New York Banquet 2010

The Twentieth New York Annual Event took place on Wednesday, October 13th, 2010. This year the Flax Trust Banquet was held at the ’21 Club’. Included in the gathering were very prominent members of the business community in New York as well as U.S. Government representatives. Guest of honor was John D. Feerick, Sidney C. Norris Chair of Law in Public Service, Fordham University School of Law. Fr Myles Kavanagh, Chairman of the Flax Trust, Belfast introduced Seamus O’Prey, Chairman of the Ulster Community Investment Trust Ltd who made a presentation to the guests and Professor Jackie McCoy, Director of Business Institute, University of Ulster who spoke about the ongoing developments in relation to the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Ireland – a project sponsored by the Flax Trust and promoted through the University of Ulster.

IMG 3042 e1296417572397 New York Banquet 2010

John D. Feerick is currently the Sidney C. Norris Chair of Law in Public Service at Fordham University School of Law and is the Director and Founder of the Center for Social Justice at the Law School. Mr Ferrick previously served as the Dean of the law school from 1982 to 2002. Before coming to Fordham, Mr Feerick was a partner at the firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (1961-1982), where he headed the labor and employment practice. He was the Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association from 1998 to 2001. Mr Feerick has served as both an arbitrator and mediator of difficult disputes in both the public and private sector.

Throughout his career, Mr. Feerick has remained committed to public service and has served in a number of public capacities. He has served as a member of the New York State Law Revision Commission (1982-1987) and as one of New York City’s two representatives to the New York City Office of Collective Bargaining (1980-1987). From 1987 to 1990, he chaired the New York State Commission on Government Integrity, a commission whose task was to investigate systemic corruption and make recommendations for reform. That role carried the additional title of State Special Deputy Attorney General. Mr. Feerick also served as President of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (1992-1994), Chair of the New York State Committee to Review Audio-Visual Coverage of Court Proceedings (1996-1997), President of the Citizen’s Union Foundation (1987-1999), Chair of the Fund for Modern Courts (1995-1999), Chair of the New York State Commission to Promote Public Confidence in the Judiciary (2003-2004), Chair of the New York State Ethics Commission (2007), and Chair of the New York State Commission on Public Integrity (2007-2009). He was a member of the New York State Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System and he served as a member of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board (1998-2002). He served as a member of the Special Master Panel on Family Homelessness in New York City and as a referee in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc. v The State of New York school-funding case.

Mr. Feerick’s publications include: “From Failing Hands: The Story of Presidential Succession” (1965), “The Twenty Fifth Amendment,” which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize (1976 & 1992 ed.), “The Vice Presidents of the United States,” (co-authored with Emalie P. Feerick, 1967), and “NLRB Representation Elections-Law, Practice & Procedure,” (co-authored with Henry P. Baer and Jonathan P. Arfa, 1979-1980).

Mr. Feerick is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fordham College (B.S.), and he received his LL.B. from the Fordham University School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the law review. Mr. Feerick has been the recipient of various awards and honorary degrees.