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Friday, March 29, 2024

Brooklyn’s Civil Matters are in Good Hands – A Profile of the Honorable Judge Lawrence S. Knipel

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In 2013 the Honorable Lawrence S. Knipel was named Administrative Judge for Civil Matters in the 2nd Judicial District in Brooklyn.
In 2013 the Honorable Lawrence S. Knipel was named Administrative Judge for Civil Matters in the 2nd Judicial District in Brooklyn.
Judge Knipel (left) pictured with Judge Bernard Graham, the grand marshall of the 2013 St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Have you ever wondered who serves as the legal arbitrator of a physical altercation between neighbors? Or perhaps you’ve been involved in a personal injury case, a guardianship matter, a divorce or a residential foreclosure? Perhaps you have given a great deal of thought to the individual who will render the ultimate outcome and how your future will be affected?

Recently, the Jewish Voice had the distinct honor and privilege of meeting and chatting with the Honorable Lawrence S. Knipel, who in January of 2013 was named Administrative Judge for Civil Matters in the 2nd Judicial District in Brooklyn. And chances are that if you reside in the county of Kings and you must appear in court, you might just encounter him.

With a palpable sense of gravitas etched on his face, Judge Knipel definitely shoulders his legal responsibilities in an earnest style .He is an extraordinarily affable man, however, and one who possesses a hefty amount of pride for the borough and people he serves. Having been raised in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, he recalls with more than an ounce of sentiment in his voice: “I grew up on Nostrand Avenue and Avenue Z; across from the site that Sheepshead Bay High School was to have been built on.” After moving to Long Island with his parents, Judge Knipel later returned to the Brooklyn with his wife who also resided in the fourth largest city in America.

Having obtained his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York of Cortland and his J.D. degree from NYU School of Law, Judge Knipel began his illustrious career in the arena of jurisprudence as an associate in the law firm of Vanginkei and Benjamin in 1979. Subsequently, he served as a law clerk for Judge Martin Schneier of the New York City Civil Court and for Supreme Court Justice Jules Supdek (1982-1990).

In 1991 Judge Knipel answered the call of the bench when he made the transition to judge of the New York City Civil Court. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1998 and was re-elected in November of 2011 to a 14-year term ending in 2025.

Judge Knipel’s stellar credentials in matters of adjudicating and deciding often nuanced cases came to the attention of Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of the State of New York and Chief Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti. The post became vacant when the former Administrative Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix was appointed to the Appellate Division, Second Department in October of 2012.

As the Administrative Judge for Civil Matters, Judge Knipel oversees the cases of 17 judges in civil court as well as 16 judges in housing court and at times “feels like a traffic cop.” “There are quite a number of people working in this court system and that includes each judge’s support staff which consists of aides, clerks and officers,“ he says.

The categories of cases that fall under the purview of civil litigation include personal injury (auto accidents; industrial accidents, etc), Worker’s Compensation appeals, matrimonial cases (divorce and separation agreements), residential and commercial foreclosures (11,000 currently pending), guardianship matters for both children, the elderly and other incapable of handling their own affairs among others. Says Judge Knipel, “We also hear cases involving election law matter and that is quite expansive as there are approximately 1000 voting sites in Brooklyn.’ He adds that any voting improprieties or clear violations of the law are often hammered out in his courtroom and of those judges that he oversees.

In terms of the realm of employment law, Judge Knipel reflects on the cases he has heard. “There are 200,000 people who are employed by the City of New York and we hear cases of those who believe they have been unfairly terminated by their respective unions, or are experiencing other issues that are adversely impacting their employment, “ he notes.

Judge Knipel says that what is “really exploding” on the legal scene are real estate matters especially pertaining to commercial litigation surrounding “two or three story buildings transforming into skyscrapers.” He adds that clear delineations in the law are made between what is acceptable in residential areas and commercial areas.

Because medical malpractice cases can often languish in the courts for years resulting in painfully protracted and extremely costly matter, Judge Knipel says that “the government wanted to offer some incentive for having these cases resolved as expeditiously as possible, so in 2008 they established early settlement programs.” He added that in order to address the congestion in the court system as it relates to the staggering amount of medical malpractice cases, hospitals are now given the option of going this route through a judge that is specifically assigned to their cases.

“All the medical malpractice cases that emanate from Maimonides Hospital come before me, “ says Judge Knipel. “It is one of the highest rated hospitals in the city and they have exercised their right to have cases decided on a faster track in order that their patients can move on with their lives.”

Creating a paradigm that would streamline cases and achieve greater efficiency in the court system under his bailiwick is a top priority for Judge Knipel. In the last two years in which he has held the position of Administrative Judge for Civil Matters, concrete measures have been taken to “substantially lessen delay and inefficiency in the courthouse” as he wrote in a November 2014 article that appeared in the Brooklyn Eagle.

“With significantly more than 51,000 cases pending and an additional 23,000 new matters filed annually, Kings County Supreme Court is clearly the busiest Supreme Court in New York state,” write Judge Knipel.

Offering examples of what precisely has been done to transform the system into a more efficient one, Judge Knipel writes that, “Guardianship operations have been consolidated and assigned to a single judge at 360 Adams St., with small estates divided between two hybrid judges at 141 Livingston St. Substantial efficiencies and uniformities in practice have been achieved by this reorganization and the consolidation of guardianship proceedings.”

Judge Knipel also credits the “diligent and unheralded efforts of the elected justices, clerks and officers at the courthouse” for the efforts that were made in this regard.

Turning his focus on events being planned for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, Judge Knipel enthusiastically speaks of the upcoming annual Law Day ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be quite special says Judge Knipel because “we will be celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.”

The principles embodied in the Magna Carta that saw its birth in England were incorporated into our nation’s most cherished founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The Magna Carta also provides the foundation for important rights in our society such as the right to trial by jury, right to travel, due process, and other individual rights.

Law Day was originally conceived in 1957 when American Bar Association President Charles Rhynes envisioned a special national day to mark our commitment to the rule of law.

As such, this year’s Law Day Ceremony which will be held on May 6th at 1:00 pm at the central jury room at 360 Adams Street in Brooklyn will feature remarks by the Honorable Matthew D’Emic on the significance of the Magna Carta and what it means to our lives as free individuals in a democratic nation.

In addition, a special presentation of awards to high school student scholars will take place under the auspices of the Honorable Bernard Graham.

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