New York City Bar Association Podcasts -NYC Bar

The public is fiercely debating the most far-reaching U.S. immigration legislation in decades. What will be its dimensions? Where do Republicans and Democrats agree? How will it impact our nation's immigrants, undocumented and documented? What are the social, political, and economic implications of immigration reform? And what's at stake for America if we cannot fix our broken immigration system?

Speakers: Jacki Esposito, Director of Immigration Advocacy, New York Immigration Coalition; Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Angie Kim, KORE Member, MinKwon Center for Community Action

Moderator: Grace Meng, U.S. Researcher, Human Rights Watch

Extinction is imminent for wild elephants and rhinos due to a confluence of uncontrolled poaching, illegal wildlife trafficking, consumer demand, and the inadequate reach and enforcement of conservation laws. A panel will discuss these issues, including the CITES treaty, relevant U.S. laws, and the potential impact of the U.S. State Department's new four-part strategy to strengthen and expand enforcement.

Moderator: Martha Golar, Member, Committee on Animal Law

Speakers: Bryan Christy, Contributing Writer, National Geographic; Author, Blood Ivory; William Clark, Wildlife Crime Officer, INTERPOL; Major Scott Florence, NYS Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation; Adam Roberts, Executive Vice President, Born Free USA

Sponsored by:Committee on Animal Law, Christine Mott, Chair

For lawyers who represent clients in cross-border transactions and international investment disputes involving developing countries, the rule of law plays an indispensable role. At both the national and international levels, the rule of law is required to provide fair, stable, and predictable frameworks for corporations doing business in developing countries. The U.N. General Assembly has recognized the importance of the rule of law to international commerce and development, declaring it "essential for sustained and inclusive economic growth, sustainable development, the eradication of poverty and hunger and the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development." Our panel will present several perspectives on the rule of law and doing business in developing countries, and will include presentations on international transactions, international investment disputes, and the United Nations' Rule of Law Initiative.

Presented by: The Council on International Affairs of the New York City Bar Association, Bettina B. Plevan, Chair, and The American Bar Association Representatives and Observers to the United Nations

Panelists:  Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations, one of two Co-Facilitators appointed by the President of the U.N. General Assembly tasked with working with Member States to develop the Declaration on the Rule of Law adopted by the U.N. General Assembly; Laura Chenoweth, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Emerging Markets Business Unit, Pfizer Inc.; Lawrence B. Friedman, International Litigation and Arbitration, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; Bruce Rashkow, Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, formerly with the Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State, and head for ten years of the General Legal Division, U.N. Office of Legal Affairs, before retiring from the Management and Reform Section, U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

People with mental disabilities in Africa face enormous obstacles to the exercise of their human rights, including societal stigma and exclusion, lack of community services, and lack of legal protections. The coming into force of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which many African countries have ratified, has given renewed impetus to protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, including those with mental health and intellectual disabilities. The panel discussion will bring together advocates and experts from the fields of international human rights and disability law, mental health law, and international development to examine a range of strategies to enhance protections of the rights of people with mental disabilities in Africa.

Moderator: Arlene S. Kanter, Bond, Schoeneck & King Distinguished Professor of Law; Director, Disability Law and Policy Program; Co-Director, Center on Human Policy, Law and Disability Studies, Syracuse University School of Law

Speakers: Shuaib Chalken, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability; Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Coordinator, Office for Disability and Inclusive Development, USAID; Med Ssengooba, Finberg Fellow/Researcher, Human Rights Watch; Steven Datlof, Hogan Lovells; Lycette Nelson, Litigation Director, Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC)

Sponsored by: Committee on African Affairs, Christina Holder, Chair; Committee on Mental Health, Karen Gomes Andreasian, Chair; Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice

Globalization, international trade, and the growth of multinational law firms have resulted in an increased enrollment in LL.M. programs at law schools throughout the U.S. However, international attorneys may face a number of challenges as they seek employment in the U.S. legal market in the private or public sector. This panel will provide important information and advice for this valuable and diverse segment of today's legal market.

How to Find a Clerkship

In 2010, New York became the first state in the nation to allow victims of sex trafficking to clear their records of prior prostitution-related crimes. This program will help you identify whether your client may have been trafficked and will serve as an introduction to the process of filing a motion to vacate a prior prostitution-related conviction.

Moderator: SUZANNE TOMATORE, Director, Immigrant Women & Children Project, City Bar Justice Center

Speakers: MELISSA SONTAG BROUDO, Staff Attorney, Sex Workers Project, Urban Justice Center; KATE MOGULESCU, Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice, The Legal Aid Society; JOHN TEMPLE, Assistant District Attorney, Sex Crimes Unit, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

Sponsored by: Sex and Law Committee, Pamela Zimmerman, Chair; Criminal Courts Committee, Robert S. Dean, Chair; Criminal Law Committee, Karen A. Newirth, Chair; Juvenile Justice Committee, Lynn M. Leopold, Chair; and Council on Children, Stephanie Gendell, Chair

This event will explore the unique issues and challenges faced by in-house legal counsel in the fashion industry and how their role has changed and expanded in an online world. Our panelists also will discuss their respective career paths and provide advice to attorneys and law students interested in entering this exciting industry.Introduction by: MONICA RICHMAN, SNR DentonModerator: MARC LIEBERSTEIN, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLPSpeakers: ANTONIO BORRELLI , Assistant General Counsel, The Donna Karan Company LLC; KAREN LAPIDUS, Former Vice President & General Counsel, Loehmann’s Holdings, Inc.; CINDY BIRNBAUM RONSON, General Counsel, A&E Stores, Inc.; ANNA DALLA VAL , Senior Director, International Trademarks and Enforcement, Ralph Lauren Corporation

In this law podcast, leading practitioners and professors of New York environmental law will review the year's most significant judicial, regulatory, and administrative developments. Featured topics will include the regulation of high volume hydraulic fracturing, new developments under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, events at DEC, and more.

This conference was designed for attorneys, animal interest groups, animal rescue groups, and anyone with an interest in helping animals, gain a basic understanding of the various laws that affect animals. Presentations featured a variety of current animal law topics, including a review of various NYS laws and NYC laws as they pertain to: housing laws, Trap-Neuter and Return programs, and cruelty laws and their enforcement; an overview of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act; a review of estate planning issues as pertains to animals; and a review of NYS legislation as pertains to animals.

Welcoming/Closing Remarks: Mikki Golar, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Chair, Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals; Melissa Gillespie, Law Offices of Melissa Gillespie; Conference Chair, Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining to Animals

Speakers: Elizabeth Kocienda, Legislative Affairs Associate, New York City Bar; Fran Carlisle, solo practitioner; Daryl Vernon, Vernon & Ginsberg LLP; Bryan Kortis, Board Member, Neighborhood Cats; Program Manager, PetSmart Charities; Vernessa M. Poole, Legal Counsel, Humane Law Enforcement; Adam Saunders, Ulster County SCPA; Odette Wilkens, Executive Director, Equal Justice Alliance; Meena Alagappan, Executive Director, Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers (HEART); Jane Hoffman, President and Chair of the Board, Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals; Caroline Van Zandt, LCSW, PETS Project Coordinator, Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA); Alexandra Collier, Director of Volunteer Services and Special Projects, Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA); Ssuan Kaufman, Founder and President, Animal Relief Fund ("ARF")