This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Family Law and FLEC .
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Hello again!
As many of you know, the NJSBA is having a run-off election for both second vice president and trustee that started on June 11, 2013 and runs to July 1. You should have received an email ballot yesterday morning. It is very important that you make the effort to vote in this election and have your voice heard. In the last round of balloting, over 10,000 NJSBA members who were eligible did not vote. We cannot be complacent about the importance of what this election means for the state bar as it puts someone in line three chairs from being state bar president.
I am asking that you vote for Tom Prol for NJSBA second vice president because he is the most qualified and experienced candidate. Tom has given over a decade of service to the state bar and, in the words of NJSBA and NJSBF past president Saul Wolfe, "Tom Prol got to be an officer last year the old fashioned way - he earned it!"
(Saul Wolfe is backing Tom and has written a letter to all NJSBA members here: http://www.prol.org/Prol.org/SaulWolfe.html)
A couple other things to keep in mind as you make your decision to vote.
1. Ken Vercammen, a candidate in the initial round of balloting, is now supporting Tom in the run-off. Ken was quoted in the May 17, 2013, NJ Law Journal, saying, Tom Prol "has devoted a substantial portion of his life to doing this. I've told everyone I've decided I'm going to vote for Tom Prol. He's willing to do the work needed."
2. The Sussex, Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth and Mercer County Bar Associations have also endorsed Tom as have the NJSBA Young Lawyers Division, Women in the Profession Section, Land Use Section, Diversity Committee and LGBT Rights Section. Think about what it says that Tom was able to get such a wide swath of grassroots support in the NJSBA and county bar associations. They know he is someone who has been working hard all these years and the spot he is seeking should be filled by someone who has paid their dues.
3. Most importantly, Tom has been an incredibly strong supporter of the Family Law Section (including standing up for our independence, meeting decisions, budget matters, etc) for years as the Association's Treasurer, Secretary and a 3-term Trustee. John DeBartolo can vouch for Tom's status as a friend of our Section when it counts.
4. Many Section members are familiar with Tom's work as a CLE instructor on certain Family Law subjects. Tom has worked selflessly over the past decade to help advance Family Law issues and help educate us on cutting edge laws involving same-sex couples. Even though he primarily practices environmental and municipal law, Tom took it on himself to study and understand the complex laws and policies that affect gay and lesbian couples under federal and state law. He then developed and taught NJICLE classes with Deb Guston, Felice Londa and others so our members could understand the new laws and competently represent their clients in that dynamic legal environment. Here is one example of how he was helping members of the Section back in 2006 by alerting them to the "pitfalls" in this area of the law: https://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/law_trends_news_practice_area_e_newsletter_home/nontraditionalclients.html
5. Tom was instrumental in the NJSBA taking high priority positions in support of full and equal civil marriage rights for committed same-sex couples and he has lectured extensively on Family Law issues including, most recently, at the February 23, 2013 NJICLE course, "LGBT Update," analyzing the Defense of Marriage Act under the Full Faith and Credit Clause.
A few highlights of Tom Prol's volunteer work in support of issues important to the Section are:
Brief Amicus Curiae of N.J. State Bar Association in Lewis v. Harris (with 4 co-authors) concerning marriage equality for same-sex couples under N.J. Constitution, September 2010
"New Jersey's Civil Unions Law: A Constitutional 'Equal' Creates Inequality," 52 N.Y.L. SCH. L. REV. 169 (2007)
"A Comity of Errors: N.J. Attorney General Reinterprets Common Law to Reject Foreign Marriages," 28 N.J.F.L. 56 (2007)
"East Meets West: A Comparison of N.J.'s Civil Unions Law with CA's Domestic Partnership Law," NJICLE and NJSBA, Presenter Nov. 9, 2007
"The NJ Civil Unions Law," NJICLE Moderator/Presenter, Jan. - Mar. 2007
"After the Ceremony: New Jersey's Same-Sex Relationships Get a Hostile Reception in Other States," (with Daniel Weiss, Esq.) NJ Lawyer Magazine, Apr. 2006
"The Benefits and Pitfalls of Representing Non-Traditional Clients in Family Law, Estate and Civil Matters," ABA GP/Solo Magazine Feb. 2006
NJ Judicial College Faculty, "The NJ Domestic Partnership Act," Nov. 22, 2005
Tom has also testified a number of times on Family Law legislation at the State House and has pushed for changes in laws that make our work and running our practices easier.
I ask that you join me in voting for Tom. He is a proven leader in the State Bar and highly committed to the practice of Family Law. Thank you for your time and attention to this message.
More information about Tom Prol's background and his vision for the NJSBA is at www.prol.org
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Jeralyn Lawrence Esq.
Bridgewater NJ
(908) 722-0700
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