Thousands of Attorneys and Judges Gather in Atlantic City: New Jersey State Bar Association Holds Legal Community’s Largest Annual Meeting Wednesday through Friday

   
NEW BRUNSWICK - The state’s legal community will come together next week at the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and Convention for educational seminars, speeches and networking events. It is the largest annual gathering of the New Jersey legal community, with nearly 2,700 judges, lawyers, law clerks and law students expected to attend the three-day event held in Atlantic City.
   
Prominent legal experts, scholars, judges and legislators will take part in over 100 programs on topics ranging from trial tips, to a review of the Supreme Court’s biggest cases, to driverless cars, concussions in sports, terrorism and immigration matters. The event will also feature speeches on the state-of-the-Judiciary from Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and Chief District Court Judge Jerome Simandle, as well as a spotlight panel on protecting vulnerable communities.
   
The event will be held at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City. Journalists are welcome to cover the gathering.
   
Some of the featured speakers during the three-day event include a majority of the Supreme Court, as well as dozens of state and federal judges; Former Gov. James E. McGreevey; New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino; several legislators; and Rutgers University Women’s Basketball Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer.
   
Here is a quick look at the signature events of the convention:
   
WEDNESDAY
The event kicks off Wednesday with dozens for educational seminars that include: “Inside Trenton,” “Post-Sandy Resiliency Projects in NJ,” “My Kid’s Not Playing Football – Legal Issues Surrounding Concussions in Sports,” “Becoming Mindful to Improve Lawyering and Life,” and “Cannabis Law in the Age of Trump.”
   
THURSDAY
Thursday features the installation of a new slate of association officers, including Robert B. Hille, of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, who will serve a one-year term as president.
   
In addition, Rutgers University Women’s Basketball Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer will be the keynote speaker and offer insights from her career at the Diversity Committee’s lunch. And seminars will cover hot topics such as immigration, diversity and inclusion, bail reform, and civility issues, including:
   
• “#BLACKLIVESMATTER: Historical and Legal Perspectives on Contemporary Movements for Social Change”
• “Supreme Court Year in Review 2017”
• “Free Speech and Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act: Dykes on Bikes, Nut Sack Ale and The Slants”
• What Every Lawyer Should Know About Immigration
• “Pursuing Truth and Justice: An Examination of How Independent Courts and an Independent Media are Essential to Our Democracy”
   
FRIDAY
On Friday, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jerome Simandle will give their state-of-the-Judiciaries speeches. A panel discussion titled “Protecting Vulnerable Communities: Lessons and Best Practices from Europe and the United States” will follow as the featured event. The program will include John J. Farmer Jr., a professor of law and special counsel to the president at Rutgers University. The session will examine how the recent shootings in American cities like Dallas, Milwaukee and Baton Rouge, and the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris and Istanbul have underscored the challenges that arise when communities become estranged from the law enforcement agencies that are meant to provide public safety. It will present an overview of the problem and highlight some of the most effective approaches to protecting vulnerable communities.
   
Visit njsba.com to learn more.