2026 NJSBA Virtual Summer Conference

Is technology serving you, or are you a servant to technology?

Today, lawyers are constantly distracted by legal technology, connectivity, electronic case information, discovery, and information overload … email, instant messaging, social media, phone calls, interruptions, etc. Lawyers switch tasks on their computer nearly 600 times a day. We are drowning in technology-based interruptions! These technologies are essential and, in fact, required by many jurisdictions, but they are also killing productivity if we don’t have the processes in place to deal with them!

Join Paul Unger, a national speaker and author who coaches lawyers on how to be more efficient with time management, as he shows lawyers how to focus and manage distractions, emails, tasks, and deadlines. Paul’s superpowers are cleaning up law firm messes and turning digital chaos into well-organized machines. He will demonstrate how to take back control of your day and your practice with practical methodologies utilizing tools like Microsoft Outlook that you already own.

The New Jersey Supreme Court Evidence Rules Committee recently proposed amendments to NJRE 702 re: the admission of expert testimony. The amendments would mirror the more detailed and specific Federal Rule of Evidence 702.

Proponents of mirroring the federal rule aver that the amendments would fix widespread misapplication of the rule by courts and clarify existing law regarding the admissibility of expert testimony, and that it would also clarify the gatekeeping role of trial judges to prevent unreliable expert testimony from reaching juries. Opponents of the amendment disagree, arguing that the amendments would not further the goal of clarity and that the current rule is sufficiently clear. Both sides agreed on one essential point, and that is that more education surrounding the qualification of experts and the admission of testimony would benefit the legal community.

In this session, a panel consisting of a plaintiff’s lawyer, defense counsel and an esteemed retired judge will take a deep dive into the application of NJRE 702. They will discuss what qualifies someone to be an expert, effective methods of arguing for and against admissibility, and additional information you need to better represent your clients at trial.

Genetic testing companies offer an easy and entertaining way to check into someone’s ancestry. However, what happens when a long-lost relative finds out you’re related and wants to stake a claim on your client’s estate?! This program will address estate planning in the 21st century with a view toward protecting your clients’ assets from newly discovered heirs.

Noted defense attorney and former prosecutor Robert Bianchi and his esteemed panel of practitioners return for another installment of this virtual conference favorite!

Join them as they explore criminal cases in the current headlines to spur an informative discussion that connects theory with real-world practice. This exciting seminar brings the true crime genre to continuing legal education!

The cases include:

• Lindsay Clancy – Clancy is charged with strangling her three children. She then jumped out a window in an attempt to commit suicide. She survived but is paralyzed. Topics to be discussed: essentials of an insanity defense; the prosecutor’s discretion to not go forward with a case and factors they should consider in making that decision.
• Tyler Robinson – Robinson is accused of murdering Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed as he spoke to a crowd of thousands in Utah in September. Topics to be discussed: inconsistencies in seeking the death penalty; the public’s right to have information vs. the right of the defendant to keep it from the public (for example, crime scene photos); how to tell what evidence is real and what isn’t, and how do you authenticate in the age of AI.
• The Gilgo Beach Murders – The case lingered for years. The murderer could have been discovered years earlier had it not been for inadequate investigations. The panel will discuss the role of the prosecutor in overseeing law enforcement investigations, the problem caused by COVID of fewer trials which leads to less experienced prosecutors, and the role of judges in holding prosecutors and defense lawyers accountable.

This program will examine the emerging legal landscape surrounding psychological safety in both workplace and educational settings. As employers, schools, and public institutions face increasing scrutiny regarding harassment prevention, discrimination, bullying, retaliation, mental health concerns, and organizational culture, attorneys must understand the legal duties, compliance obligations, and potential liabilities associated with maintaining psychologically safe environments.

Through analysis of statutes, case law, and real-world scenarios, the CLE program will provide attorneys with practical tools for counseling employers, educational institutions, and public entities on their legal obligations and best practices for promoting psychologically safe environments.

Estate and trust practice interacts with personal injury practice more than you might think! If you are a personal injury attorney who isn’t familiar with estate and trust law, you may be putting your client’s hard-won case or settlement at risk.

This is a crash course for civil litigators in how estate law interacts with personal injury, wrongful death, workers comp claims and more. Join a seasoned trust and estate lawyer and an experienced personal injury lawyer as they take you through the basics of estate administration, probate, powers of attorney, executor or administrator appointment, guardianship, and special needs trusts. They will show you how understanding some basic planning concepts and tax rules will save your clients money and keep you from opening yourself to possible malpractice claims.

On July 20th, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced anti-human trafficking investigations around New Jersey before and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup resulted in the recovery of 97 suspected human trafficking victims. The investigations also led to 71 arrests, including 40 of alleged buyers of commercial sex and 31 others involved in perpetrating other offenses. Trafficking isn’t only sex trafficking. It includes holding people, usually non-citizens, captive by taking their passports and phones, and forcing them to work without pay.

Lawyers are often the first to receive a call from a survivor, but the individuals themselves may not even know that they are being trafficked. They may be calling about a dispute over wages, for assistance with immigration status or because they have just been arrested for a crime. Lawyers of all practice areas must know the signs and what to look for to truly and effectively help their clients. In addition, lawyers can join the fight, and assist survivors in rebuilding their lives by volunteering to take on vacatur cases to clear the records of vulnerable individuals.

This important presentation will begin with recorded remarks from Attorney General Davenport.

Then, Theresa Hilton, Director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, will present the latest on human trafficking in New Jersey. She will show you how to detect the signs of trafficking of victims who are hidden in plain sight, describe how the Attorney General’s Office investigates and prosecutes trafficking, and how to connect victims with the services available to them.

Join us for an unforgettable program that is a CLE seminar and a call to action.

Intellectual property issues can significantly affect a financing, acquisition, commercial transaction, or product launch, yet they are often discovered too late. This program will identify twelve common IP red flags that business and transactional attorneys should recognize when advising companies, investors, lenders, buyers, and entrepreneurs. Topics will include ownership of inventions and creative work, employee and contractor agreements, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, software, licensing arrangements, third-party rights, and product clearance. Attendees will learn practical questions to ask, documents to request, and circumstances that may require consultation with IP counsel before an issue delays a transaction, reduces valuation, or creates avoidable liability.

During discovery and trial, many things can go wrong for your client. Laying the groundwork during these stages for an appeal is essential as some matters could be waived if not preserved properly. This seminar will explore the common mistakes that trial practitioners make that cause appellate issues to be barred or change the standard of review from favorable to limited.

This program is for anyone who has balanced a computer on their lap while accompanying a loved one to the emergency room, dragged themself into work after being up all night with a chronically ill child, or has taken a client call supporting a parent with dementia. If your day is divided between legal deadlines and conversations with medical providers, hospice professionals, or social workers, this program is for you.

During this 100-minute seminar, the presenters will offer practical guidance, support, and insight. Panelists will share personal experiences navigating the intersection of caregiving and legal practice, discuss strategies they have developed to manage stress and maintain professional responsibilities, and highlight resources available through the New Jersey State Bar Association and the courts to support attorney caregivers.

This program aims to foster understanding, provide practical tools, and remind attorney caregivers that they are not alone in facing these challenges.

Join Jacob Davidson, Esq., and CBIZ as they take you through how commercial litigators can use forensic accountants and other types of experts more effectively throughout a case. They will address the engagement process, expert-driven discovery, rebuttal strategy, deposition preparation, trial presentation, and counsel’s role in shaping assumptions.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the right expert(s) for different commercial litigation claims.
2. Understand how to use experts early to shape pleadings and discovery.
3. Avoid common mistakes in expert retention and reporting.
4. Work together to build defensible damages/valuation models based on reasonable assumptions as necessary.
5. How to include experts in settlement negotiations.
6. How to prepare experts for deposition and trial.
7. Understand how to use your expert to challenge opposing experts effectively.

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and generative artificial intelligence (“GenAI”), as with any technology, may be used for good and bad purposes. Those bad purposes may give rise to investigations and prosecutions for criminal activity, as we have seen with “deepfakes” involving child pornography. This session will examine known or foreseeable AI and GenAI-related crimes, the nature of investigations into and prosecution of such crimes, discovery of the fruits of those investigations, and relevant principles under the United States and New Jersey constitutions. The session will also look at the admissibility of AI and GenAI and “hallucinations.”