
New York, New York
NY Times Building, 620 8th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018
JAMS Arbitrator, Mediator, Special Master/Referee, Neutral Evaluator
JAMS Arbitrator, Mediator, Special Master/Referee, Neutral Evaluator
620 Eighth Ave. 34th Floor
New York, NY 10018
T: 212-607-2773
F: 212-751-4099
JAMS Arbitrator, Mediator, Special Master/Referee, Neutral Evaluator
620 Eighth Ave. 34th Floor
New York, NY 10018
T: 212-607-2773
F: 212-751-4099
Hon. Sherry Klein Heitler (Ret.) joins JAMS with 26 years of experience on the bench serving New York State with excellence. During her career, in recognition of her work ethic and ability, four chief administrative judges appointed her to positions with diverse responsibilities. She served as chief of policy and planning for the New York State Unified Court System. Prior to this, she served as the administrative judge for civil matters in New York County and as an associate justice of the Appellate Term of the New York State Supreme Court, First Department.
During Justice Heitler’s lengthy terms on the bench, she handled thousands of cases in multiple areas of the law. Justice Heitler’s career has spanned the full breadth of matrimonial, administrative, appellate, criminal, civil matters involving asbestos mass tort cases, personal injury, commercial and residential landlord/tenant, business/commercial, insurance coverage disputes, as well as special proceedings. Her expansive experience also includes medical malpractice, dental malpractice, legal malpractice, property damage, sexual harassment and contract claims.
Throughout her career, Justice Heitler has been a leader in civic and community organizations and associations, and she frequently chairs and lectures for professional programs.
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Hunter College of the City of New York, Justice Heitler received a Master of Arts from New York University. Thereafter, she obtained her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law.
Justice Heitler has experience in multiple spheres. She was elected to serve in the New York County Civil Court and the New York Supreme Court, where she evaluated, settled and tried all types of cases. Prior to becoming a judge, she served as an arbitrator in the New York Civil Court and founded her own law firm.
While serving as the administrative judge for civil matters in New York County, Justice Heitler was on call 24/7 for emergency applications and was responsible for the asbestos dockets which had thousands of cases.
During her tenure as chief of the Office of Policy and Planning (OPP), Justice Heitler implemented new procedures and policies for approximately 300 problem-solving courts (PSCs), which included drug courts, opioid courts, integrated domestic violence courts, veterans’ courts, driving while intoxicated courts, human trafficking intervention courts, mental health courts and adolescent diversion courts. Justice Heitler was also responsible for reviewing and suggesting new policy for the statewide foreclosure inventory. This involved improvements to case processing and making the foreclosure process more transparent and user-friendly for litigants. She also met with plaintiff and defense practitioners, bank representatives and loan servicers to implement best practices.
Justice Heitler is very committed to the ongoing process of legal education. She consistently participates in the clinical externship programs offered by metropolitan area law schools and regularly invited law students to intern in her chambers.
Over the years, Justice Heitler has served in many different roles in these organizations and has been honored by many of them.
Selected Awards and Honors
Selected Publications
As chief of the Office of Policy and Planning, Justice Heitler oversaw the publication of numerous manuals that were distributed at the conferences to update judges and court personnel regarding new laws, trial techniques and case updates.
NY Times Building, 620 8th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018
NY Times Building, 620 8th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018
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