The Westchester County Office of Assigned Counsel (OAC) hosted its second “Pannual” – a full day of continuing legal education training for the 18-B panel of attorneys who are assigned by the Court to represent indigent clients in Criminal, Family and Appellate Courts. This year’s theme was “Surmounting Challenges Together,” using diversity, skills and ethics as the guiding principles. Over 200 attorneys attended the mandatory training that focused on best practices for advocacy and client-centered defense of vulnerable communities such as Latine and survivors of domestic violence.
The conference at the Westchester County Center was kicked off by OAC Administrator Stephanie Perez and included remarks from Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, Westchester County Attorney John Nonna, the Honorable James McCarty and OAC Board Chairperson Wendy Weathers. In addition to the comprehensive program of training presentations and break-out sessions, the Pannual featured a resource fair connecting panel attorneys directly with County departments and a wide range of legal and social service agency partners. Participating County departments included the Department of Health, Department of Probation, Department of Community Mental Health, Parks Department and the Office of Housing Counsel.
Jenkins said: “I recognize that you are here today because as attorneys in private practice, you have made the admirable decision to give of yourselves so that Westchester residents who do not have the means to hire lawyers to defend them can have counsel. You work long and hard to ensure that when people are at some of the lowest points in their lives and need support and guidance, you are there for them, making sure that their constitutional rights are upheld and the legal advice they receive is of the highest caliber. The values of equity and access for all — regardless of economic resources – are Westchester values and ones that I hold in the highest regard. Protecting these values and expanding their reach, as we did when we established the Office for Assigned Counsel in 2021, is just another example of how we manifest the kind of place we are proud to be part of, a County we are proud to call Westchester.”
Nonna said: “We appreciate all the hard work of our assigned counsel panel to provide representation to indigent defendants. You are bending the arc of the moral universe towards justice. When we formed the Office of Assigned Counsel at the request of the New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services, we wanted to create a structure of support for you to do your important work. That includes providing you with the most up-to-date resources and information, and that is what today is all about.”
Perez said: “The Office of Assigned Counsel is just over three years in existence and while we have come a long way since the early days, we are always looking for innovative ways to move forward and to expand. I am so gratified that our Pannual has already sparked the interest of new attorneys eager to join us. We know that the expertise and experience of this panel provides us access to the best information about what is going on day-to- day in the courtrooms and with the clients. We value the input from you on what we can do to aid you in your representation, what resources you would like access to benefit the clients and what programming you are interested in us bringing to you in the coming year — today’s Pannual was designed for you”
Weathers said: “As Board Chair, it is my privilege to look out at this room and see so many dedicated, passionate attorneys who form the backbone of our legal system’s integrity. You are the guardians of the rule of law, ensuring that the constitutional promise of counsel is not just a theory, but a reality for everyone, regardless of their financial means. On behalf of the Board, I would like to say thank you to you all for the work that you do as part of this panel.”