Early Voting: Saturday June 13-Sunday June 21

Protecting all people.

“ I will not allow anyone to be pushed aside, pushed out, or pushed around in my courtroom. The Constitution does not bend to intimidation, and justice does not belong to only the powerful. It belongs to all Brooklynites. I will protect your rights — and the democracy those rights sustain. ”

About
Abbye Lawrence

Democrat for Civil Court Judge

Abbye Lawrence is presently an attorney in private practice, currently practicing in personal injury law. She served as the Principal Law Clerk and Special Master for several Supreme Court Justices in New York City for over 7 years (Hon. James E. d’Auguste – recently assigned to the commercial division, Hon. Mary Rosado (ret.), and Hon. Kathryn E. Freed (ret.)). She also served as Senior Counsel in the Special State Law Enforcement Defense Unit, defending NYPD officers in excessive force and false arrest claims, for the Corporation Counsel’s Office. She also served as a judicial and alternate delegate for over a decade, and supports progressive judicial candidates and other elected officials. Abbye works on a variety of complex legal issues, which receive notoriety in the community, and routinely appears in court in all counties. Abbye is also a small claims arbitrator.

She received her J.D. from Cardozo Law School and her B.A. from Cornell University. She served as an articles editor on the Cardozo Law Review and wrote an article that was independently published nationwide on a then-new and nuanced issue in attorney discipline. As a result, she received a special appointment to the Committee on Professional Discipline for the New York State Bar Association to help unify the attorney disciplinary rules in all 4 judicial departments. She received a public interest fellowship to begin her career in the court system, where she is known for her excellent writing and research skills, kind temperament, knowledge of the law, common sense approach to cases, and fairness to litigants.

In fact, she started her career interning for the Hon. Marsha L. Steinhardt (ret.) in Supreme Court, Kings County, while the Hon. Consuelo Mallafre Melendez was her law secretary. Abbye continued to intern for a federal judge in Brooklyn in the Eastern District Courthouse. She also has ties to Brooklyn in that her father grew up in Midwood before becoming an attorney himself. She is the first female attorney in her family of 9 lawyers in total.

She also graduated from high school at 16 as valedictorian and went on to Cornell.

Abbye Lawrence has spent her entire career in New York courtrooms — protecting people, upholding the rule of law, and defending democracy where it matters most: in the lives of everyday Brooklynites.

From advising judges in the Supreme Court, to presiding as a Hearing Officer ensuring due process, Abbye has seen justice from every side of the bench. She knows that a courtroom is not abstract — it is where housing is saved or lost, livelihoods are protected or taken, and families stand at their most vulnerable.

Tough. Compassionate. Fair.

Abbye Lawrence will protect Brooklynites — no matter who they are, or where they come from.

A Record of Protection

Served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel defending civil servants throughout New York City

01

Trusted advisor and Special Master to Supreme Court Judges

02

Ensured due process as a New York City Hearing Officer

03

Spent her entire career serving in New York courtrooms

04

Admitted in New York State and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court

05

Articles Editor on the Cardozo Law Review

06

A Vision for Court Reform

Expanding Access to Justice

Increase the Number of Translators

Increase the Number of Translators in Civil Court so all can fully understand and participate in our justice system.

Introduce a Staggered Calendar System

Introduce a Staggered Calendar System so working people do not spend entire days waiting in crowded courthouses.

Make Courts More Accessible

Make Courts More Accessible for Seniors and People with Disabilities so justice is open and navigable for everyone.

Increase Access to Virtual Appearances

Increase Access to Virtual Appearances so Brooklynites can access courts without losing work, pay, or family time.

Increase the Number of Help Desk Attorneys

Increase the Number of Help Desk Attorneys so that unrepresented litigants can know and protect their rights.

Modernize Our Courts

Modernize Our Courts so our Civil Court is more efficient, transparent, and accessible for all of the people it serves.

Provide Time-Certain Court Appearances

Provide Time-Certain Court Appearances so Brooklynites spend less time waiting in court and do not miss work.

Abbye's Promise to Brooklyn

Abbye Lawrence is tough when the law demands it.

Compassionate when people need it.

Unwavering in her commitment to Brooklyn.

Because Civil Court is where justice lives — and Brooklyn deserves a judge who will protect it.

  • Protect tenants and homeowners.
  • Protect small businesses and working families.
  • Protect equal justice under law.
  • Protect the democratic values our courts uphold.

Get in touch with Abbye

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