Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York Court of Appeals announced yesterday that, starting next year, all new lawyers in the Empire State are going to have to perform 50-hours of pro bono work if they want to join the bar. Considering roughly 10,000 attorneys apply to the New York State Bar each year, that's a half-million hours of badly needed legal help for the needy right there. Or is it just a tax on poor, defenseless lawyers? more ›

Last month, Governor David Paterson appointed Jonathan Lippman, presiding justice of the Appellate Division in Manhattan, to be the chief judge of the Court of Appeals—the top judgeship in the state. The NY Times has an article about Lippman, with praise from most people, but notes, "his body of work as a jurist remains relatively thin, leaving some judges and legal scholars uncertain about what he will bring to the bench that has the last word on state law." more ›

Governor David Paterson appointed Jonathan Lippman to become the chief justice of the NY Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. Paterson said praised Lippman, the presiding justice of the First Judicial Department of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, for "the implementation of nationally significant reforms, including jury reform, contributed to the creation of problem-solving courts, such as special drug courts and domestic violence courts" and his "role in keeping the courts open after the attacks on Sept. 11." Outgoing chief justice Judith Kaye stepped down due to the mandatory retirement age and Paterson still isn't happy that the nominees were all men, "Though I am thrilled to choose Judge Lippman to serve as our next chief judge, I firmly believe that we must revise the process for future judicial nominations to ensure that those under consideration represent all New Yorkers." Fun fact: Lippman is a childhood friend of Sheldon Silver. more ›