With courthouses closed, family lawyers continue serving clients in peril

The Assigned Counsel Association of Queens Family Court, including Sarah Tirgary (bottom left), continues to represent families after the state court system pared down to essential functions. Photo courtesy of the ACAQFC

By Rachel Vick

Courthouses have been closed for a month, but family court lawyers continue serving clients who depend on their counsel and intervention during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. 

The Assigned Counsel Association of Queens Family Court is working with agencies like Safe Horizon to assist families and individuals with filing emergency applications, said the organization’s president Sarah Tirgary.

“The panel is wearing so many hats for the sake of enabling people to access the court system,” Tirgary said. “For us, we don't care if we keep the cases we prepare — we just want to be as helpful as we can under these emergency circumstances.”

Filings include emergency family offense petitions and appearances for child protective cases, delinquency cases and writs. The courts continue to process family offense petitions known as “O petitions” as long as they have cause of action.

Many members of the association have also begun to participate in the New York State Bar Association's pro bono law project, which connects out-of-work New Yorkers with attorneys to help navigate the unemployment process, Tigary said. 

“Keeping busy helps keep our minds off of the state of our community and it also makes many of us feel like we are paying it forward,” Tirgary said. 

Last week, the ACAQFC stepped in to help file an Order to Show Cause in the guardianship case of a child who lost both parents to COVID-19. The child had family members who were willing to take them in, so the team moved forward and helped file an emergency motion to grant custody, Tirgary said.

“[It’s] hard to wrap your head around what some people are experiencing,” Tirgary said.