ACC Focus on the New Jersey Chapter - December 10, 2010 (Print All Articles)

Meet Evan Turtz, NJCCA's new president

Evan Turtz, the new NJCCA President, shares his thoughts about his vision for the membership for the next two years.

At the November Annual Meeting, the Board of the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association elected Evan Turtz President of the Chapter.  In lieu of a traditional Presidents message, we have taken this opportunity to introduce Evan and give him a platform to expound on his plan for the next two years of his tenure.

What are your goals as President?

I want to continue to deliver a great value proposition to our members and our sponsors.   If we deliver the value proposition well, membership and sponsorship will increase. 

In your inaugural address, you stressed the theme of "innovation."  What are some thoughts on innovation that you have for the NJCCA?

First the general--we are all seeing dramatic and rapid change in the way we do business.  We as lawyers needs to keep up and get ahead so we can offer our legal services within the constructs of the new business world.  I’d like to implement some specific changes as well.  For example, I want to work with our programs group and leaders to make sure that our programs offer not only the substance but also a segment on how to deliver in innovative ways.   Facebook, Blackberry, Twitter.  Global information at our fingertips.  We need to be thinking about how in-house lawyers break from traditional delivery and service models and move forward in the current environment.

What would you say to an in-house lawyer who's on the fence about whether or not to join the NJCCA?

I’d say they should consider the value proposition.  We offer great programs, CLE credit, updates on topical issues.  We are a social bunch.  We provide great networking.  We are a full service trade organization and I believe we can add real value to a lawyer who is practicing in-house.

What made you decide to become active in the NJCCA?

Really the reasons above.  It’s a great group of people.   Also it’s good to know there is a group of professionals seeing the same or similar issues.  Information sharing is a huge aspect of what I’ve taken out of NJCCA.    NJCCA is a tremendous resource for us all. 

What opportunities are available to members of the NJCCA who want to become more actively involved?

Call me or any member of the Board.  We always want members to become involved.   We have lots of opportunities and we’ve also heard from our members about specific areas where we can create opportunities.  Times are constantly changing and we can always use new active people.  We welcome everyone.  

What unique resources does NJCCA (or ACC) offer to in-house counsel?

All the things stated above and please go check out the ACC website or please call or email me.  We have a great network, tremendous sponsors, etc.  We are very fortunate to have access to many experts in their field.

Please tell us that you will still manage to organize that excellent NJCCA golf outing! 

The golf outing is a great social day.  Sponsors and members have a blast.  Don’t worry.  I’m already planning it!

Click Here If You Agree

Frederic M. Wilf

Do you understand why you have to agree to terms before completing your online purchase?

Online users do not love online agreements.  Some users seem annoyed by them.  Some users are hostile about them.  So, why should a company interrupt a potential sale with a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo?

The answer is simple.  Without a binding agreement, the law may imply default contractual terms whenever the parties don’t sign a contract.  Any business that sells hard goods in the United States will be bound by provisions implied by the law, such as the implied warranties of the Uniform Commercial Code,¹  unless the business and the customer have signed an agreement and expressly disclaim some or all of the implied provisions.²  So, a business may want a signed agreement to avoid any implied contractual provisions.  Any business that is willing to live with the implied contractual provisions may decide not to use an online agreement.

An online agreement is mostly (but not entirely) as enforceable in most circumstances as an ink signature on hard copy.  Congress passed the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (“E-SIGN”)³  and most states have passed the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (“UETA”)⁴  to ensure that online agreements are enforceable (or at least, not denied enforceability)⁵  through the use of an online button that says “I Agree” or words or actions of similar import.  E-SIGN and UETA each contain a number of exclusions, so it is important to review these statutes before drafting any online agreement.

There are a number of practices that will increase the likelihood that a court will enforce an online agreement.⁶  

1. Active is better than passive. 

Some online agreements require the user to click on a button or do some action, while other online agreements state that visiting or reviewing the web site binds the user.  E-SIGN defines an electronic signature as a “sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.”⁷   By contrast, UETA says that an “electronic signature is attributable to a person if it was the act of the person.”⁸   The better approach is to require each user to take some action to bind the user to the terms of the online agreement.

2.  The terms should be accessible and legible to the user at all relevant times. 

The user should have access to the terms of the agreement before, during and after agreeing to the terms.  If the user cannot read the terms before agreeing, or while considering agreeing, or after being bound, the user may not know what she is getting into, or what she has agreed to, and may not be able to comply with the terms.  In each case, the terms must be legible as extra small type continues to be a bad idea.  The terms of the agreement will also need to comply with all laws and regulations that require a particular presentation or text, even if those laws and regulations were developed prior to the development of the Internet.  Finally, the vendor should make it easy for the user to print or download the terms at any time.

3.  Connect the dots. 

Make sure the user associates the terms with the click.  If the terms of the agreement are difficult to find, or are not clearly connected to the action of agreeing to the terms, then the user cannot be expected to be bound to the terms.  In a decision written by a then-little-known appellate judge named Sonia Sotomayor, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that Netscape could not enforce an online agreement where a link to the terms was on one part of a web page, while the click that purportedly bound the user was on another part of the same web page.⁹   Either place the button or other action next to or in a box with the terms, or put a link to the terms very close to the button or other action.

4.  “Yes” means yes, and “no” means no. 

In addition to agreeing to the terms, the user should have the right to refuse the terms.  Not every action by the user should be an assent, or else a court may reasonably assume that the user’s assent does not necessarily reflect the user’s choice.  Moreover, if the user refuses to assent, then the user should be taken to another web page where the user’s refusal is confirmed.  There’s nothing wrong with giving the user another opportunity to agree after refusing, but in any event the user should not get access to the goods or services, or otherwise be treated as agreeing to the terms of the agreement, if the user refuses the terms.  Otherwise, why should the agreement bind any users?

5.  Confirm the agreement. 

Once the user does agree to terms, provide feedback by confirming that agreement has been reached and clearly stating the effect of the agreement.  Where money changes hands, provide a receipt (or multiple receipts) that may be saved or printed.

6.  Keep good records and an audit trail of the transaction, including available metadata. 

The vendor should store all relevant information about the transaction, including the date and time, which version of the agreement was agreed to, and any available information that may help prove that the user was the contracting party, including metadata such as the user’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address.

7.  Be careful about changing the agreement. 

Many vendor agreements permit unilateral modification of the terms of the agreement, such as by the vendor posting a new copy of the agreement to the vendor’s web site.  Even if the user initially agreed to unilateral modification when the agreement was first signed, the user may later sue to prevent enforcement of subsequently-modified terms.¹⁰   A better approach is to notify each user of changes in the agreement and to clearly state that continued use of the service will constitute acceptance of the modified agreement.  The best, approach, however, is to require the user to take some action to bind the user to the modified agreement, while suspending services to any user who fails to agree to the revised terms.

8.  Remember that all offline laws and regulations probably apply to online agreements and business relationships. 

Some vendors make the mistake of thinking that online agreements are not subject to laws and regulations originally designed for the offline world.  For example, consumer protection laws tend to apply to consumer transactions both online and offline. 

While online agreements do present particular challenges, careful drafting and the use of best practices will substantially increase the likelihood of enforceability. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Fred Wilf is of counsel in the Business and Finance Practice at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.   Fred may be reached online at fwilf@morganlewis.com.  Copyright 2010. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided as a general informational service and it should not be construed as imparting legal advice on any specific matter. 

 

1.  See, e.g., Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) §§ 2-314, 2-315; NJSA §§ 12A:2-314, 12A:2-315.
2.  UCC § 2-316; NJSA § 12A:2-316.
3.  15 U.S.C. § 7001 et seq.
4.  See, e.g., NJSA § 12A:1-101 et seq.
5.  E-SIGN, 15 U.S.C. § 7001(a).
6.  See, generally, C. Kunz, M. Del Duca, H. Thayer & J. Debrow, Click-Through Agreements:  Strategies for Avoiding Disputes on Validity of Assents, 57 Business Lawyer 401 (2001) 
7.  15 U.S.C. § 7006(5).
8.  NJSA 12A:12-9(a) (emphasis added).
9.  Specht v. Netscape Communications Corp., 306 F.3d 17 (2d Cir. 2002).
10. See, e.g., Douglas v. Talk America Inc., No. 06-75424 (9th Cir. June 7, 2007) (per curiam).

An Overview of Recent Amendments to the New Jersey Court Rules

Joseph M. Aronds

Confused by the many amendments to the New Jersey Court Rules that took effect in September?  Then this article is a must read.

A number of significant amendments to the New Jersey Court Rules took effect as of September 1, 2010 (or, in some instances, July 1, 2010).  This article briefly summarizes some of the most significant amendments to the civil practice rules.  For the sake of brevity, not every civil rule amendment is discussed below.  Various non-substantive or “housekeeping” type amendments are not discussed.  In addition, this article simply summarizes some aspects of the amendments. I suggest that you consult the actual Rules for their specific requirements and not rely solely upon this summary, which is for informational purposes only.  Finally, this article does not discuss the amendments to the rules governing criminal practice or the New Jersey Tax Court.

Amendments to Part I – Rules of General Application:

 R. 1:6-2(c) (“Form of Motion; Hearing” “Civil and Family Part Discovery and Calendar Motions”) was amended to require that any motion to extend discovery must have annexed thereto copies of all previous orders granting or denying an extension of the discovery period.  See also amendment to R. 4:24-1, discussed below.

 R. 1:13-7(c) (“Dismissal of Civil Cases for Lack of Prosecution”) was amended to clearly indicate its applicability to general equity cases.

 Extensive changes were made to R. 1:13-9 (“Amicus Curiae; Motion; Grounds for Relief”) and may be of particular interest to our members or law firms who represent them.  The former text of the rule was reallocated as paragraphs (a) and (b), paragraph (a) was amended, and entirely new paragraphs (c) through (f) were added.  The newly added subsections specify when amicus briefs may be filed and other requirements, the ostensible purpose of which is to provide for greater uniformity in such filings.

 R. 1:21-1(c) (“Practice of Law”) was amended to specify that any entity must be represented in court by an attorney, notwithstanding and regardless of the entity’s purpose or organization, except in certain circumstances identified in the rule.

 R. 1:42-1 through -3 (“Continuing Legal Education”):  These rules set forth the mandatory requirement for New Jersey licensed attorneys to obtain 24 hours of continuing legal education (“CLE”) credits every 2 years. 

Please note that for the benefit of its members, the NJCCA applied for and was granted the status of accredited New Jersey CLE provider.  NJCCA is also an accredited CLE provider for purposes of New York CLE.  We hope that you will consider obtaining all or the majority of your CLE credits from programs presented by the NJCCA.  Multiple opportunities exist to obtain your CLE credits through the NJCCA, including the Annual Full-Day Conference, held every September, CLE provided before the annual dinner and spring cocktail party, and numerous stand-alone programs throughout the year.

 A number of amendments were made to R. 1:38 (“Public Access to Court Records and Administrative Records”) to include or exclude certain categories of documents that are available to the public as court records, and, at R. 1:38-11 (“Sealing of Court Records”), revised the procedures for obtaining a court order to seal documents that are not otherwise exempt from public access under the Rule.

 Amendments also were made to Rules 1:5-2, 1:18B-1, 1:20-1(b) and (c), 1:26 (deleted), 1:28, 1:28B-1, and 1:36-3.  Summary discussions of these Rule amendments may be found in the Publisher’s Preface to the 2011 edition of the “Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey” (Gann 2010).

Amendments to Part II – Appellate Practice

 R. 2:2-3(a)(3) (“Appeals to the Appellate Division from Final Judgments, Decisions, Actions and from Rules; Tax Court”) was amended to provide that an order compelling arbitration, whether the action is dismissed or stayed, constitutes a final judgment for purposes of appeal.

 R. 2:5-6(c) (“Appeals from Interlocutory Orders, Decisions and Actions” “Notice to the Trial Judge or Officer; Findings”) was amended to more specifically state the various grounds upon which a trial court or agency may comment upon whether a motion for leave to appeal should be granted.

Amendments to Part IV – Civil Practice:  Law and Chancery Divisions

 R. 4:6-2 was amended to clarify that certain defenses, as provided in R. 4:6-3, must be asserted in an answer before they can be raised by motion.

 R. 4:18-1 (“Discovery and Inspection of Documents and Property, Copies of Documents”) was extensively revised.  These amendments may be the most significant of all of the newly-adopted changes to the Court Rules and I strongly suggest that anyone whose company is involved in litigation in New Jersey Superior Court study these amendments and become fully familiar with them.  Most significantly, an entirely new provision, subsection (c), was added, requiring the person responding to a document request to provide a “Certification or Affidavit of Completeness” whereby the responding party certifies or avers that the response is complete and accurate based on personal knowledge and/or information provided by others, whose identities and source of knowledge shall be disclosed.  This is a major deviation from the prior rule and document production practice which did not require such a certification or affidavit.  Additionally, the Rule now specifies, at newly-created subpart (b)(2) (“Procedure for Response”) that the written response must be made by the party (if an individual) or an officer or agent of a party (if a governmental, commercial, or charitable entity); this replaces the prior practice whereby the party’s attorney could sign the written document response.  The Rule amendment also clarifies the parties’ continuing obligation to supplement their responses, as appropriate, upon obtaining additional responsive documents, and disallows “general objections to the request as a whole…”

 R. 4-24-1(c) (“Time for Completion of Discovery” “Extensions of Time”) was amended to mandate that the proposed form of order submitted with a motion to extend discovery describe the discovery to be completed and the proposed dates for completion, and whether the adverse parties consent (previously, the rule did not require that this information be included within the proposed form of order).

 R. 4:36-3(c) (“Trial Calendar” “Adjournments, Expert Unavailability”) was amended to more clearly provide that a party cannot make a subsequent request for an adjournment of a trial if the stated reason for a prior adjournment was the expert’s unavailability.

 The Offer of Judgment Rule (R. 4:58) was significantly amended through the inclusion of an entirely new Rule 4:58-5 (the prior R. 4:58-5 was re-designated as R. 4:58-6); the new R. 4:58-5, entitled “New Trial,” sets forth the procedures for renewal of a previously-served offer of judgment in the event that the action is required to be retried.

 Several amendments were made to R. 4:59-1(c)(“Execution” “Order of Property Subject to Execution; Required Motion”), including new subsection (c)(1) (“Execution First Made Out of Personal Property; Motion”), which sets forth the procedure for a judgment creditor to file a motion for execution upon real property if the debtor’s personal property is insufficient to satisfy the judgment or cannot be located (note: former paragraph (c) was recast as (c)(2)).  Subsection (g) of the Rule was amended to make clear that notice of levy must be sent to the debtor at the debtor’s last known address.  With regard to exemptions from levy, the amendment clarifies that the notice needs to set forth only with respect to “qualified persons” how exemptions from levy may be claimed.

 A significant change was made to residential foreclosure procedures, pursuant to R. 4:64-1 (“Uncontested Judgment; Foreclosures Other Than In Rem Tax Foreclosures”) at subpart (d) (“Procedure to Enter Judgment”).  Among other things, a motion for entry of judgment must be served on each tenant with a “Notice of Tenants’ Rights During Foreclosure” attached thereto in the form prescribed by Appendix XII-K of the Rules.  Note that R. 4:65-2 (“Notice of Sale; Posting and Mailing”) was amended to require that a notice of sale of residential property also have the Notice of Tenants’ Rights During Foreclosure attached to it.

 Amendments were also made to Rules 4:4-2, 4:4-4(b)(1), 4:4-5, 4:4-7, 4:5-1, 4:11(b), 4:21A-4(f), 4:26-5(c), 4:23-5(a)(1) and (3), 4:32-2(h), 4:42-9(a)(5) and (8), 4:42-11(a), 4:57-3, 4:64-1(f), 4:64-9, 4:74-3, 4:80-3(b), and 4:89-3.  Summary discussions of these Rule amendments may be found in the Publisher’s Preface to the 2011 edition of the “Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey” (Gann 2010).

Amendments to Part VI – Special Civil Part

 R. 6:2-3(b) (“Service of Process” “Manner of Service”) was amended with respect to the procedures for substituted service of process in summary actions for recovery of premises.

 A new subpart (b) was added to R. 6:7-1 (entitled “Contents of Writs of Execution and Other Process for the Enforcement of Judgments”) to provide protection to exempt funds deposited into the account of the judgment debtor.  In addition, subpart (c) (“Notice to Debtor”) was amended to eliminate the requirement that an officer file a copy of the notice to debtor with the court when executing upon a bank levy.

 A non-substantive amendment was also made to R. 6:4-3, expressing in affirmative language the discovery allowed in the small claims section.

Amendments to the Civil Case Information Statement

 Finally, it should be noted that the prescribed form of Civil Case Information Statement was amended.  The amended form may be obtained from the judiciary’s web site, www.judiciary.state.nj.us under “Legal Practice Forms.”

            Mr. Aronds is President-Elect of the NJCCA. 

Holiday Greetings from NJCCA

Teaser here

In-House Attorney Ethics and Liability Risks

Lee Braem and Arthur Saiewitz
In-house counsel face unique ethics and liability issues.

The state ethics rules and codes of professional conduct apply to in-house counsel just as they do all attorneys.  In some cases, however, in-house counsel face unique ethics and liability issues.  Two of NJCCA's Past Presidents, Lee Braem and Arthur Saiewitz, have co-authored an article for the American Bar Association's Law Practice Today online journal.  They highlight some of these unique issues.  The article can be accessed at the following link.  

http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/ftr11107.shtml

Lee and Arthur will present a program entitled “In House Ethics And Risks” at the ABA New Partner and In-House Counsel Conference, February 25 - 26, 2011, in Philadelphia. This 90 minute program includes a detailed analysis and an interactive, mediated discussion of ethical dilemmas commonly faced by in house-counsel.

NJCCA 2010 Year in Review

Val Camara
A list of some of NJCCA's 2010 accomplishments.

I would like to thank our Executive Director, Gail Girard, our board of directors and committee leaders for continuing to make NJCCA an organization to be proud of.  I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge that the events and programs that we host for the membership are done in partnership with our faithful sponsors. 

 Below is a list of some of NJCCA's 2010 accomplishments:

I.  Major Events

• Annual Spring Cocktail Party held in May at the Pleasantdale Chateau.  For the first time ever, we held two hours of CLE instruction prior to the event.  In addition, a silent auction was held to benefit the Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Jersey (CASA)  (www.casaofnj.org)
• Fifth Annual Golf Classic.  This always-successful and fun event once again was held at the Knoll West (Upper Knoll) Country Club golf course.
• Eighth Annual Full-Day CLE Conference held in September at the Marriott Hotel, Whippany.  We had a record attendance of 375.  The timely keynote presentation was given by Yvette Fortenot, Senior Policy Director, Office of Health Care Reform for the White House.
• Annual Dinner Again we held two hours of CLE instruction prior to tonight's festivities, which includes the installation of our next president, Evan Turtz, officers and board of directors; a wine tasting, cocktail reception, jazz music and a keynote address by Dan Bowling.

II. Programs

• Over 20 programs were provided for our members, including networking and social events
• NJCCA’s 8th Annual Full Day Conference was well attended and offered excellent substantive programming, including three ethics programs.  Up to 8.5 credit hours of high-quality and in-house focused CLE were provided.
• NJCCA is an Accredited Provider for CLE credits for NY & NJ.
• NJCCA's Career Management and In-transition Committee hosted A Night of Networking, Expanding Your Professional Network by Making Personal Connections.  The members took advantage of this event to build new and strengthen old friendships and brush up on their networking skills in advance of NJCCA’s Spring Reception.  The format was a “rotating series of small groups” designed to facilitate meeting and getting to know their colleagues

III. Substantive Articles

• The Use of Interns In the Workplace ― Not Just Free Labor; Carolyn D. Richmond, Fox Rothschild LLP
• One Step Ahead: The New Sheriff, Her Deputies and Compliance in the Face of an Eroding Administrative Exemption; David G. Islinger and James M. McDonnell, Jackson Lewis LLP
• New Jersey Business Corporation Act Developments; Jeffrey M. Shapiro and Roger M. Schwarz, Lowenstein Sandler
• Roa v. LAFE and the Statute of Limitation in LAD Cases; Susan L. Nardone and Megan Frese Porio, Gibbons P.C.
• Courts Curtail the Application of the Consumer Fraud Act to “Consumer Transactions”; Michael O. Adelman and Justin C. Linder, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
• Third Circuit Again Strictly Applies the Plain Language in Denying Lender's Credit Bid Rights in Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC; Morris S. Bauer, Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A.
• Don’t Forget the Notice! Managing Notice Costs In Class Action Suits; David Jay and Jason H. Kislin, Greenberg Traurig
• Solar Energy Development in New Jersey: Right Time, Right Place!; Douglas J. Janacek, Esq. and Nancy A. Lottinville, Esq., Gibbons, PC
• Common Flaws that Undermine the Enforceability of Restrictive Covenant Agreements; William R. Horwitz, Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.
• It's 2010: Do You Know Where Your Data Is? Increased Risk of ESI Loss in Today's Economic Uncertainty; Alitia Faccone, McCarter & English and Gina M. Trimarco, DLA Piper
• Click If You Agree; Frederic M. Wilz, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 

IV. Pro Bono and Community Outreach Efforts

• New Jersey's Third Annual Pro Bono Conference co-sponsored with NJSBA and NJCCA's Pro Bono and Community Outreach Committee.
• Encouraged Pro Bono efforts: Invitations were extended to: Legal Services of New Jersey, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice and Pro Bono Partnership to join us at our Full-Day CLE Conference
• Annual Build-A-Backpack Event. 150 backpacks, filled with school supplies and a new book, were donated to the kindergarten and first grade classes at McKinley Elementary School in Newark.  Photos of the event were included in the New Jersey Law Journal, the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel magazine and the NJCCA Newsletter. 
• Holiday Outreach gift wrapped books as holiday gifts for children in need, sponsored by NJCCA's Pro Bono and Community Outreach Committee.

V. Advocacy Efforts

• Philip Crowley, Treasurer of NJCCA, also serves on the Board of Directors of the national ACC.
• Tori Payne, Director of Membership & Chapters from the ACC attended NJCCA’s Board Retreat and Catherine Moynihan, Director of Project Development (for the ACC Value Index) attend the 8th Annual All-Day Conference.
• As part of the ACC Value Index challenge that NJCCA held during the All Day CLE Conference in September, we raffled off an iPad.  The Chapter was awarded two free admissions to an any upcoming ACC conferences, including Corporate Counsel University that will be raffled at an upcoming event.

VI. Networking Events

• Several Women’s Networking Committee events were held.
• Career Management and In-transition Committee hosted networking events every 6-8 weeks.

VII. Relations with Sponsors

• Strengthened partnerships with our sponsors through our “metal” sponsorship program.
• Continued developing sponsorships with small firms and legal service providers
• Encouraged long-term relationships with our sponsors large and small.

VIII. Communication Initiatives

• Published the 2010 NJCCA Membership Directory
• Published Monthly Newsletters: Including substantive articles, articles reporting on various NJCCA activities, announcements on upcoming events, member profiles and Overruled! our very own cartoon. 
• Updated and enhanced Chapter website.
• Social Networking NJCCA groups formed on LinkedIn and Martindale-Connected
• Monthly Benchmarking surveys initiated.  Three benchmarking surveys have been conducted and the results shared with the membership.
• Continued in-house counsel advocacy efforts.
• NJCCA’s President’s Letter appeared in the Metropolitan Corporate Counsel magazine.
• NJCCA’s Executive Director, President, President-Elect, and several members attended the national ACC convention
   
  

Pro Bono Partnership Volunteer Opportunities

For Volunteer Opportunities that Fit Your Schedule and Skills.

The Pro Bono Partnership is a highly regarded legal assistance organization that provides free business legal advice to nonprofit organizations in New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York.  The Partnership was created in 1997 to provide pro bono opportunities for in-house counsel consistent with their skills and time constraints.  The Partnership serves as a free outsourced in-house legal department for local nonprofit organizations that would otherwise lack access to legal advice.  None of the Partnership’s work involves litigation. 

With the ongoing support of the Partnership’s staff attorneys and access to an extensive library of model documents and legal resources, more than 700 volunteers from corporations and law firms throughout the tri-state area annually provide legal assistance to moe than 500 Partnership clients.  There is no minimum hour requirement for volunteers, who select matters that interest them from a list of volunteer opportunities, all of which have been pre-screened by staff attorneys.

Volunteers:

§  Undertake traditional business transaction projects, such as bylaw review, contract review, IP,  and environmental compliance, 90% of which do not require any specialized knowledge of the law of tax-exempt organizations; or   

§  If they wish, more comprehensive transactional matters, such as mergers, where they may work as part of a team of corporate/law firm attorneys;

§  Serve as consultants for staff attorneys by providing quick advice in response to questions received through the Partnership’s Legal Resource Helpline;

§  Present at Partnership workshops or teleconferences in the areas of their legal specialty;

§  Write articles for the Partnership’s “Publications” web page.  

Available pro bono matters include, among others:  bankruptcy; bylaw review; contracts; corporate; corporate governance/compliance; e-commerce/internet; employment/labor; environmental/land use; HIPAA; immigration; incorporation/tax exemption; insurance; intellectual property; lending/finance; litigation; privacy; real estate; tax; trust; and estates.  Volunteers may be eligible for CLE credits or an exemption from mandatory court-appointed pro bono assignments.

Interested in volunteering?

Call the Partnership’s New Jersey office (973 240-6955) and a staff attorney will walk you through the process, or sign-up directly through the Partnership’s website.  See volunteers and clients discuss the Partnership or read the Partnership’s annual report. 

Our New Members

As NJCCA approachs our symbolic 1,200th member, here are some of our recent new members. 

Members Notes

Short notes of interest to and about our members
Brief notes for and about members

 

Member Notes is our monthly vehicle for members to share professional and personal information with other members of the NJCCA.  If you have a new position, a new title, or have recieved a professional (or other) award, published a book or article, or have any other similar information you would like to share with the membership, please send a note directly to Giuliano Chicco, NJCCA Newletter Editor, at GChicco1@verizon.net.

 

Tell Us About Yourself!

NJCCA is seeking "Member Notes" for inclusion in our monthly Chapter Newsletter in 2011

Have you…

• Been Promoted?
• Switched Jobs?
• Won an award?
• Written an Article?

      … Or anything else you'd like to share with the 1,200 members of NJCCA?

Please tell us your exciting news and we will publish it in an upcoming Newsletter (space permitting).

NJ MCLE Reporting for Attorneys in Compliance Group 2

We would like to remind NJCCA members who fall into Compliance Group 2 that they should meet 12 credits by year end.

Member Dror Futter new General Counsel of Vidyo, Inc.

We are pleased to announce that NJCCA member Dror Futter joined Vidyo, Inc. of Hackensack, NJ as its general counsel.  Vidyo is a fast growing venture-backed company that has developed innovative internet-based videoconferencing technology.

 

NJCCA Offers Two New Discount CLE Progams for Members for 2011

If you sign up by April 15, 2011, you will have access to over 20 credits of New Jersey focused CLE opportunities.

• Option 1: $399.00 - Includes all four NJCCA major events, plus attendance at any NJCCA-sponsored CLE program throughout the year.
• Option 2: $250.00 - Includes our three NJCCA major events with CLE programs (listed below), plus attendance at any NJCCA-sponsored CLE program throughout the year.

For large law departments, if you buy 10 or more packages, you will be eligible for a further discount and will be recognized as a corporate sponsor at each event, as shown in the attached link.

   Download complete details, purchase instructions and restrictions.

Social Networking and the NJCCA

Earlier this year the NJCCA joined the world of online professional networking.  Because the success of online networking is predicated on building enough participation for ongoing conversations, we are very interested in asking you to join, participate and let us know if you see benefit in these activities.  We hope you agree with us that online professional networking is a new and compelling way for NJCCA members to discuss issues and solicit ideas inbetween NJCCA events and seminars.

If you are interested in joining our private group on LinkedIn, please contact NJCCA Board Member, Eugene Weitz via his LinkedIn site at http://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeneweitz or go directly to http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1590257&trk=hb_side_g and request to join.  Currently, this 163 member group is private and limited to in-house counsel in New Jersey (and in-house counsel that qualify and are or may be interested in becoming members of the NJCCA).
 
In addition to maintaining a LinkedIn presence, we have also established an NJCCA group on Martindale-Hubbell Connected (which is affiliated with LexisNexis' subsidiary Martindale-Hubbell) one of the only online professional networking sites specifically for lawyers.  In addition to creating a general NJCCA Community, we have also created Communities for each working NJCCA Committee .  Go to http://www.martindale.com/connected and sign up (see below if you are not currently a member) and then search for the NJCCA Communities.  We have structured our group for privacy so you can decide who and how you are contacted by non-NJCCA members. 
 
If you have any questions or concerns prior to joining, feel free to contact Eugene Weitz at (908) 337-1491.

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