Cohen questioned about 13 lawyers' layoffs

Suffolk County Attorney Dennis Cohen came under intense questioning at his confirmation hearing Wednesday about how his office will deliver legal services -- especially in Family Court -- after the layoffs of 13 lawyers last week.

Noting the average county lawyer works 2,000 hours a year, Legis. John M. Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset) questioned the loss of 26,000 hours. "How are you going to plug that?"

Kennedy, the legislative minority leader, said he was particularly concerned that Family Court cases to recoup delinquent child support will lag. "That would send a bad message," he said.

Cohen told the Ways and Means Committee that he is "very confident" his office will "still function as-is" without using extra outside attorneys. He said lawyers would be cross-trained to fill in when needed.

Cohen said his "first priority" would be staffing Family Court, where the county attorney's office daily must staff as many as 17 courtrooms. Cohen told lawmakers that five Family Court lawyers were laid off but that 20 lawyers remain to do the necessary work. He said he immediately will train three to five staff lawyers to provide backup, and that he would undergo training himself.

New Democratic County Executive Steve Bellone ordered the layoffs Friday in part to shift funding to the economic development department, his highest priority.

The committee approved Cohen's nomination by a 3-0 vote, with Legis. Lynne Nowick (R-St. James) abstaining. Legis. Ricardo Montano (D-Central Islip) said he voted for Cohen "in spite of my reservations" about the layoffs in order to to give Bellone's team a chance to move forward.

Nowick called the attorney layoffs "a shock" after a budget process in which 88 county workers were let go and 600 others were funded for only six months. "Were the lawyers not busy?" she asked.

In all, 13 lawyers -- 18 percent of the staff -- were laid off. Among them was the deputy Family Court bureau chief, who had worked for Suffolk for 28 years. "It was much harder than sending people to jail," said Cohen, who resigned as district court judge to take the new post. "These people didn't do anything wrong."