Chamber Chat with Judge Minarik

By Michelle Fagan

 

GRAWA's chamber chat with Judge Renee Forgensi Minarik was held the very same day I found out that I passed the bar. When I entered her office and told her of my good news, she did not hesitate to give me a hug. The more I got to chat with her, the more I discovered that such a gesture was just a part of Judge Minarik's personable demeanor. She engaged us in conversation and asked many questions pertaining to our own lives, but I had to get in a few questions about her life.

Judge Minarik received her BA from Wells College and her JD from Syracuse University College of Law. She started her legal career as a law clerk for Jack Doyle in the New York Supreme Court. She then entered into private practice focusing on real estate law. Subsequently, she served as Deputy Attorney representing the Village of Webster and for a year during this time also served as a staff attorney and of counsel to the Legal Aid Society. She also served as a Trustee of the Chapter 7 Panel of the US Department of Justice. After serving a year as a Monroe County Legislator, she campaigned, albeit unsuccessfully, for Congress.

She next took a position as Regional Director for the Department of Environmental Conservation, describing this experience as very interesting. She came across a lot of cases during this time including timber theft. She then decided to get back into the law and served as a New York State Assistant Attorney General. She did not realize how intense this job really was, until she left it. The caseload was very high, yet the job was very rewarding as she tried cases in many different courts. She then went back into private practice and engaged in real property tax law which she also enjoyed. In 2001, she was appointed by Governor Pataki as a judge for the New York State Court of Claims.

The Court of Claims is the exclusive forum for civil litigation damage claims against the State of New York and other state-related entities.

Judge Minarik shared how her diverse experience has helped her at every crossroad in her present position. As for her greatest challenge: balancing personal life with work life. Quoting a mentor of hers at Wells College: “You can have it all, but just not at the same time.”

As Judge Minarik's term is up in 2008, she was asked if she would run for the New York State Supreme Court to which she enthusiastically responded “You never know what is going to happen . . . I could open a yarn shop!”