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The New Jersey State Bar Association’s (NJSBA) Board of Trustees, the Association’s governing body, presented the 2021–2022 preliminary budget and took action on other matters at its April 16 virtual meeting.

The trustees approved a preliminary general operating budget for fiscal year 2021–2022, which starts July 1. The proposed budget reflects about $10.2 million in projected revenue and nearly the equivalent in projected expenses. First-year members will be offered free dues and free membership in the NJSBA Young Lawyers Division.

The plan continues to invest in infrastructure upgrades and producing events, seminars and conventions that keep members up-to-date and provide benefit to their practice and professional endeavors. The preliminary budget, which is included below, will be published, per the bylaws, and reviewed by the board before it is finalized in June.

The board approved the NJSBA Pandemic Task Force’s Practice of Law Committee report. It examined how the ongoing public health crisis changed the practice of law and what steps could be taken as attorneys emerge from the crisis. The report’s findings will be shared with the New Jersey Supreme Court, other bar associations, the public, membership and other relevant groups. The board also adopted the NJSBA Pandemic Task Force Access to Justice Committee’s recommendations and is finalizing a resource guide for the public in the coming weeks. The guide will assist people in navigating ways to get help with legal issues stemming from the pandemic.

In addition, the trustees supported several pieces of legislation, including A-729/S-391, which expands the categories of individuals who can bring a claim under the wrongful imprisonment statutes. The board also supported A-4618/S-2876, known as “Laura Wooten’s Law,” with an amendment to include the New Jersey State Bar Foundation in the list of potential recipients of funding to implement curricula on civics instruction. The bills require civics instruction in middle school and authorize the New Jersey Center for Civic Education to provide curricula, professional development and technical assistance for middle and high schools.

A third pair of bills that revise and update the law pertaining to guardianship was approved with amendments that include clarifying the scope of representation in guardianships, limiting the necessity of formal accounting requirements and expanding protections to people in civil unions and domestic partnerships. A-4618/S-2876 is intended to encourage ethical conduct by guardians and to provide stronger protections for wards and proposed wards.

The trustees additionally adopted a resolution honoring William J. Kane, the first and only director of the New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program, who will retire this summer.