New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting 2022

Presidential Summit

Virtual Only
Thursday, January 20, 2022
2:00pm-5:00pm

Keynote Address with Hon. Letitia James, Attorney General of New York

 
3.0 MCLE Credits: 1.5 Ethics; 1.5 Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias

The twin crises of the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality brought social justice to the forefront of the national debate. This was long overdue, but true equality cannot be realized until all vulnerable populations are protected and supported under the law. The Presidential Summit is the marquee event of the New York State Bar Association’s (“NYSBA”) Annual Meeting, and the 2022 Summit, under the leadership of NYSBA President T. Andrew Brown, will focus on two of the leading social justice and civil rights matters of the day: a reevaluation of the #MeToo Movement, and the intersection of transgender rights and sports.

A Reassessment Of #MeToo; At A Critical Juncture In State & National History, Where Do We Truly Stand?
Among the topics of the 2019 New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Presidential Summit was a review of how the #MeToo movement was spurring much-needed reforms to sexual harassment laws, as women across the nation spoke out in greater numbers about their harrowing and degrading experiences at all levels of the professional world. Three years later, America has its first woman vice president and New York has its first woman governor, who ascended as a result of her male predecessor’s sexual harassment scandal. A 2018 New York Times report found at least 201 prominent male business leaders lost their jobs after the fall of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein broke open the #MeToo floodgates, but less than half of their replacements were women. This panel will re-examine whether changes to the law have, in fact, been successful in protecting and advancing women in the workplace and whether the movement itself needs a reset, including a review of the impact of the #MeToo movement on minorities and communities of color.

Transgender Rights and Sports: Civil Rights Now and Into the Future
The fight for transgender rights is arguably the newest front in the modern civil rights debate. And yet, instead of widespread efforts to extend legal safeguards for the trans community, many states across the nation are headed in the opposite direction – especially when it comes to youth sports. An unprecedented number of bills have been introduced over the past two years to ban or severely limit transgender youth from participating in school sports. These measures primarily target K-12 students, and many are now before state, district and U.S. appellate courts.

New York, along with local school districts and athletic associations in many states, have policies that seek to protect the civil rights of transgender persons – especially children – while also ensuring a level playing field for all athletes. However, positions that may be taken by higher courts at the federal level could potentially limit or reverse these important safeguards altogether. This panel will provide education and the opportunity for mutually respectful, objective, fact-based dialogue on the constitutional, scientific, and social justice implications of these laws. In addition, the panel will address broader issues surrounding the competitive impact of existing guidelines intended to afford inclusion of athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (“DSD”) at the collegiate, Olympic, and other elite levels while ensuring fair competition.

Sponsored by

Constance Baker Motley Symposium

Virtual Only
Friday, January 21, 2022
2:00pm-3:00pm

Sponsored by

Annual Meeting of the Association

Virtual Only
Saturday, January 22, 2022
9:00am-10:15am

Proposed amendments to the Association Bylaws will be considered at the meeting.

The Ethics Of Freelance Legal Services: Hiring & Being Hired Including Contracts & Best Practices

Sponsored by LawPay
Monday, January 24, 2022
12:00pm-1:00pm

1.0 MCLE Credits Ethics and Professionalism

Claude E. Ducloux, Board-Certified in both Civil Trial Law and Civil Appellate Law, by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, (and also licensed in CA and CO) and former Chair of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics will present this complimentary 60 minute presentation during our Annual Meeting, with annotated power point covering:

• What are the Attributes of a Freelance lawyer? What types of services?
• Review of the Ethical Rules to be observed by the Hiring Lawyer or Firm
• What Duties of Confidentiality must be observed? What Fiduciary Duties?
• Conflicts of Interest: What should each side be required to disclose?
• How to appropriately limit access of the Freelance lawyer to other firm matters
• Benefits of hiring a Freelance Lawyer
• Benefits of Being the Freelance Lawyer
• Does the Freelance lawyer form an attorney client relationship with the underlying client?
• Confirmation of Independent Contractor Status.
• Supervisory responsibilities: what should be required ethically?
• Freelance vs. “unbundled” legal Services
• Pleadings required in some jurisdictions for limited-scope representation
• Best Practices to observe in Freelance Services

Program Sponsor

The Ethics Of Working Remotely During The Pandemic And Beyond

Sponsored by MyCase
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
1:00pm-2:00pm

1.0 MCLE Credits Ethics and Professionalism

This complimentary program offered during our Annual Meeting week will cover the ethical issues presented when lawyers work remotely during the pandemic issues related to working remotely during the pandemic and beyond. Ethics opinions from March 2020 to the present will be covered. Ethics issues discussed will include using cloud-based software, cybersecurity recommendations, working from a jurisdiction in which you’re not licensed, and much more.

Presenter: Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney, author, journalist, and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, legal practice management software. She is the nationally-recognized author of “Cloud Computing for Lawyers” (2012) and co-authors “Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier” (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors “Criminal Law in New York,” a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for Above the Law, ABA Journal, and The Daily Record, has authored hundreds of articles for other publications, and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. She is an ABA Legal Rebel, and is listed on the Fastcase 50 and ABA LTRC Women in Legal Tech. She can be contacted at niki.black@mycase.com.

Program Sponsor