about lisa
Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin was appointed by the New York State Governor in May 2007 as Erie County Family Court Judge. She was elected to a full term in 2008. She specializes in matters of abuse, neglect, juvenile justice, custody and family violence. Prior to this appointment, Judge Bloch Rodwin worked with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office from 1985 to 2008, and served as Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit from 1995 through 2007.
Judge Bloch Rodwin is one of a select few judges chosen to be on the New York State Family Court Advisory and Rules Committee which is responsible for drafting and reviewing new legislation on Family Law and she is also a Director of the New York State Family Court Judges’ Association. She has also been appointed by the Chief Judge to the NYS Advisory Council on Immigration Issues in Family Court.
During her tenure as Family Court Judge, she has directed a new collaborative with the Department of Social Services focused on the reduction of the disproportionate number of minority children placed in foster care. Additionally Judge Bloch Rodwin created the first local collaborative in New York State designed to provide outreach and education to Muslim, Immigrant and Refugee families connected to the Civil and Criminal Court systems while concurrently training professionals from the Child Welfare and Criminal Justice systems about cultural competency issues. Judge Bloch Rodwin also served on the statewide committee which drafted the Judicial Guide to Domestic Violence Risk Factors for Family and Supreme Court Judges throughout New York State.
Judge Bloch Rodwin was the founder of New York State’s first Domestic Violence Bureau outside of New York City, and was responsible for the prosecution of more than 4,000 family violence and child abuse cases annually. While at the District Attorney’s Office, Judge Bloch Rodwin developed protocols for the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence crimes for local police agencies and developed interview and investigation policies for child abuse investigations at the Child Advocacy Center in Buffalo.
Judge Bloch Rodwin has worked endlessly serving domestic violence awareness causes, and has appeared on national television as a domestic violence expert on 20/20 with Diane Sawyer and on three occasions on Oprah. She has served as a keynote speaker at national conferences on family violence in Houston, Atlanta, Tulsa, Jackson, Orlando and Long Beach, and has lectured at the university at Buffalo School of Law, Canisius College, the National College of District Attorneys, New York State Prosecutor’s Training Institute, and the Erie County Police Academy. The Judge has developed and conducted training on child abuse and domestic violence laws, the Indian Child Welfare Act, the over-representation of minority children in foster care, Best Practices in working with immigrant and refugee families, Internet crimes against children, elder abuse, stalking and cyber-stalking. She has also edited “Supporting Family Safety, A Resource Guide for Erie County Family Court.”
As a volunteer, Judge Bloch Rodwin was the founder and first Board President of the Erie County Family Justice Center, as well as a founder of the Alexa Foundation which serves child abuse and sexual assault survivors. Judge Bloch Rodwin served as a State Director and Committee Chair for the New York State Women’s Bar Association. In addition, she has been a Board Member of the YWCA and Child Advocacy Center.
Judge Bloch Rodwin has received numerous acknowledgments for her ongoing efforts, including the Women Lawyers of Western New York’s Lawyer of the Year Award, the Susan Still Profile in Courage Award from the Family Justice Center, the President’s Award and Kupferman Juvenile Justice Award from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, the university at buffalo School of law's Distinguished Alumna Award, the Award for Excellence from Everywoman Opportunity Center, and was one of five lawyers selected by The Daily Record for the Leaders in Law Award. Judge Bloch Rodwin has received other service awards from The Buffalo News, the National Federation for Just Communities, the Alexa Foundation, the Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence, Hispanics United, New York State Crime Prevention Coalition, Prevention Focus and Time Warner’s Western New York Local Hero nomination.
In April of 2016, Judge Bloch Rodwin was honored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C. for forming the first Immigrant and Refugee Collaborative in New York State in 2010. The Family Court Collaborative has now grown to include more than 200 representatives of various religious and cultural groups, resettlement agencies, law enforcement, state, national and local governmental agencies, legal services organizations and attorneys. This group is now a model for communities across the state. Judge Bloch Rodwin has taught Judges from across the country techniques in working with families from nations around the world.
Judge Bloch Rodwin is one of a select few judges chosen to be on the New York State Family Court Advisory and Rules Committee which is responsible for drafting and reviewing new legislation on Family Law and she is also a Director of the New York State Family Court Judges’ Association. She has also been appointed by the Chief Judge to the NYS Advisory Council on Immigration Issues in Family Court.
During her tenure as Family Court Judge, she has directed a new collaborative with the Department of Social Services focused on the reduction of the disproportionate number of minority children placed in foster care. Additionally Judge Bloch Rodwin created the first local collaborative in New York State designed to provide outreach and education to Muslim, Immigrant and Refugee families connected to the Civil and Criminal Court systems while concurrently training professionals from the Child Welfare and Criminal Justice systems about cultural competency issues. Judge Bloch Rodwin also served on the statewide committee which drafted the Judicial Guide to Domestic Violence Risk Factors for Family and Supreme Court Judges throughout New York State.
Judge Bloch Rodwin was the founder of New York State’s first Domestic Violence Bureau outside of New York City, and was responsible for the prosecution of more than 4,000 family violence and child abuse cases annually. While at the District Attorney’s Office, Judge Bloch Rodwin developed protocols for the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence crimes for local police agencies and developed interview and investigation policies for child abuse investigations at the Child Advocacy Center in Buffalo.
Judge Bloch Rodwin has worked endlessly serving domestic violence awareness causes, and has appeared on national television as a domestic violence expert on 20/20 with Diane Sawyer and on three occasions on Oprah. She has served as a keynote speaker at national conferences on family violence in Houston, Atlanta, Tulsa, Jackson, Orlando and Long Beach, and has lectured at the university at Buffalo School of Law, Canisius College, the National College of District Attorneys, New York State Prosecutor’s Training Institute, and the Erie County Police Academy. The Judge has developed and conducted training on child abuse and domestic violence laws, the Indian Child Welfare Act, the over-representation of minority children in foster care, Best Practices in working with immigrant and refugee families, Internet crimes against children, elder abuse, stalking and cyber-stalking. She has also edited “Supporting Family Safety, A Resource Guide for Erie County Family Court.”
As a volunteer, Judge Bloch Rodwin was the founder and first Board President of the Erie County Family Justice Center, as well as a founder of the Alexa Foundation which serves child abuse and sexual assault survivors. Judge Bloch Rodwin served as a State Director and Committee Chair for the New York State Women’s Bar Association. In addition, she has been a Board Member of the YWCA and Child Advocacy Center.
Judge Bloch Rodwin has received numerous acknowledgments for her ongoing efforts, including the Women Lawyers of Western New York’s Lawyer of the Year Award, the Susan Still Profile in Courage Award from the Family Justice Center, the President’s Award and Kupferman Juvenile Justice Award from the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, the university at buffalo School of law's Distinguished Alumna Award, the Award for Excellence from Everywoman Opportunity Center, and was one of five lawyers selected by The Daily Record for the Leaders in Law Award. Judge Bloch Rodwin has received other service awards from The Buffalo News, the National Federation for Just Communities, the Alexa Foundation, the Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence, Hispanics United, New York State Crime Prevention Coalition, Prevention Focus and Time Warner’s Western New York Local Hero nomination.
In April of 2016, Judge Bloch Rodwin was honored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C. for forming the first Immigrant and Refugee Collaborative in New York State in 2010. The Family Court Collaborative has now grown to include more than 200 representatives of various religious and cultural groups, resettlement agencies, law enforcement, state, national and local governmental agencies, legal services organizations and attorneys. This group is now a model for communities across the state. Judge Bloch Rodwin has taught Judges from across the country techniques in working with families from nations around the world.
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Lisa lives in Amherst with her husband Michael, a former researcher at Roswell Park. Her son, David, is an attorney working with the Baltimore Public Justice Center. Her son, Benjamin, is a chief resident at the VA Hospital in New Haven, CT, and her daughter-in-law, Rozzie, is a fellow in pediatric oncology at Yale Children's Hospital.
Family Photo (left to right): Rozzie, Ben, Judge Rodwin, Mike & David |