The New Jersey State Bar Association is the state’s leading professional organization of judges, lawyers and others in the legal community.
It serves as the voice of lawyers in the halls of Trenton and around the Garden State because of the strength of its 18,000 members and its leaders.
In an effort to help young lawyers attain the skills to become the next generation of bar and community leaders, the NJSBA has formed a Leadership Academy and is accepting applications (PDF) for its inaugural class of fellows. The deadline to apply is March 25.
“Our academy is designed to identify, nurture and inspire effective leadership within the bar and the legal community at large. We hope to foster the development of a cadre of diverse and inclusive leaders who will be available for leadership and service to the association, the state, federal and local entities, other bar associations and groups that make up the fabric of our society,” said Association President-Elect Miles S. Winder III, who has spearheaded the academy.
The academy is open to all New Jersey attorneys, regardless of whether they belong to the association, who have been practicing for at least five years. Applicants will be considered from across the profession, including those from diverse backgrounds, working in large and small firms, as well as in the public and private sectors, and handle various practice areas in various parts of the state. Tuition for the academy is varied based on the size of an attorney’s firm.
The fellows will be required to take part in nine meetings throughout the year and will graduate at the association’s Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City in May 2016. The academy’s curriculum will tap bar association, government, business and community leaders to discuss how to craft a strategic plan, how to effectively communicate, the issues facing the legal profession, and how organizations and government entities work. It will also explore the ethics of making difficult decisions and examine the paths leaders have followed to success.
New Jersey State Bar Association Leadership Academy
Mission Statement
Identify, nurture and inspire effective leadership within the bar and the legal community;
Foster diversity and inclusion within the leadership of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA);
Enhance leadership skills of a diverse and inclusive group of lawyers;
Raise the level of awareness and engagement regarding concerns facing the legal profession through the study of ethical, professional and public service issues;
Build relationships, networking and leadership opportunities among the future leaders of the bar of New Jersey; and
Look to secure the future of the NJSBA by creating a cadre of well-informed, committed leaders upon whom the NJSBA, state, federal and local government entities, local bar associations and community groups can call upon for leadership and service.