A human rights attorney, an advocate for the poor and disadvantaged, and an attorney who fights for the legal rights of workers and victims of negligence will receive top honors from the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law.
The Daniel J. O’Hern Award will go to Raymond M. Brown, a partner at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, in Hackensack. Felipe Chavana, executive director of Essex-Newark Legal Services, in Newark, will be recognized with the Charles J. Hollenbeck Award. The Lighthouse Award will be given to Gerald H. Baker, counsel at Javerbaum Wurgaft, in Springfield. The awards will be presented in the spring.
“All three attorneys have advanced the highest ideals of our profession in their long and distinguished careers,” said New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Barry T. Albin, chair of the commission.
“Each recipient has made a significant and lasting contribution in his field of practice. Raymond Brown as a criminal defense lawyer, civil rights advocate and ardent voice for the cause of justice; Felipe Chavana as a legal services attorney protecting the interests of the underserved and most vulnerable members of our society; and Gerald Baker as a personal injury attorney and educator fighting to ensure the rights of accident victims. Each award recipient represents the very best of the bar, and we salute them for the example they have set for all attorneys.”
The O’Hern Award
The O’Hern Award is presented to an attorney who exhibits integrity, competence, high ethical standards, career achievement and service to the bar and/or community. The award is named for Daniel J. O’Hern, a retired associate judge of the New Jersey Supreme Court, who was an advisor to the commission from its inception in 1996 until his passing in 2009.
Brown is an internationally recognized civil and criminal litigator with more than 50 years of experience. His practice is focused on white-collar criminal defense, international human rights compliance, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. Brown has extensive experience as a trial lawyer, including numerous high-profile cases. He represented U.S. Senator Robert Menendez as defense co-counsel in a public corruption and bribery case, and former U.S. Labor Secretary Raymond J. Donovan. He has significant international experience, and has represented victims in the Darfur genocide before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Brown is an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Commission on Racial Equity in the Law, where he was appointed by NJSBA President Domenick Carmagnola and Immediate Past President Kimberly A. Yonta.
In her nomination letter, Wendy E. Deer, executive director of the Essex County Bar Association, said, “Even after decades of dedicated, impassioned and tireless advocacy, Mr. Brown continues to challenge the status quo at all levels, in neighborhoods here at home, across the country and around the world.”
The Hollenbeck Award
The Hollenbeck Award is presented to an attorney who is employed by a governmental agency or nonprofit organization that serves the needs of the legal community and has served with diligence, competence and dedication to the profession.
The award’s namesake, Charles J. Hollenbeck, dedicated a majority of his nearly four-decade career as an attorney to improving the quality of legal services throughout the state. He served as the commission’s executive director from its inception to his retirement in 2014.
Chavana has served as executive director for Esssex-Newark Legal Services since 1989, ensuring the quality and availability of legal representation to Essex County’s low-income residents.
“For over 45 years, attorney Chavana diligently, competently and passionately dedicated himself to seeking justice for the poor and disadvantaged, adhering to the highest level of integrity and professional standards,” Deer wrote in her nomination letter.
Lighthouse Award
The Lighthouse Award honors an attorney or judge whose professional community-based efforts serve as an inspiration to colleagues.
Baker, a former NJSBA trustee, is one of the most renowned and respected personal injury attorneys in the nation. He has been involved in numerous groundbreaking cases and high-profile claims, including representing the families of TWA Flight 800, Korean Airlines Flight 007 and Egyptair Flight 990. In 2002, he obtained a verdict of $53 million against Conrail in a wrongful death case, the largest death verdict in New Jersey and one of the largest in the country. He is one of New Jersey’s foremost experts on automobile insurance and has argued numerous NJSBA amicus curiae cases.
“In all respects, Gerald H. Baker demonstrates passion for his profession’s abiding virtue—to positively affect and influence social justice and social change,” Kathleen M. Reilly, president of the New Jersey Association for Justice, wrote in her nomination letter.