REBECCA HARP/ PRESIDENT

Rebecca Harp is an Assistant Public Defender in Albany County.  She currently represents individuals charged with a variety of criminal charges.

Prior to becoming an Assistant Public Defender, Ms. Harp worked representing individuals dealing with family and matrimonal issues, and worked as a Staff Attorney for Boies Schiller Flexner, LLP.

Ms. Harp is a 2017 graduate of Albany Law School. While attending law school, she was the Symposium Editor for the Journal of Science & Technology, a Katheryn D. Katz Fellow for the Legal Project, and a member of the Student Bar Association.  She is admitted to practice in the State of New York. 

In 2013, Ms. Harp graduated from SUNY Oswego with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Public Justice, and a minor in Forensic Science.

As a member of the Capital District Women’s Bar Association since 2018.  She has served as the co-chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee, a member of the Board and now serves as the Second Vice President.

Ms. Harp frequently participates in events with Albany Law School students, as she is an advocate for mentoring students and young attorneys.  She also attends other local bar associations and group events.

RENÉE L. BEHRENS/ PRESIDENT ELECT

Renée L. Behrens currently serves as Associate Counsel at the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (DHSES) where she focuses on litigation matters. Prior to joining DHSES, Ms. Behrens worked in Counsel’s Office at the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, as Bureau Chief of the vehicular crimes unit at the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office, and as an Assistant District Attorney at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. She specializes in both criminal and civil litigation. Ms. Behrens has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Albany, College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cyber Security (CEHC) where she has taught a technical writing class on intelligence briefing and a second class on civil liberties.

Ms. Behrens obtained her Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School. She also holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, and a bachelor’s degree in Communications with dual concentrations in Journalism and Public Relations & Advertising, and a minor in Political Science.

Ms. Behrens joined the CDWBA in 2017. She has served as a Board Member, Corresponding Secretary, and currently serves as the First Vice President. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the National Alumni Association of Albany Law School.  She volunteers much of her time at the law school judging moot court competitions, mentoring students, assisting with mock interviews, and delivering lectures as a guest speaker.

Outside of her professional life, Renée enjoys running, hiking, and golfing. Ms. Behrens is a three-time marathoner, an Adirondack 46-er, and a member of the Capital Region LPGA Amateur Golf Association. She is married to her husband (and best friend), Scott. They recently welcomed their first child, Francis.

RACHAEL OUIMET/ FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

ERIN LYNCH/ SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

Erin Lynch, is serving her third term on the Board of Directors for the Capital District Women’s Bar Association and was a prior Chair of the Classroom Project Committee. She is proud of the role the CDWBA has in empowering others, including women, to have success and growth in the legal profession.

Erin also serves on the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Third Judicial Department and is involved in the Albany County Bar Association. Erin has worked in public service since graduating from law school. She is currently employed with the NYS Office of Cannabis Management as Ethics Counsel. Her roles in government include work for the NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, the NYS Joint Commission on Public Ethics, the NYS Attorney General’s Office, NYS Assembly Program and Counsel, and local District Attorney Offices.

Erin received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Law and a B.A., Honors in Sociology, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She dedicates time outside of her profession to her role as President of the Board for School’s Out, Inc., teaching yoga, and spending time with her husband, Dan, and their two children.

JULIA PALMERINO/ RECORDING SECRETARY

Julia V. Palmerino (formerly Kosineski) serves as a Deputy Chief Assistant Public Defender at the Schenectady County Public Defender’s Office, representing indigent individuals in family and criminal matters. She appears primarily in the following cases: custody and visitation, family offenses, neglect and abuse, paternity, and child
support. Prior to joining the Public Defender’s Office in 2020, she worked in private practice focusing on criminal defense and civil litigation matters.

In 2020, Julia opened her own part-time private practice representing individuals in real estate, business, criminal, family, and other matters. Attorney Palmerino is also admitted to practice in the Northern District of New York and handles the trial of prisoner cases brought under 42 USC §1983. She donates her time speaking at the Court of Appeals Day each year to law student recipients of the Catalyst Public Interest Fellowship and at Union College to the Pre-Law Society.

She obtained her B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where she was the President of Delta Gamma and founded the Female Leadership in Hospitality Club. After graduating from Cornell, Julia moved to New York City to work in event marketing at a startup. Julia returned to the Capital Region to pursue her law degree and graduated summa cum laude from Albany Law School in 2019.

Julia has been a member of the Capital District Women’s Bar Association since 2017 and currently serves as the Recording Secretary. Outside of her legal career, Julia enjoys spending time with her husband, Mike, and their first born: a French Bulldog named Hank.

BONNIE WEIKEL/ CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

KAYLA POTTER/ TREASURER

Kayla Potter is an Assistant District Attorney with the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office where she primarily prosecutes Vehicular Crimes.

Kayla has remained in the Capital Region since receiving her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Albany in 2017. She then graduated from Albany Law School in 2020.

Outside of work, Kayla frequently participates in events with Albany Law School students and serves as a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region program.

Kayla first became interested in the Capital District Woman’s Bar Association after participating in the mentorship initiatives as a student at Albany Law School. Since graduating and joining the legal profession, she has served as a member on the Board participating in the CLE and Membership Committee, and now serves as the Treasurer.