Looking to do “something different,” Alan Rothstein will retire at the end of July as counsel of the New York City Bar Association.

The 67-year-old has advised the organization's leaders and scores of committees since September 1985, guiding the preparation of reports, amicus briefs and letters to government officials on a wide range of public policy and legal reform issues. He regards himself as a stimulator and facilitator of this activity.

“I have the opportunity to advocate change” at a “unique organization” that advocates for the public good rather than “simply following the usual trade association approach,” he said in an interview for an alumni feature published several years ago by the New York University School of Law.