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Last month, Proskauer hosted its annual event highlighting the Firm’s participation in the Associates’ Campaign for The Legal Aid Society, an initiative that brings associates together to raise critical funds in support of the nonprofit. This year’s conversation focused on rethinking the juvenile justice system in New York State. Panelists included Werdeh Hassan, Staff Attorney in The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice; Anthony Katchen, Attorney-in-Charge of The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice at the Staten Island Trial Office; and Shomari Ward, Litigation Director at Youth Represent.

A Proskauer team, along with Disability Rights New York (DRNY), Children’s Rights (CR) and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), reached a preliminary settlement agreement with the State of New York in C.K. v. McDonald, a federal class action lawsuit addressing the State’s failure to provide Medicaid-eligible children with intensive home-and community-based mental health services.

New York’s state court judges will soon have a new resource at their fingertips when holding court remotely. As detailed in a recent article in the New York Law Journal, New York’s Court Modernization Action Committee (“CMAC”) recently developed a bench card for judges to reference while they prepare for and implement virtual proceedings.

The CMAC is comprised of various stakeholders, including judges, court staff and attorneys, who work to modernize New York’s court system by encouraging the adoption of new technologies and maintenance of pandemic-era improvements to remote court services. Alongside others from Proskauer, I have had the privilege to assist the CMAC in this important work.

The Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts established the Pandemic Practices Working Group (PPWG) to investigate, evaluate, and report on the successes of, and challenges faced by, the state court system during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. To that end, the PPWG held its first Public Hearing on Pandemic Practices on June 7th, 2022 in Albany, New York. This hearing served an agenda-setting purpose for the PPWG, highlighting the most pressing issues facing stakeholders within the state court system. Thirty-seven witnesses participated from across New York State to share their unique perspectives.