John Kiernan Board Chairman Mr. Kiernan joined the PLS Board of Directors as its Chair in April 2008. He received his B.A. in 1976 magna cum laude in English from Harvard and his J.D. in 1980 magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. From 1980-81,Continue reading “John Kiernan, Chairman”
Author Archives: ypereyaslavskiy
PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES’ 7TH ANNUAL PRO BONO CELEBRATION
On October 4, 2017, PLS hosted our 7th Annual Pro Bono Celebration at the First Congregational Church in Albany New York . The event also included a performance by Soul Rebel Performance Troupe entitled: “Letters from Home: Incarcerated New Yorkers Reflect on the Love of Their Families.”Through the stories of incarcerated individuals, attendees heard about theContinue reading “PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES’ 7TH ANNUAL PRO BONO CELEBRATION”
COVID-19 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD AND STAFF OF PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES OF NEW YORK
The staff of Prisoners’ Legal Services is extremely concerned about the health and safety of everyone in DOCCS custody during this pandemic. PLS, other prisoners’ rights advocacy organizations and Legislators have been in regular contact with DOCCS, the Board of Parole and Governor Cuomo’s office about our concerns, particularly with respect to reducing the prisonContinue reading “COVID-19 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD AND STAFF OF PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES OF NEW YORK”
Court Orders Reversal and Expungement of Disciplinary Charges Based on Res Judicata
Citing Gustus v. Fischer, 64 A.D.3d 1034 (2009) the court held that “where two misbehavior reports charge violations concerning a single incident and all of the information necessary to support the charges was available before commencement of first hearing, a hearing on second misbehavior report is barred by doctrine of res judicata.”
APPELLATE DIVISION REVERSES AND EXPUNGES PRISON DISCIPLINARY HEARING HELD IN PETITIONER’S ABSENCE
The court stated: “Although the form includes instructions to inform an inmate about the nature of the hearing, the charges against him or her and the fact that the hearing will be conducted in the refusing inmate’s absence, the record reflects no information regarding the steps taken to ascertain the legitimacy of petitioner’s refusal or to inform him of his right to attend the hearing and the consequences of his failure to do so.” Wilson v. Annucci, #523541 (3d Dep’t) (March 2, 2017).
Court Orders Expungement Of Disciplinary Charges Due To Inadequate Employee Assistance And Wrongful Denial Of Witness
On February 9, 2017, the Appellate Division, Third Department issued a decision in the case holding that our client was prejudiced by the assistant’s failure to interview the requested witnesses and that the Hearing Officer erred in denying the requested witness based on his own speculation regarding the content of the witness’s testimony.
Halinka Zolcik – Accredited Representative
Halinka Zolcik Accredited RepresentativeTel.: 518-694-8699 x 2106 hzolcik@plsny.org Halinka joined the Albany office of PLS as an immigration law graduate/immigrant justice corps fellow in September 2017. Halinka received her JD from the University of Wyoming College of Law in May 2017. Before attending law school, she worked for a criminal law district court judge forContinue reading “Halinka Zolcik – Accredited Representative”
Laura Rion – Immigration Staff Attorney
Laura Rion Immigration Staff Attorney lrion@plsny.org Laura was born and raised in North Carolina. In 2014, she received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Campbell University before moving to New York City to attend law school. Laura graduated from New York Law School in 2017. During law school she focused on immigration workContinue reading “Laura Rion – Immigration Staff Attorney”
John Peng – Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow
John Peng Federal Litigation & Appellate Staff Attorney, 41 State St., Ste. M112 Albany, NY 12207 T: (518) 694-8699 ext. 2102 jpeng@plsny.org John Peng, Federal Litigation & Appellate Staff Attorney John joined the Immigration Unit in August 2019 as an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow. He received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.Continue reading “John Peng – Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow”
Patricia Kane – Executive Administrative Assistant
Patricia (Patti) Kane Executive Administrative AssistantTel.:518-445-6050pkane@plsny.org Patricia Kane, Executive Administrative Assistant, Patti has been with PLS as the Executive Administrative Assistant since November 2009, prior to joining PLS she was the Office Manager in the printing field for 15 years. In her free time she is active in many local community groups and has sat on committeesContinue reading “Patricia Kane – Executive Administrative Assistant”
