Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin (Ret.) retired from the bench in December 2005 after serving as Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department for over 20 years. She was the first woman appointed to that bench in 1985, and in 1989, she was the first woman to serve as Presiding Justice of that court. She served as Deputy Chief Administrative Judge of the State of New York from 1982 to 1985 charged with primary responsibility for administering the operation of all the trial courts within the City of New York, involving more than 425 judges and over 4,700 non-judicial personnel, again the first woman to hold such position. From 1980 to 1982, Justice Ellerin presided over the City Part in New York County and settled over 2,500 cases involving a broad spectrum of disputes in which the city was a party.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

Justice Ellerin’s relevant professional experience includes decisions on hundreds of cases involving:

Breach of Contract Construction Corporate Employment Environmental

Government/Public Agencies Insurance Medical Malpractice Professional Liability Real Estate Torts

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Recipient of innumerable awards including:
  • ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award
  • Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar Award for the Association of Trial Lawyers of the City of New York
  • Distinguished Service Award from the Defense Association of New York
• Most recently she received:
  • New York University School of Law’s Robert B. McKay Award for distinguished service and outstanding accomplishments in the advancement of justice, 2006
  • First Outstanding Jurist Award, My Sister’s Place, a counseling, support, and shelter for domestic violence victims, 2006
  • The New York County Lawyers’ Association Award for Conspicuous Service, in recognition of 50 years of public service, 2005
• Vice Chair, Committee on Character and Fitness, 2006
• Chair, New York State Task Force on Women in the Courts
• Trustee Associate, New York University
• Member, Founder and Director, Women’s Bar of the State of New York
• Member, New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics
• Faculty member, International Law Program, sponsored by Hofstra Law School in cooperation with Nice School of Law, Nice, France

Background and Education

• Senior Counsel, Alston & Bird, 2006-present
• New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department
  • Additional Justice, 2000-2005
  • Presiding Justice, 1999
  • Associate Justice, 1985-1999
• Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, State of New York for the New York City Courts, 1982-1985
• Justice, Supreme Court, New York County, 1980-1981
• Acting Justice, Supreme Court, New York County, 1978-1979
• Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York, New York County, 1977-1978
• LL.B. (equivalent to current J.D.), New York University School of Law, 1952
• B.A., cum laude, Washington Square College, 1950