Dyan Gershman is a New York City–based corporate attorney with more than 25 years of experience advising U.S. and international clients on complex legal matters. After beginning her career at the global law firm Jones Day, Dyan Gershman went on to hold executive-level in-house counsel roles at two Fortune 50 companies, General Electric and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she led major domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, and corporate initiatives.
In 2014, she founded Gershman Law, PLLC, a boutique corporate law firm that combines large-firm experience with individualized client service. Her practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, technology and intellectual property licensing, and commercial contracts. Fluent in French and experienced in working with European clients, she regularly advises companies operating across borders. Within the broader legal community, Dyan Gershman has also been actively engaged in professional leadership and initiatives that highlight the role of women in law and the importance of equity and inclusion.
Former WBASNY President Wins RBG Vanguard Award
During a virtual ceremony on October 22, 2025, the Trial Lawyers Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) honored immediate past president of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY), Marea Wachsman, Esq., with the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Vanguard Award. Wachsman, who was president of the WBASNY for 2024-25, is the fifth winner of the award. The NYSBA established the award in 2020, the same year Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, passed away from pancreatic cancer. It recognizes trial attorneys that have leveraged their positions to advance “equity, diversity, and inclusion within the legal profession.”
Wachsman is a founding member and partner at the New York firm Schreier & Wachsman, where she handles legal matters involving wrongful death, medical malpractice, construction, and other negligence matters. She is also president of the Women’s Trial Lawyers Caucus, and serves on the board of directors for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association. With the WBASNY, she was also an officer, and spent five years as co-chair of its Legislation Committee.
During her time as WBASNY president, Wachsman led the development of the Women in Law program, which aims to educate high school students about potential careers in the legal field. In March 2025, nearly a thousand New York City female students spent time in 17 courtrooms learning about on-the-job experiences from lawyers, prosecutors, court offices, judges, stenographers, and translators.
Wachsman has also fought for gender-based equity in society, working hard to have the New York Equal Rights Amendment added to the New York State Constitution. She also advocated for Lavern’s Law, the Grieving Families Act, and the PRICED Act, which puts a value on women’s family-centered responsibilities in the home. In addition, she regularly provides pro bono legal services to clients.
Ginsburg, who served on the Supreme Court from 1993 until her death in 2020, was a beloved champion of women’s rights and gender equality. She famously disagreed with the Supreme Court in its 5-4 ruling in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. case concerning gender-based pay discrimination, and worked alongside President Barack Obama to combat pay disparities. She also authored the court’s opinion in the United States v. Virginia case, denying the Virginia Military Institute the ability to turn away qualified women. Her advocacy extended to advancing equity and inclusion for historically marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities.
Beyond her work in gender equality on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg played a prominent role in the creation of the Women’s Rights Project in 1971. She was also general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union from 1973-80.
In order to be eligible for the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Vanguard Award, nominees must have a “significant and impactful career as a trial lawyer,” exhibit a “steadfast commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the legal profession,” and have demonstrated their ability to empower others via mentoring. Past recipients are Jacqueline Hattar (2024), David M. Tang (2023), Katrine Aliha Beck (2021), and Tricia Prettypaul (2020).
About Dyan Gershman
Dyan Gershman is the founder of Gershman Law, PLLC, a New York City–based corporate law firm serving U.S. and international clients. She advises on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, technology and intellectual property licensing, and strategic transactions. Her background includes senior in-house roles at General Electric and Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as private practice at Jones Day. Dyan Gershman is admitted to practice in New York and Florida and holds a juris doctor from Boston College Law School.
