Professionalism Awards
Daniel J. O’Hern Award • Charles J. Hollenbeck Award
The New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law is soliciting nominations for the Daniel J. O’Hern Award and the Charles J. Hollenbeck Award. Each award recognizes members of the legal community who have demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism in practice.
The O’Hern Award is presented to an attorney who is a well-respected member of the legal community and exhibits integrity, competence, high ethical standards, career achievement and service to the bar and/or community. The individual must be licensed to practice law in the state of New Jersey, and have demonstrated outstanding character and continually displayed a firm commitment to the ideals of professionalism as epitomized in the Commission’s Principles of Professionalism.
The award is named for the Honorable Daniel J. O’Hern, a retired associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, who was an advisor to the Commission from its inception in 1996 until his passing in 2009.
Nominees for the Hollenbeck Award must be licensed to practice law in the state of New Jersey; employed by a governmental agency at the federal, state, county or municipal level, or by a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of the legal community; and have served with diligence, competence and dedication to the profession.
The award’s namesake, Charles J. Hollenbeck, dedicated a majority of his nearly four-decade career as an attorney to improving the quality of legal services throughout the state. He served as the Commission’s executive director from its inception to his retirement in 2014.
Letters of nomination for the O’Hern Award (click here for O’Hern Award nomination form) – as well as nomination forms for the Hollenbeck Award, (click here for Hollenbeck Award nomination form) – should be sent by Thursday, June, 1, 2023 to: New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law, Attn: Christina Pateman, New Jersey State Bar Association, One Constitution Square, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, or by e-mail to [email protected].
Former recipients, as well as sitting judges, are ineligible; however, re-nominations will be accepted. Please note: To have a previous candidate considered for this year’s award, a letter of nomination issued within the current year is required.
Click here for a list of past award recipients.