Hon. Judith J. Gische ’80
Hon. Judith J. Gische ’80 was designated an associate justice of the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, 1st Department, in October 2012. She has been a longtime advocate for women in the legal profession and for family-friendly changes.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
May 5, 2015
Occasion
Distinguished Alumna Award for the Judiciary at the 53rd Annual Law Alumni Association Dinner
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About the Hon. Judith J. Gische
Justice Gische served on the State Supreme Court since her election in 2008 in New York County. She began her judicial career in May 1990 when she was appointed as a judge in the Housing Part, Civil Court of the City of New York. She was then elected a judge of the Civil Court in November 1993, and in 1997 was designated an acting justice of the Supreme Court.
Gische also worked in private practice for eight years.
She was born in Queens, N.Y., in a working-class family. After commuting to Queens College for two years, she went to UB and majored in philosophy. Philosophy was fabulous, she said, but not practical. She decided to go to law school because of the analytical rigor and because she needed a career.
She met her husband, Steven Schurkman, in law school and still maintains many of her law school relationships. Her favorite professor was Louis DelCotto, who gave her a love of tax. She also enjoyed learning matrimonial and family law from Professor Grace Blumberg, for whom she also did research.
At the time, 50 percent of the student body at UB Law was female. Older, non-traditional men and women who wanted a second career also added to the law school’s diverse character.
At the time, private practice was not female-friendly, and upon graduating, she was told by law firms that it was unlikely she would ever make partner. She decided to take a position for a couple of years as a judicial clerk at the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, 3rd Department, in Albany.
Her next job was at a small firm doing commercial litigation. Preparing for trial, while pregnant, a case took longer than anticipated. She asked for a three-month adjournment for a maternity leave and was denied. After appearing on the cover of the Law Journal, she was able to remain as a consultant on the case and helped bring about changes in the profession for lawyers—women and men—to deal with child care.
Her advice to law students: Find your path in the law. Work hard to find a position that is rewarding to you. Network. Join the Bar Association. Get involved and meet other lawyers.
