NYS Family Court Assigned Counsel: Why I Joined and Why You Should, Too

Back in 2011, I had been practicing law for well over a decade. Being fluent in Japanese, I found that my knowledge of Japanese became useful in my immigration law practice; I was helping both businesses and individuals with their immigration legal matters. Moreover, I was able to assist Japanese clients in their native tongue, which was a tremendous asset for my clients and for my practice. While the immigration aspect of my practice kept me busy, I did not find it to be completely fulfilling.

Over time, as my name and reputation spread throughout the Japanese community in New York, married Japanese immigrants trapped in marriages where domestic violence was commonplace reached out to me for help. Many of my clients found themselves captive in marriages ridden with domestic violence. They were oftentimes bound to their American citizen spouses who threatened them with deportation if they exposed the violence. These victims generally waited far too long, and tolerated far too much, before seeking help. When I was contacted by a survivor of domestic violence, the first and often greatest challenge was to shatter the illusion that they needed to remain in an abusive relationship in order to keep from being deported. In most cases I was able to educate my clients and allay their fears. After that, I would seek help for them from the Family Court. I would secure these clients the remedies available to them by filing a family offense petition, seeking child and/or spousal support, and connecting them to resources in the area of housing and job training. I also found myself in Supreme Court assisting these survivors of domestic violence with their divorce cases. The rest is history, as they say. After spending a number of years working on cases that were heard in Family and Supreme Courts, I realized that the important work I was doing helping families and domestic violence survivors was also extremely personally gratifying.  This led me to make the decision to apply for membership to my local Assigned Counsel Plan. Through joining Assigned Counsel, I was afforded the opportunity to serve many more New York City families and domestic violence victims.

What Is the Family Court Assigned Counsel Plan?