Housing Court Bar Association honors four at 15th Annual Luncheon

May 13, 2016 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Kings County Housing Court Bar Association honored four leaders in the legal community during its annual awards luncheon on Thursday. Pictured is Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (second from left) with the honorees: Carol Jones, Hon. Lisa Ottley, Hon. Kevin McClanahan and Tracy Ferdinand. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese

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The Kings County Housing Court Bar Association held its 15th annual awards luncheon on Thursday at Rocco’s Tacos in Downtown Brooklyn, where it honored Judge Lisa Ottley and three other leaders in Brooklyn’s legal community.

Judge Ottley was honored alongside Hon. Kevin McClanahan, court attorney Tracy Ferdinand and court officer Carol Jones.

“It takes special people to understand that when someone enters housing court, they are not there because they were invited to a birthday party,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who was there in support of the honorees. “There is some type of stress, some type of disorder in their lives, some type of uncertainty. When people walk through your doors, they are broken — particularly when you look at Brooklyn and the price of real estate, [which] has pushed out people and development has meant displacement.

“Thank you for what you do, thank you for how you do it and let’s continue to do what you do,” Adams said.

The group packed the restaurant’s basement, and the event lasted about two hours. Each honoree had about five minutes to give thanks after President Michael Rosenthal had explained why each had been selected.

Rosenthal first introduced Court Officer Carol Jones, better known as “Jonesie.”

Rosenthal referred to Jones as “a court officer so respected that she’s now been court officer to three consecutive housing court judges — the only housing court supervising judges that we’ve had in Brooklyn. She is extremely helpful to attorneys; the judges all respect her. She’s one of the most respected people — not just court officers, but people — in the courthouse.”

Rosenthal then introduced Judge Ottley as an intelligent person who is able to speak and reason with people in a way that makes her an extremely effective judge.

“I pride myself on being the person that I am to everyone at all times, because I think that’s important when you are in this field,” said Judge Ottley, who recently moved to the Kings County Supreme Court. “I love the civil court; I’m having new experiences in supreme and am looking forward to all of the challenges.”

Judge Kevin McClanahan is another judge who has recently moved on from Brooklyn’s housing court, but Rosenthal noted that he deserved to be honored for his time in the borough and called him a judge that respects lawyers.

“Judge McClanahan is a judge who listens to everyone who speaks before him and gives them an opportunity to be heard and is cognizant of our time,” Rosenthal said. “We’ve all experienced sitting in a room for an hour-and-a-half and not [have] the judge [acknowledge] that you’re even in the room. When you add to that intelligence and a sense of humor, he’s the perfect package, and one that we are so sorry is not sitting in Brooklyn and would love to have back.”

Rosenthal wrapped up the event by calling Ferdinand a court attorney who has a unique ability to speak to people, to get them to understand their options and to move cases along in a reasonable manner.

“I first came to the Brooklyn Housing Court, like, three million years ago as a Brooklyn Law School student in their landlord/tenant clinic,” Ferdinand said. “I was fortunate enough in 2012 to find my way back here, and I jumped at the chance to come back to Brooklyn. It has its own style. It’s a quirky place, not without its challenges, but the warmth of the people in [141 Livingston St.] make it a privilege to come here every day.”