Outgoing judge went from Y2K to COVID
MILFORD — A fixture in the Milford-Orange probate court for more than two decades, Beverly Streit-Kefalas leaves behind a treasure trove of memories of those she aided and those she befriended.
Streit-Kefalas resigned her post after taking the probate court administrator role, to which she was appointed in 2019 by Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson. Milford resident and attorney Ben Gettinger won a special election on Nov. 2 to fill the role.
“One of the greatest gifts I have gained serving as a probate judge is meeting so many people in my communities, and hopefully knowing that I’ve touched them in a way that has helped their lives get better or make them feel better,” she said. “Leading them through very challenging personal and emotional times through a legal process they need to get through.”
She said probate court is not just about adjuticating, objections or evidence.
“That’s not what the probate court is about. We care about the people and the families,” she said.
Streit-Kefalas said assuming the probate court administrator role was a natural way to continue to serve exactly the people who need a good probate court system and carry it across the state.
“Now at least I have the opportunity to continue the service that I gained as a probate judge and to bring it now to enhance our entire system as a probate court administrator,” she said.
Streit-Kefalas said when the opportunity to run for probate judge in Milford arose in 1999, it was not something that she had contemplated.
“As a young person, I was always involved in volunteering and community service, from college and law school days working and volunteering at domestic violence centers with children or advocating for seniors,” she said. “Being involved in the community was something my parents taught me, and it was part of my fabric.”
She said using her legal skills to help the community was a natural transition.
Throughout her 22 years as probate judge for Milford-Orange, Streit-Kefalas has gone through several world and community-impacting events and has seen how that has shaped the matters seen in the probate courts.
“We went from Y2K to COVID times, radical changes in society and how we deal with technology and the circumstances of life in 22 years,” she said. “I can say that the intensity and complexity of family and social needs have certainly escalated a lot.”
In recent years, even aside from COVID, the opioid crisis and social injustice issues, there have been many stressors on many people.
“That impacts a lot on what happens in the probate courts,” she said.
During the pandemic, Streit-Kefalas said as probate court administrator, she had the task of making sure the court system continued operating using a virtual platform.
“The court system did not even have webcams or camera-enabled monitors,” she said. “When the state largely shut down, we had to keep the courts open. Physical doors were closed, the public wasn’t walking in the door. “But the matters had to continue. We never shut down the probate court, much to the credit of incredible staff and the elected probate judges.”
A highlight of Streit-Kefalas’s career was serving as the founding judge of the New Haven Regional Children’s Probate Court, which first opened as a pilot court in 2004.
“The New Haven Regional Children’s Probate Court opened as a pilot and a model to rationalize the resources to meet the guardianship in probate courts,” Streit-Kefalas said. “So when a parent is ill (or) has a psychiatric condition, it poses a huge problem, and they are not able to parent the child. Those matters are often filed in the probate court when it is a family member stepping in to be appointed as guardian.”
She said in 2004, there were more than 100 probate courts in Connecticut, and they didn’t have the resources in each probate court with the clinical assessment and evaluation and the whole skills that go along with that aspect of family’s needs.
“The probate court administrator at that time met with all of us in the New Haven County area, and we created the model,” Streit-Kefalas said. “So right now, we have on-staff family specialists who have clinical and social work expertise training. So it’s not just the law. It’s a much more holistic approach to make sure that the wellbeing and their best interest are met, as well as the support for the family and guardians.”
Historically, probate courts are primarily known as a court system that deals with trust and estate matters. Streit-Kefalas said, however, over the decades it’s increasingly dealing more with living vulnerable individuals.
“About 50 percent of the work of the probate courts is in addressing issues in trust and estate matters. And 50 percent is dealing with individuals with a psychiatric condition, substance use issues, conservatorship or guardianship needs, guardianship of minor children,” she said. “Really, the social aspect of family needs in our communities are matters that largely come before the probate court.
That has intensified over the 22 years since she first became judge, she said.
Throughout her career as probate judge for Milford-Orange, every time there was an election, it was an easy choice for Streit-Kefalas to run or not run for election. Going into her new role as probate court administrator, Streit-Kefalas said she is ready for the challenge.
“I have always had the philosophy of no matter what your profession or passion is in life, you can always learn more, and I do that by listening,” she said. “I think it is very important to listen to every person you encounter, everyone has had different experiences, whether it’s a personal or professional experience.”
As she heads to her new role, she said it was an honor and a priviledge to serve as probate judge of Milford and Orange for 22 years.
“I can’t even express how much I appreciate the confidence they placed in me, year over year to serve them and meet their needs,” she said. “And, I look forward to continuing to serve them and all of our communities now, as the probate court administrator.”