The New York State Bar Association's Special Committee on Veterans will present a day-long program on preparing attorneys to represent military veterans and active service members. The Bar says it sees a growing need for legal services for veterans.

The program is set for Jan. 24, with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. It's part of the Bar Association's 135th annual meeting at the Hilton New York in Manhattan and is open to members and nonmembers. The Continuing Legal Education program qualifies for five credit hours in professional practice and one credit hour in ethics.

The session will highlight the success of Buffalo Veterans Treatment Court, the first in the nation. It also will cover the veterans benefit claims process and ethical issues involved in representing veterans. Information also will be given about free civil legal services for qualifying veterans and their families through legal services organizations and some local bar associations.

State Bar President Vincent Doyle III said a top priority of the organization is addressing the unmet legal needs of veterans. In 2011, he created the Special Committee on Veterans to explore those needs and recommend solutions. The committee's final report is expected to be issued in April.

"More than 1 million veterans call New York state home and that number is growing. After risking their lives for us, too many of our brave military men and women come home facing issues that seem overwhelming," Doyle said. "This program will teach New York attorneys how to help ensure that veterans do not suffer because of their service, but instead get the legal help they deserve."

BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York was named a "Best of Blue" by the BlueCross and BlueShield Association. The local health plan received the 2011 Excellence in Law Department Management Award in recognition of its development and implementation of the department's Regulatory Agency Tracking Database.

It competed against 39 other Blue plans from across the United States for the award.

"The Regulatory Agency Tracking Database eliminated the need for creation, maintenance and storage of files, while providing a single source to review any regulatory request received by our company," said Kenneth Sodaro, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at BlueCross BlueShield.  "Establishing this system has allowed our department to streamline our efforts and allowed us to provide first-class service to our external agency contacts."

The Regulatory Agency Tracker Database helps ensure that communications received by the health plan from numerous regulatory agencies are cataloged to allow for appropriate courses of action to complete requests in designated time frames. Those agencies include the New York Attorney General's Office and the state departments of health and insurance.

Development of the database came from the Excellence in Law Department's creation of a Legal Request Tracking Database in 2009, which allowed the group to service internal requests. It also was named one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Legal Departments of 2010 by INSIDE COUNSEL magazine.

The Excellence in Law Department Management Award recognizes outstanding improvements, innovations and successes related to the management of a law department. Efforts include, but are not limited to, knowledge sharing, litigation management, risk reduction and more that law departments made to improve operations.

Harris Beach law firm  announced that it has launched the New York Health Care Blog as a professional forum for health industry leaders to exchange ideas on the industry and the reform it is undergoing.

The industry is highly complex and subject to stringent regulation, according to the firm. Navigating the complexities is a challenge in light of constant changes in the industry. The Health Care Blog targets health-care leaders looking to share their perspectives shaped by everyday experiences. 

"Although there are many sources from which one can receive health-care industry news, very few provide an opportunity for industry leaders to share their ideas on a subject that touches us all," said Heidi Schult Gregory, co-leader of the Harris Beach Health Care Providers Industry Team. "It is our intention that the New York Health Care Blog can provide such a forum. This is a statewide effort designed to assist health-care leaders to address and discuss best practices in a highly regulated industry."