A new law allowing attorneys to perfect liens against clients whom they represent only in alternative dispute resolution, and not in litigation, does not apply retroactively, a Manhattan judge has ruled.
Supreme Court Justice Louis York (See Profile) said in a June 12 opinion in Bonnaig v. Walton, 110429/11, that an amendment to Judiciary Law §475 extending attorneys' lien protection to alternative dispute resolution is not retroactive in light of both the plain language of the statute and the legislative intent.
