The Board of Trustees

Section 468-b of the Judiciary Law provides for the fund's administration, and section 97-t of the State Finance Law governs the management of the Fund's assets as a special trust account in the State Treasury. Both statutes vest full management authority in a Board of Trustees appointed by the judges of the New York State Court of Appeals.

The Trustees serve renewable terms of three years, and without compensation for their services. Since the Fund's organization in 1981, the Court of Appeals has maintained a panel with a mix of five practicing lawyers and two community and business leaders who are not members of the bar.

 The Board's officers are a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Treasurer. The Fund's Executive Director serves as the Board's Secretary and its Counsel.

Patricia L. Gatling

Patricia L. Gatling of Manhattan serves as Chairman of the Board. She is of counsel to Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP. Ms. Gatling is the former Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Law. (1982).

Stuart M. Cohen

Stuart M. Cohen of Albany County, serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board. Mr. Cohen served for 14 years as the Clerk of the Court of Appeals. He is a graduate of Connecticut College and New York University School of Law (1979). He is retired from the practice of law.

Peter A. Bellacosa

Peter A. Bellacosa of Manhattan is the Fund’s Treasurer, and a partner with the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (1985) and St. John’s University Law School (1988).

Anthony J. Baynes

Anthony J. Baynes of Williamsville, Erie County, is the founder and current Chairman of the AJ Baynes Group, a Buffalo based development and logistics company. Mr. Baynes is a graduate of Buffalo State College (1979)

Dr. Gary S. Greenberg

Dr. Gary S. Greenberg of Liverpool, Onondaga County, is a dentist specializing in Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Greenberg is a graduate of the State University of New York, Buffalo (1973), the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (1978) and the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry (1979).

Lisa L. Hutchinson

Lisa L. Hutchinson of Farmingdale, Nassau County, is a partner in the Farmingdale law firm of Guercio & Guercio. Ms. Hutchinson is a graduate of the State University of New York, Albany and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Eric A. Seiff

Eric A. Seiff of the Bronx is of counsel to the Manhattan law firm of Amini, L.L.C. Mr. Seiff is a graduate of Yale University and the Columbia University Law School (1958).

Gabriel Huertas

Gabriel Huertas is the Executive Director and Counsel of the Lawyers' Fund. He is a graduate of Binghamton University, and New York Law School.