New York State Bar Association To Honor the Legacy of Long Island Lawyer Who Died Following Traumatic Brain Injury
1.7.2025
Ariel Weinstock – who died a year after suffering a traumatic brain injury – will receive an attorney professionalism award from the New York State Bar Association. His father, Benjamin, the mayor of Cedarhurst, will accept the award on Ariel’s behalf at the association’s Annual Meeting in New York City.
“I hope this award commemorating all that Ariel achieved in his short life will provide some solace to his family,” said Domenick Napoletano, president of the New York State Bar Association. “Ariel made a lasting contribution to the practice of law. He engaged in the mentoring of young attorneys and participated in bar activities on the local, state and national level. It is with immense pride and profound sadness that we honor Ariel.”
Weinstock, 42, a partner at Katsky Korins, was a member of the association’s House of Delegates, its governing body. He was attending his first meeting of the house in Cooperstown in June 2023 when he was struck by a car, which caused the traumatic brain injury. He died a year later.
The association’s Real Property Law Section selected Weinstock for the award, which will be presented at the section’s Annual Meeting Lunch and Awards Program from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at The Manor at Rosie O’Grady’s on 51st Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
Honoring attorneys who render extraordinary service to the public and the profession is part of NYSBA’s Annual Meeting tradition. This year’s event promises to be dynamic and informative, featuring a wide range of sessions and activities tailored to the diverse interests and needs of lawyers practicing in New York. Annual Meeting takes place Jan. 14 to 17 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Highlights of Annual Meeting include the Presidential Gala, where retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States will receive the association’s most prestigious award, the Gold Medal. The gala is on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at The Plaza Hotel. Justice Breyer will speak about his career, judicial philosophy and his recent book during a fireside chat at the gala.
The Presidential Summit, the marquee event of the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, is on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The summit, entitled “Securing Justice: Addressing Sexual Violence and the Weaponization of Individuals and Groups During Conflicts and Wars,” will focus on justice for the victims of wartime human trafficking and sexual violence.
Distinguished guests include Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, international human rights law expert and founder and chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children; Susana SáCouto, director of the War Crimes Research Office of the American University Washington College of Law; and Abid Shamdeen, advocate for Yazidi genocide survivors and co-founder of Nadia’s Initiative. Susan Harper, treasurer of the New York State Bar Association, will moderate the discussion.
In addition, former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court Bridget McCormack and Jennifer Leonard, legal tech expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will present on the impact AI has had on the legal profession, and how lawyers are navigating changing regulations related to privacy and data security.
Each year, more than 120 different panels and social events make up the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and some 4,000 lawyers participate. For more information on NYSBA’s Annual Meeting, click here.
