For Immediate Release
05/19/2014
Kate Coscarelli
Sr. Director, Communications
732-937-7548
ATLANTIC CITY -- Sparta lawyer Paris P. Eliades is the president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He took the oath of office Thursday at the Annual Meeting and Convention at the Borgata Casino Hotel and Spa in Atlantic City.
It has been over 30 years since a Sussex County lawyer served as president of the state’s largest organization of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals. He is also the first Greek American to serve as president of the association. New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner administered the oath of office for the one-year term.
“I was taught that there is no substitute for hard, honest work. The work ethic my family instilled in me and the passion I have for this noble profession fuels my desire to do my utmost to serve the lawyers of this great state. I am ready to work on behalf of the legal community to address issues like the crisis facing the independence of our Judiciary and how to help lawyers achieve success when they are in transition.“
Eliades recently opened his own practice in the former Lakeland Bank building in Sparta after many years as a partner in some of the area’s most prominent firms. Eliades and his associates focus on family law, litigation and criminal defense. He is a former assistant Sussex County prosecutor and municipal prosecutor in Hamburg. During his career, he has handled almost every kind of trial there is, from workers’ compensation cases to matrimonial matters.
His state bar association service has been extensive. He has been a member of the NJSBA Board of Trustees since 1997. He is also a member of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments, Finance and Operations, Meeting Arrangements and Program, and Membership and Public Relations committees. He is also active with the Family Law and Municipal Court Practice sections.
He serves on the Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Oversight Committee and is a former president of the Hellenic-American Bar Association.
During his tenure as president, Eliades will continue the bar association’s extraordinary efforts to maintain the independence of the Judiciary, help lawyers transition between life circumstances, and examine ways to address the justice gap.
“Being a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association is an important part of who I am as an attorney and all of my achievements in the profession. I have witnessed first hand the awesome work of this great association. I am humbled and honored to serve as its president and I am ready, willing and able to give back,” he said.
He lives in Sparta with his wife. They have three children.