Mona Glanzer

Mona Glanzer, a distinguished lawyer, judge and arbitrator passed away peacefully at home on March 17, 2025, in New York City, at the age of 93. Born July 29, 1931, Mona possessed a determination and quick wit that helped her become a pioneer within the legal profession. In 1971 she became one of the first women named partner at a major law firm. She remained a partner at Rains & Pogrebin until her retirement three decades later.

Mona was born to be valiant. From the start, health issues made her survival questionable. Yet she overcame obstacles through hard work again and again. As a young woman, she first pursued a medical career until contact with chemicals made her too ill to continue. So, she switched to legal studies and continued to pursue an independent career when, for many, that was a quite novel idea. It was also flatly unacceptable to some. In one law school class, the instructor insisted that the handful of women who attended not sit in the front row because he didn't want to see them if they crossed their legs.

She was relentless in her optimism. The one job offer she had received after law school wasn't from a law firm but from a legal publishing company in Chicago. But moving sideways didn't stop her. Mona became an expert in employee benefit and pension law, then convinced Rains & Pogrebin to hire her. She was fearless. When Harry Rains first introduced himself, he did it with a shotgun blast - he was out targeting birds on his property. Nothing dissuaded Mona. Not long nights that stretched into long mornings of contract negotiations with recalcitrant teachers or firemen or police. Not Teamsters Union bosses who she knew might set her car on fire in the parking lot if they didn't like the wage rate she proposed. Yet she ultimately succeeded. After making partner at Rains & Pogrebin, she went on to become chair of the New York State Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section, a family court judge, and an arbitrator. The list of honors and awards she received during her career runs page after page after page.

Mona's beloved husband, Murray Glanzer, passed away just two days earlier. Mona and Murray are survived by their three children Michael, Marla, and Jim, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Mona's dedication, devotion and optimism is what made all of us so determined to succeed, to be someone worthy. Our love for her is eternal.