NYSBA President Responds to Kamala Harris' Calls to Disbar Giuliani in Wake of Whistleblower Complaint
Legal authority for attorney discipline, NYSBA President Hank Greenberg said, rests solely with grievance committees, which are appointed by the appellate divisions of the state Supreme Court.
September 27, 2019 at 05:53 PM
2 minute read
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Feb. 5, 2019.
The president of the New York State Bar Association pushed back Friday against a call from U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, that it should investigate and "probably disbar" former Mayor Rudy Giuliani over allegations made in a recently released whistleblower complaint.
Hank Greenberg, of Greenberg Traurig, said there was a "common misperception" that the NYSBA is responsible for investigation and enforcement of ethical violations by attorneys licensed in the state. That legal authority, Greenberg said, rests solely with grievance committees, which are appointed by the appellate divisions of the state Supreme Court.
"That said, we continue to work with New York's judicial branch regarding rules of ethics for lawyers and providing guidance to our members and the legal profession on meeting ethical standards," Greenberg said in a statement.
The remarks came in response to comments that Harris, a Democratic candidate for president, made Thursday night on MSNBC. Harris also said in the interview that Giuliani had been "incriminating himself" in a television appearance and that he "really ought to stop talking and get a lawyer."
An anonymous whistleblower complaint, released Thursday, said Giuliani has been a "central figure" in alleged efforts to have the Ukrainian government interfere in the 2020 U.S. election.
READ MORE:
NY Lawyers Bemoan a 'New' Rudy Giuliani 'We Don't Understand'
'Unprecedented': Intel Chief Defends White House, DOJ Involvement in Handling Whistleblower Complaint
White House Lawyers Worked to Obscure Memo of Trump's Ukraine Call, Whistleblower Claims
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
After Solving Problems for Presidents, Ron Klain Now Applying Legal Prowess to Helping Airbnb Overturn NYC Ban
7 minute read
US Courts Announce Closures in Observance of Jimmy Carter National Mourning Day
2 minute read
Government Attorneys Are Flooding the Job Market, But Is There Room in Big Law?
4 minute readTrending Stories
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
