NYC Bar Association Supports Bill Protecting Trafficking Victims

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Following a successful career in communications and pharmaceutical sales, Amy Goldenberg of Closter, NJ, returned to school and earned a JD. Amy Goldenberg is a practicing attorney in New York City and an active member of the New York City Bar Association (NYCBA).

In June 2019, the NYCBA appealed to lawmakers to pass a bill that would protect individuals from facing convictions for crimes committed while being trafficked. Trafficking victims, especially those without legal status, are often forced to commit crimes such as drug smuggling and theft.

A conviction can make getting a job or adjusting immigration status difficult. As a result, former and current trafficking victims are susceptible to deportation and further victimization. 

If the bill passes, any convictions related to trafficking would be expunged from the victim’s record. The bill is sponsored by state lawmakers Richard Gottfried and Jessica Ramos.

Joining a Committee of the New York City Bar Association

New York City Bar
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Closter, NJ resident Amy Goldenberg received her JD from the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center at Touro College. Amy Goldenberg of Closter, NJ, has been involved in the professional community and belongs to the NYC Bar Association’s NYC criminal courts committee. This committee studies how the New York City Criminal Court and New York State Supreme Court criminal section operates.

Since 1870, the New York City Bar Association (City Bar), has promoted excellence among the state’s legal professionals. To guide the organization’s activities and advocacy efforts, the City Bar maintains 150 committees that host continuing legal education programs, write reports on legislation, and file briefs on legal cases. 

Participating on one these committees grants individuals numerous benefits. These include the opportunity to build a professional network, expand knowledge outside of one’s legal practice, and explore personal interests relating to the legal field. To be eligible for appointment to a City Bar committee, professionals must belong to the organization and be in good standing. Student members of the organization can only serve on a committee for one year, while other professionals serve three-year terms.

Most committees maintained by the City Bar consist of up to 39 members. One-third of these members are replaced with a new class of members each year to observe a rotating member base. The members are appointed to their respective committees by the City Bar president.

Tips for Improving Ironman Finish Times

Attorney Amy Goldenberg is an active member of several legal professional organizations located near Closter, NJ, such as the Bergen Bar Association and the Brennan Inn of Courts in Essex County. In addition to her work as a defense lawyer, Closter, NJ, resident Amy Goldenberg is an endurance athlete who has competed in several marathons and triathlons, including a half Ironman.

After participating in an Ironman for the first time, many athletes begin training for the next one with the ambitious goal of beating their best finish time. Here are some tips for increasing speed and completing a faster Ironman.

Mimic Ironman conditions during training. While standard workouts will build up muscle strength and endurance, they won’t adequately prepare participants for the crowded conditions of the Ironman, where hundreds of competitors are racing within close proximity. Experts advise swimming in a group to get a better feel for the experience.

Focus on aerobics. Completing an Ironman relies on the aerobic muscle system, which gains energy from proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and glucose. Athletes can improve their aerobic endurance by performing interval workouts that intersperse high-intensity exercises such as sprinting with walking or light jogging.

Consider nutrition. A participant’s Ironman performance can be positively or negatively impacted by the timing and heaviness of meals. Participants should give their bodies plenty of time to digest meals, and eat a small breakfast the morning of the race. Runners should avoid consuming extra calories on race day, as this can cause digestive problems.

NYC Bar Reports Immigrants Fearful of Obtaining Legal Services

As a law student at JD Touro Law School, Closter, NJ, resident Amy Goldenberg served as the election chair for the student bar association. In addition to her experience with the Essex Vicinage, a short distance from Closter, NJ, Amy Goldenberg is an active member of the NYC Bar Association criminal courts committee. The committee recently published its response to the increase in arrests conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency at New York state courthouses. 

A report recently released by the ICE Out of Courts Coalition provided evidence that the presence of federal immigration officers in state courts is resulting in unequal access to legal services for undocumented immigrants. ICE officers routinely detain undocumented court attendees. Between 2016 and 2018, the number of people detained by ICE while appearing at state courthouses jumped from 11 to more than 170. 

As a direct result of immigration laws being enforced at state courthouses, people without legal immigration status have become fearful of reporting crimes or appearing in court as witnesses. Without key witnesses, state prosecutors are unable to pursue their cases against dangerous offenders. 

In response to the findings, the NYC Bar has called on the Office of Court Administration to implement several changes, including mandating judicial warrants for any civil arrests taking place at state courthouses.

Basics of the Universal Bar Examination

Attorney Amy Goldenberg of Closter, NJ, served as a judicial law clerk for Essex Vicinage after she earned a JD from Touro Law School. Amy Goldenberg passed the Universal Bar Examination in 2017. 

To reduce barriers to lawyer mobility across the United States, the National Conference of Bar Examiners unveiled the Universal Bar Examination (UBE) in 2011. By 2020, the results of the exam will be transferable to bar examination criteria in 33 states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. 

The UBE includes the 200 multiple-choice-question Multistate Bar Examination, the Multistate Essay Examination, and the writing portion from the Multistate Performance Test. States and law schools have embraced the UBE for increasing employment opportunities for lawyers. Proponents also claim that the UBE will improve access to legal services by allowing lawyers to practice in multiple jurisdictions.

Touro Law Center Features Diverse Externship Experiences

Residing in Closter, NJ, Amy Goldenberg recently served as a judicial law clerk with Essex Vicinage, where she applied her skills in conducting legal research and writing briefs. An honors graduate of Touro Law Center, Amy Goldenberg passed the Uniform Bar Examination in July 2017 and is awaiting admission to the State Bars of New Jersey and New York.

Known for its experiential-learning component, Touro Law Center features an externship program that offers students the chance to familiarize themselves with a wide variety of legal-practice areas, while developing essential attorney skills. Touro guarantees that all law students will receive an externship placement worth four academic credits. Required fieldwork for the experience totals approximately 140 hours per semester.

The diverse selection of placements include roles at private law offices that handle civil law and criminal defense law, as well as opportunities with public-interest organizations and the prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices. In addition, some Touro law students do externships at federal, state, or local-level courts.

NYC Bar Committee Supports Reduction of Class A Misdemeanor Sentences

Closter, NJ resident Amy Goldenberg earned her juris doctor from Touro Law School. A judicial clerk in Closter, NJ, attorney Amy Goldenberg is a member of the Criminal Courts Committee of the New York City Bar Association. 

The New York City Bar’s Criminal Courts Committee recently issued a report supporting the One Day to Protect New Yorkers Act, a proposed bill that would reduce the maximum sentence for Class A misdemeanors by one day. While the organization has previously expressed approval for the proposed legislation, reiteration was necessary due to unfair application of existing laws against immigrants. 

The proposed legislation, if enacted, will reduce the maximum punishment for Class A misdemeanors in New York. Furthermore, it would apply retroactively, reducing by one day the sentences for people previously convicted of this class of misdemeanors. 

Under existing laws, the maximum sentence for such misdemeanors is one year. In the wake of a renewed crackdown on immigration, federal immigration authorities have used enhanced powers to target immigrants who have been sentenced to terms of one year or longer. The proposed reduction of Class A misdemeanors by one day to 364 days instead of 365 would safeguard immigrants from such deportation actions.