Leo Barnes Jr., a partner at Melville-base Barnes & Barnes, has been appointed to the Suffolk County Bar Association Judicial Screening Committee.

In this role, he is a part of a team of 25 active bar members who investigate the credentials of candidates seeking judicial office, and ascertain their fitness to serve on the bench.

“I’m thrilled to have been asked to join my colleagues on the Judicial Screening Committee,” Barnes said in a statement. “Fair, experienced, and ethical judges are essential components of our first-rate judiciary here in Suffolk County. Ensuring the continued quality of the bench benefits every Suffolk County resident.”

Members of the committee are said to be active bar members of recognized standing, judgment and independence.

Barnes is a commercial litigator, who focuses on business litigation in the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court, Federal Court and various arbitration forums.  He is a member of the SCBA’s Commercial Division Committee; the Eastern District of New York Chapter of the Federal Bar Council; the Commercial & Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association; and the Attorney Client Fee Dispute Arbitration Panel.  Barnes has also been appointed by Suffolk County’s Administrative Judge to the Roster of Mediators for the Suffolk County Commercial Division. He earned his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law.