Elise Cassar, Immediate Past President, is a senior associate at Duke Holzman. She handles a variety of civil litigation matters, including construction matters, first party insurance disputes, and employment disputes. Prior to joining Duke Holzman, Elise focused her practice on defending personal and commercial clients in a range of property and personal injury litigation. She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association, Bar Association of Erie County, National Association of Women in Construction and Construction Exchange of Buffalo and WNY.

Ms. Cassar graduated cum laude from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 2007. She went on to receive her law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 2010.  During law school, Ms. Cassar was a member of the Desmond Moot Court Board.  She was also an Articles Editor for the Buffalo Human Rights Law Review.

Outside of the legal profession, Elise enjoys travel, running, gardening, and spending as much time as possible with family. She lives in the City of Buffalo with her son, William, and their dog, Marshmallow.