Law clerk Stephen Burzio is running for Civil Court judge in Northern Brooklyn

June 3, 2020 Rob Abruzzese

Stephen Burzio was born in Puerto Rico and worked in housing court after law school. Now he’s running for Civil Court judge in Brooklyn. The primary will be held on Tuesday, June 23. Photos courtesy of Stephen Burzio

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Stephen Burzio, a former public interest attorney who has worked for the past eight years as a law clerk, is running for Civil Court judge in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick and is hoping that his background of fighting for tenant’s rights is enough to get him elected.

“I’ve been an attorney for nearly 16 years,” Burzio said. “I started my legal career in the district, I worked for nearly eight years at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council where I represented hundreds of tenants, families, seniors and folks living in public housing. I’m very familiar with the community and the district.”

Burzio was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York with his mother when he was seven years old. He said that it was watching her work odd jobs to make ends meet that taught him the value of hard work and drove him to do well in school. Burzio later attended SUNY Binghamton where he graduated magna cum laude.

Assemblymember Maritza Davila worked with Burzio at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council.

“There were times where we were on public assistance, where we were facing the threat of eviction, or moving around a lot. It showed me that these public institutions can really have an impact on our lives and it inspired me to not only pursue a career in the law, but one in public service.”

Burzio attended law school at the University of North Carolina, where he was the co-chair of the student chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. He also worked in a legal clinic in his third year where he represented immigrants with various legal issues.

Burzio explained that he has a connection to the Polish community after he spent a summer in Olsztyn, Poland as a teaching assistant with the Kosciuszko Foundation.

“That was one of the best summers of my life and it really gave me an appreciation and fondness for the Polish community,” he said.

Burzio with Councilmember Stephen Levin, a council member who represents part of the judicial district in which Burzio is running for Civil Court judge.

After graduating law school, Burzio moved back to New York where he represented tenants in Housing Court with the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. He was quickly promoted to director of the Homeless Prevention Program and then to supervising attorney, directing four to six attorneys, the staff and writing grant applications while still representing clients in Housing Court.

In 2012, Burzio began working at the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term as the principal law clerk to Justice Carl Landicino. He explained that this gave him experience researching and drafting judicial decisions and exposed him to many different areas of the law.

“The first year with Justice Landicino, we were in the city part, in the second we were in the mental hygiene part, then we were in the matrimonial part for two years and the last four we’ve been in the trial part,” Burzio said. “It has really broadened my skill set and it has been an incredible experience working for him.”

Stephen Burzio with his family, including wife Katie and daughters Sofia (left) and Anna.

Burzio already has endorsements from Assemblymember Maritza Davila, Councilmember Stephen Levin, and District Leader Nick Rizzo.

“Stephen has worked in the district for many years and the work he did was amazing,” Davila said. “We worked together at the RBSCC and I watched as he helped to save hundreds of families from being evicted.

“If a person is going to be elected in the district, they have to know every pocket of that district because people are going in front of you and you have to make decisions,” Davila continued. “He’s done this, he’s very humble, fair and impartial. That’s what you’re looking for in a good judge.”

Burzio recently became a board member of Somos, a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to help the Hispanic community in New York. He’s also active within the State Bar Association, the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, and the Columbian Lawyers Association. He also served on the Kings County Democratic Party’s Judicial Screening Committee for four years.