Category Archives: archived

MBBA 2020 Election

Please Join President Jason Clark and the 
Officers and Board of Directors of the MBBA for
The 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting and Elections

The Metropolitan Black Bar Association's (MBBA) Nominating Committee has nominated eight candidates for election as Officers and to the Board of Directors. Members are invited to vote for the board-approved slate of candidates during the MBBA Annual Meeting. 

This year, the MBBA undertook a comprehensive review of the MBBA's By-laws with the goal of identifying appropriate revisions. The Board has approved the proposed amendments, which fall into two categories: (i) compliance with the New York Not-for-Profit Corporation Law and (ii) updating procedures. Members are invited to vote on a resolution to approve the amended and restated By-laws during the MBBA Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting Notice Period is now open. 

Given the current COVID-19 situation, the Annual Meeting will be held via a virtual meeting platform rather than in-person. You are invited to attend the MBBA's Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 23 at 6:00 pm via the Zoom virtual platform. Information on how to register and log into the Annual Meeting is available on the MBBA website events calendar. 

If you have any questions, please contact info@mbbanyc.org

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Proposed Amendments to the By-Laws and Nominations

View a clean version of the proposed By-Law amendments, a summary of the proposed changes, and a redline that shows changes to the current By-Laws. If you have any questions about the amendments please contact Areal Allen-Stewart, General Counsel, at info@mbbanyc.org

In accordance with Article IV of the MBBA Bylaws, the Nominations Committee has nominated the following eight (8) positions to be elected at the next Annual Meeting, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. You can review the resumes and bios for each candidate here .

The bylaws and board-approved slate will be voted on by a voice vote at the Annual Meeting.

OFFICERS

President-Elect
Carl Forbes Jr.

VP of Programming
Malikah Fulton

Secretary
Shantal Sparks

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Class of 2023
Doralyn DeDios
Eric A. Love
Inga O’Neale
Mirlande Telfort 

EXISTING OFFICERS

President
Anta Cisse-Green

VP of Membership
Justina Rivera

Treasurer
Paula Edgar

General Counsel
Areal Allen-Stewart

EXISTING BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Class of 2021
Nicole Arrindell
Jomaire Crawford
Barbara Graves-Poller 

Class of 2022
Christopher Binns
Eric Cottle
Phillip Hamilton
Kevin Jordan
Wayne McKenzie
Dawn Reid-Green
Asha Smith
Jenesha Tai
Calvin Wingfield

Please note that these documents and this correspondence is limited to MBBA members only and should not be shared with others.

 

New York City Bar Diversity in ADR Scholarship

 

The City Bar is pleased to offer a limited number of scholarships to the upcoming Basic and Advanced mediation training programs in an effort to encourage diverse attorneys to consider adding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to their practices. These programs are approved under Part 146 of the Rules of the Chief of the Chief Administrative Judge and satisfy the training requirements of many local court ADR panels. The offerings include:

For each of the below Mediation Trainings at the New York City Bar Association for 2017:

Two (2) Full Scholarships; &

Two (2) 50% Discount Scholarships (50% discount off of the regular live program member/nonmember price, the full price of which is noted below).

A wide variety of cultural and life experiences enrich the mediation process by bringing diverse perspectives to resolving disputes.

If you would like to be considered for the scholarship, please send your resume to Gabrielle Brown at gbrown@nycbar.org by close of business on Friday, March 10. Please indicate if you are applying for the basic or advanced training. To read more about the trainings themselves, please see below:

Basic Mediation Training: Conflict Resolution Theory & Techniques

March 21, 22, 28 & 29, 2017 | 9 am - 5 pm Live Program: $1795 Member | $1995 Nonmember http://www.nycbar.org/cle-offerings/basic-mediation-training-conflict-resolution-theory-techniques-3/

Advanced Commercial Mediation Training

Wednesday, June 7; Thursday, June 8 & Friday, June 9, 2017 | 9 am - 5 pm Live Program: $899 Member | $1099 Nonmember

http://www.nycbar.org/cle-offerings/advanced-commercial-mediation-training-3/

Please contact Monica Parks or Gabrielle Brown with any questions or needs - we hope many of you will apply!

 

 

2nd Circuit Pro Bono Panel Announcement

The Criminal Justice Act/Pro Bono Committee is accepting applications for the Second Circuit's Pro Bono Panel. The deadline is April 30, 2017. Please refer to the Court's official announcement here. The Plan for the Appointment of Pro Bono Counsel and the application form are available here.

NYC Bar Office for Diversity Associate Leadership Institute

Dear Signatories,  

 The New York City Bar is now accepting nominations for the inaugural Associate Leadership Institute, a five-part series of high-level development training for 4th-8th year associates at signatory firms. The institute will include keynote speakers, intensive training modules, and networking opportunities. The program will run from April - July 2017, and will be held on Fridays at the City Bar. 

  Curriculum will include workshops on the following topics: 

  • Executive Presence & Impactful Communication Skills
  • Building Your Personal Brand: Leveraging Strengths & Mitigating Weakness
  • Leveraging Your Network: Mentor & Sponsor Relationships
  • Rainmaking, Business Development/Client Relationships
  • Practice & Career Planning and Transitioning

Interested candidates must submit a complete Nomination Form (includes a 500-word statement of interest), resume and/or firm bio, and a letter of recommendation to mparks@nycbar.org to be considered. The nomination deadline is Friday, March 17th.

  More information about the Institute is available at www.nycbar.org/ALI. 

  We are most grateful for your continued support and look forward to working with you on this impactful initiative.  

Gabrielle Lyse Brown

Gabrielle Lyse Brown 

Director of Diversity and Inclusion  

New York City Bar Association 

212.382.6713 | gbrown@nycbar.org | nycbar.org
 

In Celebration of Our Black History: Highlighting NBA President Emeritus O. T. Wells


February 14, 2017

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

In honor of Black History Month, join the National Bar Association (NBA) in saluting the accomplishments of African American pioneers who have shaped the legal community. Throughout February, we will highlight heroes who have worked to advance the respect and rights of minorities in the scope of the law. We invite NBA members to submit biographies of African American leaders that have made important contributions to breaking down barriers and redefining what it means to be a lawyer of color. We will share these celebrations as sources of discussion, appreciation and inspiration. Part of our NBA mission is to ensure the work of past innovators is not forgotten, but carried forward.

 

Ozro Thaddeus "OT" Wells, Esq.
President of the National Bar Association (1972-1973) 

In 1959, President Emeritus Ozro Thaddeus Wells (O.T.) co-founded one of the first minority law firms in lower Manhattan that focused on criminal defense work.

During the height of the Civil Rights era, Wells was co-counsel in the first sit-in cases in New York State and represented one of the leading civil rights organizations, the Council for Racial Equality (CORE). He also represented attorneys, judges, elected officials, and the late great jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis. In the early 1970s, Wells worked for the Department of Defense under President Richard Nixon, and traveled with a delegation to Germany where they investigated issues between Black United States military personnel and German nationals.

As President of the National Bar Association, Wells was called upon during the Watergate scandal to be a member of Attorney General Elliot Richardson's five-man advisory.

Wells has served as General Counsel for the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), and he has also served as counsel to the Presiding Bishop and General Board of COGIC. He is presently "Of Counsel" to the law firm of Donaldson & Chilliest, LLP. in New York City. Attorney Wells is barred in the states of New York and Massachusetts, within the US Supreme Court; the US Court of Appeals for the Second and Fifth Circuits, and the US District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He received his bachelors degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia (1953) and his law degree from Boston University School of Law. Attorney Wells also served in the U.S. Army in the Signal Corps in its meteorology department.
 ABOUT THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION 

The National Bar Association was founded in 1925 and is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 60,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. The NBA is organized around 23 substantive law sections, nine divisions, 12 regions and 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit: www.nationalbar.org.

The Robert P. Patterson Jr. Mentoring Program

The Robert P. Patterson Jr. Mentoring Program is officially accepting mentors and mentees.  The Bronx Defenders is seeking Professional Mentors from the legal profession, and Community Mentors from the Bronx Community. The program will cater to Bronx Youth ages 14-18, providing three consecutive years of holistic mentoring.
 
If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please apply here.  If you know of a young person who could benefit from holistic mentoring services, please refer them using the Mentee Referral Form attached below.  You will also find the criteria and a detailed program description in the flyers attached. 
There will be an information session for the program at The Bronx Defenders Office on February 27 at 6:30pm.  Please see the attached flyer for details. If you have any questions, you can email RPPMentoring@bronxdefenders.org.