Director
JUDGE
CIVIL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
KINGS COUNTY
“Connie” Mallafré-Mélendez elected to the New York State Supreme Court on November 2, 2021 and will preside in that court commencing January 2022. She was elected Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York in November 2017 and currently presides in Civil Court at 141 Livingston Street Brooklyn, New York. As a Civil Court judge, she rules over trials and proceedings involving Personal Injury, Small Claims, Consumer Debt, No-Fault and Commercial Landlord Tenant disputes. Prior to that, she presided in Brooklyn Criminal Court arraigning defendants in both felony and misdemeanor matters and presiding over Domestic Violence cases.
Judge Mallafré holds the distinct honor of being the first and only Cuban-American elected to the New York State Supreme Court and prior to that, the first to hold that distinction in the Civil Court in the City of New York. She came to the United States as a young child with her family searching for freedoms and liberties taken away in the country of her birth.
Prior to her election, Judge Mallafré was the Principal Court Attorney to a New York State Supreme Court Justice in Kings County. As a Court Attorney, she worked on medical malpractice and personal injury cases and trials, including brain damage baby cases. Earlier in her career, Judge Mallafre was an attorney with the Office of the New York City Corporation Counsel in the Special Litigation and Medical Malpractice Unit of the Torts Division. As an Assistant Corporation Counsel, she litigated all aspects of medical malpractice brought actions against New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation hospitals, doctors and medical personnel.
In 1986, Judge Mallafré obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School. Her desire to pursue a career in law arose while she was a social worker assisting victims of domestic violence and children who were sexually and physically abused. She is a graduate of Rutgers University, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She worked her way through both college and law school to support herself and cover tuition costs.
Judge Mallafré is committed to public service and is active in local community events, health fairs and mentoring services for young people. Judge Mallafré serves as the Community Service Chair for the Latino Judges Association. As Chairperson, she organizes the High School Speaker Series which aims to encourage high school students to continue their education and elicit interest in the legal profession. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association and was instrumental in implementing the Brooklyn Legal Pipeline Program, a mentoring program that assists first generation college graduates aspiring to enroll in law school. She is a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Columbian Lawyers Association, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association among other organizations. She and her husband raised their three children and continue to mentor students, providing guidance, motivation and assistance to help them achieve their goals.
Judge Mallafré was the proud recipient of the Hon. John Carro Alumni Achievement Award in 2018 from the Brooklyn Law School Latin American Students Association in recognition for an exemplary legal career. In 2019 she received an award from the Brooklyn Borough President for “blazing trails and breaking barriers for diverse women consistently demonstrating strength and tenacity.” She also received recognition in 2017 from the Asian-American Women Empowerment Association for her work with communities of Asian descent.
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