New York County Lawyers' Association

Last updated
Formation1908
TypeLegal society
Headquarters New York, NY
Location
President
Stephen C. Lessard
Website Official website

The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) is a bar association located in New York City.

Contents

The New York County Lawyers Association was founded in 1908 because the existing bar association excluded some lawyers from membership due to their race, gender, ethnicity or religion. A meeting held in Carnegie Hall in 1907 determined to create a "democratic bar association" and 143 attorneys incorporated the NYCLA a few months later. [1] Throughout its history, NYCLA has included all who wish to join and their focus has been the active pursuit of legal system reform.

The association is located at the New York County Lawyers Association Building in Lower Manhattan. It provides opinions on candidates for judicial office, [2] [3] [4] organizes forums and investigations and expresses the associations opinions on matters concerning the legal system in New York and jurisprudence in general, [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] and provides Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys in New York and New Jersey. [11] NYCLA creates Task Forces and publishes reports highlighting issues of special concern to the public and legal community. NYCLA is currently certified as an accredited provider of continuing legal education for both New York and New Jersey. [12]

NYCLA is a bar association organized for charitable and educational purposes. Its objectives are to advance the science of jurisprudence, and to promote the administration of justice and reforms in the law. They elevate the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession and foster the spirit of collegiality among members of the Association and throughout the bar. A main focus is to apply its knowledge and experience in the field of law to the promotion of the public good, and to arrange for the provision by its members of free legal services for indigent, low income and other persons in need. Throughout history they have encouraged diversity throughout the legal profession and ensured access to justice for all. They have always maintained high ethical standards for the bench and bar; and have promoted high quality legal education and other resources for law students and lawyers.

NYCLA has joint membership programs with seven minority bar associations. The Asian-American Bar Association of New York, Indian-American Lawyers' Association, Korean-American Lawyers' Association of Greater New York, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Law Association of New York, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, Puerto Rican Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association of New York. [13]

History

Committees, Task Forces & Public Policy

The New York County Lawyers Association plays an active role in the development of legal and public policy, including spearheading efforts to support diversity in the legal profession with its Summer Minority Judicial Internship Programs which provides stipends to law students of color who are placed as interns with federal and state court judges, as well as pioneering some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence. NYCLA's standing Committees and Sections continue to expand to cover the changing and growing interests of public sector and the legal community. Standing Committees and Sections include the following:

Task Forces

Publications

Pro bono work

On September 14, 2012, the New York State Court of Appeals adopted a new rule requiring applicants for admission to the New York State bar to perform 50 hours of pro bono services. [19] NYCLA is a strong supporter of voluntary pro bono efforts by the New York State Bar (NYSBA), and they devote thousands of hours each year to providing free legal advice and representation to New Yorkers who otherwise could not afford those services. [20]

NYCLA offers several pro bono programs to its members:

Annual events

Awards and honors

Leadership and governance

NYCLA leadership consists of our officers, which include (1). President, who acts as CEO; (2). President-Elect, who is a member of all committees and sections, and who fills in for the President at meetings in his or her absence; (3). Vice President, who is delegated power by the President or the NYCLA Board; (4). Secretary of the Board, who keeps records of the Association and its proceedings, among other duties; and (5). Treasurer, who, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, is in general charge of Association funds.

NYCLA Presidents

Related Research Articles

Pro bono publico, usually shortened to pro bono, is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment.

A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separate the area in which court business is done from the viewing area for the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralegal</span> Paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work

A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a legal professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals is broad, including consultancies, companies that have legal departments or that perform legislative and regulatory compliance activities in areas such as environment, labor, intellectual property, zoning, and tax. Legal offices and public bodies also have many paralegals in support activities using other titles outside of the standard titles used in the profession. There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the paralegal field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Bar Association</span> Association of lawyers in New York City

The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, commonly referred to as the New York City Bar Association, founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers and law students. Since 1896, the organization has been headquartered in a landmark building on 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Manhattan. Today the City Bar has more than 23,000 members. Its current president, Susan J. Kohlmann, began her two-year term in May 2022.

An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are distinct practising certificates.

The State Bar of Arizona is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Arizona. The Arizona Supreme Court licenses lawyers, while the State Bar administers the regulation of the practice of law. The State Bar, under the direction of the Court, establishes procedures for the discipline of lawyer misconduct and provides education and development programs for the legal profession and the public. Through the Rules of The Supreme Court of Arizona, the privilege to practice law in Arizona is granted solely to "active member[s] of the state bar."

Robert MacCrate was an American lawyer who served as counsel to New York Governor Nelson D. Rockefeller and as Special Counsel to the Department of the Army for its investigation of the My Lai Massacre. In the late 1980s, MacCrate served as president of both the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association ("ABA"). MacCrate later chaired the ABA Task Force on Law Schools and the Profession. The Task Force's Report, widely known as the MacCrate Report, was issued in July 1992. MacCrate was a partner and vice chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Although retired from active practice, MacCrate continued to serve on many boards and was active as a Senior Counsel of Sullivan & Cromwell until his death in 2016.

The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) is the state bar association of the U.S. state of Washington. It operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 41,000 active and inactive lawyers and other legal professionals. In furtherance of its obligation to protect and serve the public, the WSBA regulates lawyers and other legal professionals and serves its members as a professional association. The WSBA's mission is to serve the public and the members of the Bar, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael S. Greco</span> American lawyer

Michael Spencer Greco is an American lawyer who served as president of the American Bar Association (2005–2006). He is a retired partner in the Boston office of K&L Gates, and a former partner at the now-defunct Hill and Barlow. He was a partner with Hill and Barlow from 1973 to 2002 and was a partner with K&L Gates from 2003 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Bar Association</span>

The Boston Bar Association (BBA) is a volunteer non-governmental organization in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With headquarters located at 16 Beacon Street in the historic Chester Harding House, across from the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, the BBA has 13,000 members drawn from private practice, corporations, government agencies, legal aid organizations, the courts and law schools.

Debra McCloskey Todd is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Prior to her election to the Supreme Court in 2007, she served as a judge on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania from 2000 through 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Bar of Michigan</span> Bar Association

The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of justice and advancements in jurisprudence, improving relations between the legal profession and the public, and promoting the interests of the legal profession in Michigan.

The City Bar Justice Center provides pro bono legal services to low-income clients throughout New York City. It is part of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvin Aspen</span> American judge (born 1934)

Marvin E. Aspen is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Legal aid in the United States is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system in the United States. In the US, legal aid provisions are different for criminal law and civil law. Criminal legal aid with legal representation is guaranteed to defendants under criminal prosecution who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Civil legal aid is not guaranteed under federal law, but is provided by a variety of public interest law firms and community legal clinics for free or at reduced cost. Other forms of civil legal aid are available through federally-funded legal services, pro bono lawyers, and private volunteers.

Unbundled legal services, also known as limited scope representation and discrete task representation, is a method of legal representation in which an attorney and client agree to limit the scope of the attorney’s involvement in a lawsuit or other legal action, leaving responsibility for those other aspects of the case to the client in order to save the client money and give them more control. Unbundled legal services, limited scope retainers or discrete task representation are available in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. One common use of unbundled legal services is family law, as a case is often too complex for a pro se litigant to handle alone but the cost of full-service legal representation is often prohibitive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Bar Association</span> Association of lawyers in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) is a voluntary bar association with more than 16,000 members throughout Los Angeles County, California, and the world. Founded in 1878, LACBA has strived to meet the professional needs of lawyers, advance the administration of justice, and provide the public with access to justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William S. Greenberg</span> American judge (born 1942)

William S. Greenberg is an American lawyer who serves as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Previously he was a New Jersey attorney in private practice.

Archibald R. Murray was an American lawyer born in Barbados, who became the first African-American president of the New York State Bar Association and the second African-American chairman of the executive committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Carey R. Dunne is an American attorney. He is known for leading the criminal investigation of Donald Trump for the office of the Manhattan District Attorney until his resignation from the case, alongside his colleague Mark F. Pomerantz, in February 2022. In that role, Dunne successfully argued Trump v. Vance before the United States Supreme Court in May 2020; the court held that President Trump was required to comply with a state grand jury subpoena for his tax returns. Prior to his service at the DA's Office, Dunne was a longtime partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he specialized in white collar criminal defense. Dunne is a past president of the New York City Bar Association.

References

  1. 1 2 "About NYCLA" Archived 2019-06-08 at the Wayback Machine on the New York County Lawyers' Association website
  2. ↑ "Candidates for the Bench" New York Times (October 25, 1944)
  3. ↑ "Candidates for the Bench" New York Times (November 1, 1947)
  4. ↑ "Candidates for the Bench" New York Times (October 29, 1949)
  5. ↑ "Wants Lawyers to File Pictures; Head of County Lawyers' Association Says This Would Expose Fraudulent Practitioners" New York Times (May 11, 1913)
  6. ↑ "Reducing Litigation; Movement of New York County Lawyers' Association Against Legal Quacks" New York Times (June 11, 1922)
  7. ↑ "Two Groups Rate Court Aspirants;" New York Times (October 16, 1960)
  8. ↑ Saulny, Susan. "National Law Group Endorses Videotaping of Interrogations" New York Times (February 10, 2004)
  9. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin. "Prosecutor Sees Danger in Budget Cuts" New York Times (December 2, 2013)
  10. ↑ Glaberson, William. "New York Bar Seeks Limits on Investigations of Judges" New York Times (January 28, 2011)
  11. ↑ "Course Calendar" Archived 2014-07-26 at the Wayback Machine from the NYCLA website. Accessed: June 19, 2014
  12. ↑ "New York State CLE Accredited Providers" New York State Continuing Legal Education Board website (June 15, 2014)
  13. ↑ Kobak, James B. Letter From The President Of The New York County Lawyers' Association Archived 2019-07-12 at the Wayback Machine The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (November 4, 2010)
  14. ↑ "Salenger, Sack, Kimmel & Bavaro Partner Jeffrey M. Kimmel Named Chair, NYCLA Committee on Committees" on Longisland.com
  15. 1 2 Moses, Barbara. "NYCLA: Its President “Minds The Gap”" The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (June 18, 2013)
  16. 1 2 Ruppert, K. Jacob. "14 Vesey Street: Genealogy of an Address; A Brief History of the Ground Beneath the Home of Law"
  17. ↑ Koback, James B. Jr. "Letter From The President Of The New York County Lawyers Association" Archived 2019-07-12 at the Wayback Machine The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (November 4, 2010)
  18. ↑ "NYCLA News and Publications" on the NYCLA website
  19. ↑ "Pro Bono Bar Admission Requirements" on the New York State Unified Court System website
  20. ↑ Moses, Barbara. Letter From The President Of The New York County Lawyers' Association The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (April 17, 2014)
  21. ↑ "Charles Evans Hughes Lecture Series" on the Hughes Hubbard & Reed website
  22. ↑ "12th Annual Ida B. Wells-Barnett Justice Award Ceremony" on the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York website
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.