On behalf of the Honorable Elizabeth A. Garry, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, and the Justices of the Court, the Office of Attorneys for Children is pleased to invite interested individuals to nominate candidates for the John T. Hamilton, Jr., Esq. Award for Excellence in the Legal Representation of Children.

Nominations will be accepted on an ongoing basis for those Third Department Attorneys for Children who have demonstrated the qualities that the late John T. Hamilton Jr., Esq. exemplified during his distinguished career: excellence in the legal representation of children and a commitment to the well-being of child clients.

Attorney Hamilton was a 1973 graduate of Hamilton College, having earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree, and he was also a 1976 graduate, cum laude, of Albany Law School. Attorney Hamilton personified the values and aspirations that lie at the heart of New York's leadership in the legal representation of children. In conferring the Hamilton Award, the Appellate Division, Third Department honors the achievements of the individual recipients and celebrates the contribution of all Attorneys for Children to the attainment of these worthy ideals.

To nominate an Attorney for the Child for the Hamilton Award, please send an email to ad3oac@nycourts.gov. In the subject line please insert "Hamilton Award Nomination". As part of the nomination, please also include the contact information for the nominating individual, and a narrative describing the nominee's achievements or accomplishments, and the specific reasons why the nominee should receive this award, together with any additional letters of support, documentation and/or supporting materials. Nominations will be reviewed by select members of the Office of Attorneys for Children Advisory Committee as they are received.

For additional information about the award and/or process for nominating a deserving Attorney for the Child, please contact:

John W. Kraigenow - Director
Office of Attorneys for Children
Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department
286 Washington Avenue Extension - Suite 202
Albany, New York 12203
(518) 471-4850
jkraigenow@nycourts.gov