Local and State Government Carol Van Scoyoc Scholarship 2024 Winner – Grace Getman
Grace Getman is a 2L at NYU School of Law. She spent her 1L summer interning at the City of Scranton Law Department, conducting legal research and drafting legislation. She externed with the Office of Assemblymember Grace Lee in connection with the NYU State Legislative Externship program. At NYU, she serves as a Staff Editor on NYU’s Environmental Law Journal and as a board member on the Real Estate and Urban Policy Form, in addition to being a Moelis Urban Law & Public Affairs Fellow.
The purpose of the Local and State Government Law Section shall be to serve, educate and provide a common meeting ground and impartial forum for those attorneys, whether in the public or private sector engaged in dealing in any capacity with issues in local or state government law. The Section shall carry forward the work of the New York State Bar Association by:
(a) Providing a common meeting ground and impartial forum for those members of the Bar who are engaged in dealing with problems in local and state government law in any capacity;
(b) Furthering a better understanding of local and state government law through the holding of meetings and seminars, the making of studies, surveys and analysis and the dissemination of current information concerning judicial decisions, legislation and other matters of interest to attorneys practicing local and state government law;
(c) Formulating and submitting to the members of the Section and the Association, such reports and recommendations as may be deemed useful to the profession and advisable in the public interest;
(d) Reviewing pending legislation and promoting or opposing the same in the name of the Section (or one of its committees) and, whenever in its judgment necessary or appropriate, initiating legislation;
(e) Furthering the public interest through the practice of local and state government law; and
(f) Furthering access to justice through the promotion of voluntary participation in regional and local pro bono programs.
Upcoming Local And State Government Law Section Committee Meetings
View upcoming LSGL Section Committee Meetings with the PDF linked below.
Contact the Local and State Government Law Section Liaison
To learn more about this Section, please contact Emily Kurtzner
[email protected]
(518) 487-5582
Please do not contact the Section liaison with a request for legal advice or an attorney referral. You can instead visit our ‘Public Resources’ or ‘Lawyer Referral Service’ page for this type of request.
Lisa M.Cobb, Esq
Lisa concentrates her practice in land use and municipal law, primarily representing Dutchess County municipal boards in all aspects of municipal law, including litigation. With more than twenty-five years of experience, she has participated in drafting local municipal zoning and building codes, and litigated the interplay between local zoning codes and the requirements of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law. She also has represented applicants in Article 78 and other proceedings against municipalities in Dutchess as well as surrounding counties. Lisa’s name can be found on more than thirty reported decisions, including significant municipal and land use issues, and she has authored numerous articles.
Ethics for Municipal Lawyers
The Local and State Government Law Section of the New York State Bar Association is proud to offer its members and members of the general public this complete resource center on Municipal Ethics. Below please find links to PDF versions of articles, statutes, and NYS Attorney General’s Opinion letters.
Legal Resources for Municipal Lawyers
Welcome to the Local and State Government Law Section’s Legal Resource Center!
To assist you with resources the Section has prepared accessible lists of resources available in New York State. Click below on the links to help guide you to our resources:
Sample Ethics Laws
While each of the following ethics laws may contain some deficiencies, such as lack of enforcement authority for the ethics board or an unnecessarily vague gifts provision, on the whole they offer a substantial improvement over Article 18 of the General Municipal Law and illustrate the types of effective local ethics laws municipalities have adopted. The Municipal Lawyers Ethics Columns link contains four columns from the Municipal Lawyer that discuss such laws and provide model provisions:
Enacting a Local Ethics Law-Part I: Code of Ethics (Adobe PDF File)
Enacting a Local Ethics Law-Part II: Disclosure (Adobe PDF File)
Enacting a Local Ethics Law-Part III: Administration (Adobe PDF File)
Local Ethics Laws: Model Administrative Provisions (Adobe PDF File).
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