2026 NJSBA Mid-Year Meeting

Our experienced panel of family law attorneys will discuss emerging trends and opine on best practices for family law matters to better serve our clients, promote attorney well-being, and elevate our practice. The panel will examine recent changes to court procedures in family law cases, regulatory and legislative changes, technological advances, and evolving case law that shape our practices.

A playbook focusing on how these newlyweds can protect the value of their intellectual property from estate and gift tax while simultaneously shifting the income tax burden. The set list also requires protection and preservation of separate property by utilizing a prenuptial agreement, a spousal lifetime access trust and an intentionally defective grantor trust. Blending principles of matrimonial law, estate and gift tax law with valuation discount is sure to result in a standing ovation.

This seminar provides trial and appellate practitioners with practical strategies for preserving issues for review, creating an effective record, navigating appellate procedure, and presenting persuasive written and oral advocacy before appellate courts.

Through real-world examples and recent case law, participants will learn how to identify appealable issues, avoid common procedural pitfalls, develop compelling appellate arguments, and maximize the likelihood of success on appeal.

Artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) use by attorneys implicates a number of ethical obligations. These obligations begin with the duty of competence and continue through the Rules of Professional Conduct. This session will examine those rules, how the rules apply to AI/GAI, and suggest measures that might be taken by attorneys to discharge their ethical obligations in the context of GAI.

Join this discussion about cutting-edge topics that all attorneys who practice in labor and employment should know to help their clients navigate the ever-changing issues in the workplace.

Join this panel of expert attorneys and judges to learn about the latest issues, caselaw and trends in the field, including how AI will affect your practice.

Here is the opportunity to learn everything you need to know about ensuring that solo and small-firm attorneys can compete with any firm, at any level. This group of expert practitioners will examine technology, experts, co-counsel relationships, litigation strategy, outsourcing, and leveraging experience rather than headcount.

How and why immigration law changes so quickly when the presidential administration changes is based on the statutory scheme empowering the immigration courts in the Department of Justice and the direct power of the Attorney General over the creation of precedential caselaw. This panel explores how that power has created a sea change in the area of immigration detention.

One of the most powerful legal tools for release of non-U.S. citizens in administrative (not criminal) detention is the writ of habeas corpus, a fundamental right that serves as a safeguard against unlawful detention. This panel also explores the concept of habeas corpus, its historical roots, and its critical application in securing release through immigration bonds.

A habeas corpus petition can be filed in a federal district court to argue that an individual's detention is unlawful. This is distinct from a bond hearing before an immigration judge. A bond hearing determines if an individual is eligible for release on bond, while a habeas corpus petition challenges the legality of the detention itself.

Practitioners and risk management experts will cover how to integrate AI into daily workflows, how to use it ethically with proper citation, and the malpractice and insurance exposure that comes when AI is deployed without guardrails.

This is a unique opportunity to learn about the latest updates in labor and employment law in New Jersey and find out about how they compare and contrast with practices in Portugal. Get insights from both sides of the Atlantic.

Tectonic changes in voting rights and election law are taking place on the nation's 250th anniversary. Join our panel of judges and the chair of New Jersey's Election Law Enforcement Commission for a briefing and robust discussion of what they mean for New Jersey voters and lawyers. Topics will include:

• The Callais decision rewriting the law on redistricting and the federal Voting Rights Act
• New Jersey's new John Lewis Voter Empowerment Act
• Relief for Disenfranchised Voters on Election Day and Early Voting
• Update on NJ motor voter registration challenges
• ELEC's role and latest developments in regulating campaign finance and political speech

Family law cases may look different depending what river you are viewing. This seminar offers a comparative analysis of how New Jersey and Portugal differ in their approach on important elements of our everyday practice - jurisdiction, grounds for divorce, alimony, custody, child support, domestic violence, and equitable distribution. We will explore where our laws merge and diverge.

The CLE will provide an overview of shopping centers that are dying and how to revive them. This program will also look at dead centers and the consequences; bankruptcy implications and specific parts of the statute designed for shopping centers; as well as lease and mortgage provisions triggered by defaults.

This panel will explore business opportunities and litigation/dispute resolution in Portugal.

Make time to join an important program to discuss how the law and its application are uniquely influenced by culture, religion, family structure and potential bias. Discuss cultural practices and credibility and how to better address those issues in representing clients.

An overview of the latest in class action litigation. Join this discussion for news and updates to help you serve your clients as soon as you return to New Jersey.