Local and State Government Law Section Chair Plans To Expand Programming for Members
7.25.2025
Adam Wekstein, the new chair of the Local and State Government Law Section, is planning to expand the legal education programming the section offers. In September, the section is hosting a three-day meeting in Saratoga Springs that will cover several legal issues including the impact of AI on land use and compliance with new freedom of information laws.
Wekstein wants the section to provide more lunchtime programs on issues such as ethics in municipal law and trends in Article 78 proceedings. He hopes the additional courses will encourage NYSBA members to better understand what is involved in a municipal law practice.
“I would also love to see the section get younger. I don’t think people understand what [this type of law] entails” he says. “Municipal law can involve land use and zoning, environmental law and finance. There is also labor law, tax and insurance law. It’s a wide variety.”
While the section grew following the launch of the new membership model this year, Wekstein wants to see it expand further. About a third of section members are public sector lawyers, a number he would like to see increase.
Wekstein is a founding partner of Hocherman Tortorella & Wekstein, a small firm in White Plains that focuses on land use, zoning and environmental matters. He joined the New York State Bar Association in 1989 at the urging of his law partner, Henry Hocherman, who was a leader in the section, then called the Municipal Law Section.
“I started by writing some articles and presenting at the Municipal Law Section meetings,” he said.
Wekstein said the ability to learn new things and to connect with people are the greatest benefits of membership in the New York State Bar Association.
“As a member of NYSBA, I have learned a lot and I am still learning, plus I’ve actually made a lot of friends,” he said.
