For Immediate Release
May 15, 2014
Kate Coscarelli
Senior Managing Director, Communications
732-937-7548
Atlantic City – New Jersey Supreme Court justices, state legislators, and top legal experts will gather tomorrow, at the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City.
With 2,700 lawyers and judges in attendance, the event is the premiere annual gathering of the state’s legal community. It began today and continues through Friday.
Reporters and photographers are welcome to cover the event.
Thursday’s highlights:
Seminars showcase hot topics:
Programming covers everything from the legal issues in climate change and renewable energy law to developments in social media to the path the Judiciary has taken to develop eCourts.
Here is a sample of the seminars:
Supreme Court Year in Review
Thinking on Your Feet: Using Improv to Enhance Persuasion and Presentation Skills In and Out of the Courtroom
DUI Update
Protecting Trade Secrets in the Digital Age
Is There Still a Business Case For Diversity?
Appellate Practice in the Third Circuit
Weathering the Storm: Conquering Crises in Law and Life
Handling the High-Profile Case
Mayor Hague, Governor Driscoll and the 1947 New Jersey Constitution and its Effect on Judicial Independence
I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just Getting Divorced: The Psychology of Divorce
Public hearings:
The day will include two public hearings, including one at 1 p.m. on judicial independence and another at 10 a.m. on proposed changes to the rules of professional conduct.
Officers sworn in:
A new slate of officers will be installed tomorrow to lead the association’s executive committee. Paris P. Eliades, of Sparta, will become president of the association. New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner will administer the oath of office. The event begins at 7 p.m.
Eliades said he is humbled to serve as the 116th president of the association, and the first from Sussex County in three decades. He is also the first Greek American to serve as president of the association.
“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,” he said.
During his tenure as president, Eliades will continue to push to guarantee the independence of the Judiciary, help lawyers transition between life circumstances and address unmet legal needs of residents.
In addition to Eliades’s installation, the other members of the executive committee will move up the succession ladder. Miles S. Winder III becomes president-elect; Thomas H. Prol becomes first vice president; Robert B. Hille becomes second vice president; John E. Keefe Jr. becomes treasurer; and Evelyn Padin becomes secretary. Ralph J. Lamparello becomes immediate past president.
Coming Friday:
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and U.S. District Court of New Jersey Chief Judge Jerome Simandle will deliver state of the Judiciary speeches at 9 a.m., which will be followed by a speech from retired Justice Gary S. Stein on judicial independence. Following the remarks is “Judicial Independence: How Today’s Political Climate Affects Our Courts,” a panel discussing the issues playing out in New Jersey today.