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January 23, 2013
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION CONFERS
EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS
A trailblazing judge, an innovative court administrator and respected
state tax law expert are the 2013 recipients of the Excellence in Public
Service Awards, given by the Committee on Attorneys in Public Service of
the New York State Bar Association.
The annual awards recognize public-sector attorneys who demonstrate a
“higher calling” by an extraordinary commitment to service,
honor and integrity. Recipients received their awards on January 22 in
New York City during the Annual Meeting of the State Bar
Association.
“This year’s recipients have devoted their entire legal
careers to the people of New York. Their decisions, advocacy and
pursuits of justice have affected millions of New Yorkers,” said
Catherine A. Christian of New York City (assistant district attorney,
New York County), chair of the Committee on Attorneys in Public Service.
“They represent the best and proudest traditions of public
service.”
The 2013 recipients are:
Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick
Judge Ciparick was the first Hispanic and second woman to serve on
the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court. She retired as
senior associate justice in December 2012, after serving on the Court
since January 1994.
Ciparick was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1982, where she
served until her appointment to the Court of Appeals. In 1978, she was
appointed judge of the New York City Criminal Court, making her the
first Hispanic woman to serve on a court of record in New York, and one
of the state’s youngest judges.
She began her legal career as a staff attorney with The Legal Aid
Society in the predominantly Spanish-speaking South Bronx. She later
served as an assistant counsel for the Judicial Conference of the State
of New York; chief law assistant of the New York City Criminal Court;
and counsel to the New York City administrative judge.
Hon. Judy Harris Kluger
Judge Kluger, chief of policy and planning for New York State’s
Unified Court System, has been an instrumental figure in the development
and implementation of problem-solving courts, which are designed to
address underlying problems (such as mental health, drug addiction or
prostitution) that contribute to criminal behavior.
She presided over the Midtown Community Court from 1993 to 1996. The
court received wide acclaim for handling quality-of-life crimes.
She was appointed administrative judge of the New York City Criminal
Court in 1996 and later named deputy chief administrative judge for
court operations and planning.
Judge Kluger began her career as an assistant district attorney in
Kings County. She later was named bureau chief of the Sex Crimes and
Domestic Violence Bureau and chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. She was
appointed to the New York City Criminal Court in 1988.
Deborah Liebman
Liebman, deputy counsel for the New York State Department of Taxation
and Finance, is recognized as one of the state’s leading
authorities on the most complex tax law matters. She has been with
the department since 1981.
She frequently is called upon by the Executive Branch to assist with
negotiating and drafting changes to state tax laws. She was involved
with nearly every change to the tax laws during the past decade.
Colleagues praised her effective leadership and her ability to
explain complex tax issues to the benefit of New York businesses and
individuals.
The 76,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest
voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in
1876.
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