My legal career has focused on court appointment/public service law, and I live in a rural area. There had been about ten attorneys on the court appointment list for appointments in social service cases and the prior Judge had utilized a roster system. The Judge did not make the appointments, the clerk did. A new Judge was elected in 2016. Immediately after she was elected, she began making all of the court appointments herself and did not utilize a clerk. She appoints all of the parents' attorneys and the attorneys for the children. She also makes the rulings and signs the fee documents. She controls everything administratively, there are no checks and balances.
Then, she cut the court appointment list in half and eliminated all of the older more established attorneys with more experience including myself. The attorneys she is giving appointments to are younger/friends or a couple she has a close personal relationship with. I have lost $10,000.00 dollars in income from this and that is not easily recouped in a small rural community with an abundance of lawyers. I am self-employed and work out of home so I have been impoverished by this.
At first I have tried talking to her, then I wrote the Supreme Court trying to amend the Family Court Rules statewide to a roster system. I have contacted the EEOC under the age discrimination laws, but we are state contractors so they do not apply. I have tried to internally report within the state for the cronyism/favoritism channeling of state funds, but was directed to the Judicial Conduct Commission. There is a canon that states that there should not be favoritism in appointments without merit. Well, she removed all of the more qualified experienced attorneys. The Judicial Conduct Commission sent me a letter stating that they will take no action on my complaint.
I am at a loss as to where to go next. I feel that as an officer of the court that this is not fair and honest in the system. I have taken the state GAL training and have practiced in that area over ten years. Politics like this have no place in a court room. That is just my opinion. I am not trying to exclude the other attorneys just trying to maintain my place in the system.
Has anyone else experience anything like this? How have you handled it? Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Then, she cut the court appointment list in half and eliminated all of the older more established attorneys with more experience including myself. The attorneys she is giving appointments to are younger/friends or a couple she has a close personal relationship with. I have lost $10,000.00 dollars in income from this and that is not easily recouped in a small rural community with an abundance of lawyers. I am self-employed and work out of home so I have been impoverished by this.
At first I have tried talking to her, then I wrote the Supreme Court trying to amend the Family Court Rules statewide to a roster system. I have contacted the EEOC under the age discrimination laws, but we are state contractors so they do not apply. I have tried to internally report within the state for the cronyism/favoritism channeling of state funds, but was directed to the Judicial Conduct Commission. There is a canon that states that there should not be favoritism in appointments without merit. Well, she removed all of the more qualified experienced attorneys. The Judicial Conduct Commission sent me a letter stating that they will take no action on my complaint.
I am at a loss as to where to go next. I feel that as an officer of the court that this is not fair and honest in the system. I have taken the state GAL training and have practiced in that area over ten years. Politics like this have no place in a court room. That is just my opinion. I am not trying to exclude the other attorneys just trying to maintain my place in the system.
Has anyone else experience anything like this? How have you handled it? Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.