Brooklyn Bar Association members sit down with Justice Lisa Ottley

February 10, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

Judge Lisa Ottley. Eagle file photo by Caroline Ourso

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One of the primary roles of a local bar association is to ensure that the judiciary and attorneys are able to collaborate on matters concerning the courts and equal justice.

This is why the Brooklyn Bar Association regularly hosts “Sit Down” with various judges — to ensure its members understand the judges, how their courts operate, and to put them into situations where they can ask questions and present issues that pop up in the court as they arise.

On Jan. 31, members of the Brooklyn Bar Association met with Hon. Lisa Ottley, who sits in the Appellate Term, and also presides over the Article 81 Guardianship Part of the Supreme Court.

The one-hour event was moderated by Anthony Lamberti, past president of the BBA. He primarily focused on the judge’s work in the Guardianship Part and the pair discussed the procedural requirements for that part.

Brooklyn Bar Association past president Anthony Lamberti. Eagle file photos by Robert Abruzzese

“Judge Ottley shared her extensive knowledge as well as her expectations from the parties when filing a petition, the role of the Court Evaluator, the purpose of the Court Evaluator’s report and recommendations, the hearing and the responsibilities of the guardian upon appointment,” said Anthony Vaughn, first vice president of the BBA. “Additionally, Judge Ottley and Anthony Lamberti discussed recent case law that has impacted Guardianship practice.”

Since a big part of the sit down is explaining how her court works, Justice Ottley also introduced BBA members to her staff, including Lola Waterman, Chair of the Access to Justice Committee and Chanel Louis.

Justice Ottley, a graduate from Temple University School of Law, has been on the bench since 2009 when she was elected to the Civil Court in Brooklyn. She was eventually elected to the Supreme Court in Brooklyn in 2018. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney in a private firm from 1998 until 2000 when she was the court attorney to Hon. Alice Fisher Rubin.