The recipients of this year’s New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) James J. McLaughlin Award include one of the first African American women to serve as a federal court judge and two attorneys whose trial experience includes personal injury, auto and premises liability cases.
The NJSBA Civil Trial Bar Section will present the awards to former Chief U.S. District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson, Eric Kuper and Charles J. Uliano at its annual dinner on Feb. 20.
“The award is in memory of James J. McLaughlin, who demonstrated during his career the highest standard of civility, legal competence and professionalism in the practice of civil trial law,” said Michael G. Donahue, chair of the section.
“During their careers, the Honorable Anne E. Thompson, Eric Kuper and Charles Uliano have each embodied these ideals and inspired us all,” Donahue said.
Thompson’s career includes serving as an assistant deputy public defender, municipal court judge and prosecutor. A legal trailblazer, she was among a historic group of women appointed by President Jimmy Carter to be U.S. District Court judges in 1979. She served as chief judge for the District of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001. Thompson previously received the NJSBA Mel Narol Award, which honors members or organizations that have advanced the cause of inclusion and diversity.
Kuper, of Martin Kane and Kuper in East Brunswick, has concentrated his practice on civil trial litigation in Middlesex and Mercer counties, with an emphasis on auto and premises liability cases. He has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict in superior courts in New Jersey. Kuper is a past chair of the Civil Trial Bar Section and was president of the Middlesex County Trial Lawyers Association.
Uliano, senior partner with Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh in West Long Branch, has focused his practice primarily on civil and criminal litigation, and is one of a small number of attorneys who hold dual certification by the New Jersey Supreme Court. He has extensive trial experience in state and federal courts. He is a former NJSBA trustee and served as chair of the NJSBA Nominating Committee and the NJSBA Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointment Committee.