WHO WE ARE

The Commercial and Federal Litigation Section was established in 1988, and Robert L. Haig served as the first chair.

The Section’s Bylaws state:

The purpose of this section is to improve the quality of representation of clients, provide a forum for the improvement of law and procedure and enhance the administration of justice in the areas of commercial and federal litigation.  These purposes are met by:

  1. Developing relationships and sharing practice experiences with fellow commercial and federal litigators, state and federal judges, and regulatory and administrative bodies;
  2. Establishing committees for the purpose of promoting research, analysis, and discussion on relevant current issues affecting commercial and federal litigation;
  3. Influencing and proposing legislation affecting commercial and federal litigation;
  4. Developing continuing legal education programs on topics relevant to commercial and federal litigation; and
  5. Providing networking opportunities for its members.

SECTION BENEFITS

Membership in the Section and participation in our events afford litigators a unique opportunity to interact with the judiciary and to keep abreast of developments in our courts. Judges regularly address our monthly Executive Committee meetings, and many judges attend our Annual Meeting in January and our destination Spring Meeting in May.

At our Annual Meeting, we confer the Fuld Award on a member of the legal profession who has significantly contributed to the practice of commercial law and litigation in New York. At our Spring Meeting we confer the Haig Award, named in honor of our first Section chair, given to a longstanding member of the legal profession who has rendered distinguished public service. The Section holds Bench and Bar meetings throughout the state to bring our members together with the judges of the Commercial Divisions and federal district courts.  Members of the Section typically can meet all of their CLE requirements by attending Section events.

SECTION CONTENT

While the Section and its committees comment on many different issues facing the courts in which we practice, one of our most timely and noted contributions has been the Section’s Social Media Ethics Guidelines.  The Section’s Guidelines have been quoted in opinions by ethical bodies throughout the nation and have been widely followed by other bar associations.

The Section has been integrally involved with the establishment of the Commercial Division in New York Supreme Court, and with the development of rules of practice in the Commercial Division.  Justices assigned to Commercial parts regularly participate in our meetings and events.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY 

The Section is committed to diversity and inclusion.  The Section’s Women’s Initiative Task Force has authored two ground-breaking reports about women attorneys in New York State courtrooms.  In 2017, the Task Force published “If Not Now, When? Achieving Equity in the Courtroom and in ADR,” and in 2020 published “The Time Is Now: Achieving Equality for Women Attorneys in the Courtroom and in ADR.”  The leadership of the Section has publicly committed to supporting the recommendations of the Task Force in law firms, in-house legal departments, the judiciary and the public sector.

The Section honors its commitment to diversity and inclusion through awards and scholarships.  Each year, the Section awards the Shira A. Scheindlin Award for Excellence in the Courtroom to a female litigator who has distinguished herself in the courtroom in the federal or state courts.  The award is named for our former Section chair, the Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin (Ret.).  The Section also awards the George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award to recognize legal excellence, community commitment and mentoring. The Section awards the Judith S. Kaye Commercial and Federal Litigation Scholarship to female attorneys who have practiced commercial litigation for between two and ten years and a Diversity Fellowship to a diverse first year law student to work in a litigation position in the public sector.

The Section is particularly interested in involving more young attorneys.  Membership in the Section provides younger attorneys with the opportunity to network with more senior litigators and to meet members of the judiciary in informal settings.  Membership on Section committees offers younger attorneys the opportunity to work with some of the most noted attorneys in our profession on issues facing litigators in the commercial and federal courts of New York.

The Section has been in the forefront of introducing, monitoring and evaluating legal developments at both federal and New York State levels.

Join the Community:

https://communities.nysba.org/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=F2EF3D19-279F-4312-A69D-2195E1D00E0B

Contact the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Liaison

To learn more about this Section, please contact Katherine Suchocki
ksuchocki@nysba.org
(518) 487-5590

Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.

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