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Contact: Mark Mahoney
Associate Director, Media Services
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January 20, 2012 

COURT FUNDING, IMMIGRATION HIGHLIGHT PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT AT NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL MEETING

The New York State Bar Association’s 135th Annual Meeting next week will feature forums on immigration, court funding, representation of veterans, diversity in the legal community, the impact of the Madoff fraud case on international litigation, a film and panel discussion on the Nuremberg trials, representation of charities and the burgeoning field of animal law.

More than 5,000 attorneys are expected to attend the weeklong conference, which is being held at the Hilton New York in New York City from Monday, January 23, through Saturday, January 28.

Among those scheduled to address the Annual Meeting are William Robinson III, president of the American Bar Association; Jack Rives, executive director of the American Bar Association; state Chief Judge Jonathan Lipmann; state Chief Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti; former state Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye and former Governor David Paterson. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Saturday evening will be presented with the Gold Medal, the Bar Association’s highest award, for lifelong excellence in the legal profession and his unparalleled civic contributions.

The centerpiece of the Annual Meeting will be the Presidential Summit on Wednesday, January 25, from 2-5 p.m., which will feature a panel on the crisis in state court funding across the nation and another on improving legal representation of immigrants.

The first forum will address funding and the courts. The Bar Association this month released a report that identified problems with the court system in the wake of state budget cuts, including long delays and postponements in civil and criminal cases, overcrowded court calendars, problems with jury selection and jury service, limited citizen access to legal services, overworked court employees, and a variety of other issues. Former state Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye will moderate a panel of state and national experts on the topic.

The second forum will feature a discussion on the representation of immigrants and offer insight into the problems and solutions associated with the issue. The panel will focus on the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Padilla v. Kentucky, in which the Supreme Court expanded the right to counsel to include a provision that immigrants in criminal proceedings receive competent advice on the consequences of penalties they could face.

Other highlights of the Annual Meeting

Serving Those Who Served. The daylong forum will address legal representation of the state’s more than one million veterans on issues ranging from family law to consumer debt and credit issues, to foreclosure and evictions. Attorneys will learn how to represent veterans by gaining invaluable insight into the culture of veterans and the physical and psychological issues they face. The keynote speaker will be Jack L. Rives, executive director of the American Bar Association and a former judge advocate general for the U.S. Air Force. Tuesday, January 24, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Bernie Madoff fraud case. The panel, led by David J. Sheehan, chief counsel to SIPA trustee Irving Picard, will feature a discussion of the ground-breaking impact of the case on cross-border and international litigation. Wednesday, January 24, 8:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

The Nuremberg Trials. A special screening of the documentary, “Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today,” will be followed by a panel discussion on what is considered by some to be the most important and fascinating courtroom drama in history. Wednesday, January 25, 9 a.m. - noon.

Life in the Cloud. This panel will discuss the legal remedies for hacking and intellectual property risks associated with cloud computing. The daylong session also will feature a “Countdown to 2013,” answering the question of whether recording artists can recapture their copyrights from record labels. Other topics: intellectual property aspects of expanding your business in Europe and electronic evidence in computer software litigation. Tuesday, January 24, 8:45 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Tax Matters. Panelists will discuss ethical issues relating to representation in tax cases, the latest developments in corporate tax and financial products, and answer the question: “Tax reform: What’s all the noise about?” Tuesday, January 24, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Publishing on the Internet. This discussion will feature trending topics in licensing and branding, new models of publishing (e-books, enhanced e-books and apps) and how they’ve transformed the world of publishing. Leaders in the field will discuss impending legal issues, including the impact of new contract negotiations between publishers and authors. Monday, January 23, 1 - 5:30 p.m. 

New York Real Estate. It really is different than in other places. Panelists will discuss a variety of real estate-related issues unique to New York, including current development issues, rebuilding the World Trade Center, the residential mortgage landscape, and legal issues with the development of skyscrapers in New York City. Thursday, January 26, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Animals and the Law. This panel discussion will center on the growing legal issues relating to animals, including veterinary malpractice law, understanding the law as it relates to dangerous dogs and animal negligence cases. Wednesday, January 25, 1 - 5 p.m.

Representing Charities. This program is designed to help lawyers understand the intricacies associated with representing charities and how to strengthen their relationships with them as attorneys and members of charity boards. Many attorneys would like to assist their favorite charity, but they don’t know how.  The program is the launch event of Charity Corps: Lawyers Helping Nonprofits, a joint initiative between the NYSBA and the State Attorney General’s Office. Thursday, January 26, 8:30-10 a.m.

For a complete listing of speakers, program and events, as well as registration information, visit www.nysba.org/am2012.

The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in 1876.

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