
Our Way
Back!


By Sheila S. Boston, President
Bar of Hope Presidential Awards
“Back to the House”
By Bret Parker, Executive Director
Save the Date for the Small Law Firm Symposium
City Bar Leaders Share Their Stories (Video)
Three Former City Bar Diversity Fellows on Their Professional Journeys (Podcast)
By Eileen Travis, Executive Director, Lawyer Assistance Program
Inside the Policy Work of the New York City Bar Association (Podcast and Legislative Recap)
“Reflections on Justice” – Q&A with new City Bar Justice Center Executive Director Kurt Denk

PAGE
BY Sheila S. Boston
Good Work!

Bar of Hope Presidential Awards
“We have over 150 committees, and they all do such wonderful work,” she said. “But I want to take a moment to recognize just a few of them in a very personal and special way.”
Following are the Bar of Hope Presidential Award honoree and the five Honorable Mentions, along with President Boston’s presentation remarks:


COLUMN
BY BRET PARKER
Back to the House
Like many of you, I’ve experienced the pros and cons of remote work. On a positive note, there’s less stress and more productivity without the burden of a daily commute. On a negative note, I feel a bit overscheduled. It’s good to have flexibility to take breaks more easily when working from home, but it’s also too easy for work to intrude on home life. In-person networking and social events of course are better than remote ones, although I attended our virtual scavenger hunt, met a few people I didn’t know, and had a great time being distracted during the early pandemic. And it’s been interesting to experience the different nuances among the cell phone, the remote office phone, the Zoom meeting, and the audio-only conference call when we prefer to be off-camera.
Save the Date for the Annual Small Law Firm Symposium!




Lawyers Connect Despite Pandemic
Members enjoyed a variety of engaging remote opportunities, including a virtual scavenger hunt across Manhattan, a highly competitive trivia night, and most recently, a summer wine tasting with Happy Cork (a popular, female-and-minority-owned wine and spirits shop in Brooklyn).
A Year of Challenges and Gifts
Adjusting to working remotely was easy for some, difficult for others. Establishing boundaries between work and life was a daunting task. Some did it well, while others found themselves working harder and longer. Families living and working in cramped quarters – often with children attending virtual classes – encountered additional hurdles. Difficulty concentrating and focusing on work or school was prevalent among lawyers and law students.
Policy Podcast


2021 NYS Legislative Session Recap
- Less is More Act (parole reform)
- Removing procedural bars from ineffective assistance of counsel claims
- Syringe decriminalization
- Permitting jury trials for ‘B’ misdemeanors
- Survivors of Trafficking Attaining Relief Together (START) Act
- Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act
- Closing juvenile placement facilities
- Humane Alternatives to Long Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act
- “Walking while trans” ban repeal

Reflections on Justice
Q&A with New City Bar Justice Center Executive Director Kurt M. Denk
Law is a second career for me, but I’ve always been committed to service with and for others, and over the years have had the privilege of doing everything from teaching at the undergraduate and law school levels, to working as a prison chaplain, to doing a substantial amount of pro bono work as a litigation associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel. I actually enjoyed being at a firm more than I would have imagined prior to devoting six years of my career to that work, but certainly did know that I wanted to return to public interest and service-oriented work. I also knew from sufficient enough life experience by the time I made the move from Kramer Levin, that it was important to wait for the right move.

60-Minute Mentoring
The City Bar’s New Lawyers Institute (NLI) offers 60-Minute Mentoring, which pairs recent law graduates with experienced lawyers for one hour to provide practical legal and practice management skills as well as guidance about overall career development. This program is an excellent opportunity for new lawyers to network, build relationships, and seek advice from those who have gone through their career development challenges and decisions.
Although all the mentoring sessions were virtual, this year the program had over 100 mentee sign-ups, double the number from last year, and over 80 mentor sign-ups. Overall the program matched 125 new law graduates with experienced attorneys. A huge thank you to all of the volunteer mentors.
The 60-minute mentoring program is part of the New Lawyer Institute’s curriculum. For more information please visit the NLI page.
Corruption Persists in Latin America Due to Lack of Political Will and Institutional Independence
Latin America Policy Director
Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Corruption Persists in Latin America Due to Lack of Political Will and Institutional Independence
Latin America Policy Director
Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Member Moves and News in the Pandemic

As a longtime City Bar member, I valued the Association’s resources when I launched my own civil rights practice last year in employment and disability rights. As it turned out, that was just weeks before the pandemic hit. It has been exciting to team up with great colleagues at a small firm, and also fantastic to have the Small Law Firm Center and committee colleagues during the upheaval of the past year, both in law practice and in our world.

Eric Friedman
Eli Cohen
Carrie Chatterson Studio
Arlene Bein 212.382.6685
Bret Parker
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