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NJSBA asks governor to follow CDC guidelines and include legal community in Tier 1c for COVID-19 vaccinations

By NJSBA Staff posted 01-08-2021 11:02 AM

  

The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) this week urged Gov. Murphy to include attorneys and the staff that support them as essential workers who perform duties across our state’s infrastructure and allow them to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in Tier 1c.

“People turn to our courts every day to resolve disputes and seek justice, and while the Judiciary is to be commended for keeping our judicial system operating, opening our courthouses must be a priority for justice to be fully served. Beyond opening the courthouses, there are significant numbers of attorneys who serve critical needs in our communities that are essential to people's lives and our state's economy. To meet those needs, lawyers need to be able to meet freely in person with clients in jails or in their offices, and to attend hearings and other legal proceedings without fear of getting or spreading the virus,” wrote NJSBA President Kimberly A. Yonta.

“When we are able to reopen courthouses to in-person proceedings, the backlog of cases that will need to be heard will be unprecedented. Lawyers and their support teams in the larger legal community will be integral to ensuring getting the legal rights and remedies of our citizens addressed, and, therefore, should be included in the vaccine schedule at the earliest possible time. Now is the time to vaccinate those in the legal community who will help open the doors to the courthouse and justice system for our residents,” she wrote.

The NJSBA also offered the New Jersey Law Center as a possible vaccination site.


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