The 2024 New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law Awards will go to a prominent labor attorney, a law professor for social justice and a longtime civil rights advocate in New Jersey.
The commission’s most prestigious awards honor individuals who uphold the profession’s highest ideals and who have accomplished significant career achievements. Wayne J. Positan, of Lum, Drasco & Positan, will receive the Daniel J. O’Hern Award. Jeanne LoCicero, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, will be recognized with the Charles J. Hollenbeck Award. The Lighthouse Award will be given to Kevin Kelly, a professor at the Seton Hall Law School Center for Social Justice.
The annual awards will be presented during a luncheon on June 11. Dozens of attorneys representing bar associations across the state will also be honored with Professional Lawyer of the Year Awards, given to those who are respected by colleagues for their character, competence and exemplary professional behavior.
Here are the top honorees:
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 community.
Positan is a widely respected attorney in the areas of labor and employment law, commercial litigation, appellate practice and alternative dispute resolution matters, with extensive experience as a mediator. As a past NJSBA president and former chair of its Labor and Employment Section, he has a long history of shaping labor and employment law in New Jersey and mentoring other attorneys in the practice. In 2016, he received the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Medal of Honor for his significant lifetime contributions to the justice system and legal profession in New Jersey.
“Despite his time-consuming practice, Wayne has dedicated himself to serving fellow lawyers and the community. former NJSBA President Susan A. Feeney said in her recommendation letter for Positan. “I observed firsthand how he promoted professionalism and civility in the profession and mentored others to become effective bar leaders.”
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.
LoCicero supervises the litigation program and related advocacy of the ACLU-NJ’s Legal Department. She has litigated and advocated in a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties cases, with a focus on prison conditions, racial equity, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights and reproductive health.
“Jeanne LoCicero has dedicated her career to ensuring that the disenfranchised are heard and that the public is educated about their rights. She leads a team of lawyers to protect individual rights on a daily basis. And she does so with quiet confidence and an appreciation for all sides of an issue,” according to the Association of the Federal Bar’s nomination letter for LoCicero.
Lighthouse Award
The Lighthouse Award honors an attorney or judge whose professional community-based efforts serve as an inspiration to colleagues.
As an associate clinical professor at Seton Hall Law School, Kelly concentrates his practice in foreclosure defense, consumer law, housing discrimination and tenants' rights. He was instrumental in launching the Housing Justice Project, a collaborative program between Seton Hall and Rutgers Law Schools to provide representation and support to tenants in landlord-tenant disputes and with other housing needs. Over his 26-year career as a professor, Kelly has taught and mentored more than 400 law students.
“Professor Kelly is a fierce advocate with an underlying compassion and sense of fairness that he models every day to students, colleagues, and adversaries alike,” said Diane K. Smith of the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School. “While the principles of Professionalism may be aspirational for many, for Kevin, they are part of his core.”’
Visit njsba.com to register for the luncheon and view a full list of the award recipients.