Consider a few hypotheticals: A shop clerk attends a Proud Boys rally and gets “doxxed” by activists who discover his place of work and demand he be terminated. Soon, a Twitter campaign emerges calling for a boycott until the demand is acceded to. The owner gives in and fires the clerk. A food server attends … Continued
Joseph Gerstenzang is a partner at Gerstenzang, Sills, Cohn & Gerstenzang. He is member of the Criminal Justice Section and a frequent panelist at NYSBA programs. Gerstenzang’s firm primarily handles DWI, DWAI and drugs defense. He comes from a family of attorneys including his parents Peter and Karen Gerstenzang and two siblings who are attorneys. … Continued
A committee of legal experts has been given the responsibility of implementing recommendations that will improve the administration of justice in New York State’s courts in the wake of the pandemic, Acting Chief Judge Anthony Cannataro and Acting Chief Administrative Judge Tamiko Amaker announced today. Leaders from the courts, the bar, and the community have … Continued
Members of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee to Review Judicial Nominations are prepared to begin interviewing the nominees for chief judge that the Commission on Judicial Nomination submitted to Gov. Kathy Hochul today. The committee will schedule interviews of each candidate and give ratings of “well qualified, qualified, or not qualified.” President Sherry … Continued
I recently wrote about structured legal fees for lawyers (see “Contingent Fee Tax Planning, Anyone?” NYSBA Journal, vol. 94, no. 5, Sept./Oct. 2022, p. 37). For nearly 30 years, plaintiff lawyers have been structuring contingent legal fees based on the seminal tax cases of Childs v. Commissioner.[1] Payments over time can flatten the peaks and … Continued
For decades, New York courts have led innovation in the way domestic violence cases are addressed in the United States legal system.[1] Specifically, New York has been at the forefront of instituting specialized courts to handle domestic violence cases, giving courts one focus in handling the endemic of domestic violence.[2] In 1996, the first felony … Continued
Technology can both help and hurt in the cause of justice. In a fascinating conversation, Vivian Wesson shares with host David Miranda how artificial intelligence and facial recognition are being used in both criminal and civil law. Wesson says the technology can unearth biases when it cannot distinguish between races of people and lead to … Continued
Sherry Levin Wallach, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement regarding NYSBA’s filings seeking to have the court issue a preliminary injunction raising compensation for Attorneys for the Children and 18-B lawyers: “The state has disregarded the need to provide more funding for the representation of children and indigent adults … Continued
The chaos surrounding Signature, First Republic and Silicon Valley banks in the past week is making it difficult for lawyers and clients to know how to respond. The New York State Bar Association is offering a webinar Bank Closures, the FDIC, Escrow Accounts and Ethics – What Lawyers Need to Know Now. It will take place … Continued
“While we are impressed with your credentials, we are looking to hire a man for this position.” My grandmother Ada practiced law starting in the late 1940s in Brooklyn, New York. Grandma was born in Southern Italy and moved to the United States through Ellis Island when she was four years old. Her family settled … Continued