NJSBA Board of Trustees Report
July 20, 2023
Note: This does not constitute official minutes
Future of Legal Profession Task Force Report: The Board adopted the final report of the Future of Legal Profession Task Force that reaffirmed the Association’s steadfast opposition to non-lawyers providing legal services and owning law firms. The report was prepared by two dozen attorneys who were tapped to study the risks this trend poses to the public and the legal profession. The trend raises serious concerns that attorneys will be stripped of their professional independence and forced to place corporate motives above their legal and ethical obligations to serve their clients’ best interests, the report states.
Comments on the Supreme Court Disbarment Report: The Board agreed to submit comments on the report and recommendations of the Supreme Court Special Committee on the Duration of Disbarment for Knowing Misappropriation. The comments, prepared by the Putting Lawyers First Task Force and Professional Responsibility Committee, supported the recommendations to create a pathway back to the law in certain cases for disbarred attorneys in New Jersey.
Legislation: The Board supported the following reports and/or legislation:
S3011 Scutari / A4800 Murphy – A bill that revises certain provisions in the state’s drunk driving statutes to shorten the length of an offender’s license suspension and increase the required period for installing an ignition interlock device, among other changes.