Current Items:
- IRS Revised Tax Due Dates Again
- The Lord Giveth
- Just Do It… Yourself?
- Where’s the Dough
Attorneys were previously advised of the added security requirement to use two-factor authentication when accessing the online 2021 Attorney Registration application (Notice dated November 30, 2020). This notice is to advise that effective May 1, 2021, the two-factor authentication requirement will be extended to all Judiciary applications used by attorneys.
As indicated in that earlier notice, two-factor authentication uses the email address or cell phone number previously provided by attorneys and verified/updated as part of the 2021 Attorney Registration process.
To assist attorneys through this expansion of the two-factor authentication beyond the Attorney Registration application, the Superior Court Clerk’s Office is making available at no cost training on the use of the two-factor authentication process. This training will include the legal and ethical requirements related to Judiciary information security. Additionally, Judiciary staff will provide useful techniques to troubleshoot problems and provide answers to frequently asked questions related to two-factor authentication.
The sessions will be conducted using Microsoft Teams. Attorneys must register in advance. The scheduled training sessions are as follows:
On April 6th, Eileen P. Mulroy, a native of Bergen County, was sworn in as the 123rd President of the Bergen County Bar Association (BCBA). Ms. Mulroy is the fifth woman to lead the organization. She has been a member of the BCBA since 1983. In 2007, she became a Trustee, where she served for 9 years, and in 2016, she was elevated to the position of Secretary of the BCBA. Over the years, Ms. Mulroy has served on several BCBA committees, including Bench/Bar, By-Laws, Continuing Legal Education, Membership, Memorial Service, and is the current co-chair of the Workers’ Compensation Committee. Ms. Mulroy served as President of Women Lawyers in Bergen (WLIB) from 2003-2005 and recently completed her two-year term as President of the Bergen County Bar Foundation. She also served as a member and Chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court District IIB Ethics Committee. Ms. Mulroy remains an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) and is a frequent presenter on the topic of workers’ compensation and insurance at the NJSBA’s mid-year meeting. Read More
The Supreme Court has issued the attached Eleventh Omnibus Order on Court Operations and Legal Practice during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This March 23, 2021 Eleventh Omnibus Order extends pre-indictment excludable time for certain detained defendants and notes that further extensions are not anticipated. It also extends post-indictment excludable time through May 17, 2021. The Court’s March 23, 2021 Eleventh Omnibus Order authorizes Assignment Judges and County Prosecutors to explore and plan for in-person grand jury sessions at a future date, either in court locations or non-court spaces, consistent with the provisions of the Court’s October 8, 2020 Ninth Omnibus Order.
The March 23, 2021 Eleventh Omnibus Order continues other provisions of earlier Orders.
Questions about this notice or the Court’s Eleventh Omnibus Order may be directed to the Office of the Administrative Director of the Courts at (609) 376-3000.
/s/ Hon. Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D.
Acting Administrative Director of the Courts
Dated: March 23, 2021
NOTICE Eleventh Omnibus Order on Court Operations and Legal Practice.pdf
It has been one year since the pandemic lockdowns began and since my term as the 122nd president of the Bergen County Bar Association commenced. We have all endured difficulties and losses over the year, both personally and professionally. Our year as an Association was markedly different from years past: there was no beefsteak, no annual dinner, no in-person meetings or CLEs. It has been a full year since we have shaken hands with each other. My swearing-in was a quiet private event conducted by Judge Mizdol and attended by my wife Demetra, Frank, and Tyler. Neither my children nor my father could attend due to the newly imposed restrictions. Every one of our officer and trustee meetings was conducted via Zoom. The honorary gavel, which has passed down to each bar president, has remained silent in its velvet pouch. The COVID restrictions not only challenged our members but put the Association in a precarious financial position. From day one, we had to rethink and reimagine how to conduct Bar business and bring value to our members amidst this great challenge. As my term comes to a close, I am pleased to state that we met every challenge and prevailed as an Association. This was not an individual accomplishment but one shared by the Association’s employees, officers, trustees, and members. We did it with the support of our Bergen County Judiciary and our local elected officials. We did it with the support of the officers and trustees of the Bergen County Bar Foundation. We did it with the financial sacrifice of our employees. We did it as an Association. Thank you.
Bergen County Criminal Part Judges continue to handle criminal matters by utilizing technology to enable the parties to appear remotely.
The judges have been assigned to handle emergent matters for the months of May and June, 2021 as set forth in the schedule listed below. Of course, this schedule is subject to any Phase changes that may be implemented.
The schedule is as follows:
The Supreme Court will allow New Jersey attorneys who provide at least 25 hours of services in adult guardianship matters to claim an exemption from the Madden v. Delran, 126 N.J. 591 (1992) pro bono requirement for the subsequent year. The Madden exemption is available to attorneys who are appointed by the court to serve as (i) attorney for an alleged incapacitated person; (ii) Guardian Ad Litem in a guardianship matter; (iii) temporary pendente lite guardian; (iv) permanent guardian of an adjudicated incapacitated person; or (v) special medical guardian. The Court’s March 1, 2021 Order is attached.
The Supreme Court has authorized the summoning of new jury pools for possible in-person reporting for socially distanced jury trials. The modified summons documents will inform prospective jurors (1) that the jury selection process will begin in a virtual format; and (2) that their service may continue virtually or may involve reporting in person to a courthouse with safety precautions. The new “virtual or in-person” summons option will apply to jury pools scheduled to report on or after May 17, 2021.
The Judiciary is continuing to closely monitor relevant COVID-19 trends, including those in the COVID-19 Activity Level Index (CALI) weekly reports posted by the New Jersey Department of Health. The New York Times reports that as of March 1, 2021, the statewide 14-day average showed a 12% decrease in deaths and a 24% decrease in hospitalizations. Over that same period, new daily cases ticked up by 3%. NJ DOH is continuing to report more than 2500 new COVID-19 cases per day. Even that significant figure, however, is less than one-half of the number of new cases reported at the start of 2021.
On Friday, February 19th, Judge Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D., Administrative Director of the Courts, held a “Listening Session on Court Operations” with more than 120 participants, including the assignment judges, trial court administrators, and county bar association leaders from Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties.
The virtual roundtable focused on five main areas: (1) virtual civil jury trials; (2) landlord-tenant operations and options for attorneys to support settlement efforts and provide representation; (3) technology resources, including courthouse technology rooms; (4) municipal court practice and the future of municipal courts; and (5) health and safety protocols in state court facilities. A summary of the overarching themes of the conversation with pertinent links relating to the topics of discussion can be found below. Read More