Nominating Committee Seeks Candidates for NYSBA Offices
7.17.2023
The Nominating Committee invites members of the Association to seek consideration to be a nominee for Association offices beginning in 2024. Members wishing to become an officer or member of the NYSBA Executive Committee should review Article VIII of the Association’s Bylaws describing the Nominating Committee and nominations for office (NYSBA Bylaws).
Offices for nomination
The Nominating Committee is accepting and will be interviewing candidates for the following:
(a) President-Elect
(b) Secretary
(c) Treasurer
(d) Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee – Four (please indicate if you are seeking a regular seat (three positions) or diversity seat (one position))
- At least one of the four Members-at-Large is selected to further ethnic and racial diversity in the Association (and this year must come from a judicial district other than the Seventh Judicial District, since there currently is a diversity Member-at-Large from that district).
As part of the selection process, candidates for the offices of President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer may be required to appear in person before the Nominating Committee at its meeting on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, in New York City and at its meeting on Friday, November 3, 2023, in Albany. Candidates for the office of Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee may be required to appear in person before the Nominating Committee at one of the two meetings. No appearance before the Nominating Committee is required for the positions of Vice-President, the two Member-at-Large recommended by the Section Delegates Caucus (one position elected each year), the one Member-at-large recommended by the Young Lawyers Section, or elected delegate to the House of Delegates (three for each judicial district).
Special eligibility criteria for candidates
A candidate for President-Elect must have served as a member of the House of Delegates within five years preceding the time of nomination but need not be a member of the House at the time of nomination for office.
All officers and Members-at-Large must be active members of the Association.
Other offices
The Nominating Committee does not determine the district Vice-Presidents and the Elected Delegates that are presented to the House of Delegates for election at the Annual Meeting. (See NYSBA Bylaws, Article VIII § 1(A)(3).) Similarly, the Nominating Committee does not determine the two members chosen by the Section Delegates Caucus and the one member chosen by the Young Lawyers Section to fill the positions of Executive Committee Member-at-Large. Therefore, candidates for these positions are not required to appear before the Nominating Committee. (See NYSBA Bylaws, Article VIII §§ 1(A)(4) & 1(A)(5).)
However, the Nominating Committee does encourage anyone interested in these positions to contact the Vice-Presidents of their respective judicial districts and/or the Chairs of the Section Delegates Caucus and Young Lawyers Section to fill the positions of Vice-President, Elected Delegate, and Executive Committee Member-at-Large from the Section Delegates Caucus and Young Lawyers Section. For relevant contact information, please e-mail your request to [email protected].
Nature of service
The nature of service for Association offices is described in the Association’s Bylaws (NYSBA Bylaws).
The President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, fourteen Vice-Presidents, and eleven Members-at-Large, together with the President and Immediate Past President, serve on the Executive Committee and in the House of Delegates, which manage the business and activities of the Association and generally meet quarterly. They also serve as liaisons to Association committees and sections.
The President-Elect chairs the House, assists the President, and becomes President on June 1 of the following year.
The Secretary keeps a record of House of Delegates and Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary also chairs the Resolutions Committee and serves as a liaison to the Section Delegates Caucus.
The Treasurer serves as an ex officio member (as does the President-Elect) of the Finance Committee, which oversees the financial affairs of the Association and meets approximately four times per year. The Treasurer presents the Association’s financial report at each House meeting.
Timetable for submitting recommendations
Members who are seeking office may place their names before the Nominating Committee by self-declaration or nomination. Candidates for President-Elect must submit their declarations of candidacy to the Secretary by no later than September 1, 2023.
Timetable for President-Elect candidates’ statements for publication
Each candidate for President-Elect is invited to submit a 400-word statement for publication online in the Association’s news center by September 1, 2023.
Candidates seeking all other offices are strongly encouraged to file a declaration of candidacy and submit all background materials by September 1, 2023, to ensure adequate time for review by the Nominating Committee.
In making nominations, members are encouraged to keep in mind the Association’s diversity policy, which was adopted by the House of Delegates in November 2003. The policy emphasizes the commitment to achieving diversity in the “membership, officers, staff, House of Delegates, Executive Committee, Sections and Committees and their respective leaders. Diversity is an inclusive concept, encompassing gender, race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, and disability.”
At the 2023 Annual Meeting, amendments were approved to incorporate a statement of commitment to diversity into the Purposes Article of the NYSBA Bylaws:
The Association holds an unwavering and longstanding commitment to diversity within its membership and leadership ranks based upon its firm belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion must be fostered within the legal community and in society at large. The Association is made stronger and more capable of implementing positive change through the law when its membership reflects the diversity of the individuals and communities served by the legal profession. Accordingly, the Association will promote and advance the full and equal participation of diverse attorneys in the profession and the Association, including diversity based on gender, race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, and disability.
Submissions must include curriculum vitae or resume and a maximum or five letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation should be received prior to the deadlines stated previously. Please direct this information to the Secretary at the following address:
Taa R. Grays, Esq.
Secretary
New York State Bar Association
One Elk Street
Albany, NY 12207
Email: [email protected]
You can contact the Chair of the Nominating Committee at the following address:
Scott M. Karson, Esq.
Chair, Nominating Committee
Lamb & Barnosky, LLP
534 Broadhollow Rd. Suite 210
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 694-2300
Email: [email protected]
For more information about the Nominating Committee or the process of submitting nominations please visit Nominating Committee webpage or contact:
David P. Miranda, Esq.
General Counsel
New York State Bar Association
One Elk Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 487-5524
Email: [email protected]
