NY Daily Record Since 1908
Charles Inclima
Rochester attorney Charles Inclima is the recipient of the Monroe County Bar Association’s Adolph J. Rodenbeck Award for 2021.
“I am both humbled and honored to receive it,” said Inclima, who specializes in matrimonial and family law.
The award “recognizes a legal professional who lives and works by the Hon. Adolph J. Rodenbeck’s exemplary example of professionalism and community service.” The award has been given each year since 1977 and honors someone who has made an outstanding contribution by working toward the improvement of the administration of justice; encouraging the preservation and public understanding of the history and tradition of the law, the courts and the legal profession; promoting the responsiveness of legal institutions and the legal profession to the needs of the community; and exemplifying Justice Rodenbeck’s commitment to community service and the profession.
Rodenbeck was mayor of Rochester from 1902 to 1903. A former city attorney, he also served as a justice of the state Supreme Court from 1916 until 1931.
Inclima is a Rochester native and a 1973 graduate of the University of Toledo Law School. His Inclima Law Firm PLLC has been located at 150 Linden Oaks since 2018.
Inclima said he became a lawyer because he wanted to help people.
“I wanted to do something where I’m going to have that kind of direct influence on other people and other people’s lives,” he said.
“One of the things that is most important about it is that you really are helping people that are getting out of bad situations, or unhappy situations, and it can be quite rewarding doing that,” he said.
The starting point with new clients is always to listen closely to what they are telling you, he said.
“When they come in to talk to you, or nowadays, when you have your virtual conferences, you listen to what they have to say. You ask them your questions and then you keep quiet and you listen to them,” he said.
“It’s amazing what you can learn when you listen. And in doing that, you size up the person very well. You ascertain what their problems are, how are they feeling emotionally, who they are, perhaps, intellectually,” he said.
And that helps determine the way you will represent that person, Inclima said.
Monroe County Bar Association President Jill Paperno said Inclima is a leader locally and across the country.
“He embodies the values of professionalism and community service recognized by the Rodenbeck Award,” Paperno said.
Inclima’s service to the local community has included leadership, such as serving as president of the Monroe County Bar Association, and also participation in numerous committees of the Bar Association.
He has also held leadership positions with the Legal Aid Society board of directors, the Assisting Children through Transition (ACT), the New York State Bar Association, and the New York chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
“In addition to his robust involvement in these organizations he has generously contributed to the legal community through his participation in CLEs. In every endeavor, he exemplifies the best of our profession,” Paperno said.
[email protected] / (585) 232-2035
Law Week Awards
What: A virtual Law Week Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Monroe County Bar Association.
Where: Online. For more information and to register, go to mcba.org.
When: 4 p.m., Thursday, May 6.
Why: To honor Larry Kasperek with the Charles F. Crimi Memorial Award, and Charles Inclima with the Adolph J. Rodenbeck.
