The New York State Bar Association is calling for a state Constitutional Convention, because New York “should not forfeit this rare, generational opportunity to modernize and significantly improve the Constitution that forms the foundation of state government.” On November 7, New Yorkers will vote on whether to authorize a Constitutional Convention which, if approved, would … Continued

New York State Bar Association President Sharon Stern Gerstman today applauded Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nomination of Paul Feinman as an associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. She called for timely confirmation of Feinman by the state Senate. The State Bar Association has rated Feinman as “well qualified” to serve on the … Continued

Frederick K. Brewington has been awarded the New York State Bar Association’s 2017 Haywood Burns Memorial Award. The award was given by the Association’s Committee on Civil Rights at a reception June 13 at the City University of New York School of Law. “As a civil rights lawyer, Fred has spent his career providing a … Continued

New York State Bar Association President Sharon Stern Gerstman today sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo with the Association’s ratings for the seven candidates under consideration for associate judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. The Governor must designate his choice between June 16 and June 30, 2017. The nominee then must … Continued

Monroe County Public Defender Timothy P. Donaher, Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, Senator John DeFrancisco and the New York Office of Indigent Legal Services were among those honored with awards by the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Mandated Representation. “These tireless advocates have gone above and beyond in helping the poor have a voice in … Continued

The New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates will vote Saturday, June 17 on whether to support a November 7 statewide referendum that would authorize a state Constitutional Convention to study and recommend possible changes in how state government operates. “We expect a spirited discussion of the arguments for and against a Constitutional Convention,” … Continued

Sharon Stern Gerstman, counsel to the Buffalo law firm Magavern Magavern Grimm, assumes office today, June 1, as 120th president of the 72,000-member New York State Bar Association. Gerstman, who succeeds Claire P. Gutekunst of Yonkers, is the seventh woman and 12th Buffalo attorney to head the 141-year-old Association. Michael Miller of New York City … Continued

Presiding Justice Karen K. Peters and Professor Theodor S. Liebmann have been honored with the 2017 Howard A. Levine Award for Excellence in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare, given by the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Children and the Law. The awards, presented on May 30 at the State Bar Center in Albany, … Continued

The New York State Bar Association has created a 17-member committee to examine the impact of technology— including artificial intelligence, e-discovery, data privacy and cybersecurity—on the way attorneys practice, and legal services are delivered, now and in the future. State Bar President Claire P. Gutekunst and President-elect Sharon Stern Gerstman today jointly announced the new … Continued

Seymour W. James, Jr., attorney-in-chief of The Legal Aid Society in New York City, has been recognized with the 2017 Robert L. Haig Award, given by the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association. James heads the nation’s oldest and largest not-for-profit legal services organization, which annually handles 300,000 individual … Continued