Steven P. Younger, Esq., the president of the New York State Bar Association, has recently formed a task force to look into the numerous problems and difficulties facing the Family Courts in the state of New York.
President Younger has put together individuals with expertise in diverse areas for the purpose of conducting a study as to how to deal with current and future difficulties facing the Family Courts. The Family Court Task Force will examine numerous issues for the purpose of coming up with solutions as to how to improve the operation of the Family Courts in New York. The following is a list of some of the issues that will be explored by this new task force:
1. Are additional resources required for the Family Court? If so, what resources?
2. How can the staff in the Family Court be best utilized?
3. Are there new technologies and/or efficiencies in the market place that will assist the Family Court?
4. What can be done to improve the level of service provided by the Family Court for the individuals who appear in these courts?
President Younger stated, “There may be no place where shaping the future and restoring confidence in our governmental institutions comes together as clearly as in our Family Court system. To thousands of New Yorkers, Family Courts are the face of our legal system; but, unfortunately, with over-crowded dockets, too few judges, and far too many delays, these courts resemble hospital emergency rooms and our family law attorneys are forced to perform triage.”
The Family Courts deal with “bread and butter” family issues. Child support, child abuse and domestic violence are the types of cases the Family Courts see every day. There were 4,000 filings for every judge sitting in the Family Courts in New York State.
How can one person handle so many cases in a year? The area of the state with the greatest problems presented in the Family Court lies within the city of New York. There have been no new judgeships created in the city of New York since 1991. Since then, the amount of filings in the Family Court have gone from 206,000 to 253,000. In a state-wide basis, there were more than 750,000 Family Court proceedings brought last year.
We don’t need a commission to determine what’s wrong with the Family Courts. We need more judges and more personnel. The state needs to spend more money dealing with family issues.
The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo
Our law firm represents men, women and children regarding matrimonial and family issues in the Family Courts and the Supreme Courts in New York State. We protect mothers’ rights, fathers’ rights and families’ rights. We handle divorce, custody, paternity and equitable distribution issues. If you have questions on these issues, feel free to contact us for a free consultation at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802.
