New York State Conference of Bar Leaders Honors Three Bar Associations

ALBANY, NY (01/31/2014)(readMedia)-- The Conference of Bar Leaders, sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, has honored three bar associations with its 2013 Bar Leaders Innovation Awards. The awards recognize exemplary and creative programs sponsored during the past year by local, ethnic, specialty, minority and women's bar associations.

"Bar associations continually provide unique programs to meet the needs of their communities. This year's recipients took on timely issues and educated the public on a wide variety of legal issues," said Karla Wilsey of Rochester (Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara & Wolf), chair of the conference's Executive Council. "We congratulate them on a job well done."

The winners received their awards on January 31 during the Bar Association's Annual Meeting in New York City. They are:

Brooklyn Bar Association (large bar category, more than 2,000 members): The Brooklyn Bar Association launched a five-series public program to educate the underserved populations of Kings County. Topics included: elder law issues; landlord/tenant law in New York City; criminal law proceedings in New York City; matrimonial basics; and mortgage foreclosures.

Asian-American Bar Association of New York (medium bar category, 500 to 2,000 members): As part of its Trial Reenactment Program to highlight significant cases involving Asian-Americans, the bar association co-produced "IVA: The Myth of Tokyo Rose, Allegiance on Trial." It is a fully-staged theatrical production about Iva Toguri, a Japanese-American citizen accused of anti-American propaganda during World War II.

Network of Bar Leaders (small bar category, fewer than 500 members): The Network of Bar Leaders produced a three-hour seminar and workshop addressing issues related to Superstorm Sandy, such as FEMA claims, flood and wind claims, and the National Flood Insurance Program.

The New York State Conference of Bar Leaders was established in 1979 to advance the objectives of the organized bar by encouraging communication and collaboration among bar associations. Sponsored by the State Bar Association, the conference provides leadership and management programs and guidance, and serves as an information conduit to unite the more than 185 bar associations statewide.

The 75,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in 1876.

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