Ethics Opinion 1118
Topic: Confidential information; disclosure to collect a fee
Author: Alyssa
April 4, 2017: New York State Bar Association Honors Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project
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
April 3, 2017: Online Portal Will Connect Volunteer Attorneys Seeking to Provide Legal Assistance to Immigrants in New York
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
Ethics Opinion 1116
Topic: Nonlegal services, fee-sharing with nonlawyers, payment for referrals, billing practices, disclosing use of nonlawyer assistants, multidisciplinary practice
March 16, 2017: NYS Bar Association: Elimination of LSC Funding Would Deny Access to Justice to Low-Income New Yorkers
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
March 10, 2017: New York State Bar Association Urges Senate To Reject So-Called ‘Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act’
New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst today issued the following statement: “The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the misnamed “Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act (S.237, H.R. 720), which we have long opposed. “The bill would restore discredited provisions initially enacted in 1983 that required judges to impose mandatory sanctions on what were … Continued
Ethics Opinion 1115
Topic: Public defender; part-time judge; conflict of interest
February 16, 2017: Simplifying State’s Court System Is ‘Ripe’ Topic For Possible Constitutional Convention, Says State Bar
Whether New Yorkers are seeking a divorce and child support, challenging a speeding ticket, resolving a business dispute or serving on a jury, they must negotiate a complex and often baffling state court system. It is so complicated that Article VI of state Constitution requires more than 16,000 words to describe it. In contrast, the … Continued
February 14, 2017: Finding A Lawyer Made Easier For New Yorkers With New York State Bar Association’s Online Site
Looking for a lawyer to handle a criminal matter, child custody issue, write your will, help with a landlord-tenant problem or other legal issues? New Yorkers now have a new, convenient way to find a lawyer in their community who has the experience to handle their legal issue. The New York State Bar Association’s trusted … Continued
February 13, 2017: Congress Should Reject ‘LARA’ to Avoid Repeating Mistakes of the Past, Urges New York State Bar Association President Claire Gutekunst
New York State Bar President Claire P. Gutekunst today issued the following statement: “We urge Congress to reject a bill (S.237, H.R. 720) that misleadingly is labeled the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act (LARA). “The bill’s supporters assert that it would discourage the filing of ‘frivolous lawsuits.’ In fact, by reinstating a sanctions regime that policymakers … Continued