Lawyers in New York

According to the latest estimates published by the American Bar Association, the state of New York has the largest number of active attorneys in the US. The number of attorneys based out of New York is more than 177,000. In the decade spanning from the year 2008 to 2018, the number of active attorneys in the state increased from 150,542 to 177,035 registering a decade-wise growth rate of 17.6%. In terms of its counties, Manhattan or New York County registers the highest number of lawyers on a per capita basis. In New York County, there are nearly 42 lawyers per 1,000 population, followed by Albany, Westchester, and Nassau with 12.1, 7.3, and 7.3 lawyers per 1,000 population. All these four counties have a per capita lawyer concentration that exceeds the statewide average of 6.4 lawyers per 1,000 population. 

The unified court system in the state of New York is a widespread robust network of general jurisdiction and limited jurisdiction courts. The New York City court system is distributed among the Supreme Civil and Criminal courts. The Civil courts are further classified into housing courts and courts of small claims. Other than these court systems, the city courts also include the Family Courts and the Surrogate’s Courts. The structure of the court-system outside New York City is similar to that of the city court system. However, the courts outside New York City also include the town and village courts. Apart from the conventional network of city and district courts, the state of New York also has a variety of specialized courts and parts that includes the court of claims, the commercial division, the litigation coordinating panel, the problem-solving courts, and the sex offense courts. Finally, the network of appellate courts includes the lower appellate courts, the appellate divisions, and the court of appeals. 

Like most of the other states in the country, the New York State Bar Association or the NYSBA plays the important role of a facilitator in the client-attorney dynamics. It runs a lawyer referral service that helps people to find out appropriate attorneys for their case – suitable to their budget, near to their location, and, most importantly, an expert in the legal area the case is related to. It also sets guidelines on the duties and obligations of attorneys towards their clients and their profession. To disseminate knowledge on the rights of the citizen and how a channelized legal effort can help them to achieve those rights, the state bar association provides free legal answers, publishes LegaLease pamphlets, and runs pro bono services. 

To get free legal answers on civil legal issues, the clients can access the specified service portal of the bar and correspond with a legal advisor online. A lot of well-known organizations and businesses, such as the American Bar Association, AT&T, and FedEx, make donations to keep this service free. 

The NYSBA also conducts pro bono services. In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, the NYSBA has started a distinct COVID-19 pro bono network. The role of the attorneys involved in this network is to handle the increase in legal matters driven by the pandemic. Such legal matters include assisting New Yorkers to better understand their unemployment benefits and how they can apply for them. It also includes helping the families of those New Yorkers who died in the COVID-19 with their probate and estate proceedings. These volunteer attorneys provide free services to those who can not afford them.

According to the latest estimates published by the American Bar Association, the state of New York has the largest number of active attorneys in the US. The number of attorneys based out of New York is more than 177,000. In the decade spanning from the year 2008 to 2018, the number of active attorneys in the state increased from 150,542 to 177,035 registering a decade-wise growth rate of 17.6%. In terms of its counties, Manhattan or New York County registers the highest number of lawyers on a per capita basis. In New York County, there are nearly 42 lawyers per 1,000 population, followed by Albany, Westchester, and Nassau with 12.1, 7.3, and 7.3 lawyers per 1,000 population. All these four counties have a per capita lawyer concentration that exceeds the statewide average of 6.4 lawyers per 1,000 population. 

The unified court system in the state of New York is a widespread robust network of general jurisdiction and limited jurisdiction courts. The New York City court system is distributed among the Supreme Civil and Criminal courts. The Civil courts are further classified into housing courts and courts of small claims. Other than these court systems, the city courts also include the Family Courts and the Surrogate’s Courts. The structure of the court-system outside New York City is similar to that of the city court system. However, the courts outside New York City also include the town and village courts. Apart from the conventional network of city and district courts, the state of New York also has a variety of specialized courts and parts that includes the court of claims, the commercial division, the litigation coordinating panel, the problem-solving courts, and the sex offense courts. Finally, the network of appellate courts includes the lower appellate courts, the appellate divisions, and the court of appeals. 

Like most of the other states in the country, the New York State Bar Association or the NYSBA plays the important role of a facilitator in the client-attorney dynamics. It runs a lawyer referral service that helps people to find out appropriate attorneys for their case – suitable to their budget, near to their location, and, most importantly, an expert in the legal area the case is related to. It also sets guidelines on the duties and obligations of attorneys towards their clients and their profession. To disseminate knowledge on the rights of the citizen and how a channelized legal effort can help them to achieve those rights, the state bar association provides free legal answers, publishes LegaLease pamphlets, and runs pro bono services. 

To get free legal answers on civil legal issues, the clients can access the specified service portal of the bar and correspond with a legal advisor online. A lot of well-known organizations and businesses, such as the American Bar Association, AT&T, and FedEx, make donations to keep this service free. 

The NYSBA also conducts pro bono services. In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, the NYSBA has started a distinct COVID-19 pro bono network. The role of the attorneys involved in this network is to handle the increase in legal matters driven by the pandemic. Such legal matters include assisting New Yorkers to better understand their unemployment benefits and how they can apply for them. It also includes helping the families of those New Yorkers who died in the COVID-19 with their probate and estate proceedings. These volunteer attorneys provide free services to those who can not afford them.