NEW BRUNSWICK – William H. Mergner Jr. became the immediate past president of the New Jersey State Bar Association on May 15.
Mergner, a civil litigation attorney from West Caldwell, said leading the Association as its NJSBA’s 126th president was one of the greatest honors in his professional life.
“As I reflect on the last year, my tenure as president of this Association has surpassed even my highest expectations. I am deeply grateful to have stood beside our extraordinary member volunteers, who through their passion and perseverance have accomplished so much for the benefit of their fellow colleagues, the justice system and the practice of law,” Mergner said.
Under Mergner’s leadership, the Association released a first-of-its-kind report with guidance for attorneys and legal professionals on using AI safely and ethically. It celebrated as New Jersey became the latest state to end permanent disbarment and provide steps to readmission that represent a chance at redemption for attorneys who have lost their license. The Association also fought vigorously and was successful in reversing an ethics that barred New Jersey attorneys from paying referral fees to their out-of-state counterparts.
“The NJSBA will always take swift action on issues of consequence to attorneys, their clients and the public,” Mergner said. “To the members of this Association, you are in the good hands of passionate volunteers and dedicated staff who are prepared to advance our mission and confront any challenge. I look forward to what the future holds.”
Mergner is co-managing partner at Leary, Bride, Mergner & Bongiovanni, in Cedar Knolls, where he practices civil litigation. An accomplished trial attorney, Mergner has tried hundreds of cases to verdict in New Jersey’s state and federal courts. He handles the defense of construction site accidents, multi-party construction defect cases, environmental/toxic tort claims, products liability claims, professional liability claims including medical, engineering, agents/brokers claims, as well as complex general liability claims involving serious injury or death. He has also overseen a significant number of appeals before the New Jersey Appellate Division, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and has numerous favorable published and unpublished decisions.
Prior to becoming NJSBA president, Mergner’s service in the Association was extensive. As a former Trustee of the Association, he was active with the Pandemic Task Force and spearheaded its work on the resumption of jury trials, which released several reports. He was chair of the Association’s Special Task Force on the Practice of Law, Amicus Committee, Civil Trial Bar Section and Judicial Administration. He is a member of the Meeting Arrangements and Program, Judicial Administration, and Insurance Defense committees.
Mergner graduated magna cum laude from Catholic University of America in 1982. He received his Juris Doctor from the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in 1985.
He lives in West Caldwell with his wife, Patty. They have two sons.