The New Jersey State Bar Association hosted newly admitted attorneys for a swearing-in ceremony at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick on July 7.
A panel of prominent New Jersey jurists, and state and federal bar leaders were on hand to greet and impart their wisdom on the young lawyers who recently passed the bar exam. Flanked by their friends and families, the new attorneys rose as State Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Patterson and U.S. District Court Chief Judge Freda L. Wolfson admitted them to the state and federal bar.
State Superior Court Judge Supti Bhattacharya, who joined the bench in Mercer County’s Family Division in May, said each new lawyer has their own unique story of how they arrived here, one they should be proud of.
“Very few people in New Jersey or in this country have the opportunity or privilege to practice law. Remember every day all of your hard work and all you have achieved,” Judge Bhattacharya said.
NJSBA President Jeralyn L. Lawrence told the crowd that the organization is here to set new attorneys on the right track, with leadership opportunities, skill-building courses and communities of lawyers ready to help.
“The relationships that you build through this Association will change your professional and personal life, and all for the better,” Lawrence said.
The incoming class of lawyers overcame unprecedented obstacles while studying and sitting for the bar exam during the pandemic, she said.
“The world needs you and your optimism, your idealism, and your sincere desire to make a difference by becoming a lawyer…. I urge each of you to double down on the ideals of your profession and be the examples we want to see in the courtroom, across the table at mediations, or negotiations and client meetings,” Lawrence said. “Set the example of kindness, passion and smarts for all to see.”
Ricardo Solano Jr., president of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey, said the true value of joining a bar group is in meeting new faces.
“It is a great opportunity to network with other attorneys,” Solano said. “Equally, if not more important, it is a great opportunity to meet and know the judges you will practice before.”
NJSBA Young Lawyers Division Chair-Elect Katrina M. Homel said she found her footing as an attorney through a YLD event, where members worked pro bono helping New Jersey first responders create wills and other documents. Being an attorney, she said, means becoming a lifelong student of the law.
“Interacting with clients, attorneys, judges, and other parties requires an attorney to confront very new situations each day that go beyond the knowledge of the law, and are more finely tuned with experience,” Homel said.
The NJSBA offers a free one-year membership to new attorneys as they embark on their careers. Find out more at njsba.com.