The New Jersey State Bar Association Board of Trustees took action on a host of matters recently. The board met on March 8 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick.
The board voted on positions to advocate related to several legislative items and funding proposals.
The trustees supported S2437 (Pou), which would direct the state Office of the Public Defender to provide legal representation for certain criminal contempt violations.
They also said the NJSBA should share expertise, feedback from the legal community and advocate on proposed changes to the state’s Open Public Records Act to ensure the best interests of attorneys and the clients they represent.
On a federal level, the board said it would reach out to the state’s federal delegation to encourage additional funding for federal public defenders who handle the vast majority of criminal cases in district courts around the nation.
“The importance of fully funding the federal public defender program cannot be overstated,” wrote NJSBA President Timothy F. McGoughran. “To be clear, the federal funding number leaves no room for cuts. Reductions to this line item would only reduce the number of attorneys available to accept federal indigent defense cases and thus produce costly delays for all involved.”
“The domino effect of the impact of these cuts include a delay in hearings for those facing charges; lengthy and potentially unnecessary pretrial detention for those presumed innocent; an increase in the house of ‘panel attorneys’ to represent these individuals,” he wrote.
The trustees selected Immediate Past President Jeralyn L. Lawrence, founder of Lawrence Law, as its Professional Lawyer of the Year. Lawrence will be recognized, along with representatives of county and affinity bar groups, at the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law award celebration in June.
In addition, the trustees approved a new member benefit to promote health and well-being. Members will be able to use the services of ItzZenJen Coaching at a discount.