• NJSBA installs a new slate of officers: McGoughran becomes New Jersey State Bar Association president; Mergner is president-elect; Lawrence is immediate past president.
• McGoughran, a family law attorney in Ocean Township, took the oath of office at the NJSBA’s Annual Meeting in Atlantic City.
• “I thought after the last few chaotic years it might be nice to get back to our basic mission – to serve, protect, foster and promote the personal and professional interests of our members,” McGoughran said.
Timothy F. McGoughran took the oath of office on May 18 as president of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) for the 2023-2024 term, assuming leadership over the state’s largest organization of legal professionals.
New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner swore in McGoughran at the NJSBA’s Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City. A host of McGoughran’s friends, family and colleagues – along with the NJSBA’s Executive Committee and Board of Trustees – were on hand to watch the Ocean Township family law attorney become the 125th president to lead the Association.
McGoughran is the founding member of the Law Office of Timothy F. McGoughran, a family law firm he manages in Ocean Township with his wife, Allison. He provides counsel on all aspects of family law, from divorce proceedings, alimony and child custody to asset protection and domestic violence cases. McGoughran is also a former municipal court judge in Monmouth County.
“I thought after the last few chaotic years it might be nice to get back to our basic mission – to serve, protect, foster and promote the personal and professional interests of our members. That’s the first line of our mission statement and the first line of my mission statement for the upcoming year. We can’t solve the world’s problems if we can’t make life a little easier for our members,” McGoughran said.
In addition to McGoughran’s installation, other members of the Executive Committee moved up the succession ladder and were sworn in by Chief Justice Rabner. Each officer holds the position for one year.
• William H. Mergner Jr. became president-elect. He practices civil litigation in Cedar Knolls.
• Christine A. Amalfe became first vice president. She is a labor and employment law attorney in Newark.
• Norberto A. Garcia became second vice president. He specializes in medical malpractice law in Jersey City.
• G. Glennon Troublefield became treasurer. He specializes civil litigation and intellectual property in Roseland.
• Diana C. Manning joined the Executive Committee as secretary. She practices in complex commercial litigation in Florham Park.
• Jeralyn L. Lawrence, a family law attorney based in Watchung, began a term as immediate past president of the Association.
Under Lawrence’s leadership over the past year, the NJSBA put attorney wellness and quality of life in the legal profession at the forefront of its mission. Lawrence formed the Putting Lawyers First Task Force, a collective of more than 50 attorneys who produced a wide-ranging report on the decline of mental health and wellness among New Jersey’s legal practitioners, the primary drivers of stress for attorneys and an action plan to improve well-being.
“I know that I will reflect on the whirlwind of these months as president in the years ahead with a sense of pride, gratitude and honor. I am grateful to my colleagues for their love and support,” Lawrence said. “Congratulations to my dear friend Timothy McGoughran, who will begin what I know will be a successful term as president. I am excited to see what more this Association can do for lawyers, the clients we serve and the public.”