September 19, 2016
Tanya Hobson-Williams of Hobson-Williams, P.C. was recently named one of New York Law Journals’ Top Women in Law 2016. The Top Women in Law recognizes the outstanding work being done by female attorneys across New York State who have had notable achievements over the past year.
As the principal of Hobson-Williams, P.C. Ms. Hobson-Williams concentrates her practice in the areas of elder law, business law, real estate closings and collections. Her active elder law practice assists senior citizens in obtaining Medicaid for home care and nursing home care.
She routinely lectures at senior citizen centers, assisted living facilities and law schools; counsels families caring for the elderly on a number of related topics; and provides seminars on estate planning to New York State employees. Her practice has resulted in a number of legal decisions that have assisted attorneys in the practice of guardianship law. She has written a number of articles on guardianship practice in New York and Medicaid planning for seniors and successfully represented clients at Medicaid Fair Hearings.
Ms. Hobson-Williams engages in pro bono legal services through her work as a Guardian ad Litem with the New York City Housing Courts in New York City, providing services to disabled and senior citizens who need representation in Housing Court who are facing eviction. For 15 years, she has served as a Guardian ad Litem and has represented hundreds of individuals facing eviction.
She recently won appeals in the Appellate Division on behalf of two separate clients. One case involved a property dispute between two neighbors, in which she was able to reverse a finding that her client prevented his neighbor access to his driveway based on the way the client parked his car. The other case involved a biracial couple whose marriage was voided by a lower court without giving the wife the opportunity to be heard.
In 2009, she was elected judge of the Village of Hempstead, making her the first female African-American jurist in the village. As judge, she struck down unconstitutional village laws in People v. Allstate Properties and upheld free speech in People v. Babyak.
In addition, Ms. Hobson-Williams was the director of leasing for the New York City Department of Education, where she was responsible for the collection and accounting of revenue in excess of $2 million for over 200 leased sites with a rent roll of more than $100 million. She also managed leased buildings and made sure that the building owners complied with building codes and lease terms to secure the safety of the 1 million students who are currently enrolled in the New York City school system.
She also served in several other capacities, including member of the Hempstead Village Zoning Board; arbitrator for the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board; administrative law judge for the Parking Violations Bureau and the New York City Transit Authority; Small Claims Assessment Review hearing officer for Long Island residents who challenge their property taxes; small claims arbitrator in New York City; hearing officer for the New York City Department of Education; and arbitrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers.
She has received recognition for her work by the Office of the Nassau County Executive, the Hempstead branch of the NAACP for legal services and a service award from the Calvary Tabernacle in 2013. Her firm has been named one of the Top Women-Owned Law Firms by the New York Law Journal and, in 2014, she received the Long Island Business News Top 50 Most Influential Women award. Ms. Hobson-Williams has a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from St. John’s University and a Juris Doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
To view the New York Law Journal article, click here.
For more information, call 1 (866) 825-1529 or visit www.thobsonwilliamslaw.com.
