On the Day of the Endangered Lawyer

New York City Bar Association Statement

The New York City Bar Association joins as a signatory to the 2026 Report of the Coalition for the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer. The report documents the attacks on the independence of lawyers and the legal profession in the United States over the course of the last year. As the report states, the “attack on the independence of the legal profession is an attack on the core of democracy.” It details ways in which the federal government has sought to punish lawyers for simply doing their jobs, including retaliation against lawyers in the private sector who have represented clients disfavored by the Administration and punishment of lawyers in public service who have sought to uphold their professional obligations and their allegiance to law.

As an association, we have specifically addressed and will continue to address many of the issues raised in the report. Our committees and task forces have issued recommendations, statements and reports on these subjects and will continue to do so. Speaking out in defense of the independence of lawyers and the rule of law lies at the core of our mission. Our endorsement of the Coalition report is a statement of support for both its overall expression of alarm at the dangers posed by ongoing events in our country and its demand for collective international attention to protect lawyers and the legal profession around the world.

Over the course of many years, as a member of the Coalition for the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer we have joined with bar associations and human rights organizations across the globe to speak out in defense of lawyers threatened by oppressive regimes which have sought to suppress dissent by attacking the legal profession. We, in turn, appreciate the support of our colleagues outside the U.S. in calling out the escalating threat to American democracy and the rule of law over the past year. As the Report emphasizes, the erosion of the rule of law in the United States and the vitality of our democratic processes is a threat to democracies everywhere.

About the Association
The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has over 20,000 members, is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org