NYCLA Organizes Rule of Law Summit

New York, New York – The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) has put out an invitation to representatives of bar associations and other organizations from across the legal spectrum to attend a summit on April 2 to pool resources, coordinate efforts, and discuss ways we can collaborate in response to the escalating attacks on the rule of law – and on our profession – that we have witnessed over the last two months. NYCLA has repeatedly spoken out against these attacks, which have ranged from unsupported assertions that judges who issue unfavorable rulings are corrupt, to suggestions that judicial orders need not be followed, and now more recently attacks on lawyers and law firms based on the clients they represent. And NYCLA is certainly not alone: many others in the organized bar have joined this outcry. “As lawyers, we have a special responsibility to safeguard the rule of law that is fundamental to our democracy,” explains NYCLA President Adrienne Koch. “We need to be the ‘first responders’ when it comes under threat.”

Bar associations know that we are more impactful when we act together. That, after all, is the essence of an association. But if ever there was a time for the organized bar to speak out with one voice, it is now. That is why NYCLA is organizing this summit – much as we did before with respect to the importance of due process in immigration enforcement and the importance of a diverse judiciary. We are also aware of the mounting frustration and anger on the part of many lawyers not only at these threats to the rule of law, but also at the seeming reluctance of many large law firms to speak out. We understand that it may be difficult for them to do so. But we call on lawyers at those firms, both partners and associates, to join us in this dialog about how best to discharge our collective responsibility to defend our profession and our legal traditions. “One of the reasons why bar associations exist is so that no firm or lawyer has to go this alone or feel unsupported,” Koch says. She adds: “In fact, there is no better or more important time to join NYCLA, or any other bar association, so we can amplify your voices. Defending the rule of law requires work, and we need all the help we can get.”

NYCLA President-Elect Richard Swanson, who will succeed Koch at the end of May, echoes this view. “These times are not only fraught; in many ways they are terrifying,” he acknowledges. But he urges: “Let us work together to find the strength in our numbers, the potency of our collective knowledge and skill, and the wisdom of our diverse experience.”

The April 2 summit will take place both virtually and in-person at NYCLA’s Home of Law. Anyone who represents an organization that would like to participate and has not already received an invitation should contact Christina Andujar at candujar@nycla.org and we will be sure to include you.

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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