March 12, 2012Hon. Sondra M. Miller, who leads our Mediation & Arbitration and Appellate Practice groups, was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on the impact of the new divorce law. Judge Miller, who has been a long-time proponent of reforms in divorce law, discussed how the new divorce law, passed in 2010, has had unintended consequences on temporary alimony for some affluent New Yorkers. See video below for that interview. Footage provided by Wall Street Journal.
December 01, 2011On December 1, 2011 Hon. Sondra M. Miller was the recipient of the 2011 Judge Learned Hand Award by the Westchester Region of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). This was the first time that the Judge Learned Hand Award was presented by AJC's Westchester Region. The award ceremony took place at Chappaqua Crossing (the former Reader’s Digest site), in Chappaqua, New York. AJC is the oldest and most respected human relations organization in the United States. AJC builds bridges, advances security, promotes human rights, supports Israel and strengthens Jewish life. For over fifty years, AJC has taken great pride in publicly acknowledging the accomplishments of outstanding members of the legal community who excel in their field and give generously of themselves to the larger community.
February 04, 2011Hon. Sondra M. Miller, who has been a long-time proponent of "no fault" divorce and helped bring upon its passage in law last year, was interviewed by the New York Law Journal (2/4/2011) to comment on a recent ruling on the new law by Essex County Justice Robert J. Muller. Justice Muller is the second judge to rule that a trial is required if a party disputes whether, under the new law, a marriage has "broken down irretrievably." The article went on to say:
"Sondra Miller, the former Second Department justice who headed a commission appointed by former Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye to examine the state's matrimonial laws, disagreed with Justice Muller's conclusion stating that the 'irretrievably broken' language must be read in the context within which it was written. . . . 'It is quite clear,' Ms. Miller said, that the 'purpose' of the language referring to an oath provided by 'one party' was to 'avoid litigation.' 'It was not the intent of the Legislature and the bill's sponsors to avoid litigation on fault grounds only to substitute litigation upon the ground of irretrievable breakdown,' added Ms. Miller who is now chief counsel at McCarthy Fingar in White Plains. 'The statute was designed to avoid the expense and delay of full trials.'"
January 19, 2011Hon. Sondra M. Miller spoke at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City at the induction ceremony of newly elected Justice Linda J. Christopher.
June 17, 2008Hon. Sondra M. Miller was interviewed by the New York Law Journal as a spokesperson for various state and local bar groups who lobbied Albany legislators for an amendment of divorce law to permit "no fault" divorce. Judge Miller, who is also the Director of the Office of Family Services for the Office of Court Administration, organized the event in Albany, to remind legislators of the need to change the divorce laws and to highlight the near-unanimous support that the no-fault option has among bar groups. In her interview, Judge Miller also spoke of the difficulties the no-fault option faced in the current legislative session, since no-fault divorce is just one of a myriad of items vying for attention. In the interview, Judge Miller said: "They are not focused on this issue. And we, as a group, are at a disadvantage because we are not lobbyists."
November 08, 2007Hon. Sondra M. Miller was a keynote speaker on November 8, 2007 for The Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York (FDMCGNY) at its 25th anniversary gala celbration in New York, New York. FDMCGNY is a not-for-profit group dedicated to the constructive resolution of traditional and non-traditional family disputes.
November 01, 2007Dolores Gebhardt and Hon. Sonda M. Miller authored an article in the Pace Law Review, Justice Abandoned: Forty Years of Stalemate in Actions for Divorce on the Ground of Abandonment, 27 Pace Law Review 605 (2007). Click on Article to see this publication.
October 11, 2007Dolores Gebhardt and Hon. Sondra M. Miller spoke at a forum in New York City at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on October 11, 2007, entitled "The Need for No-Fault Divorce."
April 02, 2007Hon. Sondra M. Miller has joined the Board of Directors of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.
April 01, 2007Hon. Sondra M. Miller In the aftermath of the recent bribery conviction of former state Supreme Court Justice Gerald P. Garson, there has been substantial media coverage of the manner in which matrimonial and family law cases are litigated in the court system. Judge Miller, who headed the Matrimonial Commission formed by Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, was interviewed by The Institute for Judicial Studies for both her observations on the case and efforts to implement the recommendations of the Matrimonial Commission. For excerpts of that interview, click at Interview. Click at Report to see the recommendations of the Matrimonial Commission.
October 24, 2006Hon. Sondra M. Miller lectured on Ethical Considerations and Attorney Fees as part of an all-day program in Tarrytown, New York on October 24, 2006 entitled "Probate and Administration of Estates" for the Trusts & Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.
January 01, 2006We are pleased to announce that Judge Sondra M. Miller, retired from the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, as of January 1, 2006, has joined our Firm as Chief Counsel. Judge Miller is a member of the Firm's Business Litigation and Matrimonial & Family Law groups and will lead the Firm's appellate practice.
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