One of the largest delegations taking part Monday night was a contingent from the Bay Ridge Lawyer Association led by Pres. Hon K. Lai. The BRLA, the longest-standing and most successful neighborhood bar group in the city, was the first in Kings County to launch a Continuing Legal Education program. But, the talk at the large Bay Ridge unit, especially from respected former president and Judiciary Chair Raymond Ferrier, dealt with upcoming organizational events.

Wednesday night, the BRLA held its extremely popular Holiday Party at Lai Yuen restaurant on Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge, an event that annually hosts a goodly number of jurists from the Kings County and other benches. It was organized by former BBA and BRLA president RoseAnn C. Branda and Joanne Monaco.

Another groundbreaking BRLA initiative is the CLE-accredited Caesar’s Atlantic City Seminar, which will run on Feb. 5, 6 and 7. He was the brainchild of another barrister who has headed the BBA and the BRLA, the highly respected Larry DiGiovanna.

A main question at the Brooklyn Bar Association (BBA) Monday night on the minds of many of the almost one thousand people in attendance at the Brooklyn Marriott was: Would Court of Appeals Chief Judge Judith Kaye or Appeals Court Associate Justice Theodore Jones say anything at all which could give away the name of her successor?

The consensus among barristers we talked with was that each of these eminent jurists – honored by the BBA, which is led by President Diana Szochet — had carefully and diplomatically avoided any utterance that would indicate whether or not Justice Jones, a clear Brooklyn favorite, might become chief judge when Judge Kaye steps down at the end of this month.

Once again, the evening was a sitting tribute to the Brooklyn legal community thanks to the planning and adroit execution by President Szochet; Dinner Chair John Lonuzzi, the president-elect; First Vice President Andrea Bonina; Second Vice President Ethan Gerber; Secretary Domenick Napoletano; Treasurer Andy Fallek; immediate Past President RoseAnn C. Branda; and, of course, the invaluable Executive Director Avery Okin.

We had the pleasure of sitting with chief Eagle legal writer Ryan Thompson, who has provided a more detailed report on the big event elsewhere in this week’s editions, but we just can’t resist making a few additional comments. For instance, retiring Justice Gerald Held gave the shortest acceptance speech on record — “Thanks for the memories.� The always-eloquent Appellate Term Presiding Justice Mike Pesce – the presenter for former justice and current NYC Commissioner of Emergency Management Joseph Bruno – gave uh ... the most comprehensive.

Associate Justice Theodore Jones drew spontaneous applause from Justice Martin Schneier, Justice William Knipel, Justice Bruce Balter, Justice Gerard Rosenberg and wife Harriet, and then the entire packed ballroom when he graciously praised retiring Justice Joseph Levine, who was not at the dinner, as “the King of the Medical Malpractice part.�

Justice Levine had advised this writer and others several weeks ago that his busy travel schedule – which involves photography for leading Florida daily newspapers – would regretfully prevent him from being there Monday night. Stepping up to the dais in his stead to receive his s award was the venerable Steve Cohn, a former BBA president, a leader in the BBA’s Volunteer Lawyer Project and one-time law secretary to Justice Levine.

Serving as presenter for Justice Jones, who served as Kings administrative justice prior to his ascendance to the Court of Appeals, was the very notable and eloquent Rebecca Rose Woodland, a former BBA trustee.

We also had the pleasure of talking Monday night with Justice Martin Schneier and his charming wife Becky about their son, Bruce.

For the past few years, Bruce Schneier, whose latest book is aptly titled Schneier on Security, has been one of the nation’s foremost authorities on matters of national security. We’ve heard him several times on National Public Radio. (On the first occasion, a few years ago, it was the familiar sound in Bruce’s voice, which led to the connection with his jurist dad!)

President-elect Barack Obama and his people have doubtless reviewed the works of Bruce Schneier, whose common-sense approach to possible terror attacks is a welcome relief from the panic-stirring scare tactics deployed so irresponsibly by the Bush Administration over the past several years.

For instance, here is one very relevant question he posits under the heading “Are we any safer?� “We’ve sacrificed our privacy, convenience, and sometimes even our dignity to feel safer. But has it bought us security, or merely an illusion?�

As the Bush team was badly fumbling about for solutions (remember when first Homeland Security Czar Tom Ridge told us the answer to the terror threat was duct tape?), Bruce Schneier was speaking at “think tanks� on public radio (numerous times) giving sensible answers to knotty security.

Among other issues he raises in “Schneier on Security� are “Why national ID cards won’t make us safer, only poorer,� “How your stone-age brain affects what you fear, and what security measures you accept,� and “Why refusing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants actually reduces security.�

If President Obama heeds the rational voices of experts like Bruce Schneier – who is described by the authoritative magazine The Register as “The closest the security industry has to a rock star,� we will all sleep a little better and a lot safer. Schneier on Security, published by Wiley, is available in bookstores. More on him is easily accessible at www.schneier.com.

PRO BONO BARRISTER is a weekly column dedicated to telling about the good that lawyers do. Send your comments or suggestions to this writer care of this newspaper or to COTEYESQ@aol.com.

Notice: Readers seeking legal representation on a Pro Bono Publico basis should not contact this columnist. Rather, they should seek out the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project at 718 -624-3894.

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