Good afternoon Members, A report released today by the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts says there are significant areas of bias with regard to the treatment of female attorneys, litigants and witnesses despite marked improvement over the years. The Committee, chaired by the Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin of Alston & … Continued
What a year! Almost everyone even remotely paying attention now has a fairly good idea of how we elect a president, or at least knows the broad outlines of the process. Fortunately, the so-called nightmare scenarios that I and others incessantly wrote about[1] for the last two years ultimately did not come to pass, though … Continued
During the 116th Congress, which lasts from January 3, 2019 to December 31, 2020, Congress passed 169 bills that were signed into law by the President. In terms of context, nearly 16,000 bills were introduced. By these numbers, only roughly 1.25% of bills became law, leading to the nickname “Do-Nothing Congress.” But to call it … Continued
As technology use grew in 2020 due to remote work, so did questions: some simple; some more complex. Recovering lawyer and self-professed geek Paul J. Unger of the Affinity Consulting Group addressed some of the universal concerns that have become more commonplace in 2020. He spoke on the recent CLE Webinar, “Tech Skills for Lawyers … Continued
As 2020 draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on what this year has brought upon us, both good and bad, what it has meant for our profession, and what may unfold in 2021.
Puerto Rican lawyers and judges have contributed so much to the jurisprudence of New York State and this country. Their mark on our legal system can be felt across all levels of our state and federal court system – from the state Appellate Division to the New York Court of Appeals, from the U.S. District Court to the U.S. Supreme Court. New York is proud to have over 1 million Puerto Rican citizens living in our state.
The year 2020 saw record-breaking wildfires, hurricanes, heat waves, and other events that were worsened by climate change. But it also saw rapid advances in clean energy, and positive moves at international, federal and New York levels. Climate Trends More than 4 million acres burned in California in 2020, more than doubling[1] the state’s previous … Continued
When a set of facts implicates two separate rules or provisions, a court is generally supposed to apply both if possible rather than to pick one and ignore the other. That is what should have happened, but did not, in the Appellate Division, Second Department, in Korman v. Corbett.
All eyes were on the Bronx to see how a city ravaged by coronavirus and on the verge of a second wave, would handle an attempt at normalcy with New York City’s first coronavirus-era civil jury trial.
When the coronavirus hit, lawyers quickly shifted into new modes of working. Some changes simplified their practices; others have made routine tasks more complicated. We asked lawyers across different practice areas how COVID-19 changed their practice.