The New Jersey State Bar Association’s Civil Trial Bar Section will host its annual James J. McLaughlin Award ceremony on Feb. 10 at The Park Chateau in East Brunswick. The awards recognize the highest standard of civility, legal competence and professionalism in the practice of civil law.
This year’s honorees are retired U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey John J. Hughes, Kathleen M. Reilly and Frank A. Viscomi. New Jersey Appellate Division Presiding Judge Jack M. Sabatino will pay tribute to the trio and provide a keynote address. Mark your calendar – registration opens soon.
Here are the honorees:
Judge John J. Hughes
Judge Hughes served with distinction as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey from 1991 to 2009. During his 18-year tenure, he presided over 2,800 settlements, conducted nearly 60 jury trials in consent cases and managed close to 500 civil cases annually, while authoring more than 450 opinions. He earned widespread respect for his ability to resolve complex disputes and guide parties toward amicable resolutions. Judge Hughes was also a trailblazer in electronic discovery. He helped develop one of the nation’s first local district court rules governing e-discovery, authored an early opinion promoting cooperation in the process and served as the first judicial advisor to the U.S. Courts Administrative Office/Department of Justice Working Group on Electronic Technology in the Criminal Justice System. Judge Hughes has served as a mediator with JAMS since 2009. In 2013, readers of the New Jersey Law Journal voted him Best Individual Mediator.
Kathleen M. Reilly
Reilly, a partner at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, has extensive experience representing financial services companies, audit and accounting firms, special committees and public and private companies. Her work spans securities enforcement, commercial litigation, whistleblower matters, white collar defense and government investigations in state and federal courts. She is deeply committed to pro bono service and is an active member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, frequently representing criminal defendants and advocating for educational rights. She also serves on the firm’s Management Committee and National Hiring Committee.
Frank A. Viscomi
Viscomi is a veteran New Jersey civil trial attorney with decades of experience in litigation and trial work. He has been actively involved in the legal community and has served as a faculty member and speaker at continuing legal education programs on civil trial topics. He currently serves a staff counsel for Liberty Mutual.