Two cases speaking to disputes between attorneys and clients were among those highlighted by Supreme Court justices on Thursday in the annual “Supreme Court in Review” at the New Jersey State Bar Association Virtual Annual Meeting.
The first, Balducci v. Cige, deals with an attorney retainer agreement. The second, S.T. v. 1515 Broad Street, LLC, has to do with a litigant should do if they believe the client lacks the mental capacity to govern their affairs.
“The lessons of these two cases are surely a guide through the minefield of professional ethics,” Justice Barry T. Albin said.
The Supreme Court program is an annual tradition where justices share insights on the most important procedural and evidentiary issues for litigators. Hudson County Assignment Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. and featured Justices Albin, Anne M. Patterson, Lee A. Solomon, as well as Assignment Judge Jeanne T. Covert and Presiding Judge Deborah Venezia.
Patterson spoke about two cases dealing with juveniles. The first, State in the interest of A.A. tackled the admissibility of a juvenile’s statement to a parent or guardian that is overheard by law enforcement. The second, State in the interest of D.M., 238 N.J. 2 (2019), spoke to the difficult issues that arise in an allegation of sexual assault where both parties are juveniles in close age to one another.
Solomon highlighted two cases from the criminal division. One was State v. Rodriguez, which involved sentencing in a DWI case. The second, State v. McNeil-Thomas, was a 4-3 decision about video evidence in the trial of man convicted of killing a police officer.