A welcome to the National Italian American Bar Association. The Board of Directors met in New York City in February 2023. Directors from across the United States, Canada and Italy attended meetings at the Columbus Citizens Foundation. At the Thursday evening dinner the Board and our many guests were welcomed by the Consul General of New York, Fabrizio DiMichele. The Saturday evening dinner crowd enjoyed remarks from Arthur Aidala, the leading criminal defense lawyer in the City. The Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Anthony Tamburri, PhD, addressed the Board. The Institute is working with our Director Maria Chiara Parisi on a significant study of discriminatory patterns that continue today. We were visited, as well, by Maria Tamburri, Chair of The National Organization of Italian American Women. During the Board meeting, there were in person and virtual events of special note:
During the two-year term now concluding, I have been privileged to serve as president. I look forward to continued participation under the new leadership team! Special thanks are given to those with whom I have served as officers. Our Executive Vice President, Frank Sommario of Chicago, our Secretary, Alice Salvo of Los Angeles, and our Treasurer, P. Charles DiLorenzo of New Jersey, have each been dedicated servants of NIABA and great partners in the last two years. I thank, as well, our Chairwoman of the Board, Cristina Carabetta of Connecticut and New York. Our Chairwoman has led us well and is drawing law students and recent admittees from the bars of all the states to NIABA. Her special attention and regard for the lifeblood of the future for NIABA has been so much appreciated by us all. In June, a new era under the leadership of Attorney Frank Sommario of Chicago will be underway. As a great indicator of how it will go, I can assure that Frank is already actively engaged and will hit the ground running upon his inaugural event on June 8-11, 2023. Of particular importance to all NIABA members and readers, Frank is strengthening our committee structure and urges participation by any NIABA member in each of those committees. See on this website the collection of committees for the opportunities. Kindly email your interest in service and be assured that with a smoothly functioning committee system, your participation will be real, active, and recognized! As my term as president nears its end, I look backward with appreciation but look forward with renewed excitement and dedication to our NIABA cause and mission! Francis M. Donnarumma President
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The National Italian American Bar Association concluded its bi-annual seminar in Italy. In the ancient city of Naples, forty United States based attorneys attended a seminar featuring Italian lawyers, experts in their fields. Avvocati Alessandro Bovino, Giancarlo Madonna, Armando Perna, Antonello Pierro, and Vincenzo Senatore provided insightful and moving instruction on critical subjects of interest. American-based attorney Joe Andolino, presented, as well. The seminar was led by a NIABA team of Anthony Gianfrancesco, Antoinetta Brancaccio-Balzano, and Ralph Liguori. Attorney Brancaccio-Balzano has offices both in the state of Florida and in Naples, Italy. She organized the expert faculty for the seminar, arranged for dinners and a variety of activities spanning the city of Naples, as well as the island of Capri. As part of the events, Attorney Brancaccio-Balzano and President Francis Donnarumma met with the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, and with the Console Generale of the United States of America, serving in the United States Embassy in Naples. They were accompanied by past president, Paul Finizio. On the island of Capri, Mayor Marino Lemboi welcomed all of the attending American lawyers in a private ceremony in the office high atop that glowing island. ____________________________________________________________ NEW YORK CITY NIABA Chairwoman of the Board, Cristina Carabetta, led the National Italian American Bar Association in New York City at the Columbus Citizens Foundation for the bi-annual meeting of the Conference of the Presidents of Major Italian American organizations. NIABA friend and supporter, Basil Russo, President of the Conference, welcomed our Chairwoman and President Francis Donnarumma among leaders of Italian heritage groups in the United States. The attendees were welcomed for a luncheon with the Consul General of Italy in New York, Honorable Fabrizio DiMichele. Engagement and interchange among Italian and American associations, businesses, and cultural activists took place. Our chairwoman is a member of the Columbus Citizens Foundation who, along with several peers, made the event and evening dinner at the Foundation most memorable.
__________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Special thanks to our event sponsors: | NIABA News The next Board of Directors meeting of the National Italian American Bar Association will meet in Chicago on June 8 - 11, 2023. Check back soon for details! ___________________________________________________ CHECK OUT OUR NEW NIABA MERCHANDISE! We now offer a new selection of NIABA merchandise. Please check out our store and place your order today! Click on the below link to go direct to the new online shopping site.
_________________________________________________________ We're looking for content for our next edition of NIABA News. Please submit any articles of interest to Fran Donnarumma and Cindy Martin francis@donnarummalawfirm.com | cindylu616@comcast.net *************** Click HERE to see our current NIABA newsletter ___________________________________________________ Dear Colleagues, We are reaching out to seek your involvement on an important new project. The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, part of The City University of New York (CUNY), and the National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA) have partnered to conduct a study on Italian Americans and the legal profession. Although data on diversity in the legal profession is often published by national and state bar associations, there has not yet been a study that includes data on the career paths of Italian American law students and lawyers. This study is the first to explore Italian Americans’ representation and experiences in various sectors of the legal field, helping us gain valuable insight into how Italian Americans are currently situated in the legal profession. We hope you will contribute to the study by filling out a 3-minute survey that we are distributing to Italian American law students and lawyers throughout the country. The deadline to complete the survey is April 30th. Though we know that Italian American lawyers have made great strides over the last century, this survey addresses salient unanswered questions on Italian Americans and the legal profession. For example, what legal practice areas, such as employment or property law, do Italian American lawyers gravitate towards? How are Italian American lawyers distributed among different employment sectors, such as private firms, non-profits, or government? To what extent are Italian American lawyers represented in the most “elite” legal spaces, such as academia, the federal judiciary, major law firms, or top law schools? How many Italian American lawyers feel that they have been discriminated against in their legal careers due to their ethnicity? And how might the legal paths of Italian Americans diverge depending on age, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status? Broad participation in the survey is imperative to build the empirical grounding to start a conversation—both within and outside of the Italian American community—about the unique challenges and opportunities Italian Americans face in their legal careers. We hope you will participate in this opportunity to get a deeper understanding of Italian Americans and the legal profession. Thank you, Francis Donnarumma President, National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA) Dr. Anthony Tamburri Dean, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College at The City University of New York (CUNY) _________________________________________________ NIABA Board Meets in Washington, DC! The Board of Directors held its Fall 2022 meeting in Washington, DC on October 27 – 30, 2022. The Board met at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, in its ceremonial Slowinski Courtroom. Board members from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, Cleveland, New Jersey, Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Rome, Italy met with visiting lawyers. Attorney Joseph Andolino of Florida was elected to the Board of Directors. Attorney Dante Esposito of South Carolina was congratulated upon his recent admission to the bar of that State. In attendance at the Board meeting were guests Kyle DeCant, Counsel at the United States House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor and Egon Donnarumma, attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Author Doug Lanzo, Vice-President and General Counsel of a Virginia based financial company, addressed the board about his emergence as a poet and writer over the last several years. He was kind to present copies of his new novel, “The Year of the Bear”, which was being released just days following our meeting. It is receiving critical acclaim. Nationally prominent legal analyst, Renato Mariotti of Chicago, provided insight into his work which includes numerous pieces in Politico Magazine, national journals and newspapers as well as frequent appearances on national media. The Board vigorously considered matters extending from the recently concluded seminar in Naples, Italy, the relationship with the Unione CRINT Italiane, expansion of membership through the many regional and local Italian heritage bar associations throughout the United States, and development of a journal in law. Board members and guests attended dinners at Capa Tosta, a Neapolitan restaurant, and Il Piatto, an elegant restaurant across from the White House. Many were in attendance at the 2022 Gala of the National Italian American Foundation. Relationships were established with others in attendance from across Italy and the United States, including former Secretary of the State, Michael Pompeo, Fox Business Network Anchor Maria Bartiromo, and government leaders from Italy including the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia.
________________________________________________ 2022 Italy The relationship of the National Italian American Bar Association and the Unione CRINT Italiane became tangible with the first in-person meeting of representatives and leadership of each in Milan, Italy, last week. NIABA President Francis Donnarumma and past presidents Paul Finizio and Anthony Gianfrancesco led a delegation of American lawyers to the meetings. National Secretary Alice Salvo, Chairwoman of the Board Cristina Carabetta and Directors Marco DeFazi, Giampaolo Girardi, Lydia Liberio and Mariana Noli took part in the proceedings. At the historic offices of Attorney Roberto Cociancich in Milan, leadership of CRINT and representatives of numerous bar associations of Italy met NIABA. A personal and real working relationship was established and plans are now underway for engagement of both Italian and American lawyers. Particular credit is due to Avv. Francesca Zanasi who worked tirelessly with the Bar of Milan in developing the Unione CRINT Italiane. She and her colleagues provided an outstanding event and meeting with the Bar of Milan in a historic court room and concluded the inaugural event in person with dinner at a private residencei. Look forward to seminars, in-person events, exchange of lawyers, development of American/Italian law student council and much more!
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ST. LOUIS St. Louis was the destination of the spring Board meeting of the National Italian American Bar Association in May, 2022. The board was hosted by Attorney Vincent J. Garozzo, a partner of Greensfelder, a firm which was founded in St. Louis in 1895 and has celebrated more than 125 years of history. In St. Louis, our members were warmly greeted by NIABA friends, Bruno and Vivian Mazzatti. There was a great turnout of local attorneys and judges and there is great expectation that a new Italian heritage association will arise, there, in the near future.
___________________________________________ Phoenix The Board of Directors of the National Italian American Bar Association held its second ever meeting in Arizona. We were generously hosted by the firm of Snell & Wilmer, a powerhouse law firm in the western United States. Partner, Benjamin Nucci, assisted in the process. While in Phoenix, we celebrated the formal memorandum of agreement with our colleagues at the Australian Italian Bar Association, virtually. Honorary Consul of Italy, Roberta Gentili Purcel, an attorney, greeted the NIABA members warmly. Francesco Guzzo, executive director of the Italian Association of Arizona coordinated dinner with a large number of Italian heritage activists. Attorney Marco Costa, admitted to practice in Arizona, participated in the meetings. He will attend the meeting among NIABA leaders in Milan in September, 2022 and the Unione CRINT Italiane.
CHICAGO In October 2021, the Board of Directors and guests of the National Italian American Bar Association met in Chicago, Illinois. The meetings were held at the offices of Holland & Knight, thanks to the generosity of board member Kenneth Jenero. The weekend in Chicago was highlighted by joining the Justinian Society in Chicago in celebration of its 100th Anniversary. The Justinian Society arose from the needs of young and emerging Italian heritage lawyers, 100 years ago, in one of America’s great cities. The association has proudly represented lawyers of Italian heritage right through to the present moment at the Centennial of a great organization. During the weekend, those assembled in Chicago were joined, virtually, with bar leaders from Rome, Naples, Milan and across Italy in formalizing the relationship of NIABA and the Unione CRINT Italiane, a network of Italian bar associations.
 ___________________________________________________________________ NIABA presents an exciting 3 series Webinar: Conversations with Leaders in the Law We are planning our next series...please check back for updated information shortly... The National Italian American Bar Association presents conversations with leaders in the law in a three (3) part series of webinars. Each features a lawyer who performs at the highest levels of the profession in that field. The seminar will be a rare opportunity for a conversational event full of substantive law, firsthand accounts of preparation and advocacy, and focused communication to our broad collection of lawyer attendees. These webinars are free to NIABA members, but we ask that you register in advance of the event. .____________________________________________________________________
Vincent Marchetti Scholarship Fund ______________________________________________________________________
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