Series I consists of materials accumulated and produced by Bernard Botein during the course of his service and participation in over forty-two legal, civic, philanthropic and political organizations and on committees and taskforces, significantly in the areas of court reform and reform of criminal justice administration. In addition, the series contains several files covering others topics including racial and religious prejudice. Materials present information on the investigative, commemorative and administrative activities of these groups.

Legal groups represent various bar associations and other organizations of attorneys, judges and legal educators, particularly the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (1969-1973), the Vera Institute for Justice (1964-1972), Legal Aid Society (1969-1972) and the New York City Rand Institute (1969-1973). The collection represents several specific committees and taskforces in which Bernard Botein was active including the City of New York, Office of the Mayor's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (1968-1969), the Appellate Division for Manhattan and the Bronx's Departmental Committee on Court Administration (1969-1971, 1973) and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' Taskforce on the Administrative Adjudication of Traffic Violations (1969). In politics, materials from Botein's participation in the political campaigns of George McGovern, John V. Lindsay and Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan are represented here, as well as civic organizations like the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) (1970-1974).

The series contains original, photocopied, and secondary materials and includes correspondence, reports, proposals, preparatory materials for studies and research areas, newspaper clippings, published articles and other printed materials.

Some texts of Judge Botein's orations and writings including academic addresses, public statements, speeches and articles, as well as copies of legal publications and legislative documents are partially represented here, in addition to Series II. Series IV also contains additional groupings of files pertaining to specific areas of research and study.

Materials in Series I were re-filed in alphabetical order by organization, committee or taskforce name, and materials relating to the same organization and year were consolidated into a single folder.

Series II consists primarily of draft texts, some of which are annotated, manuscripts as well as published versions of manuscripts of over eighty-six orations and writings written and delivered by Bernard Botein. Materials include addresses, tributes, memorials, remarks, statements, reports, proposals and articles, as well as associated notes and correspondence, and relate to his service with various organizations, committees and taskforces. Many of the materials cover the period during his service as Supreme Court Justice, particularly during his appointment as Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department for Manhattan and the Bronx (1958-1968). This includes two folders of press releases from the Appellate Division covering the periods of 1958-1962 and 1963-1968.

Examples of works include The Gentle Art of Judge-Baiting (1957), Our Courts Face the Future (1958), A Judge Votes for the Jury (1960) and A Twenty-Four Hour Arraignment Court (1967), and can be found in various legal and non-legal publications in this series including the Bar Bulletin of New York State Bar Association, New York Law Journal, Journal of the American Judicature Society, Life magazine and the New York Times.

The series also contains several inventories that provide additional contextual information about the orations and writings found here. Inventories are located in Box 19/Folder 1. The majority of items are crossed referenced to a chronological index, up to 1973. These items can also be referenced by supplementary indexes including an alphabetical index that lists materials up to 1969.

Additional materials can also be found in Series 1 within the files of specific organizations.

Some individual files destined for Series II. Speeches, Address and Writings, have been added.

Series III contains correspondence received by Bernard Botein in the years following his resignation from the bench and entry into private practice. This includes correspondents from prominent members of legal and political communities.

The correspondence refers to congratulatory responses received upon Botein's resignation; court correspondence relating to various issues post resignation; professional invitations including those for social and commemorative events as well as speaking and writing engagements particularly by legal educators and publishers; and selected correspondence relating to Botein's activities on various political campaigns. Relating responses from Bernard Botein frequently accompanies items in this series.

There is also correspondence from Botein relaying his support of individuals for professional appointments and memberships. Several items denote official responses from the firm Botein, Hays, Sklar and Herzberg after his death.

Additional correspondence relating to specific organizations can be found in Series I.

Series III consists of five sub-series: Correspondence to and from Judge Bernard Botein; Court Correspondence; Invitations and Engagements; Letters of Support from Bernard Botein; and Botein, Hays, Sklar and Herzberg.

Series IV contains additional groupings of files pertaining to specific areas of research and study. Materials include original and photocopied, primary and secondary materials of correspondence, reports, proposals, preparatory materials and notes for studies and research areas, and printed materials. Research topics represented include judicial administration issues of selection and compensation, crimes of religious prejudice, divorce legislation and materials relating to the opposition of the Vietnam war within the legal field.

Series IV relates to files of specific areas of research but appear to be independent of a particular organization, committee or taskforce.

Series V consists of two subseries (Photographs and Films) that form Subseries V.A and V.B. Subseries V.A contains black and white photographic prints that span the length of Judge Botein's career (1929-1971) and feature Botein alongside prominent figures of the legal and political sphere. Official court photographs from the New York State Supreme Court are included. Subseries V.B contains material concerning The True and The Just (1969), a documentary film portraying jury duty and commissioned by the Department Committee on Court Administration. Items include correspondence, reports including an official report to the Department Committee and reports documenting film sales, as well as a scrapbook that contains newspaper clippings, press releases, and transcripts of television interviews.

Series V pulls together related material by format. Subseries V.A has been separated from a pre-existing grouping of miscellaneous personal material.

Series VI consists of documents and manuscripts pertaining to memorials and memorial addresses in honor of Bernard Botein. This includes three manuscripts of addresses including those delivered by former Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, Honorable David W. Peck and prominent trial lawyer, Whitney North-Seymour at a memorial event held at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Also included is an inventory of commemorative memorials, and a file of several published articles addressing the legal career of Bernard Botein.

Series VI pulls together related items by material content, separated from a pre-existing grouping of miscellaneous personal material.