January 17, 2018"”Jennifer G. Flannery, co-chair of Barclay Damon's Trusts & Estates Practice Area, has been appointed to the role of public administrator for Erie County Surrogate's Court. The public administrator is responsible for acting as fiduciary for the estates of decedents when there is no one who can, will, or should act on their behalf, and there are assets to administer.
Flannery's appointment as public administrator was made in late 2017 by the Hon. Barbara Howe, who, as the first woman elected as Erie County surrogate judge, led the court into the new electronic age. Among her many accomplishments, Judge Howe pioneered the e-filing program on a state-wide level, authored seminal decisions on kinship and DNA testing, and most recently responded to changes in legislation and technology required to balance the equities of privacy and access with respect to digital assets. Judge Howe served as New York State Supreme Court justice from 1992 until she moved into the Surrogate's Court judgeship in 2004.
Judge Howe, who left the bench at the end of last year, has been succeeded by the Hon. Acea M. Mosey, who is now the Erie County surrogate judge. Prior to joining the judiciary, Judge Mosey served as the Erie County public administrator, a position she held since her appointment in 2004. Judge Mosey's leadership as the public administrator resulted in state-wide recognition for the best-practices standards she set while in that role. In addition to her former role as public administrator, Judge Mosey was the principal of Mosey & Associates, LLP, where she led a successful WBE-certified law firm as its managing partner. Among her other accomplishments, Judge Mosey was the first woman elected chairperson of the Erie County Water Authority.
"I am honored to have been selected as the incoming public administrator," Flannery said, "and excited to have the opportunity to continue the good work of the public administrator in Erie County. Under Judge Howe's and Judge Mosey's leadership, the public administrator has served the residents of Erie County with efficiency, effectiveness, knowledge, and skill. I hope to continue to provide the same level of excellence and compassion in service to the role that the residents of Erie County have become accustomed to receiving."
Flannery's role at Barclay Damon as a partner and co-chair of the Trust & Estates Practice Area has not changed, and her commitment to providing highest-quality service to her clients will help her in her new work as the public administrator. Flannery's practice at Barclay Damon focuses on trust and estate litigation, planning, and administration as well as guardianship practice and marital planning.
Barclay Damon LLP, listed as a "Top 250 Firm" by The National Law Journal, is a full-service law firm with offices throughout the major cities of New York State and in Toronto, Boston, Washington DC, and Newark. At 275 lawyers, Barclay Damon is the largest law firm in the Northeastern United States that is not centered in a major market. Barclay Damon provides comprehensive legal and business counsel to a diverse client base in 33 practice areas. For more information, visit barclaydamon.com.