Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about Gov. Kathy Hochul signing a law creating a commission that will study reparations for slavery: “The New York State Bar Association supports studying the disparities in wealth between whites and people of color. We believe that because of the shameful … Continued
ChatGPT failed the Unified Bar Exam in December of 2022, and less than four months later its descendant, GPT-4, scored in the top 10th percentile and completed the test in less than six minutes. That news has stirred excitement and worry while provoking debate surrounding what the accelerating growth of Artificial Intelligence means for the … Continued
The New York State Bar Association is releasing a revised edition of its free business planning guidebook for lawyers. The Planning Ahead Guide: How to Establish an Advance Exit Plan to Protect Your Clients’ Interest in the Event of Your Disability, Retirement or Death offers step-by-step information for attorneys on how to plan for the … Continued
The New York State Bar Association Committee on Leadership Development is profiling the association’s leaders in a series of articles that will appear on the website. In each profile, we examine the path they took to become a leader, the mentors that inspired them and the beliefs that made them successful. We hope these interviews … Continued
Rodney King. Amadou Diallo. Michael Brown. Eric Garner. Breonna Taylor. Over the past 30 years, instances of police use of force against Black people have sparked public outrage and triggered discussions about racial discrimination, justice and police reform. Following each incident, an immediacy to act, to change and to redress was featured prominently in the … Continued
Much of the world now communicates on social media, with nearly a third of the world’s population active on Facebook alone.[1] However, as The New York Times reported, “Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate speech has surged across the internet since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out. The increases have been at far greater levels … Continued
Congress determined that hate crimes have reverberating effects, not only for the targeted community but also for the nation. The Supreme Court has held that the widespread, systemic effects of hate crimes are significant enough to justify the use of enhanced sentences. . . . Additionally, these enhanced sentences for hate crimes are often seen … Continued
In the wake of Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack against Israel, there has been an unprecedented number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. This alarming spike comes amid already historic levels of anti-Jewish harassment and assault. Antisemitism is rapidly mutating into a societal cancer, especially in New York State – the home to the largest … Continued
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer rights have a complex history worldwide. Of the numerous countries that have restricted LGBTQ+ rights (see sidebar), Uganda is arguably the most repressive.[1] Although Uganda’s laws have remained largely unenforced for many years, there has been increasing momentum among anti-LGBTQ+ proponents leading to the recent enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality … Continued
Shortly after my bar mitzvah, I interviewed one of my beloved spiritual leaders, Rabbi Solomon Aidelson, a survivor of Auschwitz, for a class project about the Holocaust. To prepare, I studied a great deal about the topic, beginning with Hitler’s rise to power, which unleashed a surge of antisemitism throughout Nazi Germany, including the boycotting … Continued