Dear Members,
The Bergen County Bar Association leadership meets with the Bergen County Assignment Judge bi-monthly to discuss issues of mutual interest to the judiciary and our membership. If matters of general importance should be raised at our next meeting, please email the BCBA.
This is a summary of the June 4, 2024, meeting with the Hon. Carol Novey Catuogno, AJSC:
Court-Appointed Assignments – The New Jersey Judiciary has opportunities for court-appointed attorneys to assist in Guardianships and Condemnations. Also, the Court is seeking the assistance of attorneys who are willing to serve as Attorney-Trustees in the case of an attorney’s death, disbarment, or suspension. Many of these appointments are compensated assignments, and anyone interested should contact the Assignment Judge in writing and with a copy of an updated CV.
Judiciary Wi-Fi- The Judiciary is changing the Wi-Fi system and upgrading the connection in the Courthouse. The new system will not require the attorneys to sign in with their attorney IDs to be connected.
Division Information The Family Division will have several upcoming dates specifically designated for settlement/resolution purposes. There will be an FM Blitz and an FD Blitz.
The Criminal Division will have a settlement Blitz on June 18, 2024, and September 10, 2024. A Supervisor from the prosecutor’s office will be available to facilitate plea negotiations.
Civil Division will have “Carrier days” as follows:
6/3 – 6/5 Backlog Carrier Days Judge Padovano
6/5 Travelers Carrier Days Judge O’Dwyer
6/19 USAA Carrier Days Judge Nasta
6/26 Geico Carrier Days Judge O’Dwyer
If any civil matters are settled, the attorneys should call the team leader and request an appearance to put a settlement through.
Francesca Clarke – New Team Leader (Team 3)
ADM Nick Verducci – Please refer all arbitration matters to Nick.
Remote court dates– Every division must work remotely one time per quarter.
- The Family Division is June 20, 2024;
- The Criminal Division is June 12, 2024, and
- The Civil Division is June 28, 2024
Community Outreach – The Court is in the process of implementing a system to refer individuals with criminal charges and who are on Pre-trial Release monitoring to certain programs. These programs include housing, food stamps, drug and alcohol treatment, job programs, job fairs and education.
In-person Appearances– If attorneys prefer an in-person appearance for a particular case or court event, please contact the Judge’s chambers in advance.
Juneteenth -Juneteenth observation will be observed on June 21, 2024, and the courts will be closed. Motion day will be Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Jury Room – the new jury room is complete and will be in use shortly.