LFC Executive Director Appointed to Landmark Commission to Examine Challenges Facing Family Justice System

On February 5th, New York State Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, and Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas announced the creation of the Permanent Commission on Justice For Families, a landmark panel charged with "forging collaborative study of the panoply of justice issues impacting families, youth, and children across New York State." 

“The time is now, to effectively, efficiently—and compassionately—address the justice needs of New York’s children and families in distress,” said Chief Judge Wilson in a New York State Courts press release. “We have no time to waste in this endeavor.”

According to the New York State Uniformed Court System, "the new panel is a centerpiece in the Unified Court System’s reassessment of the best approach to a broad range of complex and persistent issues impacting families who litigate in New York’s courts." The initiative comes after the State has made several strides to improve Family Court operations, including adding additional judges. 

The Commission comprises of a diverse range of judges, leaders of groups that represent children and families, community advocates, and professionals that span the family court system. They are charged to conduct "a careful study of the family justice system's many moving parts." and seek "new and creative ways to better address existing system challenges." 

LFC's Executive Director Glenn Metsch-Ampel was appointed to the Commission, and said, "I am deeply honored to have been appointed to represent Lawyers For Children on the New York State Permanent Commission on Justice for Families. This opportunity allows me to further our commitment to ensuring a fair and just legal system that supports and protects the rights of children and families. I look forward to working alongside esteemed colleagues to advance meaningful reforms, foster collaboration across sectors, and advocate for policies and practices that empower and recognize the dignity of every child who is the subject of Family Court proceedings."

Each year, Lawyers For Children represents over 3,000 individual clients in over 6,500 Family Court proceedings, and has represented over 100,000 children since its founding in 1984. Last year, Lawyers For Children joined other groups that represent children in calling for reforms that would address underfunding and high workloads for Attorneys For Child (AFC) practitioners that threaten justice for children and families. 

Read more in the New York Law Journal