N.Y. Family Court Act § 261: Legislative findings and purpose

§ 261. Legislative findings and purpose. Persons involved in certain

family court proceedings may face the infringements of fundamental

interests and rights, including the loss of a child's society and the

possibility of criminal charges, and therefore have a constitutional

right to counsel in such proceedings. Counsel is often indispensable to

a practical realization of due process of law and may be helpful to the

court in making reasoned determinations of fact and proper orders of

disposition. The purpose of this part is to provide a means for

implementing the right to assigned counsel for indigent persons in

proceedings under this act.