Part I
Our annual House of Delegates meeting in Cooperstown is our most relaxed, family-friendly meeting for our leadership around the state. Typically held the 3rd weekend of June each year, it was held June 28 - July 1st this year. We had a hall-of-fame crowd with great energy. We had a lot of fun and we got a lot done.
My sons were toddlers when they first joined me at this meeting 20 years ago and it remains their favorite venue. Easy for us to say -- it’s a quick trip up Route 88 from Binghamton -- an hour and twenty minutes. As for NYC and the Island, well, “you can’t get there from here”. Actually, it’s a lovely drive through the Catskills and the “road less traveled” takes you through Delaware County and some of the prettiest countryside you’ll ever see. If the spirit moves, you can take a bit longer route around the Cannonsville Reservoir, the source of NYC’s award winning water.* (*for both purity and taste)
In addition to the draw of baseball and the Hall of Fame, Cooperstown is a lakeside hamlet of manicured lawns, profusion of flowers, rolling hills, great golf, boating, hiking, biking and even an old German Brewery - Ommegang. Oh, did I tell you about the Opera? Or the Farmer’s Museum where you can learn about one of the great hoaxes of the 20th century, the Cardiff Giant? The downtown, with a fabulous antiquarian bookstore, is like a Norman Rockwell painting. For those who missed all of these things in June, no worries – we’ll see you there next year!
Members of our Executive Committee arrived mid-day on Thursday June 28th for our meeting that afternoon. New members to what I’ve always referred to as the “Big Table” (if you’ve ever seen the table in the Peck Room at the Bar Center, you know what I’m talking about). They include recidivist or returning members, Claire Gutekunst (1st District Vice President), John Gross (10th District Vice President) and Steve Millon (12th District Vice President). First timers included 6th District Vice President David Tyler from Ithaca, as well as new At-Large Members, Michael Miller and Steve Younger from NYC, and Hermes Fernandez from Albany.
To mix things up a bit, I departed from tradition and decided to hold the reception and dinner at the Farmers Museum. Travel options included the trolley or hay wagon. It was a treat.
Lots of Work, Not all Play
In case you thought this was all fun and games, we were back at it at 7:30am, debating the issues of the day (collegially and respectfully - always!), helping to craft policy on behalf of our Association.
Here is a summary of what we discussed and the actions taken:
Children and the Law
A report containing revised “Standards for Attorneys Representing Clients in New York Protective, Foster Care, and Termination of Parental Rights Proceedings” was approved. These revised standards will provide more uniformity; emphasize the lawyer’s role as a counselor and the importance of lawyer/client privilege. We are indebted to the Committee on Children and the Law and its Chair Hon. Edward O. Spain.
Indigent Defense Service
We endorsed the Report of the Chief Judge’s Commission on the Future of Indigent Defense Services, which recommended the establishment of a statewide defender office.
The House of Delegates later modified the Resolution to require that current providers meeting quality standards and best serving the clients’ needs be retained (including 10-B panels), that local bar input be sought, as well as adequate funding for the new system.
Mass Disaster Response
Thanks to Bob Saltzman for his leadership at the helm of our Committee on Mass Disaster Response. We endorsed the Committee’s Report and are now asking the Court of Appeals to adopt a new court rule regarding the provision of legal services in the event of a disaster in NY or other jurisdiction. Out-of-state lawyers would be permitted to temporarily practice in another jurisdiction, in order to allow them to provide free legal services to those affected by the disaster.
Access to Justice
We applauded (and officially endorsed) the proposed amendments to the IOLA regulations (see my blog dated June 5, 2007) which would require banks to pay competitive interest rates on IOLA accounts and has the potential to increase funding for legal services for the poor by as much as $50 million each year.
Senior Lawyers
Former NYSBA President and Chair of our Committee on Senior Lawyers, Justin Vigdor, provided an oral report on the many and varied activities of this committee and we approved a new Senior Pro Bono Lawyer award in conjunction with our annual pro bono services awards. Incidentally, if interested, you can be added to our mailing list to receive the Pro Bono News, which outlines all of our Access to Justice initiatives.
We also endorsed report and resolution of the ABA Senior Lawyers Division on law practice continuity, which report included the NYSBA manual on the topic.
No rest for the weary. Today I am heading to NYC for a meeting with our ABA delegation and then to Vermont for the summer meeting of Elder Law Section and will continue with this update of actions taken by the Executive Committee and House of Delegates in the next couple of days.
Cheers!