Good afternoon Family Law Section members,
On Monday, Nov. 20, NJICLE and NJSBA will present The NJSBA Fall Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Online.
This special virtual one-day event is a CLE extravaganza that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home or office. While the esteemed judges are at Judicial College, join us for a special day of seminars in a variety of practice areas and with speakers who are at the very top of the profession.
The following seminars are of interest to the Family Law practitioner:
MORNING SESSIONS
Preparing for Family Law Trials
8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Be prepared! Experts discuss how to prepare different family law cases for trial.
Topics include:
• Preparing your witness for trial
• Trial tips for Family Lawyers: Direct and Cross-Examination
• Know Your Rules of Evidence
• Trial Tips for Family Lawyers
Speakers:
Bruce E. Chase, Esq.
Chase & Chase LLC, Hackensack
Jhanice V. Domingo, Esq.
Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, PC, Hackensack
Barry L. Kaufman, Esq.
Aronsohn Weiner Salerno & Kaufman, PC, Hackensack
What You Need to Know about The Fund for Client Protection
10:40 a.m. – 12 p.m.
The New Jersey Lawyer’s Fund for Client Protection is governed by R 1:28. It has served the same noble purpose since its creation more than 50 years ago: to reimburse clients in those rare instances when a lawyer betrays their trust by stealing funds. We all know that portion of the yearly attorney registration fee goes to the fund, but there is much more that the AOC would like you to know!
Join Michael T. McCormick, Director and Counsel to the Fund, and Alicia F. Williams, the Deputy Director of the Fund, as they tell you what you need to know about this important arm of the AOC.
Speakers:
Michael T. McCormick
Director and Counsel, New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund For Client Protection
Alicia F. Williams
Deputy Director, New Jersey Lawyers’ Fund For Client Protection
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
New and Pending Domestic Violence Legislation in Family Law Practice – From VASPA to Coercive Control
12:45 – 2:25 p.m.
Experienced attorneys and a respected psychologist will discuss the impact of the latest pending family law legislation and what it will mean for your practice and your clients.
The discussion will include the background on how the current version of VASPA (Victim’s Assistance and Survivor Protection Act) bill came to be and changes that were made in various committees as it traveled through the legislature, as well as how the panel expect to use it in their practice. Dr. Danielle Forshee will speak about what coercive control really means – how she identifies it and how she addresses it in a DV and/or custody context. The panel will also examine additional pending legislation and the expected impact of those bills on your practice.
Moderator/Speaker:
Robert A. Epstein, Esq.
Manzi Epstein Lomurro & Decataldo, LLC, Montclair and Hoboken
Speakers:
Rita M. Aquilio, Esq.
Lawrence Law, Watchung
David J. Bruno, Esq.
The Bianchi Law Group, LLC, Parsippany
Danielle Forshee, Psy.D., LCW
Dr. Danielle Forshee, LLC, Red Bank
Kaitlyn A. Lapi, Esq.
Donahue Hagan Klein & Weisberg, LLC, Morristown
Cassie Murphy, Esq.
The Law Offices of Paone, Zaleski & Murphy, Woodbridge
Waiting at the Altar: How Marriage Equality Finally Got Hitched to New Jersey Law
2:50 – 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 21, 2023, is the 10th anniversary of marriage equality in New Jersey. It marks the effective date of Mercer Assignment Judge Mary C. Jacobson’s landmark ruling in Garden State Equality v. Dow, 82 A. 3d 336 (Law Div. 2013), holding that New Jersey’s marriage laws violated the rights of same-sex couples to equal protection of the law under the New Jersey State Constitution.
Join Past NJSBA President Thomas H. Prol – a founding executive board member of the Garden State Equality, co-author of the New Jersey marriage equality statute, and a partner at Sills Cummis & Gross – and the Hon. Daniel L. Weiss (Ret.), who along with his husband John were the lead plaintiff couple in the case, as they share a behind-the-scenes view on that litigation and the grassroots effort to achieve equality for committed couples. They will speak about how Garden State Equality worked with lawyers and national civil rights organization Lambda Legal to change the course of history for the LGBT community and others. Judge Weiss will also share his personal story of what led him and his husband to be plaintiffs in the case.
Speakers:
Hon. Daniel L. Weiss (Ret.)
Thomas H. Prol, Esq.
Past President, NJSBA
Sills Cummis & Gross, PC, Newark
What Attorneys Need to Know about Hoarding Disorder
2:50 – 4:30 p.m.
Most of us are aware of the symptoms of hoarding disorder – a clutter so great that it disrupts the ability of the people who gather the items to use their living spaces for anything other than storage. People with hoarding disorder have persistent difficulty getting rid of or parting with possessions due to a perceived need to save the items. Attempts to part with possessions create considerable distress and lead to decisions to save them. They collect and keep items we don’t understand, such as items destroyed by dirt or insects, or food that has been decimated by mold.
The physical manifestation of hoarding disorder leads to myriad legal issues. For example:
• A landlord may petition the court to evict a tenant when excessive possessions or unsanitary conditions violate a lease.
• Protective service workers may seek guardianship of children, disabled, or older adults when they determine that the consequences of hoarding disorder constitute abuse or neglect of these individuals.
• Members of the public health or fire departments may appear before a judge for a court order to bring a property in compliance with health and safety codes or, in extreme cases, to condemn the property.
• Animal welfare workers may petition the court to remove abused or neglected animals from their owner.
If your practice involves family law, real estate, land use, animal law, local government, landlord tenant, elder and disability law or any issues that touch on living conditions or quality of life, you will not want to miss this fascinating insight into hoarding disorder. Lauren Williams, a National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals certified professional organizer with decades of experience will help you understand the motivation and causes of hoarding disorder. Lauren and attorney Xiao Sun will discuss the implications for lawyers and provide you with some tools that may help you better handle a legal situation that involves a hoarder.
Speakers:
Xiao Sun, Esq.
Orloff Lowenbach, Stifelman & Siegel, PA, Morristown
Lauren Williams, CPO®, CVPO®
Casual Uncluttering, LLC
CLE credits:
NJ CLE: NJ CLE information: This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 8.2 hours of total CLE credit (Full Credits Available: NJ General: 8.2).
NY CLE: NY Professional Practice Non-Transitional: 8.0
PA CLE: PA Substantive Credit: 6.5
$28.00 fee – payment is required for PACLE credits, and can be made when registering for this program or when submitting your CLE form
The tuition for NJSBA members is $185. The general tuition is $225.
Click here to register for The NJSBA Fall Conference.
For questions or to register by phone, please contact an association representative at 732-214-8500, or by email at [email protected].
All the best,
Barb
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Barbara S. Straczynski
Director of New Media and Promotion
New Jersey State Bar Association
One Constitution Square
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-937-7524
[email protected]------------------------------