Mr. November back for matrimonial law talk with Bay Ridge Lawyers

November 20, 2015 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Bay Ridge Lawyers Association President Grace M. Borrino and Justice Jeffrey S. Sunshine. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese

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The Bay Ridge Lawyers Association (BRLA) had its annual matrimonial law update from Justice Jeffrey S. Sunshine at its monthly Continuing Legal Education (CLE) meeting at Hunter’s Steak and Ale House in Bay Ridge on Wednesday.

The annual meeting has consistently fallen in November, so the group has begun calling the judge “Mr. November.”

“As an attorney who appears in front of Judge Sunshine, who knows how busy he is between being a judge and traveling all over New York state, it is wonderful that he finds time every November for the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association,” said BRLA President Grace M. Borrino. “That’s why he’s known affectionately as Mr. November.”

Borrino read an impressive list of Justice Sunshine’s accomplishments during his introduction. “When he sat in the Matrimonial Part of the Richmond County Supreme Court from January ’01 to February ’03, he eliminated a multi-year backlog,” she said. But his most impressive accomplishment, according to Borrino, was marrying his wife, Hon. Nancy Sunshine, and raising their two daughters.

Sunshine opened the meeting by explaining that it had been a quiet year for matrimonial law in the Appellate and Appeals Aourts. He noted that it has been busier legislatively and discussed a few issues, including two new bills concerning matrimonial law that had been passed. He also thanked RoseAnn Branda, a BRLA member and president of the Columbian Lawyers Association, for her efforts in helping to advocate for matrimonial law practitioners.

“I have to tell you, in this room, you have a wonderful resource and a wonderful advocate, and that’s RoseAnn Branda,” Sunshine said. “I would also say from a statewide perspective, she’s been a big help because, as you know, I chair the court system’s Matrimonial Practice Advisory Rules Committee. It’s the first time matrimonials in NYC had a standing committee. It’s been a busy year, and she’s been a member of that committee.”

The BRLA will meet again next month on Dec. 10 at Cebu Bar & Bistro for its annual holiday party. Guests are asked to bring an unwrapped present for Toys for Tots. It was also announced that the annual BRLA dinner dance will be held at Battery Gardens in Manhattan on June 23, 2016.