’Tis the season for Christmas stories from movies and television. For lawyers, they present some interesting platforms for legal issues. ‘Holiday Affair’: Corporate Espionage Like “Miracle on 34th Street,” the backdrop for the 1949 film “Holiday Affair” is a New York City department store.1 Janet Leigh plays a World War II widow named Connie Ennis … Continued
Kathleen Sweet, president of The New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about S.8312/A.7563: “Gov. Hochul has approved a new law that allows residents with mental health challenges to have their cases heard in a court in another jurisdiction if no such specialized court exists in the county where they reside. The New … Continued
The New York State Bar Association has selected Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York’s first female governor, to receive the Gold Medal, the association’s highest honor. She is the first governor to receive the award since Gov. Nathan L. Miller was awarded the inaugural Gold Medal in 1952. “Gov. Hochul has been instrumental in protecting reproductive … Continued
Four acclaimed members of New York’s judiciary will be honored at a Jan. 16 luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown during the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting. The association’s Judicial Section will recognize Associate Judge Caitlin J. Halligan of the New York State Court of Appeals, and Court of Claims Judge Juan … Continued
When the Italian Consiglio di Stato (Italy’s highest administrative court) handed down its decision No. 8398/2025 confirming that Google had abused its dominant position by excluding Enel X’s JuicePass app from the Android Auto platform, it did more than settle a legal dispute. It reopened a conversation about the relationship between private resolution and public … Continued
Surely many readers of this article are scratching their heads worrying about what to do with the large cache of aging wills stored in their offices or placed in designated safe deposit boxes. Will storage is an ongoing issue for attorneys for two basic reasons. First, attorneys who regularly retain clients’ original wills are easily … Continued
Artificial intelligence continues to evolve behind a new generation of autonomous, goal-seeking systems that can act on behalf of humans. An upcoming New York State Bar Association CLE course entitled Agentic AI and Vibe Coding for Lawyers will explore the questions of liability, duty of care, confidentiality, and professional responsibility related to this technology. Computer … Continued
The New York State Bar Association recently honored Linda McMahon with the Ray of Hope Award for her 30-year commitment to the Lawyer Assistance Program. McMahon retired in 2020 after spending her career as the program’s administrative assistant. She worked under four directors and brought a rare degree of commitment, devotion and compassion. She also … Continued
Most plaintiffs in lawsuits pay their lawyer a contingent fee. If the case settles for $1 million, the lawyer is paid a percentage, say 40%. Checks can be cut in different ways, but in most cases, the lawyer receives the gross proceeds, deducts the fee and expenses, and sends the balance to the client. As … Continued
New York State Bar Association President Kathleen Sweet issued the following statement today: “The New York State Bar Association denounces Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche‘s declaration of ‘war’ on the judiciary and bar association disciplinary bodies. “At a recent conference of the Federalist Society, Mr. Blanche characterized the Department of Justice’s resistance to ethical oversight … Continued