Long Island City Court Update
By Barry Seidel and Danielle E. Caminiti
In April 2018, Queens Supreme Court did away with the Centralized Motion Part (CMP). All motions are now heard before the assigned Justice, with each having their designated days of the week and times.
At that time there were seven Queens Supreme Court Judges sitting in Long Island City, with their motion calendars being called every Thursday morning. As noted below, there are some recent judicial changes (2 existing Judges out, 3 new ones in), so there are now 8 motion calendars in Long Island City every Thursday morning!
We've been going to Long Island City every Thursday, covering motions for our per-diem clients. At the same time we've been analyzing the Long Island City situation from a per-diem coverage perspective.
Eight motion parts, on four floors, at staggered times, in an old building, is challenging. Not only that, there are eight sets of motion rules and policies and eight sets of clerks and Court attorneys.
One attorney cannot effectively cover 8 parts. A few attorneys running around while trading and swapping appearances can kinda get it done, but at what cost in stress and sacrifice of quality?
So, we've put together a team and a method for giving quality coverage in all 8 parts. Our methods are not "trade secrets", but we've put a lot of thought and effort into doing this right. This means the right attorneys, well prepped, in the right places at the right times. When we add attorneys to our team, they are dedicated to one part, they don't "run around." We have proper back office support and organization that makes this possible. This also allows us to handle emergencies, report results promptly and keep fees reasonable.
We also thoroughly review the assignments upon intake. We respond quickly and alert our clients if additional items are needed or if we spot any other pertinent issues.
Some appearances are relatively ministerial, while others call for real advocacy. We are prepared for them all. It helps that the Long Island City Judges know we are prepared, organized, and familiar with each part's rules and procedures.
Here are the recent Long Island City judicial changes.....
Justice Leverett has moved from Long Island City to Jamaica. His Jamaica motion calendar is Wednesday at 10 AM in Room 505.
Justice Pineda-Kirwan is now sitting in Nassau County. Her existing IAS caseload has been divided between two new Long Island City Judges: Justice Caloras and Justice Love.
Justice Robert Caloras is recently elected to Supreme Court and sits in Long Island City. He was previously sitting in Family Court. Prior to that he was the Court attorney to Justice Kitzes.
Justice Larry Love is recently elected to Supreme Court and sits in Long Island City. He was previously sitting in Queens Civil Court. Prior to that he was an attorney in private practice.
Justice Bruce Balter was recently transferred from Kings Supreme to Queens Supreme and sits in Long Island City. We have not appeared before him yet but expect to soon as his caseload increases.
Here's the OCA link for Queens Supreme part rules, including all the new Justices...
For any questions about Long Island City motions, please contact us.
Danielle E. Caminiti, Esq. - Dannieesq@gmail.com
Barry Seidel, Esq. - Bseidel@barryseidelassociates.com
