Resilience and Leadership: The New York State Bar Association’s Impact and Legacy at 150
3.11.2026
Resilience. As the New York State Bar Association celebrates its 150th anniversary, we can look back at its history as one of perseverance in the face of adversity.
Through the Great Depression, two world wars, the Civil Rights Movement, the Watergate scandal, 9/11, the Great Recession and a global pandemic, we survived. We supported our members. We ensured access to justice. We protected the rule of law. We led – serving as an example to others in the legal community.
On our anniversary, we are examining the significant milestones of the association through the eyes of the past presidents, revealing how their leadership navigated challenges, responded to pivotal events, and launched initiatives that enabled the association to persevere and succeed.
The Nimble President
“Oftentimes you have to move into areas that you didn’t anticipate as part of your presidential priorities,” explains Past President Claire Gutekunst. “You have to be nimble.” Being nimble, as Past President Kathryn “Kate” Madigan observes, is “critical because the landscape is changing so quickly today.”
Past President Glenn Lau-Kee agrees. “[T]here’s always a balancing act … between what ongoing initiatives have to be continuing and what resources have to go toward that, and the president has to keep the bar association current on what’s happening in the world at large and the legal world and really take a good bird’s eye view look at the profession to see what priorities should be established for the future.”
Yet, there will always be something that requires the association to respond. “You don’t always get the year that you plan,” Past President Mark Alcott notes. “You get the year that you get, and yes, you must plan.” The president must balance and prioritize these responsibilities in light of this ever-changing landscape.
Being Steadfast: Keeping the Ultimate Goal in Sight
“Flexibility is the key to stability,” observed John Wooden, legendary coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team, and some of NYSBA’s presidents saw that concept play out during their own terms. The president’s primary objective is to advance the association’s mission – to be the leading bar association by advancing: (1) the professional success of our members, (2) access to justice and (3) the rule of law. The association’s history reflects being nimble but steadfast, keeping the mission in sight.
Professional Success of Our Members
NYSBA presidents have focused on listening to and serving their members as well as the broader legal profession. When asked, “What one word would describe the impact the association has had on the legal profession and the broader New York community throughout its 150-year history?” Past President Michael Getnick responded, “Sections.”
The association’s 28 sections provide a “legal home” for our members to drive their professional success. “It’s really a tremendous learning tool,” Getnick explains, “one where you not only are learning things, but you are connecting with people who are in the same fields. [T]he ability we have to put out the type of sections that we do is a greater strength than many people realize for the bar.”
NYSBA’s sections are vital to ensuring members are provided with a voice. Through the sections, the association speaks authoritatively and credibly on various laws, regulations and policies. This voice, Past President Catherine Richardson says, “[has] made a huge difference in the regulations that actually govern our profession and that this voice is why the association has been impactful for the last 150 years.”
NYSBA was also the voice for 18-B counsel. Past President Sherry Levin Wallach points to the 2022 matter of NYSBA v. State of New York on behalf of assigned counsel. The association successfully sued to increase the hourly rate for assigned counsel outside of New York City. The state raised the rate from $60 per hour for misdemeanors and $75 per hour for felonies (set in 2004), to the rate paid in federal courts of $158 per hour for all matters. “That was significant for our history, the attorneys who do the assigned council work, [and] the community members who need that legal assistance.”
Not Business as Usual
NYSBA’s presidents have had to step up in extraordinary times.
The 9/11 attacks in 2001 upended the plans of Past President Stephen Crane. “I remember talking to Steve Crane about his plans for his presidency,” Past President Vincent Doyle III observes. “He was faced with … the collapse of the legal system down in New York City. And he spent the better part of his presidency helping to organize lawyers [and the courts] to volunteer to help people and to help the legal system face the challenge.”
A global pandemic upended the plans of Past President Scott Karson. As he recalls, “there were all of these issues that came up involving the pandemic, which I had not anticipated, but yet, had to be called out to be addressed.”
The pandemic enabled an opportunity for the association to leverage virtual tools implemented just a few months before the pandemic. This “virtual bar association” was created by Past President Henry “Hank” Greenberg. “The system went up a few weeks before COVID,” Greenberg explains, “And the virtual bar center enabled us to do everything online that the bar association did in a bricks and mortar environment … And we largely accomplished that.”
Yes, the mission was accomplished. When association members were unable to go to the Bar Center in person, they were able to access it virtually. “We learned that we could use technology to advance our mission,” Past President T. Andrew Brown, who also was president during the pandemic, shares. “We learned that we could conduct business remotely. We learned that we could be more cost effective, more efficient and engage more members. And that has lasted.”
Being a lawyer had been considered a recession-proof profession. That changed in 2008. The Great Recession impacted lawyers at all experience levels, but most severely for law students and new lawyers. Getnick, seeing the fallout of the Great Recession on new lawyers during his term in 2009, thought, “Who better than the New York State Bar Association to help other lawyers?” He reflects on the program he headed entitled “Lawyers Helping Lawyers.” “We started groups where we had no committees … we had task forces where people who were experiencing difficulties could come and get advice and assistance.”
The association continued to find ways to aid law students a few years later under Past President David Miranda, who spearheaded the initiative to offer free membership to students at all accredited law schools in the U.S.
A Bar Association for Everyone
The legal profession has not always supported the professional success of all lawyers. The association “has gone through many changes [in its 150 years],” observes Immediate Past President Domenick Napoletano, “but in [making] those changes, it has been more inclusive by bringing in various groups.”
“In 1923, the New York State Bar Association was one of the very few in the nation that recognized women lawyers and set up a division for women lawyers on it,” says Richardson, the second elected female president. “I’m lucky enough to be alive and watch[ed] that policy come to fruition when we elected our first woman president, who was Maryann Saccomando Freedman.”
Greenberg further notes, “And you have to place that in context. She became president in 1986. …The first woman to be a member of the New York State Bar Association would go back more than 80 years in 1901 with Kate Crennell.”
Doyle noted that the first member of color was Thomas Dyett, a prosecutor from New York City in the 1920s. Seventy years later, the association elected Archibald Murray, president of the Legal Aid Society of New York, as its first person of color president in 1992.
The election of Saccomando Freedman and Murray are noted by all past presidents as significant historical milestones bringing inclusiveness to the highest level of the association’s leadership.
With the tone set at the top, the association then needed to reflect inclusiveness in the House of Delegates and membership. The change did not come quickly. “We talked a lot about this issue,” recalled Past President A. Thomas Levin, “We passed a lot of resolutions about things, and we devised programs that we thought would attract people to come to us and join. And none of those things worked.” Levin realized a new approach was needed:
“If you really want to get people involved, you have to do outreach and you have to go where they are and talk to them and explain to them why you have mutual interests and can be of great assistance to each other. … I made a point of that. I made sure that I went all around the state to local bars, preaching the same thing that they needed to become more diverse. … And that program eventually worked.”
The association has also proactively provided leadership on legal issues concerning diversity. “Before the [Students for Fair Admissions] Supreme Court decision came down,” explains Past President Richard Lewis, “[w]e anticipated that decision, we put together a task force, and we began to immediately attack the issues.” The resulting 2023 report completed in partnership with Paul, Weiss became a national handbook on how to comply with the court decisions.
Access to Justice
“Fairness,” famously observed Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “is what justice really is.” The association has been a leader in advancing access to legal services so all litigants can have a fair chance in the legal system.
“People don’t remember the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Richardson notes. “We were a leader in establishing access to justice across the nation. … I think people didn’t understand how little civil legal advice a great number of our citizens were able to gather and then not just the poor, [but also] the people of modest means.” The association created the standing President’s Committee to Access Justice in 1989. During Richardson’s term, the committee’s bylaws were amended to include the president-elect as the co-chair.
Another significant association milestone was the creation of the New York Bar Foundation in 1950. The foundation directs funding to organizations that provide access to justice to those in need.
“Historically, the New York State Bar Association has provided significant support to the Bar Foundation,” observes Past President David Schraver. “I think the Bar Foundation has enhanced the reputation of the association.”
Many past presidents in addition to Schraver emphasized the importance of the foundation’s work and the association supporting access to justice initiatives generally and during their terms.
In 2008, NYSBA began partnering with the foundation to distribute funds from cy pres funding, which were settlements from class actions that were leftover or unclaimed. The funds were awarded to nonprofits with missions closely related to the interests of the class members in the settlements.
“Between 2009 and 2016,” notes Past President Bernice Leber, who initiated this effort during her presidency, “some $4.5 million were brought into the Bar Foundation for administration of justice programs on various needy causes for the public.”
“I think by providing access to justice, you help people to understand and respect the rule of law,” observes Schraver. “If people can’t access justice and the means to justice, they can neither understand and likely won’t have respect for the rule of law. … I think the foundation is extremely important in those regards.”
Rule of Law
Access to justice is entwined with the rule of law. The legal system cannot be fair if everyone is not treated equally under the law.
When asked what one word would describe the impact the association has had on the legal profession as well on the broader New York community, Past President Sharon Stern Gerstman replied, “Conscience. … [F]or many years, all of our stationery had a lot to do with do the public good. And it was not only an encouragement for our members to keep pro bono, but it also really set forth what we stood for … we were more interested in changing the law when it was necessary to change, to protect the public, to better the public, to strengthen our institutions.”
The president is the voice of the association and as such can use it to advance the rule of law. “NYSBA has a special voice for the profession,” Past President Michael Miller points out. “It is the preeminent voice in this state and in the nation.” Getnick explains that these issues “just have to be addressed and lawyers are in some of the best positions to address them and speak out. And we owe that to the public.”
One of those issues was marriage equality. “[I]n 2009, I was privileged to lead the House [of Delegates] when we passed a resolution saying civil union was not enough,” explains Past President Stephen Younger. “And we needed marriage to have equal status.”
The association was a leader in the effort. But the effort was not without pushback, Getnick explains:
“We were actually told. … the bar association has to stop putting this before the Legislature. You’re just making them angry. It’s never going to pass. And if you keep on doing this, they’re not going to want to listen to your other initiatives. My reaction, the reaction of others was, well, if not us, who?”
The association’s advocacy helped get the Marriage Equality Act passed and signed into law in 2011. “We had a real impact on our state, on our community,” Younger observes. “It was a really proud moment for the New York State Bar Association.”
The association has also represented its members by voicing concern whenever a proposed law might not ensure justice is administered fairly. In 2005, under the George W. Bush administration, the U.S. Department of Justice proposed requiring defendants to waive the attorney-client privilege as a condition for taking a plea.
“[The] attorney-client privilege is sacred,” states Past President A. Vincent Buzard. “We depend on it,” Buzard explains:
“So, I appointed a task force to study that and to advocate for it. The task force included Loretta Lynch, who later was attorney general of the country. [W]e were the first in the country to have to take that position and eventually the Justice Department backed off.”
Under the Clinton administration, the federal government proposed legislation that would criminalize attorneys giving advice to seniors about how to handle their finances to enable them to obtain Medicaid. The association acted in January 1998. Past President Seymour James recalls NYSBA’s leadership on the issue:
“I think it was the first lawsuit the association had filed. It filed a lawsuit against … [Attorney General] Janet Reno … to prohibit them from implementing a law that would penalize lawyers for giving advice to clients. And this would have interfered with the attorney-client relationship, and they were giving legal advice to their clients. And I think that eventually … the government withdrew its proposal. [T]hat is an example of how the bar association can work for lawyers.”
In January 2017, during the initial Trump administration, NYSBA actively advocated for the preservation of due process in immigration proceedings. In response to the administration’s Executive Order 13769, titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorists Entry Into the United States,” which suspended entry for 90 days for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries, Past President Claire Gutekunst partnered with New York State to provide pro bono legal representation to immigrants suddenly in limbo about their status.
The Next 150 Years – Being the Leading Voice
“The reputation of a professional association,” observed John E. Berry, the New York State Bar Association’s first executive director, in 1962, “is measured by its contributions to the well-being of the profession and the public.” Over the course of its 150-year history, the association has made significant contributions to both the legal profession and society at large. Its resilience has enabled it to advance its mission and establish itself as the leading bar association.
Looking ahead, the question becomes: what must be done to ensure that the association continues to be the leading bar association for the next 150 years? Past presidents have offered valuable guidance, and several themes emerge from their collective wisdom:
- Membership and Inclusiveness: Strengthen member engagement, promote inclusiveness – particularly among younger lawyers – and continue to provide meaningful benefits and value to all members.
- Advocacy and Justice: Uphold the rule of law in a balanced and non-partisan manner, stand firmly for what is right, and address disparities in access to justice to maintain societal relevance.
- Adaptability and Technology: Remain current with rapid changes in the profession, leverage technology to support members, and adapt nimbly to evolving practices.
- Support for Small and Solo Firms: Serve as a vital resource for small and solo practitioners, ensuring they receive the support and benefits necessary to thrive.
- Leadership in the Profession: Continue to be the voice of the profession, collaborating with other bar associations and community stakeholders to advance justice and serve the public good.
These themes represent essential takeaways for future leaders, ensuring that the association remains resilient and impactful for generations to come.
Reflecting on the association’s legacy, Past President Nathan L. Miller – also a former governor of New York – remarked in the December 1952 New York State Bar Bulletin: “It has not been possible to mention in a brief chronicle every important measure which it has successfully sponsored. Their number is legion. … Suffice it to say that it has always been guided by what it believed to be in the public interest.”
By building on past successes and lessons, future leaders are well positioned to continue the New York State Bar Association’s vital work in advancing the profession and serving the public interest.
Taa Grays is the president-elect of the New York State Bar Association. She is chair of the association’s Committee on Bar Leaders and co-chair of the President’s Committee on Access to Justice.
