June 12, 2009
STATE BAR ANNOUNCES 2009 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN
MANDATED REPRESENTATION
Biennial awards recognize commitment to quality
legal representation
(Albany, N.Y. - 06/12/09) – Lawyers for Children, Inc., the
Family Court Project of Southern Tier Legal Services, and Joseph S.
Damelio of Rochester have been awarded the Outstanding Achievements in
Promoting Standards of Excellence in Mandated Representation. The honors
were presented yesterday at the State Bar Center in Albany by the New
York State Bar Association’s Committee to Ensure Quality of
Mandated Representation. The award is presented biennially to recognize
the efforts of attorneys working to ensure the quality of legal
representation for indigent persons who are entitled to counsel in
criminal or Family Court proceedings.
“With the demand for indigent legal services rapidly increasing
during these difficult economic times, the need to ensure that
vulnerable children and families are well-represented becomes all the
more important,” said State Bar President Michael E. Getnick of
Utica (Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore, LLP and of counsel to
Getnick & Getnick of New York City). “The State Bar has a
proud tradition of working to improve the quality of mandated
representation, and I congratulate this year’s award recipients
for their dedication in maintaining our longstanding commitment to
ensuring access to justice for all.”
“From representing vulnerable children in Family Court to
indigent defendants in criminal cases, this year’s winners have
distinguished themselves by improving the quality of mandated
representation with their inspiring commitment and tireless
advocacy,” said Committee Chair Norman P. Effman of Warsaw
(Wyoming County Public Defender). “We are pleased to recognize
their hard work at a time when their services are needed
most.”
One of New York’s premier child advocacy organizations, Lawyers
for Children (“LFC”) is regarded for being a highly
effective provider of mandated representation for children who are the
subject of traumatic Family Court proceedings, and for contributing in a
significant way to the human dignity and quality of life for vulnerable
young people unable to afford legal representation.
The organization was founded in 1984 to address the lack of legal
representation for children voluntarily placed in foster care. Since
1990, LFC has contracted with the New York State Unified Court System to
provide mandated legal representation to children in foster care, abuse,
neglect, termination of parental rights, adoption, custody and
visitation proceedings. In 2009, LFC projects that it will represent
approximately 4,500 children in more than 6,000 proceedings. The vast
majority of LFC’s clients are children of color living in
low-income households.
Since 2003, Southern Tier Legal Services, a division of Legal
Assistance of Western New York, Inc., has had a contract with
Cattaraugus County to provide representation to indigent Family Court
litigants in cases where there is a right to assigned counsel, but the
Public Defender has a conflict of interest. Under the contract, the
Olean office agrees to accept 400-500 Family Court cases per year. From
2003-2008, the Family Court Project of Southern Tier Legal Services,
consisting of five attorneys and a paralegal, have represented more than
1,700 clients in custody, family offense, abuse and neglect, parental
termination and violation of support cases. Managing Attorney Jeffrey M.
Reed organized a training program to provide staff with the information
and resources needed to handle challenging Family Court cases.
Joseph S. Damelio, a solo practitioner in Rochester, focuses his
practice in criminal defense litigation where he has distinguished
himself as a fearless and assertive proponent of the principle that the
poor and disadvantaged are entitled to equal treatment under the law.
Damelio is a member of the federal Criminal Justice Act Panel, which
permits the District Court to assign him to represent indigent
defendants charged with federal crimes. He also accepts
assignments through the assigned counsel program in state court. He is
renowned for his willingness to accept tough assignments in criminal
matters while representing his clients with unparalleled professionalism
and the utmost compassion. Damelio’s goal to provide quality
representation for every defendant has earned him a stellar reputation
in the legal community. He received his undergraduate degree from the
University at Buffalo and earned his law degree from Capital University
Law School.
A proposal to improve the quality of public defense services was
introduced in the State Legislature this week (A.8793), sponsored by
Assemblyman Joseph Lentol (D- North Brooklyn), that called for an
evaluation of existing public defense systems and service providers in
the state based on the standards for providing mandated representation
as adopted by the New York State Bar Association’s House of
Delegates in June 2007.
The 76,000-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, State
Bar programs and activities have continuously served the public and
improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
###
| 
News Center
