Guidelines for NYSBA International Section Chapter Chairs
At the 2009 annual strategic planning conference of the NYSBA International Section Executive Committee (known as the “Retreat”), the Executive Committee reaffirmed the central role of the Section’s Chapters in the work and efforts of the Section. The success of a Chapter depends very much on the energy and dedication of its Chapter Chairs.
What are the expectations of Chapter Chairs? It is difficult to generalize because of the great diversity of countries in which the Section has Chapters, the diversity of the roles the local bar and other international bar associations play in different jurisdictions, and the extent to which the economy or diplomacy of a particular country make frequent contact with New York more or less likely.
1. Recruit Members for your Chapter
One of the first tasks of a Chapter Chair is to make contact with lawyers in the Chair’s country who are (a) members of the NYSBA International Section (b) members of NYSBA who are not Section members, (c) attorneys who are admitted to practice in New York who are not members of NYSBA, and (d) non-New York lawyers in your country who want to have closer relationships with New York lawyers. NYSBA headquarters in Albany can provide information for your country in relation to (a) and (b). However, we ask Chapters Chairs to assist in locating attorneys in your country who wish to have close connection with New York law or practice or who want to develop a line of communication with lawyers in New York.
2. Organize Chapter Meetings
Each Chapter needs to establish the number of meetings a year that seems right for its circumstances. For networking, it is usually necessary to organize face-to-face meetings. Even if attendance at physical meetings turns out to be relatively low – because the number of New York lawyers or other lawyers in a jurisdiction is small or because the pattern or style of practice in that jurisdiction makes attendance at meetings difficult – it is still important to try to have at least one face-to-face meeting each year so that Chapter members can become acquainted with one another.
3. Organize Programs of Interest
Chapter members usually appreciate meetings that have some legal content to them. Some members may be willing to prepare a presentation. However, you can look beyond your country to our Section’s entire membership for assistance. Often, New York CLE credit can be arranged for Chapter substantive law meetings. NYSBA can establish a telephone connection so that members outside your jurisdiction as well as those in your jurisdiction who cannot easily travel can participate. NYSBA also has available technology to provide legal updates and education programs as webinars or webcasts. We also encourage Chapters to organize a more extended day – or day and a half – meeting at least once every few years. Attendees will come primarily from your country or region but the Executive Committee will organize a delegation so that there is a good mix of speakers and contribution from the Section as a whole. The recent Meeting of the India Chapter is a worthwhile model for such meetings.
4. Coordinate Local Programs With NYSBA International Section Committees
The Section has over thirty committees covering almost every aspect of international practice. These Committees are resources available to your Chapter for organizing programming and projects that would be of use to your Chapter. Video conferencing, (using facilities available to our members by their firms in New York and the location of your chapter) can greatly facilitate joint meetings and presentations. As already mentioned, NYSBA also has webcast and webinars capabilities that can be of great use.
5. Reach Out to NYSBA International Section Members from New York and
Other Countries
We encourage every Chapter to extend an invitation to every NYSBA International Section member who is visiting your jurisdiction. The Section also encourages its members to alert you before their visit so that you can inform your Chapter members and let members decide if they would like to socialize or even have a business meeting with the visiting member. NYSBA members from the United States or other chapters should let you know if they would be available to make a presentation on a topic that would interest your members during our upcoming visit. Occasional reminders to this effect can be sent to the entire Section membership through our Section’s Announce Listserve.
6. Encourage Chapter Members to Contribute to NYSBA International Section Publications
You can encourage your Chapter members to contribute articles or submissions regarding the law of your country as well as international law generally to our principal publications, the New York International Law Review, the International Law Practicum and the International Section News. From time, those publications may be launching surveys about the state of the law in the different countries in which we have Chapters. You can really help by encouraging a good response from your members in assisting with these projects and helping to locate experts who can be of special help. Your should also keep in mind that Chapters are frequently viewed as important resources for information and support in your jurisdiction. The more a Chapter demonstrates understanding of local law and practice, the more likely it is that other Section members will contact Chapter members for legal advice on behalf of clients.
7. Compile a Practice Guide for Your Country
Following up on the last point, the Executive Committee would like to see each chapter compile an article or general brochure about (1) the most important principles of its country’s law of which every international practitioner should be aware and (2) guidelines about international legal practice involving your country of which everyone should be knowledgeable. The new Google Knolls technology, which the Section is about to launch, may provide a very useful electronic format for your Chapter’s “Guide to Law, Life and Business” in your country as well as versions printed through the NYSBA Publications Department.
8. Encourage Chapter Participation in the Annual Overseas Meeting as Well as New York Events
The “crown jewel” of the NYSBA International Section’s annual year is the four day conference the Section sponsors every fall (usually in October) in a major world city in conjunction with the bar of that city and country. The 2009 Conference, for example, is in Singapore from October 26 to 29 and has the support of The Law Society. Chapter Chairs should plan on attending the Fall Conference and should insure that all their Chapter members have adequate information as to how to volunteer to participate as a speaker, steering committee member or sponsorship committee member and, of course, to attend the conference itself.
9. Outreach to Local Bar Associations
Chapter Chairs are encouraged to make whatever contacts they think are appropriate with their local bar associations. Communication between NYSBA International Section and the bar associations in the countries where we have chapters is a vital part of the Section’s outreach. Chapters are also encouraged to maintain good contacts with local chapters or affiliates of other international bar groups as well as to consider seeking the support of the U.S. embassy or consulate in your jurisdiction, American and other Chambers of Commerce and local law school and related educational institutions. Developing a mailing list with all their contacts can also spur new membership and good attendance and involvement with chapter activities.
10. Become an Active Member of the Section’s Executive Committee
The Section’s Executive Committee consists of the Section’s senior officers, all past Section Chairs, the coordinating Vice Chairs, all Committee co-chairs – and all Chapter co-chairs. The Executive Committee meets roughly once every two months; telephone hook-up is available so that every Chapter Chair can participate telephonically when not physically present in New York. The January meeting takes place the evening before the Section’s NYSBA Annual Meeting Program and the Section’s Annual Membership and Awards Luncheon, usually the Tuesday evening of the last week in January. There is also always a meeting in conjunction with the Annual Overseas Conference, which usually takes place in October. In the spring, the Executive Committee holds its annual Retreat, which is a longer meeting that usually takes place in New York City or elsewhere in New York State. We especially value the attendance of our Chapter Chairs at the Retreat because this is a day-long meeting where the focus is long term planning for the Section. The input of our Chapter Chairs is essential to the success of this planning.
11. Help Develop “Private International Law”
It is said that New York law governs more international transactions than the law of any other jurisdiction (and we realize that our friends at the Law Society of England and Wales and in other jurisdictions may have a slightly different story to tell on this point!) We really have no way of knowing if this claim is empirically true, but, be that as it may, since we are the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, the Section does have a responsibility to ensure that New York law is as strong, flexible and useful for purposes of cross-border legal work as possible. This, however, is not a one-way street: New York can learn from the experience and innovation of all the jurisdictions in which it has chapters just as we hope the jurisdictions where we have chapters can benefit from whatever contribution New York law can truly offer, in the broadest sense of the term, to the development of “private international law.” The Section’s aim is to have a continuing vibrant discussion about the ways in which we can make not only New York law but the law of all our jurisdictions more effective and hospitable to the types of international transactions and relationships we seek to encourage and make real. We ask all our Chapters to become a part of this ongoing discussion and to cooperate with us in projects of the Section related to law development and reform.
Approved by the Executive Committee,
September 15, 2009
Posted on behalf of Michael Galligan, Esq.