Jennifer Gilroy Ruiz ’92

TAKES THE HELM WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

n March 2020, while the pandemic roared in, Jennifer Gilroy Ruiz was appointed Chief of the New York City Law Department’s Family Court Division. As she helped her staff of almost 300 lawyers and legal support professionals adjust to working remotely on behalf of the city’s children, families, and communities, there was little time for her to celebrate this milestone on a career path that spans three decades of public service.

When she has a moment to reflect, Gilroy Ruiz can connect the points of her career success from her childhood in Brooklyn, to her years at St. John’s Law, to her many achievements in the field. “Public service was a way of life in my family,” she says. “My mother was a New York City public school teacher, and my father was a New York City social worker. I was taught early on that public service is more than a job. It’s an honor. My dad and his colleagues would meet at our house to discuss grassroots politics and community solutions. I remember hearing them say, on more than one occasion, ‘Great ideas. Now we need the lawyers to make them happen.’” Gilroy Ruiz came to St. John’s ignited by a passion for the law as an agent of change. At the end of her 1L year, she visited the Career Development Office looking for part-time work. They suggested that she check out a posting for a Student Legal Specialist at the New York City Law Department. “I applied and got the job in the Family Court Division I now lead 30 years later,” she says, marveling at the odds of her taking the helm where it all began.

Over those 30 years, after earning her J.D. and with a couple of hiatuses to work elsewhere, Gilroy Ruiz ascended through the Law Department ranks from Assistant Corporation Counsel to Trial Specialist to Supervisor before becoming the Family Court Division’s Queens Borough Chief, Deputy Chief, and then First Deputy Chief. “I’m humbled, especially as a first-generation lawyer, to have an opportunity, in these spaces, to do this crucial work,” she says. “The extraordinary people in our Juvenile Delinquency Prosecution Unit seek justice each and every day, and everyone in our Interstate Child Support Unit works tirelessly for the families they serve. Among other duties and projects, I work within the highest levels of city government on policies affecting community safety, the rehabilitation of youth in our city, and restorative justice for those harmed.”

The juvenile justice operation that Gilroy Ruiz oversees runs day and night, 365 days a year and the child support practice spans courts, jurisdictions, state lines, and international boundaries. It’s essential work made all the more vital, and challenging, by the ongoing pandemic. But Gilroy Ruiz can’t imagine doing anything else. “I love what I do,” she shares. “There are countless rewards. It’s the empathy demonstrated in a victim impact statement; a heartfelt letter thanking our staff for helping a family overcome barriers to support; the successful completion of a disposition carefully crafted to support a young person’s success, and so much more.”

Gilroy Ruiz is also grateful to work in an office that supports women and their advancement. “The Law Department has always been ahead of the curve in this regard, with women making up about 59% of its staff,” she notes. “Several members of the executive team and nine of our 16 division chiefs are women. The new Corporation Counsel, Georgia Pestana, is the first woman and first Latina to hold that top job. She’s also the first Corporation Counsel in recent time to be appointed from within the agency. All these firsts are certainly a long time coming, but show just some of the ways women can, and do, rise and excel here.”

As she looks forward to the work ahead of her, Gilroy Ruiz is grateful for the career that launched at St. John’s Law. “At each stage, I’ve learned more about myself and the profession,” she says. “With the support of my family, friends, and colleagues—including my husband, Al, my daughters, Veronica and Kathryn, and members of the defense bar, judiciary, advocacy groups, and other city agencies—I believe that I continue to evolve and grow. I’ve learned to consider different perspectives and to permit myself to revisit, and sometimes change, policies, overcome challenges, and solve new and unique problems. And with the perspective I’ve gained, I can better support the work of my amazing colleagues as they serve the people of, and connected to, New York City.”