“We are saddened to learn of the death of Sheila Abdus-Salaam, associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals,” said New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst. “Having grown up poor in a family of seven children in Washington, D.C., she rose to become one of the seven judges on New … Continued

“The state budget is a triumph for the cause of justice in New York,” New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst said today. She pointed to four measures that long have been Association legislative priorities and that NYSBA leaders and staff have consistently lobbied legislators to adopt: combating wrongful conviction; raising the age … Continued

The Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) has been honored with the New York State Bar Association’s 2017 Angelo T. Cometa Award for its longtime commitment to recruiting and training volunteer attorneys for pro bono work. Since 1990, volunteers from the private bar have provided pro bono help through VLP to thousands of residents in Brooklyn’s … Continued

Responding to the urgent need for lawyers to assist New York immigrants in need of representation, the New York State Bar Association and The New York Bar Foundation today announced an initiative to connect pro bono lawyers with nonprofit groups serving immigrants across New York. “When facing enforcement action, immigrants do not have a right … Continued

The New York State Bar Association decries President Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate funding for the Legal Services Corporation. “It would devastate the ability of many New Yorkers to obtain essential legal services in such life-altering cases as evictions from housing and obtaining protection from domestic violence. We must continue to protect our most vulnerable … Continued