By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

It may seem like the days of women being barred from courtrooms, passed over for partner or made the object of sexual objectification in the office are long gone. But according to some legal professionals, gender bias, harassment and discrimination still exist.

The 8th Judicial District, the state Women's Bar and several other local groups are sponsoring a free symposium to discuss the current state of women in the legal system.

The event is scheduled noon to 2 p.m., Oct. 27 in the Ceremonial Courtroom on the second floor of the Erie County Court Building on Franklin Street in Buffalo.

"Lessons from the past, challenges for the future" will coincide with the silver anniversary of a landmark report issued by the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts. At the time, the committee said this: "Gender bias against women litigants, attorneys and court employees is a pervasive problem with grave consequences."

Twenty-five years later, when attorney Tammy Riddle took over as president of the Western New York chapter of the Women's Bar Association, she saw that the struggles continue. While noting that choosing to raise a family can affect a woman's chance of making partner, Riddle also discussed a possible impact on women's health, suggesting that pressure to compete in the workplace, in addition to raising a family, can leave women neglecting their health.

She made it a priority of her term to shine a spotlight on women's health issues and raise awareness.

Said Riddle: "As we (WBASNY) approach our 30th year, we find that we must remain vigilant to identify and address the continuing inequities and the new challenges of our times. In the report it states, 'Calls for complacency in identifying gender bias in New York's Courts and for sole reliance on the passage of time for its amelioration misapprehend the nature and consequences of gender bias in our society. The courts have a special obligation to reject - not reflect - society's irrational prejudices.' It is a call to action, which resonates today."

Keynote speaker for the symposium is longtime Buffalo attorney Maryann Saccomando Freedman. Admitted to practice law in 1959, she recalled stories from her early days practicing law that illustrate how far things have come.

"No women would be thrown out of a courtroom today because girls don't practice in the judge's court, and that happened to me," Saccomando Freedman said. "I was physically removed from the courtroom."

The kinds of things that judges and lawyers felt free to say to women then would shock today's practitioners, she said. To some degree, that behavior still exists, she added.

"I know of one woman lawyer who had a male attorney say to her, 'I'd really like to see what's up your skirt.' So there is still some of that out there, where male lawyers think it is OK to make those kind of offensive comments to women, especially to young women lawyers," she said.

According to Saccomando Freedman, events such as the symposium continue to shine a light on issues women face in the courtroom and law firms. They illustrate that full equality remains an elusive goal.

"I think when it comes to women who want to start a family, it is certainly a problem in a lot of places," she said. "When they are hiring, lawyers are concerned that if it is a young women, she is going to get married and have a baby and 'how is that going to affect us?' "

Attorney Gina Marie DePrima sees agrees. As president of the Women Lawyers of Western New York, she says the symposium is important to give area practitioners some perspective of where things stood 25 years ago and the progress that has been made.

"We want people who may not be aware to see the bias and inequity that existed," she said. "If we never look at where we came from, then we can't determine where we need to go forward."

DiPrima said she hopes to see both men and women turn out for the symposium.

"I think an event like this helps to keep men aware of certain biases that may exist and they may even have not been aware of," she said. "I think this is a valuable opportunity for everyone to learn."

Walk-ins are welcome for the event, though pre-registration is encouraged. Email klocurto@courts.state.ny.us