
In honor of Domestic Violence Month, the Government Law Center and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Albany Law School and community partners co-hosted “Cultural Responsiveness in Domestic Violence Services.” Panelists discussed the role of culture in violence prevention, how victims experience abuse in culturally specific ways, and strategies to practice cultural responsiveness and cultural humility in domestic violence services. Participants: Norina Melita, Esq., as emcee Prof. Jaya Connors, Director of the Field Placement Clinic at Albany Law School, former Director of the Family Violence Litigation Clinic Somaia Sharif Zada, Afghan attorney refugee, part of the Unified Court System’s Judges for Career Opportunities for Refugees (J-COR) program Demekia Santana, Advocate and Assistant Program Director, Catholic Charities of Fulton & Montgomery Counties, Montgomery County Domestic Violence & Crime Victim Services Anna Breitegger ’24, J.D. Candidate and Co-Chair of the Women’s Law Caucus at Albany Law School Hon. Lisa M. Fisher, Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department, as moderator Elizabeth Cronin, Esq., Director of the NYS Office for Victim Services Lindsey Crusan-Muse, Director of St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services for St. Peter’s Health Partners Remla Parthasarathy, Managing Attorney for Crime Victims at Empire Justice Center and Project Leader for the Crime Victims Legal Network William Rivera, Crisis Intervention Director for Opportunities for Otsego, as moderator Keri Boedigheimer, Rensselaer County Domestic Violence Courts Resource Coordinator Hon. Esther M. Morgenstern, Justice of the Supreme Court, Kings County, National Mentor Court for IDV Hon. Brian D. Burns, Justice of the Supreme Court, Otsego County IDV Hon. Rebecca A. Slezak, Justice of the Supreme Court, Montgomery County IDV, as moderator Partners/Presented By: Montgomery County Bar Association Women’s Leadership Initiative at Albany Law School Women’s Law Caucus at Albany Law School Government Law Center at Albany Law School Third Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee Fourth Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee National Association of Women Judges, New York Chapter New York State Bar Association, Women in Law Section The Capital District Women’s Bar Association Capital District Black and Hispanic Bar Association Albany County Bar Association Adirondack Women’s Bar Association Schenectady County Bar Association Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York The Legal Project Vella Carbone & Vinson, LLP Copps DiPaola Silverman, PLLC