The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) has approved the report and recommendations of its Criminal Justice Section regarding issues in the state’s more than 1,200 town and village courts. The report, which was approved at the State Bar’s House of Delegates meeting in Albany April 14, addresses counsel at first appearance; education and training … Continued

Eric Holder, a partner at Covington in Washington D.C., will be recognized with the 2018 Honorable George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award, given by the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. Holder, who served as attorney general for six years during the Obama Administration and was the first African American … Continued

A state law requiring law enforcement agencies to video record custodial interrogations with individuals accused of serious crimes, long championed by the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and included in the enacted fiscal year 2017-18 state budget, went into effect earlier this month. “This measure supports fundamental fairness and justice for all New Yorkers … Continued

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) today commended Congress, particularly the New York State delegation, for providing an increase in funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). The omnibus spending bill approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives this week and signed by the President today includes $410 million for the LSC. … Continued

Two upcoming New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Continuing Legal Education (CLE) events will examine emerging areas of interest to lawyers – the legal issues surrounding autonomous vehicles and the future of mediation. On Wednesday March 14, NYSBA CLE presents: “Autonomous & Connected Vehicles: Evidentiary Issues Around the Corner.” The event will look at the … Continued

New York State Bar Association President Sharon Stern Gerstman applauded the state Senate and Assembly for passing legislation that would provide attorney-client privilege to lawyer referral services, and urged Governor Andrew Cuomo to sign the measure into law. Each year thousands of New Yorkers rely upon lawyer referral services to help find an attorney or … Continued

The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates Monday unanimously approved a resolution affirming that women attorneys remain considerably underrepresented in courtrooms and in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and outlined steps that can be taken by the judiciary, law firms, clients and ADR providers to address this disparity. The measure is based on a New … Continued

Henry M. “Hank” Greenberg of Albany has been elected president-elect designee of the New York State Bar Association. Current President-elect Michael Miller of New York City assumes the presidency on June 1, 2018, succeeding Sharon Stern Gerstman of Buffalo. Sherry Levin Wallach (Bashian & Farber) of White Plains was elected to a second one-year term … Continued

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) approved a measure that supports elimination of cash bail for those facing misdemeanor or non-violent felony charges in New York State and also calls for training of judges, court personnel and lawyers to better understand the alternatives to cash bail. The resolution was approved during the Association’s January … Continued

The New York State Bar Association honored Roberta A. “Robbie” Kaplan with its highest honor, the Gold Medal Award, on January 27 during its Annual Meeting in New York City. Kaplan is best known for representing Edith Windsor before the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor (2013), which held that the Defense of … Continued