January 18, 2018: Mass Incarceration of People of Color, Cannabis Law, Impacts of New Federal Tax Law, Legal Issues Relating to Severe Storm Damage, Much More on State Bar’s Annual Meeting Agenda

January 18, 2018: Mass Incarceration of People of Color, Cannabis Law, Impacts of New Federal Tax Law, Legal Issues Relating to Severe Storm Damage, Much More on State Bar’s Annual Meeting Agenda

1.18.2018

By Communications Department

The New York State Bar Association’s (NYSBA) 141st Annual Meeting in New York City January 22 through 26 will include programs on mass incarceration of people of color, cannabis law, professional and business development for women attorneys, the impact of electronic communications on attorney-client relationships, new federal tax law, effects of federal policy on public education, legal issues relating to damage in coastal areas due to severe storm damage, and other current legal topics.

Scheduled speakers, participants and presenters for the event will include U.S. Environmental Protection Administration Region 2 Administrator Pete Lopez; Internal Revenue Service Acting Chief Counsel William Paul; New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore; former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman; Associate Judges of the Court of Appeals Eugene Fahey, Paul Feinman, Jenny Rivera and Rowan Wilson; and Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark.

More than 4,000 attorneys are expected to attend the conference at the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, which includes informational forums and awards presentations, as well as credited continuing legal education programs for attorneys.

Presidential Summit to examine race, slavery and mass incarceration
The centerpiece of the Annual Meeting will be the Presidential Summit on Wednesday, January 24 from 2 to 5 pm, hosted by NYSBA President Sharon Stern Gerstman.

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery in 1865 with these words: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except in the punishment for a crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The exception for punishment for a crime effectively began a second institution of slavery, and is acknowledged as a basis for the mass incarceration of people of color in our country.

The award-winning documentary “13th” by Ava DuVernay will be shown in its entirety. Following the film, a panel discussion moderated by American Bar Association President Hilarie Bass will explore the issues of mass incarceration, implicit bias, wrongful conviction, and fines and fees, as well as legal efforts to counteract all of the factors that have resulted in the incarceration of so many men and women of color.

Media is invited to NYSBA Annual Meeting events, but daily check-in is required at the registration area on the second floor of the New York Hilton Midtown, located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, between 53rd and 54th Streets, New York, NY 10019.

For more information, contact Dan Weiller ([email protected], 518-487-5500 or 518-369-5550) or Christina Couto ([email protected], 518-487-5535 or 518-596-9300).

Follow Annual Meeting proceedings on Twitter at @NYSBA (#NYSBA18), Facebook (New York State Bar Association) and Instagram (@nystatebar).

About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, the Association has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.

Contact: Dan Weiller
Managing Director of Marketing and Communications
[email protected]
518/487-5500