The 2026 NJSBA Spring Conference

Your AI is Not Equal to My Law Degree – Difficult Clients and the Dangers of AI

This program addresses the issue of dealing with difficult clients with a focus on their use of AI. Clients who use AI do not realize that they can be damaging their cases. Courts have recently held that information generated through client use of AI can, in some cases, fall outside of both the attorney client privilege and the work product privilege. As we have also learned, AI can also provide erroneous information.

Speakers will discuss the holdings in recent cases that outline the dangers and possible exceptions, how to deal with clients who think they are being helpful but who are creating risks to you and to their cases, and other issues re: clients and adversaries who obstruct or impede the legal process.

Speakers:
– Ayesha Krishnan Hamilton, Esq., Hamilton Law Firm PC, Princeton
– Joshua Lenon, Lawyer in Residence, Clio
– Jennifer M. Mohamed, Esq., Law Office of Jennifer Mohamed LLC, Flemington
– Erdal Turnacioglu, Esq., Erdal Employment Law, LLC

Surrogacy Agreements – Representing Parties Who Make Miracles Happen

Deb Guston is a Past President of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, the leading international, credentialed organization of family formation attorneys and formerly served as its Adoption Director, guiding the Academy’s adoption policy and advocacy. Donald Cofsky is a fellow and the Past President of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, and a fellow of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (both of which are now known as The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys). He has assisted over 1,500 families in completing their adoptions. Together, they will present this program on legal insights, strategies and techniques in order to represent people in surrogacy and adoption.

Speakers:
– Donald C. Cofsky, Esq., Cofsky & Zeidman LLC, Haddonfield
– Debra E. Guston, Esq., C.A.E., Guston & Guston, LLP, Glen Rock

The Use of AI in Modern Legal Practice: Tools, Tactics, and Pitfalls

Experienced litigators from both large and solo firms will delve into the practical use of AI in the legal profession with a focus on litigation. The speakers will provide an overview of some specific AI products and how to maximize efficiently using them; do’s and don’ts in the use of AI in motion practice; the use of AI in discovery, research and brief generation; and ways to use AI to maximize efficiency in transactional work, and by Corporate Counsel and Government Lawyers. The panel will wrap up with some caveats including ethical Issues to keep in mind.

Speakers:
– Robert B. Hille, Esq., Past NJSBA President, Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis, LLP, Roseland
– Patrick O. Lacsina, Sr., Esq., Patrick O. Lacsina Law Offices, LLC, Harrison
– G. Glennon Troublefield, Esq., NJSBA First Vice President, Carella Byrne Cecchi Olstein Brody & Agnello, P.C., Roseland

Estate Planning for Modern Love: Planning for Unmarried and Cohabiting Couples

More people are creating their own families outside of marriage and, when it comes to estate planning, standard plans and off-the-shelf AI templates fall dangerously short of what is needed.

Join a dynamic panel of experienced family lawyers and estate planning attorneys as they provide you with new insights on how to draft wills, trusts, healthcare proxies and powers of attorney that honor your clients’ wishes and protects their families by protecting their property, finances and health decisions.

Speakers:
– W. Lois Kahagi, Esq., W.Lois Kahagi Family Law Services, Iselin
– Jeralyn L. Lawrence, Esq., Past NJSBA President, Lawrence Law, LLC, Watchung
– Alyssa Engleberg Nunn, Esq., Hagan, Weisberg & Nunn, LLC, Cedar Knolls
– Matheu D. Nunn, Esq., Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost, Botwinick, Nunn & Musmanno, P.C.

Concrete Steps You Need to Build and Implement Your Firm’s AI Use Policy

Leave with a complete, ready-to-use policy in hand

AI is already reshaping how law is practiced in New Jersey. The question isn’t whether your firm will adopt it – it’s whether you’ll do it strategically or scramble to catch up after something goes wrong.

Ad hoc AI adoption is a liability. Hallucinations, client data exposure, confidentiality breaches, ethical violations – these aren’t hypotheticals. They’re happening right now at firms without a clear policy in place. As an attorney, you have an obligation to your clients and your license to get this right.

This program gets you there – from start to finish.

You will hear directly from New Jersey’s leading attorneys and AI experts as they walk you through building and implementing a complete AI use policy for your firm. Not theory. Not talking points. A finished, customizable policy you can put to work the moment you return to the office.

Here’s exactly what you’ll leave with:

• A complete, customizable AI use policy template – ready to implement in your firm immediately
• A step-by-step framework for taking your policy from concept to full implementation
• The essential components and clauses every AI policy must include to protect your firm and your clients
• A clear understanding of the risks – data privacy, confidentiality, accuracy, and ethical exposure – and how to address each one
• Best practices for ethical AI use, data governance, and risk mitigation, straight from the experts leading this space in New Jersey

Moderator:
– Steven Eisenstein, Esq., Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, P.C., Roseland

Speakers:
– Jessica Lewis Kelly, Esq., Special Assistant to the Administrative Director, Administrative Office of the Courts
– Joshua Lenon, Lawyer in Residence, Clio
– Kaitlyn E. Stone, Esq., Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, Morristown
– Alan N. Walter, Esq., Alan N. Walter, Counsel, Montclair

Why Did I Ever Hire Them? Negligent Hiring, Training and Supervision Claims for Plaintiffs and Defendants

As an employer, your client is a paragon of work ethic and virtue. However, that doesn’t shield them from acts of fraud, negligence or criminal acts perpetrated by their employees. Because an employer is responsible for exercising a duty of reasonable care in the selection or retention of their employee under certain circumstances, an employer can be sued for negligence associated with the hiring of the employee.

Speakers:
– Thaddeus Hubert, IV, Esq., Goldberg Segalla, Princeton
– J. Silvio Mascolo, Esq., Rebenack Aronow Mascolo LLP, New Brunswick

Estate Planning for Digital Assets – Drafting for the 21st Century

How do you preserve assets that only exist in the cloud? Digital artwork, cryptocurrency and even cell phone photos may be quite valuable to the person who buys or generates them, but they are also difficult to plan for, keep private and, in some cases, distribute. This cutting-edge segment will marry technology with estate planning to delve into how to safeguard and estate planning, safeguarding and estate distribution for assets that will live on in digital form.

Speakers:
– Peter S. Cobb, Esq., The Wacks Law Group, LLC, Whippany
– Barry E. Janay, Esq., The Law Office of Barry E. Janay, P. C., Livingston

Love and Death: Estate Planning for Second Marriages and Blended Families

Swipe Right, Think Twice – Fraud, Privacy and Scams in the Age of Dating Apps

Behind every match may be a scam, a fake identity, or an AI-driven deception and clients are getting hurt emotionally and financially. Lawyers are now being called to untangle the legal fallout of digital relationships gone wrong: stolen funds, identity misuse, defamation, blackmail and reputational collapse.

Explore how technology has transformed romance into a legal minefield and how lawyers can protect clients, recover losses, and prevent exploitation before it happens. The line between love and fraud is just one tap away and every lawyer needs to know where it’s drawn.

Speakers:
– Felicia T. Farber, Esq., Farber Resolutions, LLC, Wayne
– Peter Katz, Esq., Law Offices of Peter Katz, LLC, Princeton

The Right Stuff: Scaling Your Firm with Virtual Teams and AI

Ready to grow? Successful firm owners reveal the metrics for hiring in 2026. Learn how virtual assistants and AI can handle client intake and streamline functions, exponentially boosting your profitability.

Speakers:
– Lauren Anselowitz, Esq., Harlan York & Associates
– Ana Raquel Reis, Esq., Ana Raquel Reis-Attorney at Law
– Erdal Turnacioglu, Esq., Erdal Employment Law, LLC

Ethical Lessons from the Epstein Morass

There are many lessons to be learned from the disaster that was Jeffrey Epstein’s legacy. This segment will focus on reputation and judgment. While the ethical lines crossed may seem obvious, they are not always clear in attorney interactions with clients, adversaries and colleagues. Our expert faculty will help you understand how to evaluate reputational risk, document advice, and disengage from clients who could take you down with them. Pinpoint when to draw firm ethical lines and keep both your license and your legacy intact. Because one client’s scandal should never become yours.

Speakers:
– Peter Jay Boyer, Esq., Vice Chair, New Jersey Disciplinary Review Board
– Bonnie C. Frost, Esq., Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost, Botwinick, Nunn & Musmanno, P.C., Parsippany
– William A. Krais, Esq., Porzio Bromberg & Newman, Parsippany