Interested in Serving on a Committee?

Serving on a committee is a rewarding experience.  The process is explained below. 

What is a City Bar Committee? 
Our 160 committees guide our advocacy and activity. Whether it is writing reports on current legislation, hosting CLE programs and events with major speakers or filing amicus briefs in ground-breaking legal cases, our committees shape policy and frame debate on the pressing legal issues of the day. Serving on a committee also offers the opportunity to build a network of valuable professional contacts and friendships.

Committees generally have 36 members who usually serve three-year terms.  Each year one-third of the members rotate off and are replaced with a new class of up to 12 new members. 

Who Can Join a Committee?
Committee participation is a benefit of City Bar membership and therefore only City Bar members can be considered for appointment.  If you are not a member please join http://www.nycbar.org/JoinNYCBAR/index.htm

Student members are eligible for a one-year appointment to a committee but are not voting members.

How Do I Apply?
Committee Preferences may be made online at https://www.nycbar.org/cgi-bin/CommitteePreference.pl  To assure consideration for appointment, please submit a preference form and if possible a resume or bio; you may also provide a letter expressing interest in one or more committees.

The President, acting on the recommendation of each committee chair, appoints committee members. 

When Should I Apply?
In February, the City Bar invites members to apply for committee service for the term beginning in September.  Applications are accepted until approximately mid-March.  If selected, you will be notified by mid-summer.  Applications received after mid-March and those not selected at this time are held to be considered for vacancies should they arise and will be added to the following year’s pool of applicants. 

How Do I Find a List of Committees or Who is On a Committee?
Our website (www.nycbar.org) lists committee descriptions and the “Members Only” (http://www.abcny2.org/)section lists the membership of each committee.  You will need your NYC Bar login and password.

Are There Limitations to Being Appointed to a Committee?
A person who is already a member of one standing committee may not be appointed to another standing committee prior to the conclusion of his/her term and no more than one member of a firm, law department or institution may be appointed to the same committee.

Please note that the President asks committee chairs to seek diversity within the committee, to provide opportunities for lawyers from groups that have been under-represented in the legal profession.  Committee chairs also are encouraged to provide opportunities to new lawyers and members who have sought but not yet been offered membership on a committee. 

Is it hard to get on a committee?
Because membership on a committee is limited, some committees are very competitive  but the majority of committees have openings. Consider choosing more than one committee to apply to; if the first committee you select is full, we will do our best to place you on another.  Please keep in mind that the broader your scope of committee interest, the more likely you will be placed on a committee that is both personally and professionally rewarding.

 
We welcome your participation and will do our best to accommodate your choices. Thank you.