Trial Lawyers Section Chair Stresses the Importance of Connecting With Members
4.8.2026
Seth Rosner, chair of the Trial Lawyers Section, believes that the more involved you are with the New York State Bar Association the more valuable your membership becomes.
“I didn’t realize how significant being an active member in the bar association could be until I got involved,” Rosner said. “We all have competing interests for our time, whether professionally or personally, and that’s an ongoing challenge. But once you become engaged, you realize how extraordinarily valuable it can be, and it’s also really rewarding.”
He added the section is aiming to create greater value for its members by expanding its high-quality continuing education programs and by further supporting judges. Rosner spoke of a recent event during Annual Meeting that led to a unique opportunity to meet some prominent members of the judiciary.
“I can tell you from a personal perspective that both the TICL and Trial Lawyers sections held a joint reception before the gala during Annual Meeting, and this wasn’t planned, but I ended up standing on the dais with the Chief Judge from the State of New York. And I’ve never thought in a million years that I’d cross that off my bingo card, but there I was standing right next to him.”
He added that there were close to 50 judges in attendance from both upstate and downstate.
“It was incredible. It was a rare opportunity for those who were there to get face time with some distinguished judges in that kind of setting,” he said.
As for its continuing education programming, the section has a full docket throughout the next few months.
It will host a reception on April 30, in conjunction with the Torts, Insurance, and Compensation Law Section, at the Bar Center for Justice Christina L. Ryba who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court Appellate Division.
The section is co-sponsoring the 2026 Trial Academy that will also be held at the Bar Center, Oct. 14-17, in partnership with the TICL and Criminal Justice sections. Rosner’s leadership team will then begin making final preparations for the Trial Lawyers and TICL combined Fall Destination Meeting that is scheduled for Nov. 12-14 in Nashville.
“Last year’s fall meeting in Orlando was successful. I was one of the few people that took my family with me and I’m probably going to take my family to Nashville. We’ve designed the program’s agenda to allow people to do that. Being a modern lawyer is demanding both personally and professionally. We keep that in mind when planning our annual events. We’re really trying to encourage our members to attend programs and become involved with the section. If nothing else, it’s a great way to get yourself noticed.”
Rosner said that increasing the section’s membership, getting people together more often, and advancing the profession in general are among his other goals for the upcoming year.
The section’s membership has already grown dramatically since the new membership model was introduced. It surged from 1,608 to 2,290 members, a 54.9% increase, between Dec. 31, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025, thanks in part to the new model.
He then emphasized the importance of members collaborating with each other.
“It’s critical for newer and experienced attorneys to have a network that provides them a group of colleagues that they can reach out to and ask, ‘how can I do this?’ At the end of the day, people don’t know what’s going on with you unless you tell them. I think as lawyers we may disagree if we’re on opposite sides, but we can all come together in a bar association and work toward our mutual interest. NYSBA allows people to do that.”
He said the section is working on developing its LinkedIn account through education-based posts and by sharing posts from the association’s own account.
“You have to be able to reach people in different ways, whether its prospective clients, or in this case for the section, prospective members,” Rosner said.
Ultimately, Rosner said the association remains a powerful resource for building meaningful professional relationships.
“No matter what your interest in the law, there’s likely a section or committee within NYSBA where you can make a connection,” he said. “You work on an issue, you meet people, and those relationships matter. I’ve referred business to people, and they’ve referred business to me through the bar association. I only wish I had been more active sooner.”
