Lauren Sharkey is a partner at Cioffi, Slezak & Wildgrube, a women-owned and -operated law firm in Schenectady, N.Y. She serves on the New York State Bar Association’s Executive Committee and is a past chair of the Young Lawyers Section. Sharkey is a member of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section and the Trusts … Continued
The main goal of my presidency is to meaningfully reduce impediments to the efficient practice of law for our members. I know that may sound ambitious, and perhaps even somewhat ambiguous, and that the implantation of this goal will likely take longer than my one year in office to complete. However, creating value for our … Continued
Dear Colleagues: It is a pleasure to be standing before you today. As some of you may know, I come from a modest background, my parents immigrated to this country from Italy and worked tirelessly to provide me with opportunities they could never have dreamed about – such as leading our association. Their lessons have … Continued
The New York State Bar Association has transformed its Task Force on Emerging Digital Finance and Currency into a standing committee due to the technology’s ever evolving nature. The creation of the committee was approved by the association’s Executive Committee on Friday. It allows the association to assemble experts from various legal practice areas to … Continued
“Noncompete clauses are now banned in the United States.” “Noncompete clauses aren’t going away anytime soon.” I have heard both of these statements in the weeks since April 23, 2024, when the Federal Trade Commission announced that it was issuing its final noncompete clause rule.[1] For the moment, neither statement is true . . . … Continued
In July 2023, New York State Bar Association Immediate Past President Richard Lewis convened the association’s Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Asian Hate. The mission was to study and make recommendations for the analysis and development of laws, policies and best practices to enhance education on, and awareness of, antisemitic and anti-Asian violence and … Continued
President-Elect Kathleen Sweet is focusing on supporting the New York State Bar Association’s new president and developing a framework for the association’s future success. “I initially want to support Domenick Napoletano and his presidency while down the road my focus will be on serving our membership so we may continue to retain them while attracting … Continued
Introduction Copyright is uniquely situated between the force of law and the pressure of an ever-evolving society. Since its inception, courts, legislators, and administrators have had to adjust and recontextualize copyright law to appropriately conform to new technologies and artforms. The latest technology to challenge this pillar of intellectual property law is generative artificial intelligence … Continued
Introduction Our spring column discussed the Jan. 1, 2024 amendment to CPLR 2106 allowing “any person,” regardless of where they are located, to use an affirmation in lieu of an affidavit. We reviewed the history of CPLR 2106, and the various amendments to the provision since the 1963 enactment of the statute. However, given the … Continued
Amendments to Uniform Rule 202.12, developed jointly by the New York State Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association, have been ordered by Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas after approval by the Administrative Board of New York’s Unified Court System. The approved revisions relate to the rules for preliminary conferences. A joint … Continued