New York County Lawyers Association Statement Regarding Governor’s Rescission of Transfer of $100 Million from the IOLA Fund to the General Fund

The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) was pleased to learn late last week that the Governor has removed from this year’s proposed budget a provision that would have taken $100 million from the IOLA fund and redirected that money to the general state fund.  Several bar associations, including ourselves at NYCLA (along with many legal aid groups, indigent legal services providers and large law firms, among others), strongly opposed this proposal because we believed that it was inconsistent with IOLA’s foundational legislation.  As a result,  like many other members of the bar, we issued both a statement and Board Resolution opposing it.  We are grateful to see that it is now gone, and we commend the Governor for her thoughtful consideration of the views expressed by those of us who disagreed with her on this score.

About the New York County Lawyers Association

The New York County Lawyers Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar associations in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. Since its inception, it has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and has continuously played an active role in legal developments and public policy.

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