Cris Cioffi, Michelle Wildgrube and spouses were delighted to be guests of Key Bank at the production of ‘Avenue Q,’ which was presented at Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady on January 20th. 

In late January, Cris Cioffi presented a program to approximately 50 residents at the Glen Eddy, located on Consaul Road in Niskayuna, titled “Financial Literacy for Silver Foxes”. It was done in conjunction with Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region, and also highlighted the Financial Literacy Program offered to girls ages 6 – 18 at this very worthy agency.

On January 13th, Michelle Wildgrube presented at the Key Bank Brown Bag Lunch Series on Health Care Proxies and Living Wills.

On January 27th, Cris Cioffi attended ‘Advocacy Day’ at the Capitol (Albany) as part of a team from Ellis Hospital. Hospital Board and Administration members met with Legislators to discuss NYS government funding of health care initiatives.

The last week of January brought the NYSBA Annual Meeting in NYC.  Deb Slezak attended the Executive Committee meeting for the Elder Law Section as well as an educational program; Michelle Wildgrube attended the Executive Committee meeting for the Real Property Section and an educational program; and Cris Cioffi attended a meeting of the New York Bar Foundation Trustees. The Chair of the Grants Committee for that organization, Cris summarized approximately 50 grants that had been submitted by a variety of not-for-profit organizations that benefit citizens of New York State.  A total of $300,000 in grant awards was approved by the Foundation Board of Trustees.

Deb Slezak spoke at the Schenectady County Department of Senior and Long Term Care Services second annual forum - “Valuable Tools for Difficult Times,” on March 10, 2009. Her presentation was titled Educating Yourself on Medicaid Budgeting Rules. She spoke alongside Katherine Rosenblatt, Long Term Care Specialist and Melissa Hogan, Counselor, New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs.

On March 25, 2009, Ann Sharpe gave a presentation to new home buyers as part of a Better Neighborhoods series for The Legal Project: Legally Speaking.

Ann Sharpe gave a presentation on recent, sweeping changes to the Power of Attorney statute in New York State to the Schenectady County Bar Association on April 16, 2009.

On May 13, 2009, Ann Sharpe participated in a panel discussion at the Glenville Senior Center on estate planning - Wills, Powers of Attorney and Health Care Proxies.  The panel was sponsored by the NY State Bar Association, Elder Law Section.

Cris, Deb and Michelle all attended the Third Annual Trailblazers Luncheon sponsored by the Women’s Fund of the Capital Region. The Women’s Fund collected items at the luncheon to benefit local women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

On June 1, 2009, Ann Sharpe was sworn in as a Delegate from the Capital District Women's Bar Association (CDWBA) to the Women's Bar Association State of New York (WBASNY).  Ann continues as a Board member on CDWBA, a position that she has held since 2006.

Michelle Wildgrube appeared on Talk am 1300 with Melody Burns to discuss The Legal Project. Specifically they discussed issues that women face every day and the services The Legal Project provides. 

Deb Slezak attended the Key For Women Breakfast on June 5, 2009, at the Glen Sanders Mansion. The Breakfast featured guest speaker Nadja Piatka, author of the book “Now is Not the Time to Retreat,” and self-made millionaire. Piatka is an international supplier to Subway, McDonalds, Giant and Wegmens.

On June 18, 2009, Ann Sharpe was elected to the Board of Directors of the Schenectady County Bar Association for a three year term.

Ann Sharpe will be continuing her position as a member of the Professional Advisory Committee of The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region for another one year term, from June 2009 through June 2010.

Michelle spoke at the Better Neighborhoods Legally Speaking seminar on July 22. The seminar targets first-time home buyers and helps to rebuild Schenectady neighborhoods through affordable housing.

On October 25, 2009, Cris Cioffi, Ann Sharpe, Danielle Lange, Connie Carrigan, Sara Clark and Claudia Jakubowski all participated in the 5K Race for Hope sponsored by St. Peter’s Hospital. The race raised $45,000 for the patients at the St. Peter’s Cancer Care Center.

Michelle Wildgrube and MaryAnn Racicot were interviewed and featured for the Business Review’s October 9th issue, for an article titled “Buy space or lease? Personal preference and an eye on the future determine the answer.”

Ann Sharpe and Pam Perry are participating in the Southern Saratoga County Chamber Business Showcase on November 5th.  The fall showcase offers members of the community an opportunity to meet representatives from local businesses. The free event takes place 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the gym of the Southern Saratoga YMCA.

On November 7th, Cris Cioffi attended a quarterly meeting of the Trustees of the NYS Bar Foundation, for which she serves as Assistant Secretary

On November 10, 2009, Michelle will be presenting at the New York State Bar Association’s CLE titled “Practical Skills – Purchases and Sales of Homes.” Her topic of discussion is Contract Drafting and Negotiation.

Michelle is attending the Schenectady County Bar Association’s “Family and Matrimonial Law” CLE on Friday, November 13th. 

On November 20, 2009, both Deb and Michelle will be presenting at the Fourth Judicial District Federated Bar Associations annual CLE. Deb will be speaking on Medicaid and Elder Law, while Michelle will be speaking on the New Power of Attorney Law.

Cris Cioffi and spouse, John Sharkey, will serve as the Honorary Chairpersons of the Cardiac Classic, a 5K race held in Central Park, Schenectady, on Thanksgiving morning. Staff members at CSW will participate in the 5K Road Race sponsored by Ellis Hospital. The race supports the Ellis Medicine’s Wright Heart Center. Cris currently serves as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Ellis Medicine.

Deb Slezak and Ann Sharpe will be volunteers at the NYSBA’s Elder Law Section’s Fall Pro Bono Clinics. Deb will be assisting on December 4th, 2009 at the Jewish Community Center, while Ann will be working the December 1st, 2009 clinic at the Scotia-Glenville Senior Center. The pro bono clinic aims to help seniors in the community with legal questions that are unsure as to whether or not they need an attorney.

Deb Slezak, partner at Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C. has been elected Town Justice in the Town of Amsterdam during the recent Novevmber elections.

Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C. has volunteered as a drop off location for the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive. All toys must be new and unwrapped. Toys can be dropped off during CSW's regular business hours.

On November 12th, Ann Sharpe presented a ‘Legally Speaking’ topic on Real Estate Contracts for first time home buyers.  Legally Speaking is presented by volunteers of The Legal Project.  The class is coordinated by Better Neighborhoods and was held at The Steinmetz Family Education Center in Schenectady.

Cris Cioffi and her spouse, John Sharkey, co-chaired the ‘Cardiac Classic’ on Thanksgiving morning. It is a 5K run and a Wellness Walk that attracted over 1,100 runners. The event raised $30,000 for the Ellis Hospital Foundation, to be used for the Wright Heart Center.

On October 6th, Ann Sharpe spoke to members of the Albany Public Library Board and Staff on the topic of how to assist donors and potential donors of the Library in making charitable gifts to the Library. The discussion included information about Wills, Charitable Trusts and Charitable Annuities.

On October 16th, Cris, Deb and Michelle traveled to Tucson, AZ for an American Bar Association program entitled:  Women Rainmakers Mid-Career Workshop.  They spent three days listening to national speakers and authors on the topic of marketing the practice of law, and net-working with women attorneys from a variety of states, practice areas, and from large-sized firms as well as small-sized.

The partners gleaned valuable marketing information, and were able to share some of CSW’s marketing successes with colleagues.

Interestingly, CSW was one of only 2 women-only firms represented at the conference.

While visiting Tucson, the partners had a chance to attend the USTA National Championships, where they cheered on the New England team.  Lyn Calkins, a member of the team, is a long-time friend of Michelle and her husband, Drew Lochte.

On October 16th, Sara Clark attended the American Bar Association’s “Working with Digital Documents in a Legal Environment” seminar. The seminar focused on ways law firms can enhance their productivity using certain technology tools, while maintaining the confidential client/attorney setting. 

On October 23rd, Amy Stone, Donna Law and Nancy Gentile attended the New York State Bar Association’s CLE titled “Probate and the Administration of Estates,” at the Clarion Hotel in Albany. The CLE focused on the actual administration of an estate, from determining the nature and extent of a decedent’s assets and liabilities to discussion of tax issues that may affect the beneficiaries of the estate.

On October 28th, Deb Slezak and Ann Sharpe attended a seminar on family and charitable planning with retirement accounts. The seminar was presented by The Jewish Community Endowment Fund at The Golub Center on Washington Avenue Extension in Albany.

On September 12th Ann Sharpe attended a presentation by Marie Wilson of The White House Project.  The luncheon was sponsored by the Capital District Women’s Bar and co-sponsored by many leading local businesses. Ms. Wilson’s remarks encouraged women to get involved in politics at all levels of government from local to national.

On September 24th, Ann Sharpe presented at a Career Panel at Albany Law School.  The Panel, consisting of 10 local women attorneys, shared stories about their career paths with law students.

The Firm is pleased to announce Ann M. Sharpe, Esq. and Mary Ann Racicot, CPA have joined the firm.

Cris Cioffi has been elected Secretary of the Ellis Hospital Board of Directors, where she also Chairs the Strategic Planning Committee.

Cris Cioffi has contributed a chapter to a work entitled Work, Life and Family Imbalance: How to Level the Playing Field, edited by Michele A. Paludi and Presha E. Neidermeyer, faculty at Union Graduate College. Her chapter is called Finding and Keeping the Best and the Brightest - Flexible Policies in a Small Workplace, and emanated from the business model used at CSW. It is published by Praeger Publishers.

The firm has elected to contribute to Toys for Tots and Dress for Success. We will be collecting new toys for Toys for Tots and pantyhose for Dress for Success. The pantyhose collected will be arranged as a wreath and presented at the Capital District Women's Bar Association Christmas Dinner on December 4, 2007.

On Saturday, May 12, the CSW Adventure Crew comprised of attorneys Crystal Doolity and Samantha Whitney, and Paralegals Kathleen Donnelly, Connie Carrigan and Sara Clark tackled the Hudson River Gorge with Adirondack River Outfitters. The 17 mile rafting trip is the longest stretch of white water in New York State. No CSW employees fell out of the raft.

On May 23, 2007, Crystal Doolity was a co-presenter on Advance Directives to the Adult Outreach Program at Bellevue Reformed Church. The presentation was aimed at informing individuals about Health Care Proxies, Living Wills and Powers of Attorney.

On May 23, 2007, Cris Cioffi will receive The Katherine S. Rozendaal Award at a ceremony held at the Glen Sanders Mansion. Cris was nominated by the Junior League of Schenectady for her dedication to community service.

On May 19, 2007, Crystal Doolity completed the Dennis Devlin Memorial 5K Run in Washingtonville, New York. The 6th annual run was held in memory of NYFD Battalion Chief Dennis Devlin and proceeds were donated to the Washingtonville Scholarship Fund and the NY Firefighters Burn Center Foundation.

On May 13, 2007, Michelle Wildgrube was awarded the Thanks Badge II at the final Annual Meeting for Girl Scouts, Mohawk Pathways Council. The meeting was a celebration of the council as it moves towards merger with Girl Scouts of the Adirondack Council; Girl Scouts, Hudson Valley Council; and Girl Scouts, North Country Council into Girls Scouts, Northeastern New York Council, Inc. Michelle has served as Board Chair of the Mohawk Pathways Council for the past two years and has also co-chaired the Council Realignment Committee. The Thanks Badge II is the highest adult recognition in Girl Scouting.

On May 2, 2007, Deb Slezak spoke at the NYSBA Basic Elder Law Practice Seminar held in Albany. This full-day practical skills program was designed for any attorney looking to understand what elder law practice is all about, or who were looking for a quick refresher course to bring them up to speed on the basic knowledge needed to advise the elderly in New York. The event was held at The Clarion Hotel of Albany (formerly the Albany Q) at 3 Watervliet Avenue Extension.

Michelle Wildgrube was elected to the position of Secretary of the Federation of Bar Associations, Fourth Judicial District at the Federation's Annual Meeting in Montreal on April 28, 2007. The Federation of Bar Associations is comprised of the Bar Associations for the Fourth District which includes the area from Schenectady to the Canadian Border and Watertown to the Vermont Border. Michelle has served as the delegate from the Schenectady County Bar Association since 2002.

On April 12, Cris Cioffi and Crystal Doolity attended the New York State Bar Association Elder Law Section Executive Committee Meeting at Embassy Suites Hotel in New York City.

CSW participated in the American Heart Association's Wear Red Day fundraiser. On Friday, Febraury 16, CSW staff wore jeans and red to show support and raise awareness of heart disease in women.