New York Consolidated Laws, Family Court Act - FCT § 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.