Tanya Hobson-Williams, Esq. is the Principal of Hobson-Williams, P.C. with offices in Queens and Brooklyn. Her practice concentrates primarily on elder law and guardianship matters which also encompasses litigating real estate and landlord-tenant cases. Her practice has resulted in a number of legal decisions that have assisted attorneys in the practice of guardianship law and has written a number of articles on guardianship practice in New York and Medicaid planning for seniors.
Ms. Hobson-Williams has been sought as a thought leader in these practice areas. She has been interviewed by various publications, including Newsday, Erickson Tribune, Bigger Law Firm and Long Island Business News, among others.
Appointed to the bench by the Board of Trustees in 2008, and elected in 2009, Ms. Hobson-Williams was the first African-American female justice in the Incorporated Village of Hempstead before leaving the bench in 2013. As a Village Justice, she struck down unconstitutional Village laws in People v. Allstate Properties and upheld free speech in People v. Babyak.
Ms. Hobson-Williams gained her expertise in the field of elder law through her employment the New York City Human Resources Administration and with several New York City law firms before opening her own practice. She received recognition as a 2014 Top Woman in Business from Long Island Business News, the Nassau County Executive’s Office, the Hempstead Branch of the NAACP for legal services, and a service award from the Calvary Tabernacle in 2013. She was also named one of the Top Women Lawyers by Crain’s New York Business in 2017.
During her many years working as an attorney with the New York City Human Resources Administration, Ms. Hobson-Williams prosecuted Medicaid spousal refusal cases and collected Medicaid liens. Soon after, she started her own practice with the passion and dedication necessary to become one of the top respected law firms in elder law.
Ms. Hobson-Williams won two separate Appellate Division cases on behalf of two separate clients. One case, in which a Supreme Court decision was reversed, found that a couple was precluded from using their driveway due to an easement. The other Appellate Court decision reversed the lower court’s ruling that voided the marriage of an interracial couple sua sponte without due process and an opportunity to be heard. As a result, Ms. Hobson-Williams was named one of the Top Women in Law in September 2016 by the New York Law Journal.
Ms. Hobson-Williams engages in pro bono legal services through her work as a Guardian ad Litem with the Housing Courts in New York City, providing services to disabled and senior citizens who need representation in Housing Court and are facing eviction. She has served as a Guardian ad Litem for over 13 years and has represented hundreds of individuals facing eviction.
Ms. Hobson-Williams also mentors and guides young people in the LGBT community and assists them with pro bono and legal issues. She also visits senior living facilities to provide free legal assistance to the residents in the form of drafting healthcare proxies, living wills and reviewing last wills and testaments for them. In addition, she is a faculty member for Lawline, in which she gives Continuing Legal Education presentations on Medicaid and guardianship issues to attorneys.
She obtained her B.A. in Government and Politics from St. John’s University and her law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
