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NEW YORK-The New York State Bar Association has convened alandlord-tenant working group that will help the state's courtsdeal with an anticipated surge in landlord-tenant disputesresulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

With housing courts closed and a statewide moratorium onevictions in effect until Aug. 20, tenants and landlords must seekalternative ways to settle disputes. It is the working group'smission to come up with a way to help sick or financiallystruggling tenants reach agreements with their landlords throughother options such as alternative dispute resolution.

NYSBA is working in partnership with the state's Unified CourtSystem on this effort and they have built a pro bono network thatis already busy helping jobless New Yorkers who are deniedunemployment benefits appeal their claims.

"I am delighted to see the number of lawyers who have steppedforward to help unemployed New Yorkers appeal denied claims," ChiefJudge Janet DiFiore says in prepared remarks. "But it's alsocrucial that we keep New Yorkers in their homes when the pandemicsubsides. The involvement of pro bono attorneys will help ourhousing courts when they resume normal operations and assist thosewho perhaps cannot otherwise afford representation."

Henry M. Greenberg, president of the New York State BarAssociation, noted that when the eviction moratorium lifts therewill be an expected surge in landlord-tenant disputes. "We musttherefore plan for that eventuality and recommend steps that can betaken to ensure due process for all concerned," he said.

Alan Levine, senior counsel at Cooley and former chair of theboard of the Legal Aid Society of New York, will be the chair ofthe working group.

The membership of the working group includes:

• New York County Supreme Court Justice Hon. Anthony Cannataro,who is the citywide administrative judge of the Civil Court of theCity of New York
• Ross Gilmore, partner at Sperber, Denenberg and Kahan and amember of the New York City Bar Association's Housing CourtCommittee
• Beth Goldman, president & attorney-in-charge at New YorkLegal Assistance Group
• Seymour W. James, partner at Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea &LoTurco, former attorney-in-chief of the New York City Legal AidSociety and past president of NYSBA
• Kenneth Kanfer, an attorney at Kanfer & Holtzer
• Mark Moretti, of counsel, Phillips Lytle
• Domenick Napoletano, NYSBA treasurer and co-chair of NYSBA'sEmergency Task Force for Solo and Small Firm Practitioners
• Jason Polevoy, counsel at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler,and chair of the New York City Bar Association Real Property LawCommittee
• Phil Rosen, managing partner at Horing, Welikson, Rosen andDigrugilliers
• Andrew Scherer, co-chair, New York City Bar Association TaskForce on the Right to Counsel, policy director of the Impact Centerfor Public Interest Law and visiting associate professor at NewYork Law School
• Sara Wagner, chair of the New York City Bar Association HousingCourt Committee and assistant director of the Teamsters Local 237City Employees Union Legal Services Plan

Lawyers who are interested in joining this cause should gohere to signup.