About Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin

JULY 2020

The Honorable Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin, a long-time proponent of CASA, retired from Erie County Family Court on July 31, 2020. She has had an outstanding career of service, as detailed below.

When asked for her accomplishments, she humbly replied, “Please use some of the letters I have received from parents and children trough the years. That is what I am most proud of.”

These are a few of the many quotes from families in Erie County that illustrate the impact of Judge Bloch Rodwin’s work:

“I fought harder because you believed in me. So I’m taking the time to say thank you for not giving up on me or up on my family.”

“We would like to express our deepest thanks for all your help in finalizing the adoption for SB. He was so excited to share the same name as his forever family, I think he wrote it down 100 times the day after court. With all your help, he found his place with his biological brother in a family that loves him so much.”

“Thank you so much Judge Rodwin for everything. My life did a 360 after I got out of placement. My life is so good right now.”

“I want to say thank you. You supported me in the death of my grandmother and knowing you was in my corner helped me reach some of my goals. I can honestly say you never gave up on me so I feel that I owe you this copy of my GED. Judge Rodwin you saved my life.”

“Just a little note to let you know or perhaps remind you — how important you are to so many people. The work you do affects families for decades in a positive way! Thank you!”

Judge Rodwin has been a strong supporter of CASA of Erie County. She recently remarked “During the past decade I have presided over a calendar of predominately child abuse and neglect cases. There have been countless times when caseworkers and attorneys have rotated in and out of children’s lives. The one constant voice for these children was their CASA volunteer. I knew I could ALWAYS count on the CASA report to give a fair, balanced and clear assessment of how both the children and parents were doing and what specific services were appropriate, so all parties could work together to further the goals in each individual case. The CASA volunteers made the difference both in the lives of the subject children and in the courtroom in more cases than I could ever count.”

The Honorable Lisa Bloch Rodwin was appointed by the Governor as Erie County Family Court Judge, unanimously confirmed by the New York State Senate, and 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 2008.

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 to the New York State 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. 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. 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.

The Judge 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 SUNY 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 (ICWA), 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 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 served on the boards 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 SUNY Law School 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 2018 Judge Bloch Rodwin was awarded the U.S. Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus Lois Haight Award of Excellence and Innovation in Washington D.C. for her accomplishments and impact on a local, state and national level on behalf of domestic violence and child abuse victims. She was nominated for this honor by Congressman Brian Higgins.

In 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 in 2010. 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 lives in the Buffalo area with her husband Michael, who recently retired after 39 years as a researcher at Roswell Park. Her son David is an attorney working with the Baltimore Public Justice Center. Her son Benjamin is a Hospitalist and Research Director at the Veterans Administration Hospital in New Haven.