Master the process of becoming assigned counsel and strategically grow your legal practice. Gain practical skills and unlock new opportunities to build a thriving career.
Join our experts for this discussion on the many benefits of joining the Assigned Counsel Panel.
Topics will include tips on applying, billing, getting recommendations, enhanced rates, and much more.
Delve into the foundational aspects of assigned counsel work, from its historical roots in landmark cases like Gideon v. Wainwright to the intricacies of New York's County Law Article 18B. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the legal framework that mandates the provision of counsel for indigent clients in criminal and family courts, and the critical role assigned counsel play in ensuring justice.
Key learning outcomes include:
Whether you're a recent graduate, an experienced attorney transitioning into private practice, or seeking to enhance your public defense career, this course provides the tools and insights needed to navigate the assigned counsel landscape, zealousy represent clients, and build a rewarding practice.
The NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers is the largest statewide trial bar in the US with 5,700+ lawyer and judge members. We are committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system. Our highly acclaimed CLE programming features extraordinary presenters covering the most timely and important topics.
JAMS, NYS SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION, 2ND DEPARTMENT (RET.)
Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix (Ret.) joined JAMS in 2024 after a distinguished career as NYC's 81st corporation counsel and as a jurist in NYS courts, including, most recently, her service from 2012–2022 as an associate justice of the NYS Supreme Court, Appellate Division in the Second Department. Judge Hinds-Radix was the first Caribbean-born, and woman of color, and the second woman overall to serve as corporation counsel.
ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE, NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT, BRONX COUNTY – CRIMINAL TERM
Justice Yearwood has served as the Administrative Judge of the New York State Supreme Court, Bronx County – Criminal Term since November 2021. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, he was first appointed as a judge of the NYC Criminal Court by Mayor Bloomberg in January 2003. Prior to assuming the bench, Justice Yearwood worked extensively as an attorney in both the public and private sectors, including as trial counsel in the Bronx County District Attorney's Office, where he developed expertise in the use of DNA as an evidentiary tool to convict or exonerate defendants.
NYS SUPREME COURT – CRIMINAL TERM, QUEENS COUNTY
Justice Karen Gopee made history twice by her election to the New York State Supreme Court in 2021 and her appointment to the New York State Criminal Court in 2015, as the first Indo-Caribbean jurist in New York State. Currently, she presides over hearings and trials in a busy Gun Part in Queens. Prior to her election, she served as the presiding Criminal Court judge over the Youth Part, Domestic Violence Part, and Specialty Felony Waiver Part.
ADMINISTRATOR, ASSIGNED COUNSEL PLAN, FIRST DEPT
Vanessa is the Assigned Counsel Plan Administrator for the First Department—the Bronx and Manhattan. Ms. Burdick supports 300+ misdemeanor, felony, and homicide panel members in their work to zealously advocate on behalf of indigent New Yorkers every day in the New York City Criminal and Supreme Courts. She is a veteran defense attorney who represented over 11,500 clients during her tenure at The Legal Aid Society and was a member of LAS’s Homicide Defense Task Force.
ASSIGNED COUNSEL PLAN SUPERVISING ATTORNEY – DNA
Daniel is the Supervising Attorney for DNA, Assigned Counsel Plan, Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. For nearly two decades, he was engaged in a private criminal defense practice in midtown, representing clients in state and federal matters. Dan was also an adjunct professor at his alma mater, St. John's Law School, for the past 12 years. Mayor Bloomberg appointed Dan as a commissioner and later Chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, and he subsequently served as a member of the First Department Grievance Committee adjudicating alleged attorney misconduct and ethical violations.
ASSIGNED COUNSEL PLAN SUPERVISING ATTORNEY – QUEENS CO.
Frank Kelly is currently the Queens County Supervising Attorney for the Assigned Counsel Plan, 2nd Dept., Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, where he supervises and assists the 110-plus 18b attorneys on the Queens County misdemeanor/felony and homicide panels. Frank started his career in 1984 as an Assistant General Counsel for the NYC Department of Probation, where he developed the current violation of probation prosecution procedure. In 1994, Frank entered private practice specializing in criminal defense work and then joined the felony 18b panel, where he continued to defend thousands of indigent clients and conducted numerous felony jury trials every year.
