Stern wins first Family Court defender award

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Jon M. Stern knows he is relentless in his pursuit of justice for his indigent Family Court clients.

He just did not realize how many other people noticed.

Stern is the first recipient of the Award for Excellence in Indigent Adult Representation in Family Court. The new award, established by the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office, is to recognize an attorney who practices in Monroe County Family Court and displays exceptional dedication to indigent adult clients.

“I think what I do is I consistently represent people as hard as I can and I pour all of my being into it in that I’m not going to let anybody get over on my clients without a fight,” Stern said, noting he has been referred to as a bulldog.

The award was presented Saturday at the annual Defense Community Dinner at Rochester Institute of Technology.

“I feel honored by it and humbled by it,” Stern said. “It’s wonderful to be singled out, but it’s more humbling because I know there are folks just as worthy as me to receive this.”

Public Defender Timothy P. Donaher said the award came about as a way to recognize the important work being done in Family Court, dealing with complicated and often emotionally charged issues that profoundly affect families such as child custody, visitation and parental rights.

He said Family Court is not always recognized for the quality of justice it provides to litigants, so he, First Assistant Public Defender Roger A. Brazil and others reached out to some Family Court judges who agreed establishing the award was a good idea. Also on the award committee were Family Court Judges John Gallagher Jr. and Dandrea Ruhlmann, as well as Shannon O’Keefe, Tammy Guglin and Pam Bayer.

“I’ve known Jon in his professional capacity for maybe 10 years and I’ve always known him to be an excellent advocate for his clients,” Judge Gallagher said. “He’s a hard worker and he knows the law.”

Stern, who was nominated by Family Court Judge Joan S. Kohout, previously worked for the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office.

“I think the committee made an excellent choice,” Donaher said. “Jon has been providing high quality indigent representation for years. He’s continued to do excellent work.”

Stern said he is motivated and honored by the trust his clients place in him, having his clients remember him years later, seeing a smile on their faces and thinking he made a difference in their lives.

“I also enjoy the intellectual challenge and the art of the trial,” he said. “I enjoy fighting against (the Department of Social Services) and trying to ensure that justice is administered across the board to the extent I can.

“It’s really an extraordinary challenge sometimes and I like the challenge,” Stern said. “If you give it your all and you know that you’ve done the best you can for people, it’s a lot easier to deal with the results. If I didn’t give all I could, I don’t know if I could live with myself. My performance could be the difference in whether my client gets 10 years or not.”

Stern, a Long Island native, worked in Georgia for about five years before coming to Rochester in 2001, first working as a legal aid guardian with the Legal Aid Society of Rochester. In 2003, he joined the Monroe County Public Defender’s Family Court section where he worked in the Family Court section until going into private Family Court practice in 2005.

Stern is also on the law guardian panel and represents a lot of parents in child protective proceedings under Family Court Article 10. He believes indigent clients deserve the same quality of representation that more fortunate people receive.

“It seems to me that the application of Article 10 cases and neglect cases are skewed against indigent folks,” Stern said. “To me, to gain the trust of your clients, who are often skeptical about the system, that’s very rewarding. It’s really a unique opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives, especially people that are not used to having people fight for them.”

Stern earned his law degree at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta where he and Lisa Meyer, who is also from Long Island, were married in 1997. She is an associate professor of sociology at State University at Geneseo. Stern said they both went to Skidmore College and have been together for 20 years. The couple has two daughters: Ava, 10, and Ella, 7.

Stern said he is blessed to have such a family; that he enjoys sitting around watching movies with, going bowling or just hanging out. He also likes to play guitar and golf and ski when he finds time.

While in law school, Stern said he had no interest in business or arguing about money; that he was turned off a little about how corporate the profession could be.

Then, he participated in a mock trial program and got a job working with the Juvenile Court in Gwinnett County, Ga.

“I derived a lot of pleasure from helping those who didn’t have the resources and needed help,” Stern said, noting that is where he started building the skills he relies on today. He said being a Jewish guy from Long Island, he learned a lot about negotiating with cops and courts going to small towns in Georgia,

The dinner also celebrated the relentless representation provided to indigent criminal clients by Elizabeth A. Riley and Emily L. Rosmus, assistant public defenders who received the Jeffrey A. Jacobs Award which honors the memory of a former special assistant public defender known for his fierce advocacy of clients. A story about them was featured in The Daily Record Nov. 7.

“It’s special to me to be recognized on Jeff Jacobs night,” Stern said. “Jeff was a really good friend of mine. Jeff was, I think, a professional mentor to a lot of people. Jeff would never let anybody get over on him or get over on his clients. The award is special to me because it gives me that validation that my approach is appreciated and effective.”