Rendering of the proposed new building at 250 Water Street, which will replace a parking lot. Image Credit: NYC LPC
Zoning is under attack in New York City. Not here or there, in this location or that, but the concept itself. This has been the long game of the city’s real estate interests, and after a decade of raids those interests have launched a full assault on several fronts. The historic city should expect no quarter. (more…)
Lisa F. Grumet, Adjunct Professor of Law, Associate Director of the Impact Center for Public Interest Law, and Director of the Impact Center’s Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families.
Following the Presidential election and reports of increased discriminatory harassment, many Americans have expressed concerns that the federal government may weaken its enforcement of civil rights laws. For those of us who live, work or attend school in New York, it is important to know and to enforce the strong civil rights protections that exist under New York City and New York State law.
Both New York State and New York City have enacted Human Rights Laws. These laws generally prohibit discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and housing based on race, color, sex, national origin, disability, religion/creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and citizenship status (City law only), as well as other categories. Concerning students, the City Human Rights Law’s protections generally apply to “educational institutions.” The State Human Rights Law currently prohibits discrimination in private, non-sectarian educational institutions. (more…)
Kathleen Grimm, NYLS class of 1980. Image credit: New York Law School
Kathleen Grimm, who passed away on February 17, 2015, never stopped working for the good of New York City. She took on the toughest jobs and did them with grace and competence. People who worked with her once, did so again and again and did so happily. She had friends everywhere in government, and just as many here at New York Law School.
Ross Sandler
William J. Dean, lawyer, New Yorker, pickup basketball player and volunteer for the homeless, recounts his life in 83 wonderful essays now available in his book, My New York: A Life in the City (2013) (available on Amazon). I purchased my copy directly from the author, a friend for 30 years, who sold his book from a booth in the Union Square Farmer’s Market, a dispensation granted for Dean’s years of service as lawyer to the Market sponsor. The essays first appeared in the New York Law Journal, Christian Science Monitor, the Wall Street Journal and other publications. The essays are charmingly told, unforgettable in detail, and perfect as tales of New York City. Readers will fall in love with Dean’s City, both its beauty and its troubles.
Dean could only live in New York City. Dean owns a bike, but not a car. He knows precisely the number of steps (30) he descends daily to the subway. He never owned land, but owns the terrain of Central Park. He buys his breakfast from a street vendor and consumes it while sitting on a City bench. He worries about the pilot light in his stove. He installs and removes his air conditioner with the seasons. He has been stuck in an elevator. (more…)
