NEW YORK − Chief Judge Janet DiFiore today announced the appointment of a new commission charged with examining the enhanced use of technology and online platforms, among other innovations, and making recommendations to improve the delivery and quality of justice services, facilitate access to justice and better equip the New York State court system to keep pace with society’s rapidly evolving changes.
Comprising a distinguished group of judges, lawyers, academics and technology experts, the Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York’s Courts will explore regulatory, structural, technological and other innovations, providing short-term recommendations as the courts resume in-person operations while developing a blueprint for the court system of tomorrow.
To this end, the Commission will obtain widespread input through public comment, targeted outreach and the views of experts, proposing practical reforms that may be implemented by the Court System or Legislature. Judge DiFiore has called upon Henry Greenberg, a partner at Greenberg Traurig LLP and immediate past president of the New York State Bar Association, to spearhead this effort. Mr. Greenberg will serve as Chair of the Commission.
“While a tragedy, the COVID-19 crisis has been an impetus for innovation, leading us to examine what we have learned from the pandemic and how to best move forward. The pandemic’s dramatic impact on court operations has paved the way for the embrace of new technologies and approaches, with a focus on fairness, efficiency and efficacy. I am eager to work with Hank Greenberg and the Commission members as we seek to remove barriers to justice and prepare the Court System to effectively meet the justice needs of New Yorkers in the years ahead,” said Chief Judge DiFiore.
“I thank Chief Judge DiFiore for the honor of chairing the Commission and working with such an extraordinary group of judges and lawyers. The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to reimagine how courts deliver services and consider innovative proposals for the justice system of the future. The Commission, therefore, will explore the enhanced use of technology and online platforms, and regulatory and structural innovations, to more effectively and efficiently adjudicate cases and improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of legal services for all New Yorkers,” said Henry Greenberg.
A roster of the Commission members follows.
Chair
Henry M. Greenberg
Members
Hon. Ariel E. Belen, Retired Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, and Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court, Kings County
Mark A. Berman, partner, Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer, LLP
T. Andrew Brown, managing partner, Brown Hutchinson LLP; Vice Chancellor, New York State Board of Regents; president-elect, New York State Bar Association
Hon. Anthony Cannataro, Administrative Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York
Mylan L. Denerstein, partner, Gibson Dunn LLP
Hon. Craig J. Doran, Administrative Judge for the Seventh Judicial District
Richard A. Edlin, Vice-Chairman, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Robert J. Giuffra, Jr., partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Dennis E. Glazer, retired partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell
Hon. Timothy C. Idoni, County Clerk of Westchester
Hon. Edwina G. Mendelson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives
Seymour James, partner, Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea & LoTurco
Brad S. Karp, chairman, Paul, Weiss
Roger Juan Maldonado, partner, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP; immediate past President of the New York City Bar Association
Jack Newton, chief executive officer & co-founder, Clio
Sharon M. Porcellio, member, Bond Schoeneck & King; co-chair, Advisory Group to the New York State Federal Judicial Council
Paul C. Saunders, chair, New York State Judicial Institute on Professionalism in the Law
Arthur J. Semetis, president, Arthur J. Semetis, P.C.
Paul Shechtman, partner, Bracewell
Michael A. Simons, Dean, St. John’s Law School
Madeline Singas, Nassau County District Attorney
Hon. Leslie E. Stein, Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals
Ari Ezra Waldman, Professor of Law and Computer Science, Northeastern University School of Law and Khoury College of Computer Sciences (as of 7/1/20)
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