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on October 10, 2014, the Impact Center for Public Interest Law and the New York Law School Law Review presented a symposium titled “Innovations in the Fight Against Human Trafficking: Perspectives and Proposals.” The symposium addressed human trafficking in its broadest meaning, as a form of exploitation growing from economic inequalities and both domestic and global migration to seek better work and a better life, which has special risks for women and children. The symposium featured discussion of human trafficking among frontline workers from government, NGOs, philanthropies, the legal profession, and others with specialized training or experience, as well as community-oriented private businesses, all of whom share the burden of seeking solutions and implementing policies related to trafficking. Contributions of the participants were publicized through the Symposium website and will be published as a special issue of the New York Law School Law Review. The symposium chairs were Professors Melynda Barnhart and Frank Munger of New York Law School.
Professor Melynda Barnhart
on October 21, 2014, the Center for Business and Financial Law hosted a half-day conference on a new technology with a huge impact on the financial world: bitcoins. That event, “Bitcoin Law: Regulation and Transactions,” drew major press coverage for its innovative look at this new payment system. Professor Houman B. Shadab organized the event and moderated two panels, the first on “The New Landscape for Federal and State Regulation of Cryptocurrencies,” andthesecondon“TradingandDecentralizedLedgerTransactions.”Speakersincluded:EmilyH.GoodmanBinick,Vice President and Senior Counsel, Enterprise Growth Group, American Express Company; Miles Cowan ’07, CEO, Tillit Inc.; Adam Krellenstein, Founder, Counterparty; Jaron Lukasiewicz, CEO, Coinsetter; Marco Santori, Nesenoff & Miltenberg LLP; Brian Stoeckert ’04, Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer, CoinComply; Sam Yilmaz, Managing Partner, Decentralized Applications Fund; and Jonathan Silverman, Director of Strategic Initiatives, BitGo Inc.
Jonathan Silverman, Sam Yilmaz, and Professor Houman B. Shadab
on November 14-16, 2014, New York Law School hosted a groundbreaking three-day symposium titled “Twenty Years of South African Constitutionalism: Constitutional Rights, Judicial Independence, and the Transition to Democracy.” The symposium, which drew a global audience, explored the question of law’s capacity to contribute to building an egalitarian, free society in South Africa—and by implication elsewhere. Speakers included Professor Stephen J. Ellmann, who was the principal organizer of the event; Penelope “Penny” Andrews, then Dean of Albany Law School; the Honorable Patrick Gaspard, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa; and Franklin Thomas, former President of the Ford Foundation. Funding came from the Ford Foundation and National Science Foundation. Co-sponsors were the New York Law School Law Review, the Impact Center for Public Interest Law’s South Africa and the Rule of Law Project, the Center for International Law, and the South Africa Reading Group. The symposium included a total of 46 sessions and roughly 200 participants.
Franklin Thomas and Professor Stephen J. Ellmann at the opening reception
on December 3, 2014, the Law School hosted a luncheon reception celebrating the service and contributions of nine distinguished professors as they became emeritus members of the faculty. Eight of the honorees, standing with Dean Anthony W. Crowell (left) in the photo to the right, are (left to right) Lawrence M. Grosberg, Stephen A. Newman, Carlin Meyer, Randolph N. Jonakait, Jethro K. Lieberman, Aleta G. Estreicher, Michael Botein, and Michael L. Perlin. The ninth honoree, James Brook, is not pictured. In attendance were administration, faculty, staff, and family members. Dean Crowell and then Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Deborah Archer offered welcoming remarks, and then each honoree, introduced by another member of the faculty, presented a brief talk.
on December 5, 2014, the Impact Center for Public Interest Law hosted a day-long forum, “Housing Justice: A Public Forum on NewYorkers’ Right to Counsel in Eviction Proceedings.”The forum arose as a result of the fact that the NewYork City Council was considering legislation that would make NewYork City the first place in the United States to establish a right to counsel in eviction proceedings. Dean Anthony W. Crowell and Distinguished Adjunct Professor Andrew Scherer, Policy Director of the Impact Center, made opening remarks, as did the Honorable Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. Also presenting opening remarks were Commissioner Vicki Been, Department of Housing Preservation and Development, NYC; Commissioner Steven Banks, Human Resources Association, NYC; and Susanna Blankley, Director of Housing Organizing, Community Action for Safe Apartments. There followed a Bar Leaders Panel; a Community Voices Panel; a Panel of Experts on Housing, Homelessness, and Social Services; a Panel of Experts on the Administration of Justice; and a Panel of Experts on National and International Experience.
Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman presents opening remarks.
on January 26, 2015, the Center for New York City Law, the Institute for Information Law and Policy, and the Impact Center for Public Interest Law presented a panel discussion titled “Election Reform in the Digital Age: One Year After the Presidential Commission on Election Administration.” Dean Crowell moderated the discussion, featuring Robert Bauer, Partner at Perkins Coie LLP, former Co-Chair of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, and former White House Counsel to President Obama; David Becker, Director of Election Initiatives at the Pew Charitable Trusts; and Michael Ryan ’95, Executive Director of the NYC Board of Elections. The event was sponsored by Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLP.
From left to right: Dean Anthony W. Crowell, Robert Bauer, Michael Ryan ’95, and David Becker
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