The following is a summary of actions taken at the Oct. 14, 2016, meeting of the New Jersey State Bar Association Board of Trustees at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. This summary does not constitute official minutes.
Filing fees: The New Jersey State Bar Association’s (NJSBA) Board of Trustees addressed the issues surrounding the implementation of filing fees increased in conjunction with criminal justice reform. Following discussions and communication between the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and association, clarifications and updates on several problematic fees were announced. To read about the changes to the notices of appearance and substitutions of appearance, click here. To learn more about certified judgments of divorce, click here. Judge Glenn A. Grant, Acting Administrative Director of the Courts, addressed the trustees and answered questions about the start of criminal justice reform and the increased filing fees. To read a summary of that and see Judge Grant’s presentation on criminal justice reform, click here. The association will provide member feedback information to the AOC about additional issues attorneys have with the fees.
Rule change: The trustees agreed to pursue a rule change to address the confidentiality of certain records filed in connection with family matters. The proposal, which will be forwarded to the AOC, seeks to amend Court Rule 1:38 to make all documents related to a family part matter confidential, absent good cause shown and upon application to the court.
Government affairs: The NJSBA will support, with amendments, A-1375/S-618, which will prohibit employers from obtaining, or requiring credit reports or discriminating on the basis of credit reports.
Events: The Board of Trustees approved budgets and contracts for several upcoming events, including:
• A Dec. 1 continuing legal education program at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa featuring Marty Latz on gaining the edge in negotiations;
• The Solo and Small-Firm Conference on March 17-18 at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel;
• The 2017 Family Law Retreat in Cancun; and
• The 2017 Mid-Year Meeting in Madrid.
Continuing legal education awards: The 2016 Clapp Award will go to Bonnie Frost, who has organized and presented seminars for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education for over 20 years. Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to Judge Travis Francis; Judge Mary K. Costello; former New Jersey State Bar Foundation President Steven Richman; and Michael Schaff, chair of the New Jersey Lawyer editorial board. The awards will be presented at a Dec. 12 reception.
Vanderbilt Award: Jack Trubenbach, who worked for the Appellate Division for 36 years before retiring last year, will receive this year’s Arthur T. Vanderbilt Award. The award will be presented at the Dec. 9 Holiday Reception at the New Jersey Law Center.
