I have been engaged in the practice of private mediation for only a few months, but already feel like it is the most logical and exciting continuance of my 30-year judicial career. I was a proud employee of the court system, first as a law secretary to Supreme Court Justice Howard R. Silver and then as a judge myself. I have served in four different courts: Housing, Civil, Criminal and Supreme. By far, my most enjoyable time on the bench was mediating cases with an eye towards settlement. I believe my time as both a law secretary and as a judge was the perfect training ground for my career as a private mediator. I look at my new journey in ADR/private mediation as a natural next step in my judicial career and I'm happy to have the opportunity to work at NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation).

As a law secretary for Justice Silver during the 1990s, my fondest memories are the many cases I settled in the “STP Part,” earning the nickname “Judge Larry” from the attorneys who appeared before me. In those days, private mediation was a rarity. Today, it's the norm. While on the bench, I handled a wide variety of cases, from those involving pro-se litigants to more complex litigation such as labor law, toxic torts, medical malpractice, premises liability, civil rights, municipal liability and motor vehicle negligence. While I tried my share of cases, I believe my biggest strength as a judge has always been my ability to bring parties together to resolve issues and settle disputes.

Over the years, I have seen firsthand how difficult it has become for lawyers to get their cases tried. There are many reasons why this has occurred but, in my opinion, the number one reason is that there are an insufficient number of judges available to try cases. While this problem has gotten worse, it has also been exacerbated by the Office of Court Administration (OCA) budget cuts. A judge needs a courtroom and a staff to conduct a trial. In recent years, budget constraints have seen court clerks retire and not be replaced. In the Bronx Supreme Court, the Law Department was stripped bare. The loss of experienced clerks and court attorneys in the court system has created a brain drain and shortage of essential resources. Another reason why resolving litigation faces inordinate delays is that certain cases sit in a holding pattern while summary judgment motions are pending. In some of those instances, litigants wait six months or sometimes up to a year or more for a decision to be rendered. Certainly, this is not fair to the parties as it prevents a case from being fully evaluated, settled, or sent out to trial. These issues will not be solved overnight, despite the best of intentions of court administrators.