Authorizes a requirement of pro bono service as a condition of admission to the bar or attorney registration; exempts pro bono work performed pursuant to an agreement with the federal government if the federal government designates the recipients of the pro bono work or type or types or nature of such legal services; provides for the expiration of such provisions upon the expiration thereof.
Summary
S10288 would amend the Judiciary Law to allow New York courts to require applicants for admission to the bar to complete a specified number of qualifying pro bono service hours before filing for admission. It also authorizes the chief administrator to require attorneys to report completed pro bono hours when filing biennial registration statements. In both cases, the bill excludes from the definition of qualifying pro bono service any hours spent on legal services performed under an agreement with the federal government when the government specifies the recipients or the type or nature of the services.
The bill also adds a new provision prohibiting law firm employers in New York from requiring employees to assist in providing legal services under such federally directed agreements. The measure is temporary: it would take effect 180 days after becoming law and would expire and be repealed on January 20, 2029. As drafted, it would create a short-term framework for bar-admission and attorney-registration pro bono requirements while carving out federally directed legal service arrangements from both the qualifying-service and compulsory-service rules.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would expand the Judiciary Law by expressly permitting the court system to condition bar admission on pro bono service and to require reporting of pro bono hours in attorney registration. It would also create a new statutory restriction on law firms, barring them from compelling employees to work on federally directed legal services projects. The practical effect would be to give the judiciary and attorney-regulation system new authority over pro bono participation while limiting employer mandates tied to certain federal legal services agreements.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a pro bono and professional-responsibility initiative rather than a highly controversial proposal. The caption and structure suggest support for expanding public-service expectations for lawyers and bar applicants, while also protecting attorneys and candidates from being forced into specific federally directed assignments. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess beyond the bill’s stated policy goals.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the scope of mandatory pro bono service and the carve-out for federally directed legal services. Supporters may favor the bill’s ability to promote access to justice and public service, while opponents could object to making pro bono hours a condition of bar admission or registration. Another possible area of dispute is the prohibition on requiring employees to participate in certain federal legal services arrangements, which may be viewed either as a worker-protection measure or as an interference with law firm staffing and federal program participation.
Same As
Authorizes a requirement of pro bono service as a condition of admission to the bar or attorney registration; exempts pro bono work performed pursuant to an agreement with the federal government if the federal government designates the recipients of the pro bono work or type or types or nature of such legal services; provides for the expiration of such provisions upon the expiration thereof.
Authorizes a requirement of pro bono service as a condition of admission to the bar or attorney registration; exempts pro bono work performed pursuant to an agreement with the federal government if the federal government designates the recipients of the pro bono work or type or types or nature of such legal services; provides for the expiration of such provisions upon the expiration thereof.
Authorizes a requirement of pro bono service as a condition of admission to the bar or attorney registration; exempts pro bono work performed pursuant to an agreement with the federal government if the federal government designates the recipients of the pro bono work or type or types or nature of such legal services; provides for the expiration of such provisions upon the expiration thereof.
Authorizes counties with a population of one million or more persons to undertake certain public works pursuant to project labor agreements; authorizes the use of the alternative delivery method known as design-build contracts; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.
Provides a temporary extension for payment of real property taxes owed by a person who has been a furloughed or designated non-pay federal employee due to a period of lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government, or by the spouse or domestic partner of such person; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.
Provides a temporary extension for payment of real property taxes owed by a person who has been a furloughed or designated non-pay federal employee due to a period of lapse in discretionary appropriations by the federal government, or by the spouse or domestic partner of such person; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.
Authorizes counties with a population of one million or more persons to undertake certain public works pursuant to project labor agreements; authorizes the use of the alternative delivery method known as design-build contracts; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.