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MONROE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
ROCHESTER, NY · EIN 160834505 · Form 990 · FY2024 · Small ($100K-$1M) · mcba.org
revenue
$684K
expenses
$638K
net assets
$898K
employees
6
volunteers
27
mission · from form 990

TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF JUSTICE; PROMOTE RESPECT FOR AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAW; ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL GROWTH; PROMOTE FULFILLMENT, EXCELLENCE, COLLEGIALITY AND DIVERSITY AMONG ITS MEMBERS; AND SERVE AS THE VOICE OF THE PROFESSION.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Monroe County Bar Association, based in Rochester, NY, improves access to justice and promotes respect for the law. It supports professional growth, collegiality, and diversity among legal professionals while serving as a voice for the legal profession. The organization offers member benefits including continuing education, attorney referrals, and community initiatives.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $0
    LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE - ASSISTS PUBLIC BY ACTING AS A LIAISON BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND ATTORNEY, FINDS A SUITABLE ATTORNEY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL'S SITUATION, PROVIDES ATTORNEY CONTACT INFORMATION TO THE INDIVIDUAL, AND NOTIFIES THE ATTORNEY. 1,364 CLIENTS SERVED.
  2. #2 $0
    COMMITTEES - APPROXIMATELY TWO DOZEN COMMITTEES FOCUS ON VARIETY OF LEGAL AREAS/ISSUES.
named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
Provides accredited educational programs to support professional development of local attorneys
Diverse Lawyer Empowerment Initiative
Mentorship program pairing diverse early-career attorneys with experienced legal professionals for sponsorship and career development
Hon. Roy W. King Legal Diversity Internship Program
Offers paid summer internships to first-year law students from underrepresented backgrounds in Rochester-area legal offices
Lawyer Referral Service
Connects members of the public with qualified attorneys in their area of need; served over 1,300 clients annually
Lawyers for Learning
Provides volunteer mentorship and academic support to at-risk students in the Rochester City School District
Removing Racial Covenants Initiative
Offers legal resources and forms to help property owners identify and remove racist covenants from land records
activities · 10 groups

What they do

  • Legal Professional Development & Networking 2 activities
    • Maintain legal specialty and professional committees
      Supports approximately two dozen committees focused on specific areas of law and professional practice, including the Bankruptcy Committee, Young Lawyers Section, Tax Section, Family & Matrimonial Law Section, Fee Arbitration, and Professional Performance Committees.
    • Promote leadership and professional development
      Launched the Leadership Academy in 2023 offering small-group sessions with leaders across sectors; recognizes emerging and established legal professionals through awards honoring service, professionalism, and contributions to the Bar Association.
  • Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
    • Administer lawyer referral service
      Connects members of the public with qualified attorneys based on their legal needs, serving over 1,000 clients annually (ranging from 1,098 in 2020 to 1,394 in 2022).
  • Housing Policy Advocacy & Tenant Organizing 1 activity
    • Advance racial equity and anti-racism efforts
      Established the President's Commission on Anti-Racism in 2021 to address systemic inequities; provides legal tools and templates to help communities remove racist covenants from property records and replace them with anti-racist alternatives.
  • Professional Certification and Continuing Education 1 activity
    • Deliver continuing legal education (CLE) programs
      Plans, promotes, and executes live and pre-recorded CLE programs on topics such as gender disparities and harassment prevention; offers fee waivers or discounts and provides sponsorship opportunities for in-person and virtual events.
  • Fundraising and Financial Support for IDD Services 1 activity
    • Fund community legal and youth programs
      Provides financial support to programs including the DEAFund, ACT For the Children, Rochester Teen Court, and Lawyers for Learning, focusing on access to justice, youth engagement, and legal aid in Rochester and Monroe County.
  • Nonprofit Organizational Management 1 activity
    • Operate voluntary bar association services for Monroe County
      Provides core organizational infrastructure and member services for the Monroe County Bar Association, including financial operations, human resources, office management, database maintenance, membership outreach, dues processing, and event coordination.
  • Youth One-on-One Mentoring 1 activity
    • Provide academic mentoring to at-risk students
      Engages volunteer attorneys to provide mentorship to academically at-risk and disadvantaged students in the Rochester City School District to improve academic performance and self-esteem.
  • Legal Education and Career Pipeline Programs 1 activity
    • Support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
      Co-sponsors the Hon. Roy W. King Legal Diversity Internship Program for first-year law students from underrepresented groups; operates the Diverse Lawyer Empowerment Initiative mentorship program; and supports broader diversity efforts through the Rochester Legal Diversity Clerkship Program.
  • Direct Mental Health Counseling and Support Services 1 activity
    • Support member wellness and community engagement
      Offers wellness-focused events such as walks and kayaking, educational programs, and free confidential counseling services through Tree of Hope Counseling to support attorney well-being.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Modernize bar association operations and services
      Established the Value Discovery Committee in 2023 to assess member needs and benchmark peer organizations, generating recommendations to modernize MCBA’s structure and offerings.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$684K
Contributions & grants$40K6%
Program service revenue$631K92%
Investment income$27K4%
Other revenue$-12K
expenses
Total expenses$638K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$408K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.40M
Cash$163K
Investments$605K
Liabilities$502K
Net assets$898K
Liquid reserves14.4 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -6.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
KEVIN F RYAN ESQ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - RESIGNED DEC 2024 5 $110K
ELISABETH NOVAK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - AS OF JAN 2025 30 $90K
board members · 20
  • ALISSA FORTUNA BRENNAN ESQ — TRUSTEE - JOINED DURING YEAR
  • BRIAN JACEK ESQ — TRUSTEE - JOINED DURING YEAR
  • CASSANDRA RICH ESQ — IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
  • DANIELLE WILD ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • DAVID TENNANT ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • ERIN ELMOUJI ESQ — SECRETARY
  • HON CHRISTOPHER CIACCIO — TRUSTEE - JOINED DURING YEAR
  • HON MAIJA DIXON ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • JAMES HINMAN ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • JESSICA CLEMENTE ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • KELLY GUSMANO ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • MARITZA BUITRAGO ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • MARK FUNK ESQ — PRESIDENT ELECT - JOINED DURING YEAR
  • MAURA MCGUIRE ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • PAUL LECLAIR ESQ — TREASURER
  • RITA NISCHAL ESQ — TRUSTEE
  • SAREER FAZILI ESQ — PRESIDENT
  • SEEMA ALI RIZZO ESQ — TRUSTEE - JOINED DURING YEAR
  • SPENCER ASH ESQ — TRUSTEE - JOINED DURING YEAR
  • STEFANI FEDORKA ESQ — TRUSTEE - JOINED DURING YEAR
relationships · 15

Who they work with

  • ACT For the Children Partner — Partner organization supported by the MCBA Foundation.
  • City of Rochester Partner — Collaborates with leaders from the City of Rochester in delivering small group sessions for the Leadership Academy.
  • Fee Arbitration Committee Partner — MCBA staff serves as liaison to the Fee Arbitration Committee.
  • Five Star Bank Partner — Employer of committee chair Siddharth Bahl, who leads the Value Discovery Committee.
  • Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys Partner — Co-sponsor of the Hon. Roy W. King Legal Diversity Internship Program.
  • Lawyers for Learning Committee Partner — MCBA staff serves as liaison to the Lawyers for Learning Committee.
  • Liz Novak Henderson Partner — Contact person for CLE planning coordination within MCBA.
  • NYSBA Partner — Co-presents a CLE program on addressing gender disparities through the law.
  • New York State Government — Engages state-level leaders in the Leadership Academy through small group sessions across sectors such as government, courts, and criminal justice.
  • New York State Bar Associations Partner — Collaborates with bar associations across New York State and the country.
  • Professional Performance Committee Partner — MCBA staff serves as liaison to the Professional Performance Committee.
  • Rochester Black Bar Association Partner — Co-sponsor of the Hon. Roy W. King Legal Diversity Internship Program.
  • Rochester City School District Partner — Collaborates with the Rochester City School District to provide mentorship to students who are academically at risk or disadvantaged.
  • Rochester Teen Court Partner — Partner organization supported by the MCBA Foundation.
  • Tree of Hope Counseling Partner — Provides free confidential counseling services to MCBA members.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Client and Community Empowerment through Legal Education
    methodology: civic-legal education
    By advancing public understanding of the law and supporting legal professionals, we promote access to justice and strengthen community trust in the legal system because informed individuals and capable attorneys are better equipped to navigate and uphold justice.
  • Collaborative Legal Education Delivery
    methodology: collaborative_cle_delivery
    By co-developing and delivering continuing legal education (CLE) programs with members and local professionals, we enhance relevance and engagement in legal training because locally grounded, peer-developed content increases practical applicability and professional buy-in.
  • Inclusive Leadership and Professional Development Model
    methodology: inclusive_leadership_development
    By developing legal leaders from diverse practice settings and supporting underrepresented attorneys through mentorship and sponsorship, we improve equity and retention in the profession because diverse representation and personal support networks are critical to systemic change and individual success.
  • Institutional Equity Through Internal Advocacy
    methodology: institutional-equity-committee
    By maintaining a dedicated internal commission focused on racial equity, we drive institutional change and address systemic bias because centering marginalized perspectives within governance structures enables more effective and authentic reform.
  • Mentorship as a Pathway to Equity and Retention
    methodology: mentorship-sponsorship-pathway
    By engaging legal professionals as mentors and sponsors for at-risk students and underrepresented lawyers, we improve personal, academic, and career outcomes because sustained relationships with experienced role models provide guidance, opportunity, and belonging.