Why You Want To Join the New York State Bar Association
10.7.2024
Whenever someone asks me why I have been a member of NYSBA for 25 years, I have a one-word reply: “Sections.” Joining a section is a great way to meet lawyers who practice in the same field as you or who share your interests. NYSBA has 28 of them, and if you are a member of one or more of them, as I am, you can’t help but become a better, more informed and wiser lawyer. Under NYSBA’s new membership model that is launching this month, membership in two sections is free.
Joining a section will also help you provide exceptional service to your clients while supporting the profession. And you’ll have some fun along the way. A few examples of how section membership has benefited me:
- As a member of the Business Law Section, I have learned from experts on issues of securities law, mergers and acquisitions, banking and other topics, in CLE programs and the section’s Business Law Journal and have taught programs on cybersecurity and ethics. I have worked with section colleagues to urge the New York Legislature to improve both existing and proposed legislation in franchise regulation, enforceability of non-competition agreements and LLC ownership disclosure, often successfully.
- As a member of the International Section, I have traveled the world and met many great international lawyers. I’ve walked the Great Wall of China and climbed the ruins of Machu Pichu, crawled in the Viet Cong tunnels of Vietnam and visited great cities of the world like Paris, Rome, London, Santiago and Warsaw. I am looking forward to a trip this November to Cuba with the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law and Trial Lawyers sections. I have gained access to an incredible referral network of lawyers in almost any specialty you can think of, in jurisdictions around the world. And I’ve served as a co-chair of the International Section’s Ukraine Task Force, which has worked to offer legal assistance to Ukrainians and promote forums for accountability for Russia and its leaders – one of the most fulfilling activities I have had the opportunity to do through NYSBA.
- As a member of the Intellectual Property Law, Antitrust and Cannabis Law sections, I have been able to stay current on legal developments that make me a better business lawyer by enabling me to draft contracts that properly reflect issues in these areas. While I am not a full-time IP or antitrust lawyer, I need to keep current in both fields, as those issues arise with some frequency in my transactions and contracts.
Among the most important benefits of the new membership model is that it comes with membership in two sections and access to their publications. There are sections to complement every lawyer and practice. In my quarter century of NYSBA membership, I have been a member of numerous sections, including the ones I mentioned above. I have chaired both the International Section and the Business Law Section, as well as the Sections Caucus, which helps all the sections address issues of common interest and develop best practices. I am convinced that the sections provide perhaps the most valuable benefits of NYSBA membership. Every NYSBA member should take full advantage of all the sections offer.
There are 28 sections representing virtually every substantive practice area, ranging from the specific – such as Elder Law and Special Needs; Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law; Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law; and Local and State Government Law – to the more general, such as Business Law; International; Commercial and Federal Litigation; and Dispute Resolution. And, for the true generalist, the General Practice Section. Broad practice areas, such as criminal justice, family law, real property, labor and employment, tax, and trusts and estates, have their own sections as well. And there are sections that address the needs of particular categories of lawyers, like the 50+, Corporate Counsel, Judicial, LGBTQ+, Women in Law and Young Lawyers sections.
Participation in NYSBA sections provides the opportunity to meet and exchange practice tips and experience with lawyers who have similar practices and interests to yours. As I mentioned, sections have provided me with an invaluable referral network around the world and occasionally have been the source of client referrals in my own practice. Sections provide important opportunities for more experienced and less experienced lawyers to get to know one another and to extend a helping hand.
The sections are also the source of high-quality cutting-edge continuing legal education programs tailored to your specific areas of practice and to issues you may face. The opportunity to attend, or teach, such programs is another great benefit of active section participation. Section meetings and programs often provide opportunities for judges and practitioners to exchange ideas, frequently in informal settings. The various publications produced by the sections are often cited as among the most valuable section benefits. These regularly issued journals publish articles on developing areas of the law, providing opportunities both to learn about current developments in your practice areas and to write for a broad audience of practitioners.
Sections are also active in promoting the rule of law, access to justice and the development of the law and the profession. My own activities to improve New York business legislation and to support the rule of law in Ukraine are good examples.
Leadership opportunities abound in the sections. Most sections have numerous committees focusing on still more specific practice areas or interests, with activities ranging from regular meetings to discuss issues in the field, to presentation of CLE programs and publication of articles. They are always looking for active participants who can move into committee, and then section, leadership. My own section activities led not only to section leadership, but to my roles as a member of the association’s Executive and Finance Committees.
Perhaps most important, over the years I have made close friends in my section activities. Active section members include many outgoing, smart and simply good people with whom I have exchanged ideas, debated law and policy and enjoyed good food and drink in New York and around the world.
In sum, every lawyer can benefit in many and different ways from section membership. Sections provide opportunities for professional development and knowledge, leadership, public service and lifelong friendships.
To me, even under the previous membership and pricing structure, section activities alone justified the cost of NYSBA and section membership. Now, considering all the other benefits of the new membership model, there has never been a better time to join, rejoin or renew membership in NYSBA and its multiple sections. I urge every NYSBA member to take advantage of the two section memberships that are included in your membership – and beyond that, to join every section relevant to your practice or interests. At the nominal cost of $30 for every section after the first two, the benefits are a bargain.
Drew Jaglom leads the corporate practice group at Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt. He is a self-professed bar junkie, currently serving as a member of the NYSBA Executive and Finance committees and co-chair of the International Section Ukraine Task Force and has chaired the International Section, the Business Law Section, and the Sections Caucus.
