Albany Times Union, N.Y., Carol DeMare column

Carol DeMare

Jun. 10, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The tough economic times are taking a toll on everybody, and that includes the legal profession. As Michael E. Getnick of Oneida County takes office as the 112th president of the New York State Bar Association, he is preparing to deal with the challenges of lawyers who need help and people in need of civil legal services who can't afford them.

The slow economy is striking "right across the board," Getnick said. "There are many, many lawyers in firms who have been laid off, large firms that have totally dissolved, and students who were told they would have positions coming out of law school and now no longer have jobs."

These students are coming out of school with tremendous debt and were looking forward to employment, he said.

Getnick, 64, of Clinton, is a partner in the Utica firm of Getnick Livingston Atkinson and Priore and of counsel to Getnick and Getnick in Manhattan.

To help lawyers, he has vowed to place increased emphasis and resources behind the State Bar's Law Practice Management Committee and Lawyers in Transition Committee. The committees offer educational programs and help attorneys who were laid off find new jobs.

"Lawyers in Transition is going back to basics," Getnick said, "of how to interview, write a resume, conduct a practice, pay your bills. The economy is such that I think it's affecting every aspect of the legal community. And, it's not just a New York state situation, it's happening around the country."

He intends to "combine the transition committee with other committees and beef them up all the more because they've been doing a great job and now they are getting calls all the time, on a daily basis, from people asking questions, seeking advice," he said.

"One of my basic agendas is lawyers helping lawyers," he said, and that includes the bar association getting "back to basics," stepping up the lobbying and governmental affairs aspect to see "what bills are being passed and how they affect lawyers."

"At the same time, we need to keep in mind the toll that the economy is having on our most vulnerable citizens," he said. "Imagine what it must be like for the hard-working single mother, who lost her job, can't pay the mortgage and is about to face foreclosure and eviction from her home."

Getnick, who has worked as a legal aid lawyer, pledged to seek increased funding for civil legal services through creation of a permanent State Access to Justice Fund in the amount of $50 million, as well as a centralized statewide entity to oversee civil legal services funding.

In responding to the argument that the state has a budget crisis, he said when someone loses a home and ends up at a shelter, government and taxpayers bear the expense, and it's the same thing when women and children with no health insurance end up in the emergency room.

He pointed out the need to work with law schools to provide more practical business training to students who some day will be hanging out a shingle, negotiating a lease, hiring staff and billing clients.

Getnick received his bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University where he was a NCAA Division I basketball player and his law degree from Cornell University.

Care Givers event

The Care Givers Committee of the Capital District Women's Bar Association, together with Albany Law School, is sponsoring a program on June 18 to provide attorneys with information on local home health care services.

The Care Givers Committee is a support group of professional people who are either directly or indirectly involved in the care of an elderly parent or a disabled family members. The committee realizes that legal professionals are increasingly being called upon to advise clients on the use of home health services, including the potential for insurance reimbursement.

Kathy Lind, a nurse at St. Peter's Home Care Program, Erin Stachewicz, a social worker and long-term care coordinator with Albany County, and Kim Swire, a social worker with Elder Care Consultant with the Choices program at Seton Health and St. Peter's Hospital, will talk about local resources that can help navigate the complexities of evaluating and arranging for the use of health care services.

The free-of-charge program begins at 6 p.m. at the Matthew Bender Room on the fourth floor of the law school on New Scotland Avenue. Contact jsingh@hodgsonruss or at 433-2412 by June 12 if you plan to attend.

Cops and firefighters recognized

Albany police officers and firefighters were honored recently by La Salle School in Albany with its Lasallian Service Award. La Salle Executive Director Bill Wolff credited the departments for their quick response time and sensitivity to the needs of the school.

"If you are a leader of a nonprofit in the city of Albany, you could not survive without the services provided by the highly skilled network of police and firefighters ... who, along with their command staff and communications and support staff, do the important work of public safety every day," Wolff said. "There are times when we are dealing with very difficult circumstances, like any school does, and the officers are consistently respectful of the work we do, they appreciate the challenges our kids face, and they are always helpful."

Retired police Chief Bob Wolfgang and Wolff presented the award to Officer Willie Flack, a graduate of La Salle, on behalf of the police department, and Firefighter Alvin Lanier on behalf of that department. La Salle provides therapeutic, educational and supportive services for youth and families in need.

Carol DeMare can be reached at 454-5431 or by e-mail at cdemare@timesunion.com.

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