The New Jersey State Bar Association’s (NJSBA) governing body met earlier this month at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick where it voted on the budget and other matters, including holding the 2021 Mid-Year Meeting in Phoenix.
President Domenick Carmagnola swore in Treasurer Christine A. Amalfe to the Executive Committee. She was unable to attend the induction at the Annual Meeting. Amalfe is chair of the employment and labor law department at Gibbons P.C. in Newark. Robert Scrivo, of Mandelbaum Salsburg in Roseland, was sworn in for a two-year term to the Board of Trustees.
The trustees gave final approval to a $10.2 million operating budget for fiscal year 2021–2022, which starts July 1. It includes free dues and membership for first-year members in the NJSBA Young Lawyers Division. The budget provides for continued investment in infrastructure/technology upgrades to support hybrid meetings and events, while also allowing for unique in-person experiences such as the NJSBA Annual and Mid-Year Meetings and through various sections and committees.
With restrictions on in-person gatherings lifting across the country, the board approved the 2021 Mid-Year Meeting to be held Oct. 26–31 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. The event is expected to feature continuing legal education seminars, including sessions designed to examine and explore Latinx and social justice issues in Arizona. A golf outing, tours and receptions for networking are also planned. Details will be announced soon at njsba.com.
The board also supported proposed amendments to Rule 3:6-6, which clarify who may be present during grand jury deliberations. The trustees agreed that the proposal to limit the individuals who may be in the room while the grand jury is deliberating will prevent undue influence, or the appearance of undue influence, on the grand jury and preserve the integrity of its deliberations. Moreover, the board said the proposed amendments follow the best practices already in place in many counties and by the Attorney General’s Office.
In addition, the board agreed the NJSBA should support A-5758 (Coughlin)/S-3842 (Singleton), which provides funding for a clinical program to provide legal services for low- and moderate-income tenants in need of housing assistance and appropriates $2 million. Under the bill, Seton Hall Law School, Rutgers Law–Camden and Rutgers Law–Newark would establish clinical programs where law students would handle some of the large number of requests for legal help with housing matters that are expected after the moratorium on evictions is lifted.