Calendars Decisions

Attorneys for Children Program

Under New York Law, in certain enumerated proceedings, children are entitled to be represented by counsel in the family, supreme, surrogate, and appellate courts. The Attorneys for Children Program is the governmental office responsible for maintaining a list of attorneys qualified to represent children, and as such, seeks to provide the highest quality legal services to children involved in the judicial system.

The Office of Attorneys for Children, subject to the supervision of the Appellate Division, establishes procedures for the administration of the program. The Attorneys for Children Program is comprised of approximately 550 attorneys who are certified to the panel by the Appellate Division to serve in the ten counties of the Second Judicial Department, namely, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, and Putnam counties. In addition to the overall administration of the panel, the Office of Attorneys for Children is responsible for the processing of vouchers for payment, and also provides the panel attorneys with various support services including extensive introductory and continuing legal education.

In the Counties of Kings, Queens and Richmond, the Office of Attorneys for Children also manages the Assigned Counsel (18-b) panels, including but not limited to processing applications for membership, training and quality control.

If you are interested in applying to the panel please contact Sarah Tirgary at AD2-AFC@nycourts.gov.

Prospective panel members are required to view a set of training DVDs entitled "Fundamentals of Family Court/Family Law Advocacy," a series of seminars providing an overview of all aspects of family law representation. (Request access to Fundamentals). Current panel members are required to attend various continuing legal education programs throughout the year. (Request access to on line CLE programs).

The material found within the Attorneys for Children Administrative Handbook includes relevant statutory and regulatory provisions, policy considerations and protocols, relevant forms, sample orders, and compensation guidelines.  Additionally, included within this handbook, is a separate section for Assigned Counsel in the Family Courts of Kings, Queens, and Richmond counties.

The Family Court Appellate Handbook contains the rules and procedures utilized in the Appellate Division, Second Department and provides relevant forms, sample affirmations, motions and orders.  Also, included within this handbook, are informational outlines regarding various aspects of appellate practice and a complete index of the statutes and rules referred to in these outlines.

The Attorneys for Children Online Voucher Manual is a comprehensive step by step guide for the use of the Online Voucher Processing Program. It includes instructions for accessing the court's website, creating a new voucher, producing an attorney assignment report, and conducting an appearance search.

Complaints:

If you wish to submit a complaint about a member of the panel, please send your concerns to AD2-AFCComplaint@nycourts.gov