With eye on Brooklyn case, Cardozo Law School pushes for guardianship reform
In September 2012, attorney Raymond Jones sat in a Kings County Criminal courtroom as a trial against him proceeded. Jones had been charged by the Kings County District Attorney’s Office with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree rising from his alleged mishandling and ultimate breach of his fiduciary duties as the court-appointed guardian and trustee of the estate of various incapacitated persons.
For the Guardianship Clinic at Cardozo Law School, the recent criminal conviction of Jones highlighted the inadequacies of the current system as it pertains to guardianships. The clinic issued a major report today calling for an overhaul of New York’s guardianship system.
The report was written based on input from a group of more than 70 lawyers, judges, court staff members and social service providers who took part in a workshop at the law school last year.