Currently on leave from her position as an assistant corporation counsel with the New York City Law Department, Guyanese-born attorney Michelle R. DeSouza-Forte is seeking a seat on the Kings County (Brooklyn) Civil Court bench.

DeSouza-Forte — who migrated from Guyana in 1985, grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn and currently resides in Canarsie, also in Brooklyn — is running for a judgeship in the 6th Municipal District. Janice Purvis is the other contender. 

“I want to become a judge not only because of my legal experience, but also because I am guided by a deep sense of fairness and representation and a desire to serve my community,” DeSouza-Forte told Caribbean Life exclusively over the weekend. “This is evident in my work as a solo practitioner, where I provided not only legal services but also conducted seminars to educate my community on the importance of estate planning. 

“Additionally, as a defense attorney, I have not encountered many judges or attorneys who look like me in the courtroom,” she added. “I am often one of the few women or the only minority attorney in the courtroom. 

“As a judge of Caribbean descent, I would bring diversity to a legal system where people of color are disproportionately represented on the bench,” DeSouza-Forte continued. “As a wife and mother, I would apply the law through the prism of compassionate integrity, treating all litigants fairly in every decision I make.” 

With the support of community leaders and the voters in the 6th Municipal District, DeSouza-Forte “strongly” believes that she will be elected a civil court judge on Primary Election Day, Tuesday, Jun. 23. 

Early voting for the Democratic Primary runs from Saturday, Jun. 13 to Sunday, Jun. 21. 

Driven by a blend of professional insight and personal experience, DeSouza-Forte said she seeks judicial office as “a unique opportunity” to continue serving her community.  

“As a solo practitioner, I saw a need to empower my community by educating them on the importance of estate planning,” she said. “Many members in my community were unaware of the significance of preparing Advance Directives, which include a Power of Attorney. 

“They did not know what it was, when it was required, or the duration of its power until it was too late,” she added. “After assisting a close family friend, whose family lacked access to her accounts while she was hospitalized, I began conducting estate planning seminars in churches, libraries, and homes. I saw a need and aimed to fill it.”

DeSouza-Forte said she values her experience in giving back to the citizens of New York. 

“My experience in both the private and public sectors gives me the unique perspective of practicing the law on both sides of the courtroom,” she said. 

With a solid legal background, DeSouza-Forte said she brings “depth and breadth” to her approach and understanding of the legal system. 

She said this expertise is invaluable to her in applying the law to the specific facts at hand, while promoting fairness and integrity.

“Furthermore, it’s an opportunity to maintain fairness and equity from the bench,” DeSouza-Forte said. 

As a Caribbean woman, she said she knows firsthand the struggles that marginalized groups face. 

DeSouza-Forte said her background has instilled in her “patience, perspective, and a deep respect for the power of education and representation.” 

She said her presence on the bench would demonstrate not only that representation matters, but that it would also inspire others in her community. 

For DeSouza-Forte, being a judge is more than a position.

“It is a heartfelt commitment to the law that has, for centuries, bridged cultural divides, confronted and reformed systemic inequities and ensured legal protection for future generations,” she said. 

She said she “firmly” believes voters want to see more judges who are reflective of their community, who would be “fair, respectful and impartial in their decisions” — values she said she holds deeply.

DeSouza-Forte said she migrated from Guyana when she was 15, and was raised in East Flatbush, near Lenox Road and Nostrand Avenue. 

She said her background and life experiences continue to shape her deep commitment to service, fairness and community.

Growing up in a household of nine children, DeSouza-Forte said she learned from an early age the values of responsibility, perseverance, and sacrifice. 

She said her upbringing in an immigrant family exposed her to the challenges faced by communities navigating complex systems, with limited access and support. 

DeSouza-Forte said she attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn before pursuing higher education, ultimately becoming the first in her family to graduate from college and the first to earn a graduate degree – “milestones that reflect both personal achievement and generational progress.” 

DeSouza-Forte earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, with a minor in Japanese Studies, from the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). 

She said she went on to receive her Juris Doctorate (law degree) from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she earned certificates of merit in business organizations/corporations and international law, and served as a Student Bar Association Senator on the Budget and Finance Committee. 

DeSouza-Forte said her legal career spans 14 years of practice, covering private practice and public service. 

She said she operated her solo practice, providing legal guidance in matters including wills, trusts and estates, real estate, immigration, contracts, and civil disputes, “often representing individuals and families during critical life transitions.” 

DeSouza-Forte said she later served as an associate attorney at Grimaldi & Yeung Law Group, where she managed estate planning and administration matters in a fast-paced environment.

Since May 2022, DeSouza-Forte said she has served with the New York City Law Department as an Assistant Corporation Counsel. 

In this role, she said she litigates matters on behalf of the city, handling trials, motion practice, discovery, and settlement negotiations, while also mentoring new attorneys and supervising interns.

DeSouza-Forte said her decision to pursue law is “deeply personal.”

She said she was inspired in part by her mother, “who once aspired to become an attorney but set that dream aside to raise her family.” 

As a college student, through her mother’s union, Local 1199, DeSouza-Forte said she received a scholarship, which she said was “valuable” in pursuing her education.

She said she was also assigned a mentor in the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Mentoring Program in 2020. 

DeSouza-Forte said this program provides mentors for attorneys interested in becoming judges through the appointment or electoral process. 

“My mentor provided valuable insight in the process of becoming a judge,” she said. 

DeSouza-Forte said she came to view the legal profession “not only as a career but as a continuation of the sacrifices” that made her own education possible. 

Beyond her professional work, DeSouza-Forte said she has maintained a strong commitment to community service. 

As one of the founding members of the Brooklyn-based Caribbean American Lawyers Association, she said she has held leadership roles, including second vice president, treasurer and corresponding secretary. 

Notably, she is a recipient of Caribbean Life’s 2016 Impact Award for her community service.

DeSouza-Forte said she previously served on Community Education Council 18 and provided faith-based community work through God’s Battalion of Prayer Church’s shelter ministry and soup kitchen in East Flatbush. 

She said she has also served as Board President of Battalion Christian Academy and continues to serve on its board. 

For more information, visit DeSouza-Forte’s website at: https://michelledesouzaforjudge.com/