News from NYSBAR

Richard Rifkin Joins New York State Bar Association Staff

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:03:45 -0000

Attorney Richard Rifkin of Delmar was recently named to the newly-created position of special counsel to the New York State Bar Association. Rifkin, who most recently served as special counsel to Governor David Paterson and former Governor Eliot S...

State Bar Association Provides Funding to Public Service Lawyers

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:33:10 -0000

The New York State Bar Association announced today that its Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest ("SLAPI") program will be providing two new grants this year of up to $4,000 each to public service law attorneys. Public service attorneys...

New York State Bar Association Launches Task Force On State Courthouses

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:16:31 -0000

New York State Bar Association President Bernice K. Leber (Arent Fox, LLP) today announced that a new Task Force has begun work and will prepare a series of recommendations on how to make courthouses in New York more user-friendly for clients, law...

State Bar Association Seeks Nominations For 2008 Denison Ray Awards

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:51:48 -0000

The New York State Bar Association is seeking nominations for the 2008 Denison Ray Awards. The award, named in memory of Denison Ray, a career legal activist who led legal services programs in New York and other states, is intended to recognize th...

Columbia Law School Student Receives Kelley Drye & Warren Scholarship From The New York Bar Foundation

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:32:26 -0000

John B. Quigley, a student at Columbia Law School, has been chosen as the recipient of the Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Scholarship administered by The New York Bar Foundation. The $10,000 award is available to second-year students attending Colum...

Free Video On The Divorce Process Available From NYSBA and New York State Unified Court System

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:37:51 -0000

The New York State Bar Association and the New York State Unified Court System today announced that a video explaining the basics of the divorce process in New York is available on both the Association and Court Web sites for anyone to view free o...

New York State Bar Association Advocates for Fair Treatment of Detainees

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:04:58 -0000

At its annual summer meeting in Cooperstown, the New York State Bar Association passed a resolution that supports the United States Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush, which held that those who have been designated "enemy combatants" and...

Haupaugge Attorney Receives New York State Bar Association's 2008 Root/Stimson Award

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:57:02 -0000

The New York State Bar Association announced today that Charles C. Russo of Haupaugge (Russo, Karl, Widmaier & Cordano PLLC) is the recipient of the 2008 Root/Stimson Award, which honors a lawyer who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to ...

Statement From the New York State Bar Association On Judicial Compensation

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:18:44 -0000

Today State Supreme Court Justice Edward Lehner ordered the Governor, Senate and Assembly to raise the pay of New York’s judges. In response to this news, New York State Bar Association President Bernice K. Leber (Arent Fox LLP) issued the ...

Cornell Law School Student Nicholas A. Dorsey Awarded New York Bar Foundation's Judge Meyer Scholarship

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:37:26 -0000

Nicholas A. Dorsey, a student at Cornell Law School, has been chosen as the 2008 recipient of the Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship funded by the law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. (Garden City) and administered by The New York ...

Statement from State Bar President Bernice K. Leber on Governor Paterson's Directive on Same-Sex Marriage

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:44:09 -0000

In response to Governor Paterson’s directive that orders state agencies to honor same-sex marriages performed in other states, New York State Bar Association President Bernice K. Leber (Arent Fox LLP) issued the following statement.

State Bar Association Creates Blue Ribbon Task Force to Study Proliferation of Wrongful Convictions

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:44:49 -0000

Noting that the number of criminal convictions overturned in New York State is undermining public confidence in our justice system, the new President of the New York State Bar Association Bernice Leber (Arent Fox, LLP) today announced the creation...

State Bar Association Sponsors Program To Educate Students On Civic Participation

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:33:05 -0000

The New York State Bar Association’s Law, Youth & Citizenship program will sponsor the We the People: Project Citizen Showcase on June 4 at the Empire State Plaza, North Concourse, Albany, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program is offered to...

Bernice K. Leber Begins Presidency Of Nation’s Largest Voluntary State Bar Association

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:02:47 -0000

Bernice K. Leber of New York City, a partner in the firm of Arent Fox LLP, has ascended to the office of President of the 74,000-member New York State Bar Association, the nation’s largest voluntary state bar. Leber is the Association’...

New Committee Created on LGBT People and the Law to Promote Greater Equality

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:22:19 -0000

New York State Bar Association President Kathryn Grant Madigan (Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP) today announced that the Association has formed a new committee on LGBT People and the Law that will promote equality in the legal profession for le...

Bar Association's Business Law Section Makes $20,000 Gift to Help Those Struggling With Foreclosures

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:29:17 -0000

The New York Bar Foundation has received a gift of $20,000 from the Business Law Section of the New York State Bar Association to provide grants to nonprofit organizations for programs that assist consumers facing financial hardship due to actual ...

Committee on Animals and the Law Announces New Program to Ensure Care for Pets of Hospitalized Patients

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:15:10 -0000

The New York State Bar Association’s Special Committee on Animals and the Law announced today a new voluntary program that ensures the pets of hospitalized patients will be given proper care while the patient focuses on his or her health an...

New York State Bar Hosts Free Legal Seminars Across The State To Assist The Elderly

Tue, 06 May 2008 18:33:11 -0000

To assist New Yorkers with the task of getting their legal documents current and in order, the New York State Bar Association's Elder Law Section is focusing its 2008 Mitchell Rabbino Decision Making Day programs on helping elderly New Yorkers ans...

State Bar Presents Forum on Race and Education "A Rehearing of Brown v. Board of Education"

Tue, 06 May 2008 18:33:04 -0000

The State Bar Association, in conjunction with Albany Law School, Government Law Center, New York State United Teachers, and the Capital District Black and Hispanic Bar Association, will present “A Rehearing of Brown v Board of EducationR...

New York State Bar Association Celebrates Law Day

Fri, 02 May 2008 17:00:57 -0000

New York State Bar Association President Kathryn Grant Madigan (Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP) today urged the legal community to reevaluate its role in ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens – the poor, the frail elder...

2008 President's Pro Bono Service Award Winners Announced

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:32:00 -0000

Domestic violence victims seeking to end their marriages, senior citizens in need of assistance with their estates, and asylum seekers who have fled persecution in their home countries all benefited last year from the legal assistance of some of t...

State Bar Honors Two Advocates for Excellence in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:58:28 -0000

The New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Children and the Law will present the 22nd annual Howard A. Levine Award for Excellence in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare, at a reception on April 24, 2008, at the State Bar Center in Alb...

New York State Bar Association Offers Health Insurance to Members

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:16:36 -0000

The New York State Bar Association today announced that it is partnering with USI Bertholon-Rowland and MVP Health Care, a leading benefits provider throughout New York State, to offer a new benefit to members -- a comprehensive health insurance p...

New York State Bar Association Launches Radio Campaign

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:33:05 -0000

The New York State Bar Association unveiled its latest radio campaign, “Protecting our Rights, Protecting Our Courts,” featuring radio spots that focus on two key issues: educating the public on the important role the judiciary plays i...

The New York Bar Foundation Announces Charitable and Educational Grant Awards

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:55:47 -0000

At its most recent meeting, the Board of Directors of The New York Bar Foundation awarded grants in the aggregate of $304,333 to nonprofit and other organizations across New York State to fund 35 law-related programs.

Executive Director of New York City Legal Referral Service Receives the Angelo T. Cometa Award

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:39:22 -0000

The New York State Bar Association presented Allen Jay Charne, the Executive Director of the New York City Legal Referral Service (LRS) since 1985, with the 2008 Angelo T. Cometa Award. Charne received wide recognition for his efforts in coordinat...

Fordham Law School Student Ji Zhang To Receive Commercial And Federal Litigation Section Minority Fellowship

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:24:47 -0000

Fordham Law School student, Ji Zhang, has been chosen as the 2008 recipient of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section Minority Fellowship administered by The New York Bar Foundation. The $5,000 award is available to first-year law students ...

State Bar Section Hosts Forum on Advancement of Minority Litigators

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:27:04 -0000

On Monday, April 7, 2008, at the Kaplan Penthouse, Samuel B. and David Rose Building, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the New York State Bar Association’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section is sponsoring “Smooth Moves II...

State Bar Association Calls For End To Stalemate On Judicial Pay

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:33:04 -0000

At a press conference held today at the New York State Bar Association’s Bar Center in Albany, Association President-Elect Bernice K. Leber of Manhattan (Arent Fox LLP) called on the Governor and Legislators to include a long overdue pay rai...