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For Release: Immediate
January 18, 2013
Contact: Mark Mahoney
Associate Director, Media Services and Public Affairs
Mmahoney@nysba.org
518-487-5532
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING
TO TACKLE VETERANS ISSUES, VOTER TURNOUT, SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT
The New York State Bar Association’s 136th Annual Meeting in
New York City will feature panels on assisting veterans, boosting voter
turnout, the Defense of Marriage Act, cyberbullying, legal ethics and
social media, and protecting the images of celebrities after their
deaths.
More than 4,000 attorneys are expected to attend the weeklong
conference at the Hilton New York in Manhattan from Monday,
January 21, through Saturday, January 26.
Among those scheduled to address the Annual Meeting are U.S. Deputy
Secretary of State William T. Burns, New York State Attorney General
Eric T. Schneiderman, New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, noted tax
expert and California law professor Edward D. Kleinbard, state Chief
Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti, and former state Chief Judge
Judith S. Kaye. On Saturday evening, the co-founders of the Innocence
Project, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, will be presented with the Gold
Medal, the Bar Association’s highest award, for lifelong
excellence in the legal profession and unparalleled civic
contributions.
The centerpiece of the Annual Meeting will be the
Presidential Summit on Wednesday,
January 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. The summit, hosted by
President Seymour W. James, Jr. (The Legal Aid Society in New York
City), will feature two panel discussions, one on veterans issues and
another on boosting voter turnout.
The first forum will address issues facing soldiers as
they return home after service. Veterans often face
problems such as not being able to find work; readjusting to civilian
and family life; securing economic assistance and military benefits;
drug and alcohol abuse; medical problems; mental health problems
(including those related to post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic
brain injuries); domestic violence; and homelessness.
Col. David W. Sutherland, executive director of the Dixon Center for
Military and Veterans Community Services in Chicago and former special
assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will deliver the
keynote address. Immediate Past State Bar President Vincent E. Doyle III
of Buffalo (Connors & Vilardo) will moderate a panel of
veteran’s experts and service providers.
The second forum will address New York’s poor voter
enrollment and voting record. New York consistently ranks
among the lowest of the 50 states in voter registration and turnout. The
panel, moderated by John R. Dunne of Albany (Whiteman Osterman &
Hanna) and Daniel F. Kolb of New York City (Davis Polk & Wardwell),
co-chairs of the State Bar’s Special Committee on Voter
Participation, will discuss the root causes of the problems and consider
potential solutions such as early voting and Election Day
registration.
On Friday, January 25, the State Bar’s House of Delegates will
hold its quarterly meeting, during which it will consider reports on
Voter Participation, Family
Courts, and Solitary Confinement in New York
prisons.
Other highlights of the Annual Meeting
Dying for Fame: Panelists at the Trust and
Estates Law Section program will discuss the right of publicity after a
celebrity’s death and issues relating to who can profit from the
images left behind. The panelists will explore cases involving Marilyn
Monroe, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando and others. Wednesday,
January 21, 9 a.m. to Noon.
Dignity for All Students Act: Speakers at the
Law, Youth and Citizenship forum will discuss upcoming changes to
the state’s school bullying law. The discussion will include
exploring the authority of schools to control off-campus student
expression to combat cyberbullying in the context of the bully’s
First Amendment rights and other considerations. Wednesday,
January 23, 9 a.m. to Noon.
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA): A joint
meeting of the Committee on LGBT People and the Law and the Committee on
Civil Rights will host panel discussions on the rights of same-sex
couples and pending legal challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage
Act, which narrowly defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Thursday, January 24, 9 a.m. to Noon.
Immediately after at Noon, Professor Andrew Koppelman of Northwestern
University School of Law will give a keynote address on “The
Impending Unlamented Death of the Defense of Marriage Act.”
The event is sponsored by the Family Law Section.
Effective Assistance of Counsel Before Entering the
Courtroom: The panel, hosted by the Criminal Justice
Section, will discuss two important U.S. Supreme Court cases, Missouri
v. Frye and Lafler v. Cooper, in the context of plea bargains, the state
Constitution and applicable cases. Thursday, January 24,
8:50 a.m. to Noon.
The Law Firm of Tomorrow Today: This
discussion will look at advances in technology and how law firms are
adapting to incorporate the new technology into how they do business.
The session will explore strategies and look at where these rapid
changes are taking the legal profession. Thursday, January
24, 1 to 5 p.m.
For a complete listing of speakers, programs and events, as well as
registration information, visit www.nysba.org/am2013. Also follow the Bar Association
on Twitter at @NYSBA, (#NYSBA for Annual Meeting activities), and on our
Facebook page, New York State Bar Association.
The New York State Bar Association, with 76,000 members, is the
largest voluntary state bar association in the country. It was founded
in 1876.
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