Hon. Dianne T. Renwick, Presiding Justice
Susanna Molina Rojas, Clerk of the Court
Mental Hygiene Legal Service
Office Information
Contact Information
41 Madison Avenue, 26th Floor,New York, NY 10010
Phone: (646) 386-5891
Fax: (212) 779-7899
Marvin Bernstein
Director
Mental Hygiene Legal Service
41 Madison Avenue, 26th Floor,New York, NY 10010
Stephen Harkavy
Deputy Director
Mental Hygiene Legal Service
41 Madison Avenue, 26th Floor,New York, NY 10010
Overview
The Mental Hygiene Legal Service (MHLS) provides legal services, advice and assistance to persons receiving care or alleged to be in need of care at inpatient and community-based facilities for the mentally disabled.
Created in 1964 and organized under Mental Hygiene Law Article 47, MHLS represents such persons in judicial and administrative proceedings concerning admission, retention, transfer, treatment and guardianship. In addition to handling judicial proceedings, MHLS provides advice and representation regarding standards of care and other matters affecting the civil liberties of persons receiving care at facilities for the mentally disabled. MHLS can be assigned as counsel or court evaluator in Mental Hygiene Law Article 81 guardianship proceedings for persons in any type of facility or in the community (link to Counsel to Children Webpage--Guardianship section tbd). Finally, Article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law institutionalizes MHLS as counsel of choice in all sex offender civil management cases.
MHLS for the First Judicial Department covers New York County and Bronx County and maintains nine field offices in the two counties in addition to its Departmental Office.
MHLS Field Offices - New York County (Manhattan)
BELLEVUE HOSPITAL CENTER
462 1st Avenue, Room 19E1, New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 562-4961
Fax: (212) 779-9381
GUARDIANSHIP OFFICE
80 Centre St. Room 133, New York, NY 10004
Phone: (646) 386-5907
Fax: (212) 428-2620
HARLEM HOSPITAL CENTER
506 Lenox Avenue, Women's Pavilion, Room 527
New York, NY 10037
Phone: (212) 939-3045 or (646) 672-6180
KIRBY FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC CENTER
600 East 125th Street, Ward's Island, New York 10035
Phone: (646) 672-6880
Fax: (646) 672-6954
MANHATTAN PSYCHIATRIC CENTER (MPC)
660 East 125th Street, Meyer 10A, Room 62
Ward's Island, NY 10035
Phone: (646) 672-6180
Fax: (646) 672-6658
METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL CENTER (METROPOLITAN)
1901 First Avenue, Room 5M47
New York, NY 10029
Phone: (212) 423-6077
Fax: (212) 423-7996
ISSUES CONCERNING THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED
New York County contact - Guardianship Office
Bronx County contact - Bronx Psychiatric Center
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF HOSPITALS COVERED BY MHLS NY COUNTY FIELD OFFICES
- August Eichorn- MPC
- Beth Israel Medical Center- Bellevue
- Columbia Presbyterian- Metropolitan
- Gracie Square Hospital- Metropolitan
- Lenox Hill Hospital- Metropolitan
- Manhattan V.A. Hospital- Bellevue
- Mt. Sinai- Metropolitan
- New York State Psychiatric Institute- MPC
- New York University (Tisch Hospital)- Bellevue
- Paye Whitney Clinic/New York Presbyterian Hospital- Kirby
- Roosevelt Hospital- MPC
- St. Luke's Hospital- MPC
- Terence Cardinal Cooke (Specialty Hospital)- 75 Morton
MHLS Field Offices - Bronx County
BRONX PSYCHIATRIC CENTER (BPC)
Adult Behavioral Health Center
1500 Waters Place, Room A1-115
Bronx, NY 10461
Phone: (718) 618-3717 | Fax: (212) 618-7952
BRONX SUPREME COURT
851 Grand Concourse, Room 501-530
Bronx, NY 10451
Phone: (718) 618-2198
Fax: (212) 618-7954
JACOBI HOSPITAL
Jacobi Medical Center, Bldg. 1
1400 Pelham Parkway South, 10th Floor, Room 1013
Bronx, NY 10461
Phone: (718) 918-6742 | Fax: (718) 918-6698
NORTH CENTRAL BRONX HOSPITAL
3424 Kossuth Avenue
Bronx, NY 10467
Phone: (718) 519-2482
Fax: (718) 515-1482
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF HOSPITALS COVERED BY MHLS BRONX COUNTY FIELD OFFICES
- Bronx Children's Psych. Center- BPC
- Bronx Developmental Center- BPC
- Bronx Lebanon- BPC
- Bronx V.A. Hospital Kingsbridge- Jacobi
- Lincoln Hospital- BPC
- Montefiore- NCB
- Montefiore North- BPC
- Rikers Island- BPC
- St. Barnabas- BPC
Other MHLS Departmental Offices
MHLS, SECOND JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT:
600 Old Country Road, Suite# 224
Garden City, New York 11530
Michael D. Neville, Director
Phone: (516) 493-3976
Fax: (646) 963-6640
Counties Covered: Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester
MHLS, THIRD JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT:
286 Washington Ave. Ext., Suite 205
Albany, New York 12203
Sheila E. Shea, Director
Phone: (518) 451-8710
Fax: (518) 453-6915
Counties Covered: Albany, Broome, Chemung, Chenengo, Chuyler, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Madison, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schnectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington
MHLS, FOURTH JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT:
Administration Offices
50 East Avenue- Suite 402
Rochester, New York 14604
Elizabeth S. Fortino, Director
Phone: (585) 530-3050
Fax: (585) 530-3079
Counties Covered: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates