Central Park Conservancy's Adopt-A-Bench

Founder and partner of Gershman Law, PLLC, Dyan Gershman has, for more than 20 years, worked closely with clients to provide expertise on various corporate legal issues. Her expertise includes joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, intellectual property licensing, and other complex business transactions. On the community front, Dyan Gershman is a member and supporter of the Central Park Conservancy.

The Central Park Conservancy is a non-profit whose mission is to preserve Central Park as a peaceful and welcoming sanctuary that receives over 42 million visitors each year. The conservancy engages in daily care and maintenance of the iconic park, as well as manages multiple programs, including Adopt-A-Bench. Adopt-A-Bench funds are used to maintain more than 10,000 benches in Central Park and their immediate landscapes. So far, more than 7,000 benches have been adopted.

Adopting a bench is a unique way to honor or celebrate a loved one as well as offer as a gift on a birthday, graduation, or anniversary. Once a contribution is received, the Central Park Conservancy prepares and installs a personalized plaque on a park bench that a donor selects. The cost of endowing a bench is $10,000, and plaques take approximately two months to be ready. However, donors receive a personalized certificate immediately after the adoption process has been completed. The plaque inscription can either be written by the conservancy or the donor can select their own message.

Inside the Statue of Liberty Museum

Dyan Gershman is the founder and managing partner of Gershman Law, PLLC, a corporate law firm headquartered in New York City. Dyan Gershman leverages over 25 years of experience and represents clients on a wide range of legal issues, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and intellectual property licensing. In her spare time, Dyan Gershman volunteers with a number of non-profits, including Habitat for Humanity.

New York City has many fascinating attractions to visit, such as Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the new Statue of Liberty Museum which opened to great fanfare in 2019. Considered an architectural gem, this extraordinary museum measures roughly 26,000 square feet. The museum was five years in the making and was funded by a $100 million capital campaign. All visitors with ferry tickets to the Statue of Liberty automatically gain admittance to the museum.

Once entering the museum, visitors approach the following points of interest:

Immersive Theater. A seatless theater, where visitors can wander around the theater while observing a 10-minute narrated film on the origins of the Statue of Liberty.

Engagement Gallery. This Gallery houses recreations of all Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's models for the statue. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a Frenchman, sculpted the Statue of Liberty in the 19th century.

Inspiration Gallery. Visitors take self-portraits at the digital kiosks with special image backdrops of their choice to symbolize liberty. The images expand the "Becoming Liberty" collage.

The museum’s centerpiece is the statue’s original torch (replaced in the 1980s) which is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows with impressive views of Lady Liberty in the background.

In Praise of Painting

Dyan Gershman founded her own corporate law firm in New York City in 2014, Gershman Law, PLLC, and provides legal advice and support to both US and international clients on many matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and all types of commercial contracts. In her free time, Dyan Gershman enjoys visiting museums and belongs to the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Since its founding in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has aspired to be more than just a holding place for beautiful art. The galleries work to make art come alive, shuttling new ideas and connections across cultures and time. Dutch masterpieces have been a highlight of The Met since 1871, and since 2018 a collection of these works has been featured in the exhibition In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces of The Met.

This exhibition showcases some of The Met’s greatest Dutch paintings in order to tell the story of 17th century Dutch culture. The 67 works reveal not only the craftsmanship of Dutch masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer, but also shine light on thoughts about religion, consumption, and the domestic lives of women at the time. Notably, the exhibit also gives visitors a chance to see one of the museum’s rarely displayed paintings, A Vase of Flowers, one of only two known paintings by artist Margareta Haverman.

WBASNY Organizes Webinar Addressing

With more than 25 years of corporate law experience, Dyan Gershman is an experienced corporate attorney providing legal services to US and international clients. In addition to her full-time practice, Dyan Gershman is a member of a number of legal organizations, including the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.

The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) provides accredited continuing legal education (CLE) in the form of seminars and events. Most recently, WBASNY held a webinar titled Discovery Guidelines in Personal Injury Cases: Perspective from Plaintiff and Defense.

Taking place on March 17, 2021, the webinar was presented by Sofiya Janashvili and Luis Ras. Attendees learned about the different stages of discovery in cases of personal injury including depositions, motions, and trial preparation.

Addressing the different perspectives of plaintiff and defense, the webinar illustrated specific tips that can be useful for each during the discovery process. Plaintiff tips included an aggressive approach focusing on information extraction from the defendants. On the other hand, the defense team is advised to thoroughly prepare a plan in advance covering all relevant witnesses and documents.

The webinar also highlighted the latest changes to the discovery process in New York, including a new administrative order effective February 1, 2021 (Administrative Order 270/2020). This Administrative Order creates sweeping changes to the discovery process by expanding certain Commercial Division Rules to now apply to general civil cases.