May 31, 2017: Preparing Attorneys to Make the Best Use of Legal Technology is a Goal of the New York State Bar Association Committee

May 31, 2017: Preparing Attorneys to Make the Best Use of Legal Technology is a Goal of the New York State Bar Association Committee

5.31.2017

By Communications Department

The New York State Bar Association has created a 17-member committee to examine the impact of technology— including artificial intelligence, e-discovery, data privacy and cybersecurity—on the way attorneys practice, and legal services are delivered, now and in the future.

State Bar President Claire P. Gutekunst and President-elect Sharon Stern Gerstman today jointly announced the new Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession. It will build upon the efforts of a working group on technology, created in 2015 by then-State Bar President David P. Miranda and chaired by former President Glenn Lau-Kee.

The mission of the new committee is to:

• Identify ways attorneys can use technology to enhance their practice;

• Assist attorneys in achieving “reasonable technological competence” in all areas of their practice;

• Enhance protection of the public by developing and recommending regulations and best practices for legal service technology providers; and

• Explore ways that new technologies might bridge the “justice gap” and provide better access to courts and legal service to individuals who cannot afford lawyers.

“The Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession  will develop and implement concrete, practical solutions to take advantage of the exciting opportunities and address the difficult challenges that new technologies, artificial intelligence and legal service technology providers present,” Gutekunst said.

“The committee will consider the differing impact of technology on solo practitioners and large law firms, legal service organizations, corporate legal departments and the courts,” Gerstman added.

The committee is chaired by Mark Berman of New York City (Ganfer & Shore), the outgoing chair of the Association’s Commercial and Federal Litigation Section.  Earlier this month, the section issued the third edition of its nationally recognized Social Media Ethics Guidelines.

In addition to Berman, other committee members are:

• Seth H. Agata of Kinderhook;

• Alison Arden Besunder of New York City (Arden Besunder Law Offices);

• Parth N. Chowlera of New York City (Greenfield Stein & Senior);

• Tracee E. Davis of New York City (Zeichner Ellman & Krause);

• Christine Gough Galvagna of Washington, D.C.;

• Sarah E. Gold of Albany (Gold Law Firm);

• Maura R. Grossman  of New York City (Maura Grossman Law);

• Ronald J. Hedges of New York City (Dentons US);

• Shawndra Jones of New York City (Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider);

• Glenn Lau-Kee of New York City (Kee & Lau-Kee);

• James B. Kobak, Jr. of New York City (Hughes Hubbard & Reed);

• Ronald C. Minkoff of New York City (Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz);

• Marian C. Rice of Garden City (L’Abbate Balkan Colavita & Contini);

• Kevin F. Ryan of Rochester (Monroe County Bar Association);

• Professor Roy D. Simon of New York City; and

• Sanford Strenger of Roslyn Heights (Salamon Gruber Blaymore & Strenger).

Advisory groups of attorneys, judges, academics, information technology personnel, legal service providers and others will augment the committee.

The 72,000-New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation.  It was founded in 1876.

Contact: Lise Bang-Jensen 

Director, Media Services

lbang-jensen@nysba.org

518-487-5530