The Power of Attorney form—widely used by New Yorkers to enable someone else to handle their financial and legal affairs when they are unable to—should be revamped by the state Legislature, says the New York State Bar Association. “New York State’s current Power of Attorney form is far too complex, expensive and inconvenient, leading to … Continued

New York, May 4, 2017 – The New York City Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association today jointly released a guide intended to clarify the legal rights and obligations of individuals and institutions in connection with the use of service animals in the state. People with disabilities may rely on dogs and … Continued

Seventeen recipients, including attorneys, law firms and students, were recognized with 2017 President’s Pro Bono Service Awards by New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst on May 1 at the Bar Center in Albany. President-elect Sharon Stern Gerstman joined her at the ceremony. “The legal profession’s proud tradition of pro bono work is … Continued

Jeh Johnson, a partner with the law firm Paul, Weiss in New York City, has been recognized with the 2017 Honorable George Bundy Smith Pioneer Award, given by the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. He is the immediate past secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the … Continued

“We are saddened to learn of the death of Sheila Abdus-Salaam, associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals,” said New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst. “Having grown up poor in a family of seven children in Washington, D.C., she rose to become one of the seven judges on New … Continued

“The state budget is a triumph for the cause of justice in New York,” New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst said today. She pointed to four measures that long have been Association legislative priorities and that NYSBA leaders and staff have consistently lobbied legislators to adopt: combating wrongful conviction; raising the age … Continued

The Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) has been honored with the New York State Bar Association’s 2017 Angelo T. Cometa Award for its longtime commitment to recruiting and training volunteer attorneys for pro bono work. Since 1990, volunteers from the private bar have provided pro bono help through VLP to thousands of residents in Brooklyn’s … Continued

Responding to the urgent need for lawyers to assist New York immigrants in need of representation, the New York State Bar Association and The New York Bar Foundation today announced an initiative to connect pro bono lawyers with nonprofit groups serving immigrants across New York. “When facing enforcement action, immigrants do not have a right … Continued

The New York State Bar Association decries President Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate funding for the Legal Services Corporation. “It would devastate the ability of many New Yorkers to obtain essential legal services in such life-altering cases as evictions from housing and obtaining protection from domestic violence. We must continue to protect our most vulnerable … Continued

New York State Bar Association President Claire P. Gutekunst today issued the following statement: “The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the misnamed “Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act (S.237, H.R. 720), which we have long opposed. “The bill would restore discredited provisions initially enacted in 1983 that required judges to impose mandatory sanctions on what were … Continued