Coalition rallies to save the Williams Memorial Residence, June 18, 2014. Image Credit: CityLaw.

The City of New York experienced a massive influx of unmarried immigrants prior to World War II. For many of these men and women, hotel-style accommodations were more convenient and affordable than rental apartments. Such units generally did not include kitchens, but some included bathrooms. Many City newcomers preferred the old-world comforts of a communal kitchen.

For many New Yorkers without the physical or socio-economic resources necessary to maintain their own homes, single-room occupancy accommodations (SROs) became preferred housing options. Over the years, SRO units have been found in hotels, apartment buildings and even private homes. Today, SRO units are becoming increasingly difficult to identify and, thus, preserve as a viable form of affordable housing.

The rights of SRO tenants are better defined than is the category of individuals entitled to assert them. No single body of law has been formally cultivated for purposes of governing SRO housing. The web of laws and code sections applicable to SROs has become increasingly difficult to penetrate and apply. Consequently, SRO housing is in danger of vanishing despite historically strong and often well-founded support.  The current controversy surrounding The Williams, a 15-story senior residence on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is a case in point.

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Mark Peters, Department of Investigations Commissioner.

On January 18, 2014, Mark Peters was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigations. Prior to this appointment, Commissioner Peters was a partner at the law firm of Edwards Wildman, and had earlier served as Chief of the Public Integrity Unit from 2001-2004 and as Deputy Chief of the Civil Rights Bureau from 1999-2001 at the New York State Attorney General’s office under Eliot Spitzer. Commissioner Peters was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the West Side of Manhattan. He attended Horace Mann High School and received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. At Brown, Peters wrote for the daily newspaper and majored in medieval history. (read more…)

Ross Sandler

When trial lawyers gather they tell stories. When older trial lawyers gather they tell the same stories over and over, only they tell them better and better. James Zirin, trial lawyer and an assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District during the 1960’s, is a born story teller. His new book, The Mother Court: Tales of Cases That Mattered in America’s Greatest Trial Court (ABA Publishing 2014) tells the tales of lawyers and judges and the trials that occurred within the federal court house in Foley Square, home of the Southern District of New York. The tales produce laughter, insight, and recognition of a time and place. Zirin loves lawyers, judges and litigation. The book will make you love them too. (read more…)

Illustration: Jeff Hopkins.

When municipalities are sued in tort, two of the most powerful bars to recovery are the public duty principle and the governmental function immunity defense. When these two principles are applicable, the City will not be made to pay compensation even if a City employee had been negligent and caused an injury. (read more…)

Maya Wiley, Counselor to the Mayor of the City of New York.

On February 18, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney and co-founder of the Center for Social Inclusion, as counsel to the mayor. In addition to serving in the traditional role of the counsel, Wiley will also focus on investing in the City’s technology infrastructure and expanding broadband access across the City.

Maya Wiley was born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in Washington, D.C. Her parents, active in the civil rights movement, had a profound impact on Wiley. Her father, an organic chemistry professor, later founded the National Welfare Rights Organization and was arrested multiple times in non-violent protests advocating for women on welfare. This exposed Wiley to the legal system at a young age. Wiley remembers a particular incident where her father was arrested along with other protesters and charged with a misdemeanor, but instead of being released right away, the judge held the protesters for hours, humiliating them in open court into the night. From these early experiences, Wiley learned that she wanted to commit to helping people. (read more…)