Incoming members of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Board of Trustees took part in an orientation on April 16 to learn about the NJSBA’s structure and policies, their new responsibilities as a trustee and how to make the most of their terms.
The Board will welcome nine new trustees this year when they are sworn in with NJSBA President-Elect William H. Mergner Jr. at the NJSBA’s Annual Meeting and Convention next month.
Mergner extolled the opportunity to further the NJSBA’s mission as a trustee and improve the practice of law in New Jersey for all attorneys. His years spent on the Association’s governing body, Mergner said, were the most rewarding stretch of his career.
“I got way more out of it than I put in, in terms of how it helped me see the law and fellow lawyers,” Mergner said.
There are numerous ways the Board can advance the interest of attorneys, Mergner said. The Board votes on whether the Association should support legislation, take positions in amicus cases before appeals courts, participate on Supreme Court rules committees and comment on rule proposals and other issues.
“Every single Board meeting I’ve ever been to since the very first time I walked into that room has been the highlight of my month,” Mergner said. “It’s a room filled with smart and committed people who are problem solvers. I saw that we were addressing problems that lawyers face daily. As trustees, we have an opportunity to affect those outcomes.”
In the coming year, Mergner said he will focus his term on the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence in the law, advocating against non-attorney ownership for law firms and boosting membership in the Association’s sections and committees.