November 4, 2010
LIFT WELCOMES NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION TO
FAMILY COURT JUDGE FOR A DAY
Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) welcomed New
York State Bar Association President Stephen P. Younger (Patterson
Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP) and Susan B. Lindenauer (Retired Counsel
to the President and Attorney-in-Chief of the Legal Aid Society), as
participants in the LIFT Family Court Judge for a Day program at the
Bronx Family Court.
Conducted in partnership with the New York City Family Courts, and
now in its tenth year of operation, the LIFT Judge for a Day program
offers leaders from the private and public sectors access to a seat few
ever get to fill: the Judge’s bench. Participants sit side-by-side
with a Family Court Judge and witness proceedings that strike at the
heart of a family’s stability, including custody, neglect, abuse,
foster care, and family violence. The program also features a behind the
scenes tour of the courthouse, a visit to LIFT’s court-based
programs, and a lunch discussion facilitated by Melissa M. Beck,
LIFT’s Chief Executive Officer, and Hon. Monica Drinane, the
Supervising Judge of the Bronx Family Court. The overarching purpose of
Judge for a Day, which is held five times a year, is to create
partnerships that will bring resources to the Family Court and LIFT.
“We are so thrilled Mr. Younger and Ms. Lindenauer could join
us for Judge for a Day,” says Beck, “Their participation
underscores the State Bar’s commitment to calling attention to a
vast, under-resourced system used by some of New York’s most
fragile families, and our shared goal of improving access to justice for
all Family Court litigants.”
“The ‘Family Court Judge for a Day’ initiative is
an excellent resource that provides community leaders with an important
view of the current state of New York’s Family Courts,” said
President Younger. “Our Family Courts are in desperate need of
attention, and the outstanding work provided by organizations such as
LIFT helps to shed light on a critical component of our justice system.
I want to thank everyone at LIFT for inviting Susan and myself to be
participants in such a worthwhile program.”
Earlier this summer, President Younger announced the formation of the
Family Court Task Force. Co-chaired by the Honorable Rita Connerton
(Supervising Family Court Judge for the 6th Judicial District, Broome
County) and Lindenauer, the Task Force is examining and identifying key
areas to improve Family Courts across the State.
The Task Force comprises top legal minds with expertise in Family Law
who are conducting a comprehensive study of the problems in the current
system with the goal of proposing solutions to address these problems.
Topics being explored by the task force include:
• what additional Family Court resources are needed and, in
what areas;
• what improvements are required in case management and
utilization of staff;
• what new technologies can improve efficiency; and
• what operational improvements are needed to better serve
our state’s families.
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Launched in 1996, Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT) is an
award-winning nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering
unrepresented litigants with legal information and compassionate
guidance so that they can successfully advocate for themselves in the
Family Court system. LIFT’s court- and community-based
programs ensure that all families – no matter what their income
level or ability to hire a lawyer – have the ability to access
justice. LIFT serves nearly 50,000 families annually. Learn more at www.LIFTonline.org.
The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official
statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary
state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, NYSBA
programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved
the justice system for more than 130 years. For more information, please
visit www.nysba.org.
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