About April

April Newbauer was born and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She attended New York City public schools --P.S.102 in Brooklyn and Hunter High School, graduating with a Regents Scholarship in 1975. April received a B.A. cum laude from Cornell University in 1979. April then earned a fellowship in the New York City government and worked with the Deputy Commissioner for Policy at the Human Resources Administration for a year before entering law school. April received her J.D. from New York University Law School in 1983.

April began her twenty year legal career in the New York State court system as a court attorney in both the Civil and Supreme Courts. April gained broad trial and appellate practice experience first as a legal services attorney and then at a private law firm. April has been a hardworking and dedicated Legal Aid Society attorney for the past 12 years, the last six as Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Aid’s Queens Civil Division offices. April has especially enjoyed her mentoring of hundreds of junior attorneys and law students in her role as a supervising attorney. From 1989-1991, she was a full time instructor in trial practice at N.Y.U. Law School and has continued to teach and mentor students, at Fordham Law School, St. John’s and CUNY law schools.

April is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Women’s Bar Association, Queens chapter; a Member of the Civil Court Committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Queens County Bar Association; and Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee of the Queens County Bar Association. April has also participated in the selection of Housing Court Judges as a member of the Housing Court Committee and of the Housing Court Advisory Council. April is proud to serve on the Access to Justice Initiative of the New York State court system, whose mission is to make the courts user-friendly. In 1998, April established an office in the Civil Court where Legal Aid and pro bono lawyers advise over 3000 litigants a year who seek assistance. Working with the Office of Court Administration, April was also instrumental in establishing an information office in the Supreme Court where litigants can call or walk in for guidance and court forms.

April is very active in training communities about the legal system. She has led trainings for senior citizens in conjunction with the Attorney General’s office and is a strong advocate for the rights of nursing home residents to receive quality care. April serves on the Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System and the Illegal Conversion Task Force, which is the Borough President’s roundtable of homeowners and community organizations convened to address the danger caused by illegal construction. April also belongs to the local chapter of the Lawyers’ Committee Against Domestic Violence and frequently speaks to domestic violence victims at confidential shelters about how the legal system works and their legal rights. After the World Trade Center disaster, April worked weekends and evenings at the FEMA center in lower Manhattan giving legal advice to 911 victims and their families.

April lives in Brooklyn with her husband of 15 years and their three children. She participates in PTA and community activities, and enjoys her book club, sports and family trips.