November 18, 2009
FINDING THE BOTTOM LINE: RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES
State Bar
Association Presents Important Continuing Legal Education Programs on
Compliance Issues and Disability Discrimination in Employment, Public
Accommodation, Housing and Other Areas
The New York State
Bar Association will host an important series of Continuing Legal
Education (CLE) programs next month that will provide a road map for
attorneys as they advise clients on a host of disability, discrimination
and compliance issues. The program, titled “Finding the
Bottom Line: Rights of People with Disabilities in New York
State,” will review and analyze current federal,
state and local disability laws and will examine how they relate to
potential discrimination actions in the areas of employment, public and
private sector public accommodations and housing. The programs
will be presented in Rochester on December 1st; New York City on
December 4th; and Albany on December 9th.
Presented by the
State Bar’s Committee on Continuing Legal Education and
co-sponsored by the Committee on Issues Affecting People with
Disabilities, the Labor and Employment Law Section, and that
section’s Equal Employment Opportunity Law Committee and its
Individual Rights and Responsibilities Committee, the CLE program will
offer 6.5 credit hours of professional practice and/or practice
management.
Among the topics
to be covered are “Who Is Protected,” “What Is a
Covered Entity and What Are Its Obligations” and “Housing
Requirements” as related to the federal Americans with
Disabilities Amendment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair
Housing Act, as well as New York State and local laws. Program attendees
also will learn about remediation options, including mediation,
administrative and court litigation and differences in the availability
of compensatory and punitive damages, among other remedies and
strategies.
“The
significant changes in the law made by last year’s amendments to
the ADA, as well as the newly proposed regulations and evolving case
law, make it critical for attorneys representing employees, employers
and others to keep up to date on the ADA, FMLA, New York State Human
Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law,” said Nancy
Halleck, chair of the Committee on Issues Affecting People with
Disabilities. “This CLE provides an excellent opportunity
for attorneys to catch up on all of these changes and get a refresher
course on existing laws. The faculty we have assembled comprises
experts in disability, employment and housing law with experience in
litigation and compliance. Participants will leave this workshop
with a clear understanding of the changes in the law, and how it all
fits together around the state. I urge all attorneys practicing
disability and employment law to attend.”
In a related
event, as part of the United Nation’s celebration of International
Day of Persons with Disabilities, New York City regional program
co-chair Mark H. Leeds, Esq. has been invited to present copies of this
CLE course program book to United Nations officials on December
3rd.
Ms. Akiko Ito,
Chief of the United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, said, “As we celebrate the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations
appreciates the contribution of the New York State Bar
Association’s continuing legal education program, ‘Finding
the Bottom Line - Rights of People with Disabilities in New York
State,’ to efforts that recognize and promote the rights of
persons with disabilities. We look forward to working further with the
New York State Bar Association in this cause.”
A complete listing
of participants for each of the three local area panels is provided
below.
Tuesday, December 1st – Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside; 120
Main Street East; Rochester
Melinda R. Saran,
Esq., (Local Chair), University at Buffalo Law School,
Buffalo * Mairead E. Connor, Esq., Law Offices of
Mairead E. Connor, PLLC, Syracuse * Matthew J. Fusco,
Esq., Chamberlain D’Amanda, Rochester * Michael
Hanley, Esq., Empire Justice Center, Rochester * Amy L.
Hemenway, Esq., Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo *
Michael Mulé, Esq., Empire Justice Center,
Rochester * Sharon P. Stiller, Boylan, Brown, Code,
Vigdor and Wilson, Rochester.
Friday, December
4th – New York Hilton and Towers; 1335 Ave of the Americas;
NYC
Mark H.
Leeds, Esq., (Local Chair), Riverdale * Dennis R.
Boyd, Esq., Dennis R. Boyd Legal Advocacy and Consulting
Services, New York City * Patricia A. Cody, Esq.,
Wormser Kiely Galef & Jacobs LLP, New York City * John P.
Herrion, Esq., New York State Division of Human Rights, Bronx *
Alan M. Koral, Esq., Vedder Price, P.C., New York City
* Rachel J. Minter, Esq., Law Office of Rachel J.
Minter, New York City* Jason R. Mischel, Esq., New York
City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities * Donald
L. Sapir, Esq., Sapir & Frumkin, White Plains * Jo
Anne Simon, Esq., Jo Anne Simon, PC, Brooklyn.
Wednesday,
December 9th – Crowne Plaza Albany; State & Lodge Streets;
Albany
Simeon
Goldman, Esq., (Local Chair), Disability Advocates Inc,
Albany * Beth A. Bourassa, Esq., Whiteman, Osterman
& Hanna LLP, Albany * Ronald G. Dunn, Esq., Gleason
Dunn Walsh & O’Shea, Albany * John P. Herrion,
Esq., New York State Division of Human Rights, Bronx *
Gregory K. Jones, Esq., New York State Commission on
Quality of Care and Office of Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities,
Albany * Alan M. Koral, Esq., Vedder Price, P.C., New
York City * Tara L. Moffett, Esq., Girvin &
Ferlazzo, Albany * Cliff Zucker, Esq., Disability
Advocates Inc., Albany.
For further
information on this CLE program series or to register to attend, please
visit the following Web sites:
Rochester •
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside
www.nysba.org/disabilityroc
New York
City • Friday, December 4, 2009
The New York Hilton
www.nysba.org/disabilitynyc
Albany •
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Crowne Plaza Albany Hotel
www.nysba.org/disabilityalb
Founded in 1876,
the 76,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official
statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary
state bar association in the nation. The State Bar’s
programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved
the justice system for more than 130 years.
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