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Contact: Mark Mahoney
Associate Director, Media Services & Public Affairs
mmahoney@nysba.org
518-487-5532
March 19, 2012
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION FAMILY COURT TASK FORCE TO HOLD
HEARING MARCH 22 ON LONG ISLAND
A State Bar Association task force studying New York’s Family
Court system, placing particular emphasis on its impact on children and
families, will convene the third of four statewide hearings on Thursday,
March 22 on Long Island.
The Task Force on Family Court hearing, in the Appellate Division,
Second Department, will be held from 9:20 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
Nassau County Bar Association, 15th and West Streets, Mineola.
During the past decade, family courts have seen their workloads
rising as the number of cases involving child custody, visitation and
child support increases.
“The growing burden placed on our Family Court system is having
a direct impact on our most vulnerable population -- our
children,” said State Bar President Vincent E. Doyle
III of Buffalo (Connors & Vilardo). “With these
hearings, we are collecting information from a variety of experts that
we hope will lead to improved conditions for children and the
courts.”
The task force previously held hearings in Albany and New York City.
The final hearing is scheduled for March 29 in Buffalo.
“We were impressed with the depth of information we received
during the first two hearings, and expect to gain further insights from
the Long Island and Buffalo forums,” said task force Co-chair
Susan B. Lindenauer, retired counsel to the president
and attorney-in-chief of The Legal Aid Society of New York City.
“The testimony will be very valuable in shaping our
recommendations for improving the Family Court system,” said
Broome County Family Court Judge Mary Rita Connerton,
who co-chairs the task force.
Among those expected to testify on March 22 are family court judges
and others affiliated with the courts, local bar associations, legal
service groups and organizations that serve children, families and
battered women. Confirmed speakers include:
• Melissa Breger, professor of law,
Albany Law School
• Donna England, treasurer, Suffolk County
Bar Association, East Hampton
• Robert
Mangi, Family Law Committee chair, Nassau County Bar
Association, Mineola
• Jane M. Spinak,
professor of law, Columbia Law School, New York City
• Lauren Anne Shapiro, director, Brooklyn
Family Defense Project, Brooklyn
• Mary Grace
Ferone, managing attorney, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley,
White Plains
• Lois Schwaeber, director
of legal services, Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence,
Bethpage
• Nancy Erickson, private
attorney, Brooklyn
The Appellate Division, Second Department, is comprised of 10
counties: Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond,
Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester. Written testimony can be submitted to
the Task Force on Family Court, One Elk Street, Albany, NY 12207.
The 35-member Task Force on Family Court, created in 2010, has four
subcommittees, which address resources for litigants; resources for the
courts; operations, case management and staffing; and technology. The
task force will issue its preliminary report in June 2012 and a final
report in November 2012. That report will be presented to the state
chief administrative judge and others for consideration.
According to the state Office of Court Administration, family courts
handled 720,850 court filings in 2010, compared to 683,390 in 2001. In
New York City, the caseload was 246,266 in 2010, up from 226,544 in
2001.
Despite rising caseloads -- including a record 742,365 statewide in
2009 -- only four new Family Court judgeships have been created
statewide since 1999 and none in New York City since 1991.
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Family Court’s Growing Burden
STATEWIDE
Type of
Petition
2010
2001
Total
Filings
720,850 683,390
Custody/Visitation 205,026
169,111
Support 267,820
217,352
Guardianship
4,791
4,313
Family
Offense 65,874
59,137
Source: New York State Unified Court System, Report of the Chief
Administrator of the Courts, 2010, 2001
______________________________________________________________________________
The 77,000-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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