Amy Schwartz-Wallace, a senior attorney at the Empire Justice Center in Rochester, will be honored with the Vanguard Award by the LGBTQ Law Section of the New York State Bar Association during its Annual Meeting Jan. 18-24 in New York City. “Amy Schwartz-Wallace has devoted her legal career to advancing civil rights for all people … Continued
The Chief United States District Judge of the Western District of New York Elizabeth A. Wolford and Jamie Levitt, New York managing partner at Morrison & Foerster, will be honored by the Women In Law Section of the New York State Bar Association during its Annual Meeting Jan. 18-24 in New York City. Judge Wolford … Continued
A panel of New York State Bar Association experts analyzed the three cases at the heart of the criticism of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s nominee for chief judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York. The panelists, appearing on the “Miranda Warnings” podcast, spoke about the cases, which were raised by more … Continued
Sherry Levin Wallach, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about Gov. Hochul’s decision to spend $1 billion to help people living with mental illness: “It is welcome news that Gov. Hochul proposes to invest $1 billion in mental health care. This money is sorely needed because of a severe … Continued
The Veterans Committee of the New York State Bar Association recognized Daniel C. Perrone who successfully fought the Veterans Administration and won a settlement for his client Wes Black at a virtual ceremony Tuesday. Black died from colon cancer following exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. In accepting the award, Perrone deferred to … Continued
The legal profession’s future in a Web3 world, the regulation of cryptocurrency, the impact of mental illness on the criminal justice system, the regulation of cannabis, the ethics of dealing with difficult clients and the legal challenges faced by the City of New York. These are some of the major issues the New York State … Continued
Sherrilyn Ifill, the long-time leader of the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, has been named this year’s Gold Medal Award winner. Ifill will be honored during the Presidential Gala Friday, Jan. 20, at the Rainbow Room in New York City during the association’s Annual Meeting. “Sherrilyn Ifill is one of our profession’s most distinguished members and … Continued
In its waning hours, the 117th Congress passed the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which included the association’s perennial federal legislative priority of increased funding for the Legal Services Corporation. On Dec. 29, President Biden signed the measure, which provides $560 million through Sept. 30. The LSC is an independent non-profit corporation established by Congress in … Continued
To the Forum: I recently conducted a virtual deposition of the defendant in a case in which I was plaintiff’s counsel. Given that this was a virtual deposition, it seemed that defense counsel felt that this was an informal encounter and did not have to abide by any sort of professional standards and appeared dressed … Continued
In cases where a person is alleged to be unable to make his or her own decisions, the law has traditionally responded by empowering surrogates, including legal proxies or guardians, to act for or on behalf of the individual. Surrogate decision-making regimes have increasingly been scrutinized and criticized, however, for curtailing the rights of people … Continued