Judge Joan S. Kohout
Candidate for the
Monroe Family Court

• I have served as a Monroe County Family Court Judge for 20 years. Prior to becoming a judge I was in private practice and later worked in the Monroe County Public Defenders Office for 12 years. I have also served temporary assignments in Supreme Court, County Court and Surrogates Court. As a Past President and current Vice-President of the NYS Family Court Judges Association, I train lawyers and judges and advocate for positive change in the court system. I am currently the Dean-Elect of the Monroe County Bar Association's Academy of Law, which coordinates continuing legal education programs. I have a special interest in juvenile justice issues and serve on the Monroe County Juvenile Justice Council and as Chair of the Juvenile Justice Subcommittee the court system's Family Court and Advisory Committee. As an active community volunteer, I am on the Board of the Rochester YWCA and have served on a wide variety boards of organizations focusing on families and the courts.

• Conservative
• Democrat
• Independence
• Working Families

• Skidmore College, B.A, 1971
• Albany Law School, J.D., 1974

• New York 1975

• Family Court Judge/NYS Unified Court System

• 1976-1988: Monroe County Public Defenders Office; Supervising Attorney in the Family Court Section; Staff attorney in Criminal Courts and Family Court. Also handled Family Court appeals.
• 1974-1975: Powers & Katz (Albany, New York); private practice of law with emphasis on criminal, family and civil litigation.