Opinion 09-177

October 23, 2009

Dear Judge:

         This responds to your inquiry (09-177) asking whether you and your Court-Attorney Referee may attend a benefit dinner hosted by an adoption agency which regularly appears in your court. You may attend, but since the dinner is a fund-raiser, you must pay for your ticket. Enclosed, for your convenience, is Opinion 89-46, which addresses this issue.

         Court Attorney-Referees are held to the same ethical standards as judges (see 22 NYCRR 100.6[A]; see also Opinion 08-12, enclosed for your convenience). Therefore, your Court-Attorney Referee must also pay for her ticket.

Very truly yours,

George D. Marlow

Justice of the Supreme Court (Ret.)

Committee Chair

Encls.