Lucas A. Ferrara Appointed by New York State Bar Association
To Task Force on Electronic Filing of Court Documents, August 2005

New York State Bar Association president A. Vincent Buzard has appointed Lucas A. Ferrara, a partner at Finkelstein Newman Ferrara LLP, to a statewide task force on electronic filing of court documents. Finkelstein Newman Ferrara LLP is a leading real estate transaction and litigation firm based in New York City.

The task force is charged with identifying and examining potential systems and procedures of electronic filing, as well as determining the strengths and weaknesses of each option. Recommendations on the practical implementation of electronic filing for large and small firms, as well as sole practitioners, will be made to the Office of Court Administration.

“I am honored to participate in such an important endeavor,” says Mr. Ferrara, who in addition to his practice, is an adjunct professor of law at New York Law School. “The impact of this task force will have far reaching implications. If we do it well, it will render our statewide courts that much more efficient.”

The co-chairs of the task force are Sharon Stern Gerstman of Buffalo (New York State Supreme Court) and Wallace L. Leinheardt of Garden City (Jaspan Schlesinger Hoffman, LLP). Other members include: Mitchell J. Baker of White Plains; Gabriel J. Ferber of Buffalo (Nesper, Ferber & Digiacomo); Rick S. Geiger of Pittsford; Scott M. Karson of Melville (Lamb & Barnovsky LLP); Linda U. Margolin of Islandia (Bracken, Margolin & Gouvis, LLP); Robert F. McCarthy of New York (McDonald, Carroll, Cohen & Rayhill); David P. Miranda of Albany (Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti, PC); Gary R. Mund of Brooklyn (Kings County Surrogates’ Court); Thomas E. Myers of Syracuse (Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC); Eric C. Nordby of Syracuse (Hancock & Estabrook, LLP); Dennis Schlenker of Albany; and Lauren J. Wachtler of New York (Montclare and Wachtler).

The task force was precipitated by the Filing by Electronic Means Project, which was first introduced in 2000 in the Monroe County Supreme Court Commercial Division, the New York Country Supreme Court Commercial Division and the Westchester County Supreme Court Tax Certiorari Part. That program was expanded in 2003 and 2004 and the Legislature recently extended it to include five more counties, comprising Broome, Essex, Onondaga, Niagara and Sullivan.

The program will soon be available to 75 percent of the counties in the state. The mandate of the task force is to seek out and recommend which systems are best suited to lawyers’ needs statewide, paying close attention to small firms and solo practitioners.