In ExteNet Sys., Inc. v. Village of Flower Hill, the federal district court denied ExteNet’s motion for summary judgment and instead granted summary judgment in the village’s favor, effectively dismissing and overruling ExteNet’s lawsuit challenging the Long Island village’s denial of ExteNet’s application to install 18 small-cell wireless telecommunications nodes in various locations throughout the village, … Continued

“The state needs new legislation that can both punish municipalities for failing to comply with the state’s development plans and assist against the fight against climate change.”1 I came across this sentence in an article I recently read. To put this statement in its original context, it was part of an article distributed to all NYSBA … Continued

In New York, most ethics problems can be analyzed by considering three questions: (1) does the conduct violate Article 18 of the New York General Municipal Law; (2) if not, does the conduct violate the local municipal code of ethics; and (3) if not, does the conduct seriously and substantially violate the spirit and intent … Continued

Introduction There are many pathways to the college and university presidency for lawyers, but one strong commonality in the background of the modern lawyer president is experience in government. This is not surprising, given the shared skill set required for successful government lawyers and successful campus presidents. In a recent 360 study of qualitative skills … Continued

Question: Here is a question we received from a reporter in California asking us about general ethics principles applicable to a situation in that state. Our answer appears on page 35. How would you have answered the question? I’m looking into potential conflicts of interest regarding one of our local state senators. She is a … Continued

Answer: California law controls, of course, to which we cannot speak. But from a general government ethics perspective, four issues arise. 1. Ethics laws regulate public officials, not their spouses, because the spouse is not a public official. 2. The most basic ethics provision prohibits a public official from using his or her position to benefit … Continued