The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) is a bar association located in New York City.
The New York County Lawyers Association was founded in 1908 because the existing bar association excluded some lawyers from membership due to their race, gender, ethnicity or religion. A meeting held in Carnegie Hall in 1907 determined to create a "democratic bar association" and 143 attorneys incorporated the NYCLA a few months later."About NYCLA" on the New York County Lawyers' Association website Throughout its history, NYCLA has included all who wish to join and their focus has been the active pursuit of legal system reform.
The association is located at the New York County Lawyers Association Building in Lower Manhattan. It provides opinions on candidates for judicial office,"Candidates for the Bench" New York Times (October 25, 1944)"Candidates for the Bench" New York Times (November 1, 1947)"Candidates for the Bench" New York Times (October 29, 1949) organizes forums and investigations and expresses the associations opinions on matters concerning the legal system in New York and jurisprudence in general,"Wants Lawyers to File Pictures; Head of County Lawyers' Association Says This Would Expose Fraudulent Practitioners" New York Times (May 11, 1913)"Reducing Litigation; Movement of New York County Lawyers' Association Against Legal Quacks" New York Times (June 11, 1922)"Two Groups Rate Court Aspirants;" New York Times (October 16, 1960)Saulny, Susan. "National Law Group Endorses Videotaping of Interrogations" New York Times (February 10, 2004)Weiser, Benjamin. "Prosecutor Sees Danger in Budget Cuts" New York Times (December 2, 2013)Glaberson, William. "New York Bar Seeks Limits on Investigations of Judges" New York Times (January 28, 2011) and provides Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys in New York and New Jersey."Course Calendar" from the NYCLA website. Accessed: June 19, 2014 NYCLA creates Task Forces and publishes reports highlighting issues of special concern to the public and legal community. NYCLA is currently certified as an accredited provider of continuing legal education for both New York and New Jersey."New York State CLE Accredited Providers" New York State Continuing Legal Education Board website (June 15, 2014)
NYCLA is a bar association organized for charitable and educational purposes. Its objectives are to advance the science of jurisprudence, and to promote the administration of justice and reforms in the law. They elevate the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession and foster the spirit of collegiality among members of the Association and throughout the bar. A main focus is to apply its knowledge and experience in the field of law to the promotion of the public good, and to arrange for the provision by its members of free legal services for indigent, low income and other persons in need. Throughout history they have encouraged diversity throughout the legal profession and ensured access to justice for all. They have always maintained high ethical standards for the bench and bar; and have promoted high quality legal education and other resources for law students and lawyers.
NYCLA has joint membership programs with seven minority bar associations: The Asian-American Bar Association of New York, Indian-American Lawyers' Association, Korean-American Lawyers' Association of Greater New York, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Law Association of New York, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, Puerto Rican Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association of New York.Kobak, James B. Letter From The President Of The New York County Lawyers' Association The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (November 4, 2010)
History 1907 – A group of lawyers gathered in Carnegie Hall to address the prospect of forming a bar group where politics were not obstacles to inclusion. The bar leaders who met were determined to create, in the words of Joseph Hodges Choate (who would become president of NYCLA in 1912), "the great democratic bar association of the City [where] any attorney who had met the rigid standards set up by law for admission to the bar should, by virtue of that circumstance, be eligible for admission.""Salenger, Sack, Kimmel & Bavaro Partner Jeffrey M. Kimmel Named Chair, NYCLA Committee on Committees" on Longisland.com 1908 – Attorneys or counsellors of the Supreme Court of the State of New York in active practice officially incorporated the New York County Lawyers Association.Moses, Barbara. "NYCLA: Its President “Minds The Gap”" The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (June 18, 2013) It initially included both the borough of Manhattan and the borough of the Bronx. 1929 – Construction begins on the Home of Law, at 14 Vesey Street, a building designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert.Ruppert, K. Jacob. "14 Vesey Street: Genealogy of an Address; A Brief History of the Ground Beneath the Home of Law" 1930 – 14 Vesey Street building is dedicated as the Home of Law. 1943 – NYCLA successfully urges the American Bar Association to declare its membership open to all lawyers without regard to race. 1946 – NYCLA works with other local bar associations to establish legal referral services to provide referrals to attorneys, many of whom were returning from serving in World War II. 1949 – NYCLA sponsors a conference on civil rights in the post-World War II era. 1952 – NYCLA publishes a groundbreaking report on public apathy toward delinquent children. The report brought wide acclaim and won the endorsement of Mayor Robert F. Wagner. 1956 – At NYCLA's urging, the American Bar Association removes questions about race from its membership application. 1972 – The Women's Rights Committee of NYCLA is established to address all legal concerns that affect women.Koback, James B. Jr. "Letter From The President Of The New York County Lawyers Association" The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (November 4, 2010) 1976 – NYCLA launches the New York County Legal Services Corporation, the first bar association-sponsored prepaid legal services plan in the country, to help small businesses and middle-income families find lawyers and assure the lawyers' availability for a reasonable fee. 1989 – Consistent with its view that pro bono service should be voluntary, NYCLA organizes a conference of county bar associations from around the state to coordinate their unanimous opposition to Chief Judge Wachtler's proposal to require all lawyers to render 40 hours of civil pro bono service every two years. 1995 – NYCLA inducts its first female president, Rosalind Fink. 1997 – NYCLA's proposal to increase fees for attorneys to improve the quality of defense afforded to indigent defendants wins the endorsement of bar associations across the state. 2001 – NYCLA organizes efforts to help those affected by the September 11th attacks, including relief efforts like the Death Certificate Project to help affected families obtain documentation for insurance and other benefits. 2003 – NYCLA issues a report urging that the practice of videotaping custodial interrogations be mandated in New York State. The report is approved by the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association's House of Delegates the following year. 2006 – NYCLA establishes a Task Force to develop a plan of action to increase the Housing Court's effectiveness in administering justice for the people of New York City. The Task Force subsequently examines the statutory framework of the Housing Court and releases several reports with suggestions. 2007 – NYCLA inducts its first African American president, Catherine Christian. 2008 – NYCLA establishes a Task Force on the Family Court to analyze proceedings from two conferences that the NYCLA Justice Center convened on the Family Court and develops a reform agenda to reassess the way in which family courts address the central needs of children and families who appear in these courts. 2011-2014 – The Task Force on Judicial Budget Cuts, established in 2011, addresses the effects of continuing budget cuts, including sequestration, on the administration of justice in the federal courts of New York, including the United States District Courts for the Southern District and the Eastern District of New York.
Committees, task forces & public policy The New York County Lawyers Association plays an active role in the development of legal and public policy, including spearheading efforts to support diversity in the legal profession with its Summer Minority Judicial Internship Programs which provides stipends to law students of color who are placed as interns with federal and state court judges, as well as pioneering some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence. NYCLA's standing Committees and Sections continue to expand to cover the changing and growing interests of public sector and the legal community. Standing Committees and Sections include the following: Admiralty and maritime law Alternative dispute resolution Animal law Anti-trust and trade regulations Appellate courts Art law Asian practice Banking Bankruptcy law Civil court practice section Civil rights and liberties Construction law Corporation law Criminal justice section Cyberspace law Education law Elder law Election law Entertainment intellectual property and sports law Environmental law Estates trust section Family court and child welfare Federal courts Foreign and international law Futures and derivatives Health law Immigration and nationality In-house/outside counsel Insurance law Judicial section Labor relations and employment law Law and literature Law-related education Lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues Matrimonial law section Minorities and the law Municipal affairs Non-profit organizations Professional discipline Professional ethics Real property sections Securities & exchanges Senior lawyers Solo and small firm practice Supreme court Taxation Tort law Women's rights Young lawyers' section
Task forces NYCLA Task Force on Judicial Budget Cuts NYCLA Task Force on the Family Court NYCLA Task Force on Professionalism NYCLA Task Force on Judicial Section NYC Criminal Courts Task Force NYCLA Task force on Corporate Responsibility NYCLA Task Force on Ethics Reform NYCLA Task Force on Housing Courts NYCLA Task Force on Same-Sex Marriage NYCLA Task Force on Campaign Finance Reform NYCLA Task Force to Increase Diversity in the Legal Profession NYCLA Task Force on Meeting the Challenge ("50 hour rule")
Publications NYCLA's newspaper, New York County Lawyer, is published ten times per year – once each month except for August and December – in both print and online versions. Its articles focus on emerging trends and "hot" topics in the legal industry, and are authored by a mix of NYCLA members and outside experts."NYCLA News and Publications" on the NYCLA website Attorneys' Guide to Civil Practice in the New York Supreme Court which provides information designed to help practitioners navigate the complexities of the New York County Supreme Court. Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts is a multi-volume treatise published as a joint venture between NYCLA and Thomson Reuters Westlaw. It includes substantive chapters on various commercial subjects as well as detailed discussions of procedure. Committee Reports used to analyze and report on pending legislation and proposed rule making by administrative agencies and the courts. Construction Law Journal which includes articles on recent trends and developments in that field. New York City Criminal Courts Manual which is designed as a guide to practice in the New York City criminal courts. It has information about basic criminal law (including statutory and case law citations) and court procedures. The New York Rules of Professional Conduct which are the ethical rules governing all attorneys licensed to practice in New York.
Pro bono work