NY State Bar support program reaches isolated lawyers, judges and students
/By Rachel Vick
The New York State Bar Association has begun offering confidential support groups to help isolated judges, attorneys and law students cope with the impact of COVID-19.
The NYSBA began facilitating the confidential weekly Zoom support group on March 26. The sessions are led by Attorney Wellbeing Committee Chair Libby Coreno and psychiatrist Kerry O’Hara.
About 90 percent of court employees are now working from home, a state court spokesperson told the New York State Bar Association.
At least 24 employees in the state court system, including four in Queens, have tested positive for COVID-19 as of March 24, a grim rate of illness that has prompted major changes throughout the court system.
The New York State Bar Association announced the number of confirmed cases in a statement Thursday. A Queens juror has also tested positive for the illness after serving on a three-week jury trial in Queens Supreme Court, the Eagle reported earlier this week.
The courts have limited work to essential and emergency functions and ordered that Criminal Court arrangements and all Family Court proceedings be conducted via teleconferencing through the program Skype for Business.
Defendants who have not tested positive for COVID-19 or are not at-risk will still be brought to central booking, and those who fall into either category will participate via videoconference Midtown Community Court or Red Hook Community Justice Center, according to an announcement from the NYSBA.
Questions about the group sessions can be directed to Stacey Whiteley, program director for the Lawyer Assistance program, at swhiteley@nysba.org.
