The Law Society’s Post

What is the alignment between restorative justice practices and some key conservative principles? (Short-answer: There is a lot of alignment, and you can read about it here.) I find this new policy paper -- brought into existence by some of my Annie E. Casey Foundation colleagues and their grantee at R Street Institute -- to be valuable.

To my legal friends interested in the DOJ, checkout this timely report Co-authored by my friend, Sean Steinberg, with Karen Greenberg and her team at the Center on National Security at Fordham law. It provides a comprehensive historical analysis of the trend within the department away from traditional norms and standard practices towards deeper politicization, and assesses the future threats posed by Project 2025. In an era of ever-increasing distrust in government, their recommended reforms offer a path forward to help rebuild trust in this vital institution. Well done!

We want to wish our American colleagues, clients and friends a happy 4th of July on behalf of all of us at Mason Hayes & Curran. We have representative offices in New York and San Francisco. Swipe below to learn about our offices and read more here: https://bit.ly/3W7gwRY #MHCLaw #InternationalLaw #IndependenceDay #4thJuly #InternationalConnetions

The Financial Times has named Morgan Lewis the winner of the Innovative Lawyers in Access to Justice & Civil Rights category as part of the FT Innovative Lawyers North America Awards 2023. We are also ranked among the Top 15 Most Innovative Law Firms in North America in the publication’s 2023 Innovative Lawyers North America Report, which assesses firms’ innovation, use of data and technology, policies, approach to social responsibility, and financial growth. Learn more about this recognition: https://bit.ly/3t7DUTR

There are certain figures that are central to the story of New York’s legal history. One of the most important is John Jay, a figure we continue to revisit. In 2022, we held an event entitled "The Enduring Legacy of John Jay." As part of that conversation, Walter Stahr, Esq. presented on Jay's life story, based on his book John Jay: Founding Father. In his comments, Stahr described a lesser-known fact about Jay: his central role in shaping New York's first constitution. What better way to focus on our FIRST state constitution as we explore #NewYorkConstitutionDay than to explore Jay's role in its drafting? In 1777, amidst the turbulence of the American Revolution, John Jay played a pivotal role in shaping the future of New York by spearheading the drafting of its first state constitution. Tasked with the monumental responsibility, Jay, alongside his fellow delegates, meticulously crafted a document that laid the groundwork for New York's first democratic government. Reflecting the revolutionary spirit of the time, the constitution emphasized principles of liberty, democracy, and the separation of powers. Jay's vision extended beyond mere governance; he aimed to establish a framework that would endure through the ages. The constitution outlined the structure of state government, enshrining the principles of representation and the protection of individual rights. Central to Jay's philosophy was the idea that government should serve the people, not the other way around. His efforts resulted in a document that set a precedent for democratic governance, not only in New York but also across the burgeoning nation. Beyond its immediate impact, the first New York State Constitution laid the foundation for future constitutional development, shaping the course of American democracy. Its principles would echo in subsequent documents, including the United States Constitution. Watch the whole event at https://lnkd.in/gEhwskN5 to learn more! #JohnJay #HSoftheNYCourts #NYSCourts #NYSJudges #NYSLawyers #NYSHistory #NYHistory #NYLegalHistory #LegalHistory #AmericanHistory #History

In both my professional and personal lives, I'm surrounded by folks who want to have helpful conversations about race, but aren't sure how to go about it without inadvertently causing harm. At TheCaseMade, we are leaning into that tension, starting with this webinar directed to folks working to prevent eviction. All are welcome to listen in! #reimaginehowjusticewins

Is your community advancing a civil right to counsel for those facing eviction proceedings as one of the many levers you're using to help us get to a future of abundant housing? We applaud you! 👏👏👏 And we want to help you draw in an even bigger bench of supporters and advocates. TheCaseMade, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, and New York Law School worked together to offer “Building Support for a Civil Right to Counsel by Anchoring Your Case in Racial Justice.” 💡This resource sets out a framework and sample language you can use as you navigate critical conversations, so we can all get closer to justice. 💡 Because a right to counsel is interwoven with issues of race, having thoughtful, strategic conversations about race and racism is the only way for us to draw forward the new champions we need. Please join us Tuesday, May 21, from 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern for a webinar about this amazing new resource—and how you can join with others to build even more momentum for a right to counsel in your community. Link to registration in comments.

A highly recommended listen: Bruce’s Beach: A Uniquely American Injustice via Murray Coffey & Andrew Longstreth and their Re-Examination podcast with guest George Clayton Fatheree, III. Re-Examination hosted their very special guest George Clayton Fatheree, III. George is a former big law partner who secured a precedent setting recovery of property taken over one hundred years ago, from the Bruces, an African American family of entrepreneurs. In this riveting discussion you will hear: • The story of how the Bruces purchased and then lost beachfront property in Manhattan Beach California 100 years ago. • How the city of Manhattan Beach used eminent domain to take property from the Bruces and other African Americans. • How the tragedy of the George Floyd murder served as a clarion call for justice for the Bruce family. • How George Fatheree and his team of lawyers succeeded in the precedent setting return of the Bruce’s property to their heirs. • How George Fatheree crafted the story of the Bruce family to both secure return of the property and change a long and racist narrative about wealth generation in African American families. • How George Fatheree’s next project is designed to narrow the wealth gap in the United States. https://lnkd.in/dVjGkhXG

What an interesting article from Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker about our “cutting our ties” with the necktie! One of the first rights of passage for me involved my Dad (also a lawyer) showing me how to actually tie one and then spending hours on my own in front of a mirror trying to get the “hang” of it. I remember him showing me the “Windsor knot” with reverence for something that is now a lost art. As Gopnik points out (in this repost from Leonard M. Baynes Dean University of Houston Law Center), “ties are now “reserved for the most formal events—for weddings, for graduations, job interviews.” Post-pandemic, there is no sign of a necktie recovery: a now famous photograph from the 2022 G-7 summit shows the group’s leaders, seven men, all in open collars, making them look weirdly ready for a slightly senescent remake of “The Hangover.” As surely as the famous, supposedly hatless Inauguration of John F. Kennedy was said to have been the end of the hat, and Clark Gable’s bare chest in “It Happened One Night” was said to have been the end of the undershirt, the pandemic has been the end of the necktie.” For the legal profession, I remember a distinct divide in the 90s with the technology and the dot-com boom types disdain for the necktie and the corporate rainmakers and “senior barristers” in the courtroom aghast at these developments. I recall as a young lawyer walking into a courtroom with my tie knot slightly loosened and being admonished by a cranky judge. In a technological era, it’s a knotty problem to find ways at self-expression or authenticity in business or professional dealings when most of the time we are now interacting through a screen. But, even as this fashion wanes, I am reminded of that gentle mentoring exercise from my father long ago in front of the mirror, what the necktie represents to me whether you choose to still wear one or not - the “real ties” that bind us together from one generation to another in the midst of change. #neckties #mentoring #legalprofession

Did you know LSC is celebrating 50 years of bridging the justice gap? Our work is impossible without LSC. "We know that 92% of the legal needs of low-income Americans are not being met. This shortfall in providing legal help to people eligible for it is the Justice Gap. America is founded on the promise of equal justice for all. " Learn more at lsc.gov/celebrate50