Sixteen recipients were honored with 2016 President’s Pro Bono Service Awards May 2 in Albany. President David P. Miranda of Albany and President-elect Claire P. Gutekunst of Yonkers, co-chair of the President’s Committee on Access to Justice, recognized the award recipients during a luncheon at the State Bar Center on May 2. “These honorees’ efforts … Continued

The New York State Bar Association, seeking to enhance its working relationship with more than 200 local, diversity and specialty bars within the state, has created the Committee for Bar Leaders of New York State. The new committee replaces the New York State Conference of Bar Leaders, created in 1979 to address the common needs … Continued

New York State Bar Association President David P. Miranda has formed an internal working group to review a federal court decision today that upheld a New York state law that requires nonresident attorneys to maintain offices within the state. In Schoenefeld v. State of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit … Continued

Zachary W. Carter, New York City’s corporation counsel, has been recognized with the 2016 Honorable George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award, given by the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. Carter, who oversees New York City’s 700-attorney law department, was honored for his commitment to legal excellence and increasing diversity … Continued

The public can learn about the importance of signing advance directives about future health care and legal matters at “Your Decisions Matter” programs in various locations across the state between April and August. The free programs are sponsored by the New York State Bar Association. Volunteer attorneys will explain topics that include: why you need … Continued

New York State Bar Association President David P. Miranda, saying “time is short,” has asked Governor Andrew Cuomo to issue an executive order to create a commission to prepare for the 2017 voter referendum on whether to authorize a constitutional convention. In an April 8 letter, Miranda noted that, although Cuomo had proposed a preparatory commission … Continued

The New York State Bar Association today extends its sympathy to the family and friends of Robert MacCrate, who served as its president from 1972–1973 and president of the American Bar Association from 1987–1988. MacCrate died April 6. He was 94. “Robert MacCrate was a national force urging his colleagues in the legal profession to … Continued

The Home Rule provision of the state Constitution “is a subject ripe for consideration and debate,” concludes the New York State Bar Association in a report that describes how the autonomy of local governments has been eroded by state laws and court decisions. Constitutional Home Rule, in theory, grants local governments the authority to decide … Continued