The Bay Ridge Lawyers Association held its annual Cocktail Reception and Dance at The Vanderbilt at South Beach in Staten Island on Thursday, June 15. Pictured from left: Stephen Chiaino, Stephen Spinelli, Dominic Famulari, Mary Ann Stathopoulos, Helen Galette, Cara Buonincontri, Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, William Gillen and Rosa Pannitto. Eagle photos by Mario Belluomo.
The Bay Ridge Lawyers Association (BRLA) honored its recent presidents during the 2023 Annual Cocktail Reception and Dance, hosted at The Vanderbilt at South Beach in Staten Island on Thursday, June 15.
The event served as a testament to the association’s resilience during the global pandemic and paid tribute to Mary Ann Stathopoulos (2019-2021), William Gillen (2021-2022), and Dominic Famulari (2022-present), who all played crucial roles in steering the association during the challenging period of COVID-19.
“The recognition that they received at the event was very well deserved,” said Famulari, reflecting on his predecessors. “Maryann Stathopoulos and William Gillen led us through and out of the pandemic. We hit the ground running in September of 2021 under President Gillen when no other associations were having in-person events, and the Bay Ridge Lawyers never looked back.”
Stathopoulos, in particular, was applauded for her leadership in maintaining the organization’s regular online meetings at a time when most other bar associations fell dormant. Gillen built upon Stathopoulos’ hard work, keeping the momentum alive as the association transitioned out of the pandemic with the resumption of in-person events.
“I was thrilled we finally got to get back together…last year was the first full year getting all our usual events going and it was great to finally have a dinner dance,” Gillen reminisced, adding that the experience had brought…
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