The following is a summary of the action the New Jersey
State Bar Association’s Board of Trustees took at its July meeting. This does
not constitute official minutes.
Government affairs: The trustees supported two pieces of
pending legislation. The trustees backed A3456/S2100. The pending bill would
remove the prohibitions on voting by people who are convicted of an indictable
offense who are on parole, probation or serving a sentence, which would end the
historic disenfranchisement of people with felony convictions and affects
roughly 100,000 people. They also voted to support A4699/S2938, which would
make it a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act for anyone to try to get
companies and businesses to hire them to file an annual report, without saying
that the state provides a portal that they companies can choose to use.
Guardianship laws: The NJSBA will submit comments on the
proposed New Jersey guardianship statutes and portions of Title 3B. The
proposal is an overhaul of the guardianship act and the association’s Elder and
Disability Law Section expressed the belief that the existing statutes provide
the necessary protections and noted that the changes may not accomplish the
intended goals and could hurt New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents.
Special speakers: Several dynamic speakers were approved
to offer programs for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
The speakers include: historian Glenn LeBoeuf, who will address the role of the
women who fought in the Civil War and the effect their participation has had on
the law; Stephen Easton, who will revisit Irving Younger’s 10 Commandments of
cross examination; Barron K. Henley will speak on mastering Microsoft Word for
lawyers in the coming weeks; Marty Latz will return to the seminar line-up with
advice on negotiation strategies this fall; comedian Sean Carter will provide
an entertaining look at ethics dilemmas during the holiday season; and Tina
Weber and Lisa Marcy will provide a Halloween offering called “The Psychopaths
Among Us – Unveiling and Conquering Them to Win Your Cases.”
Amicus: The trustees also agreed to seek additional
information in State v. Andrews to determine if the NJSBA will ask for amicus
status. The case involves whether a criminal defendant can be forced to
disclose the PIN numbers or passwords for their electronic devices.
Awards: Several award recipients were approved by the
trustees. They were:
The 2019 Pro Bono Awards will be presented on Oct. 24 to
the Nissenbaum Law Group for contributions from a small law firm; DLA Piper
will be recognized as a large firm. David F. Roeber and Kaitlyn E. Stone will
receive the new attorney awards.
The Diversity Committee this fall will present the annual
Justice Thurgood Marshall Award to Assignment Judge Julio L. Mendez and Judge
Joseph A. Turula.
Michael Noriega, the chair of the Immigration Law
Section, as the NJSBA’s Professional Lawyer of the Year at the New Jersey
Commission on Professionalism in the Law award reception on Oct. 20.
