NYSBA in the News: Rudy’s Suspension, Police Reform, Bar Exam, Nursing Homes & New Leadership
7.2.2021
The New York State Bar Association drew national attention when it decided to remove attorney Rudy Giuliani from its membership as soon as he was given an interim suspension from the practice of law in late June.
The news garnered immediate attention from PEOPLE magazine’s website, NBC News, Newsday, as well as Law360, the New York Law Journal/Law.com and even the Scottish Legal News – all quoting NYSBA President T. Andrew Brown’s statement. CNN and Bloomberg Law also interviewed Ron Minkoff, NYSBA Executive Committee member.
Additionally, Richard W. Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007, and a current MSNBC opinion columnist, quoted NYSBA’s statement condemning former President Donald Trump’s pardon of Roger Stone in a recent column about the Trump Organization indictments.
In other news, there was a flurry of media attention given to three groundbreaking reports that were approved during NYSBA’s House of Delegates meeting last month: one by the Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform, another by the Task Force on the New York Bar Exam and a third from the Task Force on Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care.
Police Reform
Requiring all police officers to have college degrees, a professional license and liability insurance are among the many innovative recommendations that are included in the report. WRBG, the CBS news affiliate in Albany, covered the report, as did WNYT, the NBC news affiliate in Albany.
Additionally, articles on the police reform report were published by Bloomberg Law, and Spectrum News’ State of Politics. WCNY’s Capitol Pressroom also interviewed NYSBA President T. Andrew Brown, who co-chaired the task force.
Bar Exam
NYSBA’s Task Force on the New York Bar Exam is recommending that the state withdraw from the Uniform Bar Exam and develop its own bar admissions test so that attorneys have a better understanding of state law before being admitted to practice.
This news was immediately picked up by legal publications including Law.com, Law360, Bloomberg Law, and Reuters. Once again NYSBA received coverage from WCNY’s Capitol Pressroom, as this time they interviewed Justice Alan Scheinkman, task force chair.
Nursing Homes
Of the three reports, perhaps getting the most attention from general media due to the controversy surrounding Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nursing home deaths was that of the Task Force on Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care’s review of the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and long-term care providers.
The New York Post broke the news that the 242-page report acknowledged that the governor’s nursing home order remained in effect longer than necessary. From there, more traditional and balanced media outlets picked up the story, including Newsday, Syracuse Post-Standard, Albany Times Union, and Spectrum News. Additionally, the following tv news stations covered the report: WRGB (CBS-6) in Albany, CNYCentral news stations in Syracuse (NBC-3, CBS-5 and CW-6), and WTEN (ABC-10) in Albany.
New Leadership
With T. Andrew Brown becoming the 124th president in NYSBA history on June 1, legal publications covered the leadership change, including the New York Law Journal and Western New York’s Daily Record. Law360 and the New York Law Journal also recently published lengthy interviews with him.
