The legal system has never been quick to embrace change. Whether it is electronic research, electronic filing, video depositions or artificial intelligence, most of the legal system will be dragged into the future kicking, screaming and holding on to whatever antiquated methods it can sink its claws into. This is, of course, true not just … Continued
When I was asked to write an essay for this special Juneteenth issue I was honored and immediately thought how very fortunate I am to have found a career that has brought me professional fulfillment. New York Upbringing I was raised by a strong hard working single mother in Bedford Stuyvesant and East New York. Mom … Continued
From assigned counsel rates, to the repeal of Judiciary law 470, and Clean Slate, the Miranda Warnings Roundtable dissects the wins and losses of the session which just wrapped up this week. Listen to the podcast with David Miranda, Liz Benjamin and Vin Bonventre here or watch the video on You Tube.
Brad Karp and Jeh Johnson In anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court on affirmative action, the New York State Bar Association is launching a task force to recommend how colleges and businesses can maintain diversity. If the U.S. Supreme Court rules that decades of race-conscious policies violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of … Continued
After Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization made abortion unavailable in many states, an increasing number of patients have turned to the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol for medication abortions. But mifepristone is facing a challenge to its long-standing Food and Drug Administration approval. At a virtual webinar sponsored by the Women in Law Section, panelists … Continued
The legal system needs to move away from its role as the primary treatment for people with mental illness, the New York State Bar Association recommends in a report. In the report, the Task Force on Mental Health and Trauma Informed Representation detailed the many ways that people in crisis end up entangled in the … Continued
The New York State Bar Association is recommending that the state’s town and village courts be consolidated into district courts and that non-lawyers no longer be allowed to serve as judges. “It is necessary for our legal system to be constantly re-evaluated,” said Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association. “We need … Continued
Dear Colleagues: It is so wonderful to be in this beautiful village on Lake Otsego in Cooperstown, about eighty miles north of Binghamton where I was born and raised and have spent most of my life. This rural setting resonates with me. Standing here before you as your one-hundred and twenty-sixth president is the highest … Continued
Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about the passage today of Clean Slate legislation: “The New York State Bar Association has been working with legislators to make it easier for former offenders to lead full, productive lives after they have paid their debts to society. The Clean … Continued
As the legal profession emerges from the pandemic, Binghamton attorney Richard C. Lewis is launching his ambitious agenda to reshape the New York State Bar Association to better assist lawyers and improve the lives of struggling New Yorkers.Lewis, who has been the association’s president-elect for the past year, officially takes over the top spot today … Continued