Awards
2011, 2010 |
Super Lawyers Top 50 Women Lawyers – New York Metro |
2012, 2011 |
Avenue Magazine, Legal Elite |
2009 |
Awardee, National Executive Service Corp., whose mission is to assist corporate boards with administration and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance |
2012 – 2006 |
Super Lawyers – Business Litigation
Who’s Who in American Law
Who’s Who of American Women
Who’s Who in America |
Recognitions
2012-present |
Distinguished Neutral, International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) |
2011-present |
Member, Women’s Forum, Inc. |
2011-present |
Member, Panel of Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association |
2011-present |
Member, Panel of Mediators, American Arbitration Association |
2009, 2008 |
Member, American Law Institute Board |
2008-present |
Delegate to ABA House of Delegates |
2008-present |
Member, ABA Commission on Fair and Impartial Courts
Member, ABA Commission on the Future of the Legal Profession
Advisor to U.S. Trade Representative on Business of Practicing Law (ethical rules and regulation of lawyers domestically and internationally)
|
2008-2009 |
Member, ABA Commission on Fair Commission on Fair and Impartial Courts |
2007-present |
Liaison to Resource Board, National Association of Women Judges |
1999-present |
Mediator to the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
Arbitrator to the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York |
In 2008-2009, Bernice implemented legislative policy before the New York State Legislature, and Governor Paterson’s Office and Office of Court Administration on legislation to address: climate change, wrongful convictions, funding for indigent/middle-class, e-filing, compact for long-term care for the sick and elderly, same-sex marriage proposals, title agents, ethics standards, Commission to Review Qualification of New York State Court of Appeals’ candidates, lawyer advertising, campaign finance reform, cy pres awards.
In 2008- 2009, U.S. Congress on: Guantanamo Bay status, destruction of documents by Executive Office, review of qualifications of candidates to the Second Circuit Federal Judiciary, federal shield law, attorney-client privilege presentation, media.
In 2007-2008, Bernice lectured to the Southern and Eastern District of New York and the Commercial Division Justices of the State Of New York on the use of cy pres awards in class action settlements to fund civil legal services.
In 2007 and 2008, Bernice served as a panelist on the New York State Bar Association’s program “Committee on Professional Discipline presents Current Issues in Ethics and Discipline.”
In 2006, Bernice lectured on Lawyer Advertising to the NYS Association of Disciplinary Attorneys, the Brooklyn, Queens and City Bar Associations, and the Masters Institute Program at Stonybrook and 2009, argued in the Second Circuit on behalf of the State Bar concerning the constitutionality of lawyer advertising with respect to 30 day ban on solicitation of accident victims and their families.
In 2005, Bernice chaired the Task Force for The State Bar on Lawyer Advertising that proposed changes to the disciplinary rules and procedures concerning lawyer ads, adopted by the Administrative Board of the State Courts in April 2009.
In 2001 and 2002, Bernice lectured to 300 New York State Supreme Court judges at the New York State Judicial Conference. She was also a speaker at the New York State Bar Association Conference on Federal Civil Practice.
She has also lectured on a variety of subjects to bar groups and PLI, including: ethics, federal civil practice, arbitration, loan workout litigation, the commercial courts of the Supreme Court and case management techniques.
Articles and Publications
"Conducting the Cross-Border Arbitration: Anatomy of a Case," written and presented to the International Section of the ABA, Toronto, Canada; 2011
Drafted and argued amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit urging that the ethics rules on attorney advertising (30 day moratorium) in New York State should be upheld (Alexander v. Cahill, 2d Cir.); July 16, 2007; Second Circuit subsequently affirmed district court upholding these ethics rules. See 598 F.3d 79 (2d Cir. 2010).
"Protocols for Discovery in Arbitrations," written in conjunction with the New York State Bar Association ADR Section; 2009
“Women in the Law – Taking the Lead,” New York Law Journal; February 2009
“The Time for Civil Gideon is Now,” Touro Law Review (Vol. 25 – No. 1); 2009
“State Bar Association Calls for End to Stalemate on Judicial Pay” press conference, New York State Bar Association news release; March 31, 2008
“What Do Women Lawyers Really Want?” questionnaire, The Complete Lawyer; March/April 2008
“How Do You Define a Blog?,” Law Firm Inc., Vol. 4, No. 6I; November/December 2006
“Consumer Surveys in Trademark Cases: Are They in Evidence or Out?,” New York Law Journal; April 25, 2005
Federal Civil Practice Handbook (NYSBA 1999) and Updates (2001, 2006)
“Joinder, Severance and Consolidation,” Commercial Litigation In New York State Courts (West 1996) and Update (2002)
“Disclaimer Attorneys Must Use in New York to Advertise Specialty Mostly Unconstitutional,” Bloomberg BNA Law Week; March 13, 2012
“Waving a Red Flag” – FTC’s latest effort to regulate lawyers hits wall of opposition, The National Law Journal; November 8, 2010
“Taking Stand on Guantánamo,” New York Law Journal; February 18, 2009
“New Efforts Focus on Exonerating Prisoners in Cases Without DNA Evidence,” The New York Times; February 8, 2009
“Examining Human Error in Wrongful Convictions,” The New York Times; February 1, 2009
“State Bar groups want share of ‘cy pres’ awards,” National Law Journal; September 1, 2008
Best of the Law Blog: “Order to Release YouTube Data Sparks Backlash – On YouTube,” Wall Street Journal; August 13, 2008
“NY Bar to Target Misleading Advertisements,” Long Island Business News; November 18, 2005
Appearances
In 2008, Bernice was interviewed on CUNY TV’s “One to One with Sheryl McCarthy” which highlighted her priorities as President of the New York State Bar Association.