Deborah A. Scalise is a partner in the firm SCALISE & HAMILTON, LLP in Scarsdale, New York. The Firm focuses its practice on the representation of professionals (lawyers, judges, accountants, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, social workers, and government employees) in professional responsibility and ethics matters, and white-collar criminal matters. Before entering private practice, Ms. Scalise held the position of Deputy Attorney General in Charge of Public Advocacy for the Westchester Region for more than two years and was responsible for cases involving consumer frauds, civil rights, public integrity and environmental concerns. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Chief Counsel to the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Judicial Department. In her nine years at the Committee, she litigated complex disciplinary matters including, investigations, hearings and appellate review of attorney ethical misconduct pursuant to the Code of Professional Responsibility, the Judiciary Law and the New York Rules of Court. She supervised and trained staff attorneys and was actively involved in office management. In addition, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County for three and a half years where she handled economic crimes and arson cases. Ms. Scalise received a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from John Jay College of the City University of New York. Ms. Scalise also earned a Master of Arts Degree in Forensic Psychology from the John Jay College of the City University of New York.
Ms. Scalise is active in several bar associations. She has served two terms as Vice President to Women's Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY), where she also serves as the Chair of the Professional Ethics Committee. She is President Elect, Vice President and Co-chair of the Grievance/Ethics Committee of the Westchester Women's Bar Association and is also the Secretary for the White Plains Bar Association. She serves as Outreach Co-chair for both organizations and is actively involved in educational programs and events for students including Take Your Children to Work Day as well as Law Day. She is a member of the American Bar Association and served on the Public Sector Lawyer's Division and Ethics and CLE Committees. She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association where she serves on the Attorney Professionalism Committee and the Law Practice Continuity Committee and a member of the Westchester County Bar Association where she served as Co-chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee for two years. As a member of the New Rochelle Bar Association, she serves as a Small Claims Court Arbitrator in the New Rochelle City Court.
Ms. Scalise has coordinated and/or lectured in Continuing Legal Education Programs for the: Appellate Division, First Department; New York State Bar Association: Practicing Law Institute; Women's Bar Association of the State of New York; Westchester Women's Bar Association; Brooklyn Women's Bar Association; Rockland County Women's Bar Association; Pace University Law School CLE Program; St. John's University Law School CLE Program; Fordham Law School CLE Program; CUNY Law School CLE Program; New York State Trial Lawyers Association; New York Civil and Criminal Trial Attorneys Association; New York State Association of Disciplinary Attorneys; New York County Supreme Court Arbitrators; and Westchester County Bar Association. She has also been a faculty member of the Cardozo Law School Intensive Trial Advocacy Program and a guest lecturer on professional responsibility and ethics at Pace Law School; Brooklyn Law School, Cardozo Law School and John Jay College.
Ms. Scalise received the Westchester County's 2009 Above the Bar Pace Setter Award for “overall excellence in professional and community work, prominence in the Westchester legal profession, fierce determination and success at being the best at what she does and should be recognized and admired by peers and community”.
Ms. Scalise has authored several articles related to professional responsibility and ethics issues for among others, the York State Bar Association's Journal; the WBASNY newsletter; the Westchester County Bar Journal; and the New York State Trial Lawyer's Bill of Particulars. She was profiled in the American Bar Association's Student Lawyer Magazine in its February 2005 issue.
