New York County Lawyers Association Statement on the Passing of Honorable George Bundy Smith

Official Statement

CONT ACT: Toni Valenti

(212) 267-6646 x210

tvalenti@nycla.org

New York County Lawyers Association Statement on the

Passing of Honorable George Bundy Smith

New York, New York (8/07/2017) – New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) President Michael J. McNamara issued this statement today:

“The New York County Lawyers Association expresses its deep sorrow at the passing of our former Board Member and former Chair of the NYCLA Justice Center, the Honorable George Bundy Smith. The legal community will feel the absence of his civic-minded spirit and his energy in working tirelessly on important issues which advance our society as whole. We would like to also extend our most sincere condolences to his family on his passing.”

For more than 50 years, Judge Smith worked tirelessly to advance civil rights and diversity in the legal profession and in the judiciary. He got his start in 1961 while still in law school, contributing to the advancement of civil rights at great personal sacrifice as a member of the Freedom Riders advocating for integration in the south. Following his admission to the bar, he began his noteworthy legal career with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund where he made his impact felt in a number of civil rights cases, which included participating in the landmark legal victory of James Meredith, which resulted in Meredith’s admittance into the University of Mississippi. Judge Smith’s distinguished judicial career began in 1975 and included stints on the Civil Court, Supreme Court, and the Appellate Division, First Department. In 1992, he was appointed an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals where he served with distinction until his term expired in 2006. After his term expired, he joined Chadbourne & Parke LLP as a partner in its litigation practice. In December 2005, NYCLA presented Judge Smith with its William Nelson Cromwell Award for his outstanding service to the profession and the community.

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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