Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies members Wendy Butler Curtis and Robert Mahari are joined by Cai GoGwilt, founder of Ironclad, to discuss the power and potential of Agentic AI. Their conversation explores the definitions, capabilities, and notable limitations of the emerging Large Language Models. Building on Forbes’ “intern” analogy, the co-hosts highlight the ways in which Agentic AI can enhance productivity across several fields with its hyperintelligence and...

In this special episode we hear the Hon. Jed S. Rakoff – Senior Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of New York – deliver a speech to the Association entitled "The U.S. Supreme Court’s History as a Regressive Institution." Judge Rakoff’s speech is part of City Bar’s Benjamin N. Cardozo Lecture Series, which is inspired by the legacy of Benjamin N. Cardozo "and his love for the law, passion for justice and sympathy for humanity." First presented in 1941, previous speakers...

An increasing number of states are enacting policies hostile to LGBTQ youth, like book bans and restrictions on participation in sports. Even in states like New York where there is greater state-level support for LGBTQ rights, similar policies aimed at stifling those rights have emerged at the local level. Amy Leipziger (Project Director, Free to Be Youth Project), Ashton Hessee (Legal Fellow, Free to Be Youth Project) and Gabriella Larios (Staff Attorney, NYCLU) of the City Bar’s LGBTQ...

The Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies’ Bob Schwinger hosts a discussion with fellow Task Force members Don Irwin and Tyler Yagman. They identify the key takeaways from the House Financial Services Committee’s June 5th congressional hearing about the tokenization of real-world assets, its relation to cryptocurrency, and its potential to improve market efficiency and transparency. Bob, Don, and Tyler also discuss the importance of regulatory compliance, the differences...

President Muhammad Faridi hosts Rich Miller (former Chief of Energy Policy for New York City and former Vice President of Energy and Environmental Law at Con Edison) and Robie Craig (Senior Energy Council at the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services), Co-Chairs of the City Bar Energy Law Committee. The conversation touches on various aspects of energy policy and its relevance to New York City, including historical perspectives on power generation, the current shift...

In this episode of the New York City Bar Association podcast, hosted by Sara Chekroun and sponsored by the Animal Law Committee, the spotlight is on Steven Wise's pioneering legal career and his legacy with the Nonhuman Rights Project (NHRP). Guests Courtney Fern and Elizabeth Stein, both attorneys with NHRP, delve into Wise's groundbreaking legal strategies that fundamentally altered the framework for animal advocacy. They discuss the application of writs of habeas corpus for non-human...

The metaverse isn’t just the future, it’s already here and growing in every direction. But with so many players and users expanding in the space, the boundaries between metaverse platforms are becoming more cumbersome and complex. Flora Lau and Terry Dugan of the New York City Bar Association Digital Technologies Task Force host Larry Goldberg, a pioneer in media accessibility, and Debbie Rosenbaum, a leading attorney at Meta with extensive experience in Oculus and immersive spaces. They...

Muhammad Faridi, President of the New York City Bar Association, is joined by Boaz Morag, a Counsel at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and one of the lead drafters of a recent City Bar report analyzing for the Office of the Legal Advisor in the U.S. Department of State three private international law treaties: the Hague Convention on Choice of Courts Agreements (COCA), the Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (Judgments...

Hayley Gorenberg, co-chair of the LGBTQ Rights Committee, and Mary-Ellen La Rosa, Manager of Pipeline Initiatives and Education, discuss creating inclusive environments and understanding the broader social forces that contribute to inclusivity or lack thereof. They emphasize the importance of training oneself to recognize and dismantle exclusion dynamics, using respectful language, and embracing allyship. The discussion covers challenges such as deadnaming, the significance of pronoun use,...

Karyn A. Temple is the Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and one of the world’s leading authorities on copyright and anti-piracy. Karyn oversees the MPA’s legal affairs and content protection efforts worldwide. Before joining the MPA, Karyn served more than eight years in the U.S. Copyright Office as the Register of Copyrights, where she led the 400-person agency and its eight divisions. Karyn previously served as Vice...

On today’s podcast the City Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) hosts a discussion with Lara Gregory, an attorney, activist and community leader. Together with LAP Clinical Coordinator Michele Cuevas (JD, LCSW), Ms. Gregory talks about her roots in the Philippines and in the legal community as well as her experience as an AAPI woman lawyer. Ms. Gregory shared about the activism in support of the AAPI community and against AAPI hate which she has led and participated in, and gave her...

The New York City Bar Association is proud to welcome its next President, Muhammad U. Faridi. Besides being a longstanding, active member of the New York City Bar Association, Mr. Faridi is a Litigation Partner at Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler. He serves as the independent civilian representative to the New York City Police Department's Handschu Committee, which regulates NYPD policies and practices regarding investigations of political activity in compliance with a consent decree. He...

The City Bar Task Force on Digital Technologies dives into the complex landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in the insurance sector, highlighting the unique regulatory environment in the United States where insurance is state regulated. It discusses the role of key states such as New York and Colorado and the national guidance provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on the use of AI in insurance in a range of areas. The podcast features expert insights...

Artificial intelligence tools are already changing the legal landscape, so how will lawyers know how to use them while complying with existing ethics rules? David Keyko and Tyler Maulsby – current and former chairs of the City Bar Professional Ethics Committee – join Azish Filabi, Executive Director of the American College of Financial Services Center for Ethics, on the latest podcast from the Digital Technologies Task Force to talk about the current landscape of ethics rules in relation to...

The judiciary is poised for transformation in the AI era. From the courtroom to chambers, judges will likely need to address AI. Are current tools accurate enough for judicial work? How will judges be able to verify appropriate uses of these tools? What new opportunities and new headaches are going to crop up in courtrooms? Harut Minasian of the City Bar Working Group on Judicial Administration and Artificial Intelligence takes on those questions and more with two former federal judges: Hon....

The City Bar Digital Technologies Task Force teams up today with the Financial Technology Association for a deep dive into the State of Fintech. Angelena Bradfield (FTA), Adam VanWagner (MoneyLion), Matt Cameron (Remitly), Meredith Fuchs (Plaid), and Parris Sanz (WebBank) unpack the current legal and regulatory environment, especially with regard to recent moves toward an open banking rule. Our guests discuss the significant impact of fintech on financial inclusion, consumer benefits, and the...

Committee member Aimee Latorre speaks with Craig Dobson, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. They focused on healthy eating practices as well as how lawyers can use mindful approaches to eating that support their personal and professional well-being. Craig is a practicing ethics attorney with a vivid personal journey into the world of nutrition and coaching. He shared some common-sense framing devices when approaching nutrition. Craig also spoke about forming habits and...

Bad actors have been some of the earliest and most skillful adopters of new financial digital technologies. They are using those technologies to move money and finance their operations in ways that present a raft of new challenges for law enforcement agents and financial regulatory agencies. The justice and financial systems are speedily reacting and learning to enforce financial laws in the digital world. It’s uncharted territory, and the laws and regulations enforced by various agencies...

Flying cars and vertipads. Electric cars filling the streets with a charging station on every block. That’s the not-so-distant future and the experts are getting serious about preparing for it. How will the grid accommodate all of these new draws on electricity? How will this army of new devices communicate with each other? What business models will govern our new technologies? Who will own the galaxy of new data that results? Matthew Daus, Margaret Barry, Elizabeth Stein and Lorraine McGowen...

Governor Hochul has proposed transferring one hundred million dollars from the state’s IOLA account into the State General Fund. That could have cascading consequences for the State’s legal services community and the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers that it serves. We’re here today to help you understand what IOLA is, the stakes in the governor’s budget proposal, and what lawyers and others can do to stand up for IOLA. View a transcript of this episode here:...

Almost everyone has heard of the metaverse and seen that word in a splashy headline. But what is it, really, and what could it become in the future? In some sense, the answer is simple and very broad: the metaverse is a new environment for people to interact, shop, play and learn, and a new environment for companies to advertise, market and sell. But the metaverse today is a new Wild West where potential for innovation is matched by potential risk factors in terms of ownership, liability,...

The Digital Technology Task Force explores the crisis of unequal access to digital technologies. Robert A. Marchman and Jolevette Mitchell talk about how this huge issue can hide in plain sight, and they go over some of the existing efforts to close the gap as well as existing challenges. This episode also covers some of the pitfalls that even well-intentioned reforms must be careful to avoid. Tune in to hear more about: • What is the digital divide? Who are the communities that are...

The City Bar Task Force on Digital Technologies explores the implications of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)'s proposed rule on digital wallets and payment apps. After a review of the CFPB's authoritative reach, its enforcement authority, and its coordination with other regulatory agencies, we dig into the proposed rule – what its key provisions are, how its comment period was decided upon, and how it determines which entities will be affected. The group, which includes former...

Lawyer. Leader. Public Servant. Trailblazer. Friend. Marybeth Peters, the second-longest serving Register of Copyrights (1994 - 2010), died on September 29, 2022, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 83. With her passing, Register Peters left behind a lasting and far-reaching legacy in her storied 40-plus year career as a distinguished attorney, respected copyright law expert, and the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, where she helped shape and implement critical new laws, including the...