Atlantic City -- Miles S. Winder III became president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He took the oath of office at the association’s annual dinner and installation of officers during the Annual Meeting and Convention at the Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.
A solo attorney from Somerset County, Winder has a long history of activity in the legal community. He has been a member of the state bar association since 1972, and first joined its trustee board in 2003. He is also a member of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s board.
“I joined and I never looked back. It was one of the best decisions I have made,” said Winder. “Becoming president of the state bar is probably one of the most exciting events of my life.”
Winder, 68, has set his sights on expanding the association’s efforts to make the profession more diverse and inclusive, furthering its efforts to increase opportunities for the state’s unemployed and underemployed lawyers, studying the future of the profession, and continuing to be a voice promoting the importance of a fair and impartial judicial branch.
“It’s always been important to me that I give back or pay forward the wonderful things that have been given to me as a result of my being able to practice law,” he said. “I am humbled and honored to serve as president of this association, which serves as the voice not just of the 18,000 lawyers who are members, but for all the lawyers who practice in New Jersey. We seek to make the practice better and easier for all.”
He is a former chair of the NJSBA's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and currently serves on its board of consultors. Winder is a past president and current trustee of the Somerset County Bar Foundation; past president of the Somerset County Bar Association; and a member of the Florida, Colorado and American Bar associations. He is a former member of the trustee board of Northwest Jersey Legal Services.
Winder was a member of the New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission and was formerly chair of both the District XIII Fee Arbitration and Ethics committees. He serves as a special master for complex ethics matters for the New Jersey Supreme Court and has been a counselor to the David Furman Joseph Halpern Inn of Court. Additionally, Winder is a professor at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg.