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The
IABANY was founded in 1987, by a group of Irish born lawyers
living in New York City, with the primary goal of bringing
together the large number of native Irish lawyers who had come
over to New York during the immigration wave of the 1980s. Since
its founding, the IABANY has grown to include members from the
Irish-American legal community and in 2007, the group absorbed
into its membership more than thirty young Irish lawyers that
had been partof the "Young Irish Lawyers Society." Today, the
IABANY offers a forum for our members to socialize, exchange
ideas and make personal and professional contacts in a context
that celebrates our Irish heritage. One of our earliest achievements in 1989 was to defend successfully the accreditation of Irish and other common law educated lawyers to practice law in New York State by filing an amicus curiae brief with the Court of Appeals challenging proposed amendments to the Rules for Admission of Attorneys. These amendments would have precluded common law educated foreign lawyers from sitting the New York Bar Exam without the necessity of obtaining additional credits from a U.S. law school. Initially known as the Irish Lawyers Association, our organization expanded rapidly, to include legal professionals working in a variety of different areas of law, including private and public interest practitioners, educators, elected officials and members of the judiciary. More importantly, we embraced legal professionals who were not just Irish born, but also of Irish heritage, or simply interested in things Irish. The name change in 2000 to IABANY reflected our inclusive membership base. We are affiliated with the Irish American National Bar Association, which also has affiliates in Michigan (Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers), Southern California (Irish American Bar Association of Los Angeles) and Northern California (Irish American Bar Association of San Francisco). Throughout the year, we host a variety of cultural, social and professional events. At least once a month we have a social get together of our members and the date and location of each month's gathering can be found on tour events page. In past years, our keynote gathering has been our bi-annual dinner, at which we present our Thomas Addis Emmet award for contribution by an Irish/Irish-American legal professional or organization to the advancement of justice. Prior recipients of this award have included Justice Francis T. Murphy, Retired Chief Justice of the New York Appellate Division, First Department, Dr. Gerald W. Lynch, President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the Emerald Isle Immigration Center. In addition to our dinner, we host an annual Christmas party at New York University's Glucksman Ireland House. Past speakers at this event have included Professor Charles Norchi of Yale University and former foreign correspondent in Afghanistan, Joseph McLaughlin, Esq., general counsel and managing director at Credit Suisse First Boston, and John V. Connorton, Jr., Esq., partner at Hawkins, Delafield and Wood and former manager of several presidential campaigns in New York State. Our social and cultural events have run the gamut from theatre, music recitals and photography exhibits, to simple get-togethers. On the professional level, we have organized continuing legal education programs and lectures by Irish and American academics on legal issues of topical interest. In addition, several years ago, we organized an admission ceremony of a group of our members to the U.S. Supreme Court, followed by a private reception and luncheon with Justice Antonin Scalia. So, whether you are a veteran of New York's motion practice, or a newcomer to our shores, membership in IABANY is certain to offer you something worthwhile. We encourage you to contact us, or better still, to join us. We promise you, at the very least, a traditional Irish welcome, and an evening of good cheer. |
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Memorial to Thomas Addis Emmet in cemetery outside St. Paul's Church, Broadway, New York