NJ Supreme Court Grants Certification to Review Parent Coordinator/Lawyer Fees
August 2, 2011
Steven M. Resnick received certification from the Supreme Court of New Jersey to review whether a court-appointed parenting coordinator who is also a lawyer can collect legal fees for her pro se efforts in responding to grievances filed against her by a parent.
A trial judge and appeals court held that parenting coordinator Linda Schofel was entitled to be paid by Moses Segal who has been litigating with Cynthia Lynch over access to their two children.
Segal took issue with Schofel's performance, demanding her recusal and later detailed 20 grievances against her. Schofel informed him she would bill him for the time it took her to respond.
The Appellate Division held parenting-coordinator program guidelines make fee-dispute hearings discretionary. Segal's petition for certification challenged the fee awards to Schofel as erroneous and contended the denial of a hearing violated due process.
