More Than 5,000 Attorneys to Attend State Bar's 133rd Annual Meeting January 25th-30th at the Hilton New York

Five-Day Program Offers Diverse Programming on Topics Including Wrongful Convictions, Implications of Social Media for the Legal Profession, Career Development in the New Economy, Rights of Fictional Characters, Antitrust Issues in College Sports and Doze

ALBANY, NY (01/21/2010)(readMedia)-- The 133rd Annual Meeting of the New York State Bar Association will be held at the Hilton New York in Manhattan from Monday, January 25 to Saturday, January 30. More than 5,000 attorneys are expected to attend panel discussions, lectures and other events throughout the week focusing on a vast range of topics of keen interest to the legal community. Among the topics to be explored are wrongful convictions, implications of social media for the legal profession, career development in the new economy, rights of fictional characters, antitrust issues in college sports, and dozens of other topics. The programs will feature numerous internationally and nationally respected experts.

Program highlights include:

Monday – Jan. 25, 2010

Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section (1:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.)

• From Conception to the Public Domain or Perhaps to Infinity and Beyond: The Life Cycle of Fictional Characters

• Players Off The Field-How Do You Protect Your Client When Negotiating an Athlete-Driven Merchandising, Endorsement, or New/Traditional Media Deal?

Committees on Law Practice Management and Lawyers in Transition (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)

• Fourth Annual Career Development Conference-Navigating the New Economy: Career Strategies for Lawyers

Featured panelist: Dr. Leslie Seppinni, creator of the "Excuse Free Living" philosophy

Committee on Minorities in the Profession (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

• Diversity at the Downturn

Tuesday - Jan. 26, 2010

Intellectual Property Law Section (8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and 2:10 - 5:15 p.m.)

• Copyright and Fair Use: Is All Fair in Comedy and Politics?

• Creative Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights: Vicarious and Contributory Liability Against Service Providers of Trademark and Copyright Infringers

• Ethics Update 2009-A Year in Transition

• Going International With A Tight Budget-How Do Brand Owners Do This

• Expert Witnesses-Hiring and Disclosing An Expert That Will Withstand A Preclusion Attack

• When, Why And How To Bring Criminal Actions Against Trademark Counterfeiters?

Tax Section (9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 2:15 - 4:00 p.m.)

• Downturn Tax Issues

• Transactions: Form, Substance, and Understanding the Limits

• 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.- Luncheon Speaker: Douglas H. Shulman, commissioner, Internal Revenue Service

Wednesday - Jan. 27, 2010

The Presidential Summit (2:00 pm – 5:00 p.m.)

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. – Social Media Explosion: Privacy, Legal Process and Other Concerns

Opening Remarks by Bar President Michael E. Getnick

Panelists Include:

• Lesley Friedman Rosenthal, Moderator, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

• Steven C. Bennett, Jones Day

• Lisa E. Davis, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC

• Mary Joyce, media operations manager for President Obama's campaign and co-founder of DigiActive.org

• Chris Kelly, chief privacy officer of Facebook

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Wrongful Convictions: Protecting the Innocent, Preserving our Justice System

Opening Remarks by Bar President Michael E. Getnick

Panelists Include:

• Vincent E. Doyle, III, Moderator, Connors & Vilardo, LLP

• Hon. Phylis S. Bamberger, retired, Supreme Court, Bronx County

• Zachary W. Carter, Dorsey & Whitney

• Immediate Past President Bernice K. Leber, Arent Fox LLP

• Alan Newton, exoneree and advocate

• Barry Scheck, The Innocence Project

• Cyrus Vance Jr., New York County District Attorney

Commercial and Federal Litigation Section (12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)

• Stanley H. Fuld Award for Outstanding Contributions to Commercial Law and Litigation presented by Hon. Judith S. Kaye, retired chief judge of the State of New York to Hon. Jonathan Lippman, chief judge of the State of New York

Health Section (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

• Health Care Reform: Now What?

Trusts and Estates Section (8:45 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.)

• Hot Topics: Taxes, Pets and Powers of Attorney

Committee on Animals and the Law (1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

• Hot Topics in Animal Law

Thursday – Jan. 28, 2010

Antitrust Section (8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.)

• Merger Guidelines Revisited and Beyond: Annual Review of Antitrust Cases and Developments

• Section 2 and the EU, Too: Developments in the Analysis of Dominant Firms

• When Worlds Collide: Current Issues Affecting Parallel Public and Private Litigation

• Current Antitrust Issues in Healthcare: A New Dose of Competition or the Same Old Prescription?

• Take Me Out to the Bowl Game: Antitrust Issues in College Sports

Criminal Justice Section Awards Luncheon – (12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)

Honorees:

• Vincent E. Doyle, Jr. Award for Outstanding Jurist, Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick

• Charles F. Crimi Award for Outstanding Private Defense Practitioner, Theodore V. Wells, Jr., Esq.

• David S. Michaels Memorial Award for Courageous Efforts in Promoting Integrity in the Criminal Justice System, Erin P. Gall, Esq.

• Michele S. Maxian Award for Outstanding Public Defense Practitioner, Claudia S. Schultz, Esq.

• Outstanding Appellate Practitioner, Barbara D. Underwood, Esq.

• Outstanding Contribution for Public Information, John M. Caher

• Outstanding Prosecutor, Stephen F. Lungen, Esq.

Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law Section (8:20 a.m. – 12:35 p.m)

• Corporate Protests and Extremism in the Pre-Clinical Testing Arena: Management and Legal Strategies

• Managing Off-Label Issues and Risks in an Era of Increased Federal and State Enforcement

• Risk Information Guidance and Social Media-Drugs v. Devices FDA Chief Counsels Panel

• 1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Luncheon Speaker: Hon. David S. Cade, (acting) general counsel, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Real Property Law Section (9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)

• Hot Topics in Real Estate

Friday – January 29, 2010

House of Delegates Meeting (9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

Ruth G. Schapiro Award Honoree: Hon. Evelyn Frazee, state supreme court justice, 7th Judicial District

? NOTE: All events are open to the media. Reporters must register in the News Center located in the Green Room on the 4th floor to gain admission into any program or event. News releases and other materials will be available. Media Services & Public Affairs staff from the State Bar Association will be present to assist members of the news media. To contact the News center call 212-886-0991.

The News Center will be open on Monday, January 25th from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and on Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

WHAT: 2010 New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting

WHERE: Hilton New York (1335 Avenue of the Americas between 53rd and 54th streets) Manhattan

WHEN: Monday, January 25 – Saturday, January 30, 2010

CONTACT: Nick Parrella – Cell # 518-275-7954

Brandon Vogel – Cell # 518-366-1490

News Center - 212-886-0991 (January 25th – 29th)

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Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.