The group is a self-monitoring peer group established for advanced educational and networking purposes, and to provide support and empowerment.
Our mission is to provide our membership with continuing education, networking and mentoring opportunities.
WARE’s current volunteer board serving through 2020 consists of:
- Fern Mehler, President (fmehler@proskauer.com)
- Robin A. Lewis, Vice President (robinalewi@aol.com)
- Kathy Frandy, Vice President (kfrandy@gmail.com)
- Esen Edip, Treasurer (esen@titlesofnewyork.com)
- Diane E. Ungar, Secretary (dianeungarlaw@gmail.com)
