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Hon. Elizabeth A. Garry with Claudette Newman at the Old Mill Restaurant in Mount Upton. (Photo by Vantine Imaging)

Attorney Honored by Local Chapter of State Bar Assn.

By TERESA WINCHESTER
MOUNT UPTON

The Del-Chen-O chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of New York State has named Claudette Newman as its 2024 “Member of Distinction.” The honor was conferred at a May 9 dinner held at the Old Mill Restaurant in Mount Upton.

Newman is a founding member of the association, of which she speaks highly, saying that its continuing legal education classes and lunches with judges are “a huge benefit and offer moral support.” According to a statement from Del-Chen-O, the chapter chose to recognize Newman based on her “unwavering commitment to serving others.”

Service to others has always been foremost in Newman’s mind, which is the reason she chose to study law.

“I always wanted to do something where I could help people. Becoming a lawyer went with my skill set,” Newman said.

Newman also attributes her desire to serve others to her Christian values.

“We are called to serve,” she said.

Newman serves Gilbertsville Baptist Church, of which she is a member, by being a moderator for its business meetings.

Another influence on Newman’s service-oriented mindset was Sherburne attorney Patrick Joyce, with whom she worked just after passing the bar exam in 1995.

“He believed strongly in helping those whom nobody else would help,” she said.

Early on, Newman’s interest in practicing law was piqued by participating in mock trials at Bainbridge-Guilford High School. From that experience, she not only became a lawyer, she has, for the last 25 years, mentored Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School students preparing for mock trials. For one six-year period, GMU won the competition five times. In 2024, the school made the semi-final stage. Two of her former mentees have become attorneys—Savana Conrade and Jennifer Mason, who is now attorney advisor for mock trials at Norwich High School, the 2024 competition winner.

A native of Bainbridge, Newman has lived in Gilbertsville since 1989. She graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in English and rhetoric, after which she obtained her law degree from SUNY Albany Law School in 1994. After her association with Joyce, she established a private practice handling criminal, matrimonial, family and real estate matters. In 1996, she accepted a position as court attorney for Judge Kevin M. Dowd. After Dowd was elected Supreme Court justice, Newman served as his principal law clerk until his 2012 retirement.

Also in 2012, Newman was appointed by the Town of Butternuts to fill an unexpired term as town justice. She has since been elected to that position three times. In 2019, she began serving as Chenango County court attorney for Judge Frank B. Revoir and continues to hold that position. Newman is also on the Chenango County Bar Association’s executive board.

Her community involvement includes presidency of the Village Improvement Society, which manages the Gilbert Block (the principal commercial buildings in the village), the Post Office building, and the Post Office and Overlook parks. A 30-year member of the Butternut Valley Garden Club, she currently serves as its president, and was previously president of the Butternut Valley Nursery School.

Newman is married to Gilbertsville native Larry Smith. They have three children: Scarlett, 24, a gardener and part-time farmer, and twins Sadra and Ethan, age 22. Sadra is currently deployed in the Mediterranean with the U.S. Marines on the USS New York, while Ethan recently graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in economics.

In her leisure time, Newman enjoys gardening, tennis, kayaking, and spending time with her family and their four dogs.

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