Janice earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from New York Law School. She lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with her daughter.

Janice currently works as a Court Attorney Referee. She previously served as an Assistant Law Clerk, litigation associate, and Adjunct Law Professor.

Janice Purvis’s campaign for Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York is her first run for public office.

As a Court Attorney Referee at Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, resolves discovery disputes, drafts and reviews proposed orders, and trains junior attorneys.

Acts as a Special Referee for Uncontested Matrimonial Matters where she reviews divorce submissions, determines child support, custody, and visitation, and signs Judgments of Divorce and Qualified Domestic Relations Orders.

Serves as Secretary for the Court Attorneys Association of New York City and is a member of several legal associations, including the Brooklyn Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York.

Worked for over ten years in the Help Center at Kings County Supreme Court explaining court procedures, assisting self-represented litigants in completing legal forms, and providing referrals to pro bono legal resources.

Served as an Adjunct Law Professor at New York Law School from 2010 to 2012, teaching legal reasoning, writing, and advocacy to first-year law students.

Served as an Assistant Law Clerk to Justice Rosalyn Richter in New York County Supreme Court, Civil Term.

- As a Court Attorney Referee at Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, resolves discovery disputes, drafts and reviews proposed orders, and trains junior attorneys.
- Acts as a Special Referee for Uncontested Matrimonial Matters where she reviews divorce submissions, determines child support, custody, and visitation, and signs Judgments of Divorce and Qualified Domestic Relations Orders.
- Serves as Secretary for the Court Attorneys Association of New York City and is a member of several legal associations, including the Brooklyn Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York.
- Worked for over ten years in the Help Center at Kings County Supreme Court explaining court procedures, assisting self-represented litigants in completing legal forms, and providing referrals to pro bono legal resources.
- Served as an Adjunct Law Professor at New York Law School from 2010 to 2012, teaching legal reasoning, writing, and advocacy to first-year law students.
- Served as an Assistant Law Clerk to Justice Rosalyn Richter in New York County Supreme Court, Civil Term.

Legal Experience

Supports transparency, accessibility, and fairness in the judicial system.

Supports judicial independence and believes judges must be free from political pressures to make decisions based solely on law and facts.

Supports addressing systemic inequalities within the judicial system.

- Supports transparency, accessibility, and fairness in the judicial system.
- Supports judicial independence and believes judges must be free from political pressures to make decisions based solely on law and facts.
- Supports addressing systemic inequalities within the judicial system.

Judicial Philosophy

Plans to implement more efficient case management practices and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure timely case resolution.

- Plans to implement more efficient case management practices and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure timely case resolution.

Judicial Administration

As of May 5, 2025, Janice Purvis’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Ethics & Conduct

Served on the Board of Friends of Brower Park, Inc., and worked to enhance one of Brooklyn's green spaces.

Serves on the Board of Bushwick Street Cats, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and adopting cats and kittens, as well as managing Brooklyn's outdoor cat population through humane trap-neuter-release programs.

- Served on the Board of Friends of Brower Park, Inc., and worked to enhance one of Brooklyn's green spaces.
- Serves on the Board of Bushwick Street Cats, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and adopting cats and kittens, as well as managing Brooklyn's outdoor cat population through humane trap-neuter-release programs.

Community Involvement

Janice Purvis

Has two decades of experience in New York City Courts.

Began legal career as an Assistant Law Clerk for Justice Rosalyn Richter, then worked as a litigation associate at a private law firm, and later re-joined the Court System as a Court Attorney, eventually becoming a Court Attorney Referee.

Plans to implement more efficient case management practices and collaborate with stakeholders to address the civil court backlog.

Aims to engage with the community and ensure that their voices are heard in the judicial process.

- The New York Civil Court has jurisdiction over civil cases involving amounts up to $50,000 and other civil matters referred to it by the Supreme Court.
- It includes a small claims part for informal dispositions of matters not exceeding $10,000 and a housing part for landlord-tenant matters and housing code violations.
- There are 120 judges elected to the Civil Court, but only about 50 sit in it. The remaining judges sit in other courts, such as the Criminal Court or Family Court.
- Judges are elected to 10-year terms in partisan elections.
- They are paid a salary of $216,400.