The Six Pillars of New York City Bar Association President Sheila S. Boston
When Sheila S. Boston became the New York City Bar Association’s 69th President at the Association’s annual meeting on May 19, 2020, she announced six priorities — or “pillars” — on which she would like the City Bar to focus: COVID-19 Recovery; Access to Justice; Criminal Justice Reform; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Protection of the Rule of Law; and Mental Health and Wellness. Following are select highlights of the City Bar’s work in each area during President Boston’s term.
The 44th Street Notes special issue on the “Launch of the Six Pillars” is here.
COVID-19 Recovery
“I had been formulating the priorities on which I thought the City Bar should focus during my term, and of course COVID-19 Recovery Projects would now top the list. Without them none of the other initiatives would be possible.”
- City Bar Justice Center Launches Pro Bono COVID-19 Small Business Remote Legal Clinic
- Free Life-Planning Legal Assistance to NYC Front-Line Health Care Workers to be Provided by City Bar Justice Center
- Impact of COVID-19 on NYC Area Solo and Small Law Firms
- Request for COVID-19 Point Person for New York City Family Court
- Affirming Principles for Expanding Operations in the New York City Housing Courts During the COVID-19 Crisis
- Recommendations Regarding the Reopening of New York City’s Criminal Courts in Light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
- Opposition to the Use of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Undermine Asylum Law and Protections for Unaccompanied Children
- Recommendations to the NYS Court of Appeals for the 2020 Bar Examination
- A Conversation with Law School Deans: Legal Education in the Wake of the Pandemic (program video)
- Opposition to Asylum Regulations Threatening Public Health
- Support for Legislation Addressing Children Aging Out of Foster Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Report in Support of the Save Our Stages Act: Live Performance Venues Are Vital
- Report in Support of a Just and Equitable Framework for Allocation and Distribution of the Covid-19 Vaccine in New York State
- Priority COVID-19 Vaccination for Judges, Lawyers, and Support Staff Who Must Appear in Person in Court, Meet With Clients in Jails and Prisons and Other Detention Facilities
- Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution to Incarcerated People
- Recommendations for New York City Virtual Family Court Proceedings, With Particular Focus on Matters Involving Litigants Who Are Survivors of Abuse
- Public Hearing on the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on the Open Meetings Law
Access to Justice
“As lawyers lined up to volunteer at the City Bar after 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy, they are logging in to respond to the pandemic.”
- Policy Recommendations Respectfully Submitted to the Biden-Harris Administration Regarding Civil Legal Services and Access to Justice
- The Family Court Judicial Appointment and Assignment Process
- Homeless Need Internet Access to Find a Home
- #WiFi4Homeless: A Movement to Close the Digital Divide
- Letter to the de Blasio Administration Urging Internet Access for New York City Homeless Shelter Residents
- City Bar Justice Center Announces Honorees of Its 2021 Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards
- Chief Judge’s 2020 Hearing on Civil Legal Services – Written Testimony
- Testimony Highlighting the Impact of the Digital Divide on New York City’s Homeless Population
- Testimony Highlighting the Impact of the Digital Divide on New York City’s Senior Homeless Population
- Letter from City Bar President & NYC Council Member Treyger to NYC Schools Chancellor Regarding Lack of Internet Access for Homeless Students
- #WiFi4Homeless: A Movement to Close the Digital Divide
- Report on the Independence of the Immigration Courts
- Opposition to the Use of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Undermine Asylum Law and Protections for Unaccompanied Children
- Converting Guantánamo Bay Military Commissions Into An Article III Court
- New York City Bar Association Statement Urging Release from Prison of Nasrin Sotoudeh and Others as the Islamic Republic of Iran Marks Nowruz
Criminal Justice Reform
“I knew it would be one of my priorities from the moment I was nominated to be the City Bar’s next President….When George Floyd was killed before the world six days later, I felt anything but prescient. It came in the wake of Breonna Taylor in March, and Ahmaud Arbery in February, and Eric Garner and Tamir Rice in 2014, and Amadou Diallo in 1999, and there are too many names to say here.”
- Policing Black and Brown Communities in NYC: Reckoning with the Past and Envisioning a Better Future (program video)
- The Policing of Black & Brown Bodies (program video)
- Police Reform Efforts in New York State and New York City: More to Do
- Prison Reform and Beyond Incarceration (program video)
- Addressing Rikers Island Crisis: Recommendations to NYC District Attorneys
- New York City Bar Association Decries Humanitarian Crisis at Rikers Island
- Revisiting the Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act of 2012 for Federal Criminal Discovery Reform
- Legislation to Protect Children During Custodial Police Interrogation
- Report on Legislation Further Restricting the Use of Restraints on Children Appearing Before the Family Court
- Supplemental report on legislation which would allow ineffective assistance of counsel claims via post-conviction motions
- Jailed Without a Crime: How Technical Parole Violations Drive Mass Incarceration in New York and What to Do About It (program video)
- A Pathway Out of Mass Incarceration And Towards a New Criminal Justice System: Recommendations for the New York State Legislature
- Policy Recommendations Respectfully Submitted to the Biden-Harris Administration Regarding Incarceration and Reentry
- Restoration of Voting Rights Upon Release From Prison
- Concerns about the New York City Police Department’s Criminal Group Database and Associated Policing Practices
- Report in Support of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act
- Report in Support of Federal Police Reform Efforts: The George Floyd Justice In Policing Act & Justice In Policing Act
- Strengthening Protection When Seeking Employment with a Criminal Record
- Support for the Less is More Act
- New York City Bar Association Statement Regarding the Recent Federal Executions
- Letter in Support of Legislation Requiring Video Recording of Interrogations of Juveniles in Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings in Family Court
- Letter to Governor Cuomo in Support of Legislation Intended to Bring Children & Their Incarcerated Parents Closer Together
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
“These priorities I am outlining all blend into one another –- Access to Justice into Criminal Justice Reform, into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion….After all, can there be equity in society if we lack diversity among those who make the wheels of justice turn?”
- Presidential Series: Raising the Bar of Hope: Black Women in Leadership at the City Bar (program)
- Presidential Series: Raising The Bar of Hope: Ending The Over-Policing of Black Girls in Schools (program video)
- Presidential Series: Raising The Bar of Hope (program video)
- The Diversity Gap: Black and Latinx Representation Disparities in the Legal Pipeline
- City Bar Report Offers Recommendations to Fix Disparities for Black and Latinx Students in the Legal Pipeline
- Former Diversity Fellow Returns to City Bar to Lead Diversity Efforts
- City Bar Justice Center Receives International Award for its Pro Bono-Focused Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias Program
- ‘A Mindset Shift’: City Bar’s New Diversity Leader Views Opportunities and Challenges Ahead (New York Law Journal)
- Three Former City Bar Diversity Fellows on Their Professional Journeys (podcast)
- City Bar President Sheila S. Boston Introduces the 2nd Annual International Law Conference on the Status of Women (program video)
- Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program (program video)
- Staying on Track: Workplace Diversity and Inclusion in the Midst of COVID-19 (program video)
- Women in the Law (program video)
- Our Story: Asian American Judges Share Their Path to the Bench, and Thoughts on Diversity and of the Future (program video)
- Building Power in the Environmental Movement Series: BIPOC Attorneys on Careers in Environmental Law (program video)
- City Bar Announces 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award Honorees
- Women in the Law (program video)
- Our Story: Asian American Judges Share Their Path to the Bench, and Thoughts on Diversity and of the Future (program video)
- NYC Bar Says Pipeline Programs Need Black, Latino People (Law360)
- NYC Bar Issues Report Setting Out 6 Actions to Pipeline Black and Hispanic/Latinx Students Into Law (New York Law Journal)
- Building Power in the Environmental Movement Series: Tracking Progress on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Environmental Law (program video)
- Vance Center Pro Bono Director Chairs New Diversity Group
- Vance Center Renews Annual Pro Bono Survey for Latin America
- Vance Center Diversity Initiative Receives Key Support from Fordham Law School
Protection of the Rule of Law
“As a nonpartisan organization with members from across the United States and around the world, and across the political spectrum, we don’t criticize our elected and appointed officials lightly. To do so is inevitably to be accused of partisanship in some quarters. However, when the rule of law is threatened, the Constitution and the principles upon which our nation was founded –- including that no person is above the law –- are threatened, and it is our duty as officers of the court to take a stand. We owe no less to the founders of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, among whose first efforts was to confront corruption in the justice system.”
- The Consent of the Governed: Enforcing Citizens’ Right to Vote
- Rule of Law Forum – Preserving the Rule of Law in an Age of Disruption | Session 1: Threats to the Rule of Law in America: A Survey (program video)
- Statement of New York City Bar Association Concerning Grievance Complaints Filed Against Rudolph Giuliani
- Recommendations Respectfully Submitted to the Biden Administration Regarding Principal Actions After Inauguration Related to the Rule of Law
- Statement of the New York City Bar Association Calling for the Removal of Donald J. Trump as President
- New York City Bar Association Condemns Events at U.S. Capitol, and Urges Congress to Proceed with Electoral College Certification
- New York City Bar Association Calls on American Lawyers to Support the Rule of Law
- New York City Bar Association Statement on Lawyers’ and Public Officials’ Obligations During the Presidential Transition Period
- Concerns Regarding Recent U.S. Postal Service Operational Changes That Could Impact Voting By Mail-In Ballot
- Letter Requesting a Prompt Investigation of Potential Hatch Act and State Department Policy Violations by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- Statement Opposing U.S. Sanctions on Persons Working with or for the International Criminal Court
- City Bar Statement on the Improper Use of Militarized Federal Law Enforcement Officers in Portland, Oregon
- Pardoning Roger Stone: Letter to President Trump
- Lafayette Square Protests: Investigation Request
- In Re: Michael T. Flynn: Amicus Brief
- Protecting the Independence of the Federal Inspector General Offices: Call for Congressional Oversight and Hearings
- Report Urging the Senate to Revise National Emergencies Act by Passing ARTICLE ONE Act
- Condemning 2019 Presidential Pardons of Accused and Convicted War Criminals: Report
- We Power NYC — Youth Voter Registration Event (program video)
- Corruption Persists in Latin America Due to Lack of Political Will and Institutional Independence, Legal Experts Conclude
Mental Health and Wellness
“We need to prioritize Mental Health and Wellness. This was true before the pandemic, and it’s doubly true now in the midst of it. As with COVID-19 recovery efforts, without it –- without ensuring our own health and wellness –- nothing else is possible. That’s why during every public appearance I plead for all of us to take mental health and wellness seriously.”
- Support for Mental Health, Substance Use and Lawyer Well-Being Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Requirement for New York Attorneys
- City Bar Urges Legal Community to Support Mental Health/Substance Use CLE Requirement
- City Bar Asks All Lawyers to Get Behind Mental Health and Substance Use CLE Requirement (New York Law Journal)
- Fostering Mental Health for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Colleagues Through Challenging Times (program video)
- The Rippling Effects: Living with a Loved One’s Substance Use (program video)
- Fostering Mental Health for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Colleagues Through Challenging Times (program video)
- Letter to NYSBA on Attorney Well-Being Task Force Report
- The Rippling Effects: Living with a Loved One’s Substance Use
- World Mental Health Day/Law Student Mental Health Day
- The ‘New Normal’ for Legal Employers: Signing the ABA Wellness Pledge (New York Law Journal)
- Mindfulness and Well-Being Took Kit
- Mindfulness and Well-Being Guide While Physical Distancing
- Tools to Create Inclusive Cultures, Support Racial Healing, and Enhance Well-Being