Roger Juan Maldonado, a partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell has been nominated to be president of the New York City Bar Association.

Maldonado represents musicians, publishers and record labels in litigation to enforce their copyrights and contractual rights.

He is running unopposed to succeed John S. Kiernan as president. The election is scheduled for the organization's annual meeting in May 2018.

“I have not had enough time to think of what, if anything, I'd like to change. I do know from the work I have done with the bar that there's a lot I want to keep the same,” Maldonado said in an interview.

He cited several issues that he wants to focus on as president, including immigration, the rebuilding of Puerto Rico and access to health care.

Maldonado is chair of the Task Force on Puerto Rico at the bar and has served as a vice president and member of the Executive Committee and as chair of the Council on Judicial Administration, the Task Force on International Legal Services, the Task Force on Housing Court and the Housing Court Committee. He is a referee for the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and a member of the Commercial Division Advisory Council, the Advisory Group of New York State, the Federal Judicial Council and the board of directors of the New York Bar Foundation.

“I believe the New York City Bar Association, where we encourage lawyers to leave their clients' particular interests at the door to focus on preserving basic rights for all and increasing access to justice locally, nationally and globally can play an important role in a world that for many seems increasingly unsettled,” Maldonado said in a press release announcing his appointment.

Maldonado, who has practiced law for 35 years and is fluent in Spanish, represents the interests of Hispanic and American businesses, government entities and individuals, according to a press release issued by his law firm. He also investigates allegations of corporate wrongdoing and discriminatory employment practices and represents students in federal class actions involving special education.

The City Bar also announced its Nominating Committee's slate of officers and new members of its Executive Committee.

Sarah L. Cave of Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Brad Karp of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Matthew Diller of Fordham Law School were nominated to serve as the City Bar's three vice presidents.

Ira Feinberg of Hogan Lovells was nominated to continue to serve as secretary and Damian Schaible of Davis Polk & Wardwell was nominated to continue to serve as treasurer.

The nominees for the Executive Committee Class of 2022 are Brenna K. DeVaney, of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Affiliates, Harlan Levy of Boies Schiller Flexner, Sandra Park of the American Civil Liberties Union and Anna Pohl of Thomson Reuters.

The candidates were nominated by the bar's Nominating Committee: Carey R. Dunne, chair of the New York County District Attorney's Office; Karen J. Freedman of Lawyers For Children Inc., Kings County Surrogate's Court Judge Margarita Lopez-Torres, Michele Coleman Mayes of the New York Public Library, Victor Olds of the Bronx County District Attorney's Office,  Karen Patton Seymour of Sullivan & Cromwell and Ona T. Wang of Baker & Hostetler.