Judges, court attorneys and legal professionals gather for the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Fourth Annual Court Attorneys Reception.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
The Brooklyn Bar Association took time Monday evening to honor the attorneys whose work in the county’s court system keeps justice moving but rarely receives public acclaim.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate the often unsung heroes of our judicial system, our court attorneys,” said Brooklyn Bar Association President Dan Antonelli. “The judges seem to get the spotlight all year long. But not tonight. Court attorneys, tonight is about you, and we salute you.”
Brooklyn Bar Association Young Lawyers Section co-chair Anthony Vaughn, and Brooklyn Bar Association President Daniel Antonelli.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
There are hundreds of court attorneys in Brooklyn who work alongside the county’s judges, lightening their loads and keeping the courtrooms running by helping to draft opinions, analyze and research legal issues, remain apprised of case records and assist with settlement and pretrial conferences.
Attorneys Arisha Andha and Pamela Walker speak at Monday’s event.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Their work is frequently done behind the scenes of the bench or under the shadow of the judge they work with, but at the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Fourth Annual Court Attorney Reception, the organization’s leadership said it believed it was important to spotlight and give proper credit to the people making judges’ jobs possible.
Former New York State Supreme Court Justices Lawrence Knipel and Mark I. Partnow stand with Supervising Judge of the Kings County Civil Court Carmen Pacheco at Monday’s event.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
“Historically, the Brooklyn Bar Association always recognizes the judges in Kings County,” said Anthony Vaughn, co-chair of the organization’s membership committee. “We’ve recognized there’s an obvious void: that nobody is recognizing the court attorneys in Kings County. I think it goes without saying the tremendous amount of effort and dedication and hard work that each of you put into work every single day deserves to be recognized by the county bar association.”
Kings County Civil Court Judge Janice Chen, New York State Family Court Judge Robert Hettleman, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Aaron Maslow, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patria Frias Colon, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Lisa Lewis, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Joanne Quinones and Kings County Surrogate Court Judge Bernard Graham pose for a photo while honoring court attorneys. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
Beyond words of gratitude, the event offered networking opportunities for court attorneys and other attendees, including grouping reception-goers into small clusters where they’d talk with judges in attendance about how they got to the bench.
Event attendees smile while celebrating the borough’s court attorneys.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
“As a fellow court attorney, I know exactly how important it is to try to make those connections and build those professional relationships outside of your judges’ chambers,” said Ronald Sylvestre, co-chair of the organization’s Young Lawyers Section. “We’re trying to put on events that can give lawyers an opportunity to build those connections that are instrumental to your career and also to get to know lawyers outside of your practice area.”