JENNIFER POWERS RUTKEY, ESQ.
Jennifer Powers Rutkey is a partner in our family law, custody, matrimonial, and divorce law firm and was born in Schenectady, New York. Ms. Rutkey graduated from Union College in 1992 with a B.S. degree, with honors, and from Albany Law School in 1995 with a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude. Ms. Rutkey has been selected for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers in America" for the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions. Best Lawyers has named Ms. Rutkey as the 2022 Family Law Lawyer of the Year for the Albany Area. She has also previously been selected for New York Super Lawyers for the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions. As one of our valued attorneys, Ms. Rutkey is admitted to the New York Bar and is a member of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section and Schenectady County Bar Association. Ms. Rutkey served on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section as the district delegate from the Fourth Judicial District from 2009 through 2014. In 2018, Ms. Rutkey was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Schenectady County Bar Association and served on the board until her term ended June 2021. She was then appointed to serve on the board of the Fourth Judicial District Schenectady Law Library effective October 2021. She also serves on the Schenectady County Bar Association’s Matrimonial and Family Law Committee. In 2002, she was named "Young Lawyer of the Year" by the Schenectady County Bar Association. Ms. Rutkey has lectured on divorce, custody, and family law for numerous continuing legal education programs sponsored by the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section, throughout the Capital District and New York State. Ms. Rutkey has also lectured to Supreme Court and Family Court confidential court attorneys at a training program sponsored by the New York State Office of Court Administration. She has also lectured at a continuing legal education program for the Fourth Judicial District Federated Bar Association. She has also lectured to the Schenectady County Legal Professionals and to the Schenectady County Bar Association. In 2017, Ms. Rutkey lectured on custody law to court-appointed Attorneys For Children ("AFC's") for the Office of Attorneys for Children, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department.
In January 2016, Ms. Rutkey was appointed by the Hon. Karen K. Peters, then Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department, to serve on the Advisory Committee for the Civil Appeals Settlement Program (CASP) of the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department. In 2020, Ms. Rutkey was appointed by the the Hon. Elizabeth Garry, current Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, to serve on the New York State Continuing Legal Education ("CLE") Board for a term expiring September 30, 2023. In addition to handling divorce, family law, custody, support matters, trials and appeals, Ms. Rutkey also represents both biological and adoptive parents in New York adoptions, interstate adoptions and international adoptions.
Contact Ms. Rutkey or another of our family law, divorce, and custody attorneys in the Albany, Schenectady and Saratoga region for a confidential consultation.
