Joseph Vasile installed as president of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association
Joseph Vasile was installed as the newest president of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association (BRLA) during an annual ceremony called “the passing of the gavel” at Mama Roa’s Restaurant in Dyker Heights on Wednesday, Sept. 26.
The gavel ceremony was borrowed from the London Inns of Court where all of the past presidents line up in front of the room and each offers words of encouragement or advice to the new president while passing a sterling silver gavel down the line.
“It started many years ago when our past president Harry G. English had gone on a trip to London with the ABA and visited several Inns of Court there,” said Lawrence DiGiovanna, who served as the master of ceremonies for the event in place of Ray Ferrier. “Harry came back and told us about this ceremony. The concept is that we’re going to pass the gavel and microphone to our past presidents and we go down the line until we get to the current president.”