Judge Heela Capell takes to social media to educate the community

Brooklyn Civil Court Judge Heela Capell has moved beyond the bench and into social media on a mission to educate and empower the public. 

Utilizing Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, Judge Capell is providing resources for conflict resolution to assist members of the community when faced with a dispute. 

“I don’t want to empower myself to protect people. I want to empower people to protect themselves,” said Judge Capell. “It’s not so much about me advocating for people, since as a judge I must be impartial. It’s about educating people to know how to resolve disputes and navigate the legal system.”  

In more than 200 videos posted across her social media accounts, Judge Capell discusses countless topics ranging from active listening techniques to emotional awareness. 

On TikTok, where Judge Capell holds the largest audience, she engages directly with viewers answering questions left in the comment section. 

Judge Capell was appointed to Housing Court in 2018 and elected to Civil Court in 2021, and is currently a candidate for New York State Supreme Court in Kings County. Her jump to social media was influenced by her experiences within the courtroom. 

With training in mediation and arbitration experience, Judge Capell wanted to bring her skills to the public. 

“I was often seeing a lot of people in my courtroom contending with different types of issues, in cases big and small, who were really struggling to speak to each other. They were frustrated and angry, and on discernibly different sides of legal disputes,” Judge Capell explained. “I knew I had the tools to convey to them, not just on how to speak legally on these matters, but additionally how to get their points across and effectively convey what remedies they were seeking. So I started making videos speaking directly to whoever would listen, and they did.”

Through her videos, Judge Capell illustrates to viewers how they can use their voices to obtain their desired resolutions,…