Partner – Mediation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
Hon. Joan B. Lefkowitz (Ret.) is a trailblazer in the New York legal community, bringing 41 years of distinguished judicial service to her mediation practice at Lachtman Cohen & Belowich LLP.
Judge Lefkowitz began her legal career in 1974 as a law assistant in the Civil Court of the City of New York. She went on to serve as a Hearing Examiner for the New York State Unified Court System from 1985 to 1987 before being elected to the Westchester County Family Court in 1987. In 1990, she became the third woman elected to the New York State Supreme Court in the 9th Judicial District, which encompasses Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, and Dutchess Counties. Judge Lefkowitz was re-elected to multiple 14-year terms, serving on the Supreme Court bench until her retirement in 2025, and was the longest serving judge in the 9th JD.
During her tenure on the Supreme Court, Judge Lefkowitz presided over a broad range of complex civil, commercial, tort, fiduciary, matrimonial, guardianship, and medical malpractice matters, and she served as the supervising judge of Fiduciary & Guardianship Matters for the district. She also presided over the Medical Malpractice Conference Part and pioneered the Settlement Conference Part in Westchester Supreme Court, which became a model for judicial efficiency and early dispute resolution. Over the course of her career, she has successfully settled thousands of cases, earning a reputation for fairness, pragmatism, and skill in guiding parties toward resolution.
Judge Lefkowitz earned her B.A. from New York University in 1970 and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1973. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Pace University School of Law, where she combined her love of teaching with her judicial experience. Throughout her career, she mentored countless law students and interns, inspiring the next generation of attorneys and judges.
Her groundbreaking path was not without challenges. Early in her career, she was fired from a law firm simply for being pregnant – an experience that fueled her determination to break barriers for women in the legal profession. She went on to shatter glass ceilings, becoming one of the first women on the bench in Westchester County and later the third woman elected to the Supreme Court in the 9th Judicial District.
Judge Lefkowitz has long been active in the bar and community. She has been a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Westchester County Bar Association, the Westchester Women’s Bar Association, the White Plains Bar Association, the New York State Women Judges’ Association, and the Justice Brandeis Law Society. She has also served on the boards of Young Israel of Scarsdale and the Westchester Jewish Conference.
Her many honors include the Women Achievement Award from Women’s News (1997), the Shofar Award from the National Council of Young Israel (1997), and, most recently, recognition by the Westchester County Bar Foundation at its 13th Annual Benefit in 2024 for her extraordinary contributions to the legal community.
As one of the most experienced settlement judges in Westchester, Judge Lefkowitz now brings her unmatched skill in resolving disputes to her mediation practice. Drawing on her decades of judicial experience, her resilience in overcoming barriers, and her proven ability to settle thousands of disputes, she helps parties achieve practical, lasting resolutions.