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Category Archives: Covid-19 Notices

GUARDIANSHIP MENTOR PROGRAM

Author By J.G.Posted on

In the past year, Adult Guardianship filings have increased 33% in Bergen County. As the number of filings continues to rise, the need for professionals to serve in the roles of Court Appointed Attorney, Guardian ad Litem and Pendente Lite Temporary Guardian continues to increase.

To answer the Court’s needs, the Bergen County Bar Association is working with the Bergen County Surrogate to establish Bergen County’s first Guardianship Mentorship Program. By participating in this program, not only will you expand your areas of legal expertise, but also help protect the County’s most vulnerable populations. The program is open to a limited number of applicants. Once the program is completed, you will be trained in the duties associated with court-appointed positions and eligible for continued court appointments.

Below is a link to a flyer outlining the components of the program, which will include two pro bono assignments, training, and access to a group of experts in the area who will be mentors to the less experienced attorneys participating in the program. Your mentors have background and expertise in all areas that may arise during what can sometimes be very complicated proceedings, even when the assignment initially appears to be straightforward.

I encourage you to take the opportunity to engage in a practice area that is not only in need of your services, but also professionally and personally enriching as you provide aid and assistance to the Court and our disabled and aging citizens.

Anyone interested is requested to forward a resume or CV to me through [email protected] and Special Deputy Surrogate April Fronduto-Slavin at [email protected] for consideration. As the program is emerging, the initial class will be limited. However, anyone seeking to participate now will be considered for future classes as the program moves forward. Should you have any questions about the program, the work involved, or guardianship in general, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The deadline to apply for this “first class of mentees” is Friday, October 25, 2024.

Thank you.

Brian E. Shea
Co-Chair, Probate Litigation & Guardianship

Young Lawyers Pamphlet

ATTORNEYS REQUIRED TO SUBMIT CLAIMS AGAINST NEW JERSEY THROUGH ONLINE PORTAL

Author By J.G.Posted on

From the NJSBA’s Daily Briefing:

Starting July 11, all tort and contract claims filed against the state of New Jersey must be submitted through a digital portal on the state’s website. The new process is required for claims involving all state departments, agencies, employees and officials, including state colleges and universities except for Rutgers University. Learn more about the procedure here.

RECOVERY COURT REFRESHER

Author By J.G.Posted on

This memorandum is to serve as a basic refresher regarding Recovery Court. Recovery Court, which has been in existence for over 20 years, serves as a diversionary sentence for non-violent criminal offenders. The crimes do not have to necessarily involve controlled dangerous substances. Rather, the crimes must have been committed as the result of a person’s drug/alcohol addiction or in furtherance of a person’s addiction. Recovery Court targets offenders who would be most likely to benefit from treatment and who do not pose a risk to public safety. Should a defendant be offered an attractive plea deal, the question becomes whether the sentence would be the best recourse for a defendant with addiction issues. Read More

NOTICE TO THE BAR: JUDICIARY WI-FI COUNTY COURTHOUSES – USE BY ATTORNEYS

Author By J.G.Posted on

The Judiciary Information Technology Office is upgrading the wireless infrastructure in all Superior Court courthouses. As part of this statewide project, we are discontinuing the wireless network (Wi-Fi) that attorneys have been using in courthouses (“NJ-Attorney”). Attorneys will instead now be able to use the same Judiciary wireless network that the public uses in each of the courthouses: “<county name> Judiciary PublicWifi”. Attorneys using this public Wi-Fi will no longer need to enter their User ID and password, though, however, like the Public, they must accept the End User Agreement to access the wireless network. This change will go into effect on Monday, June 3, 2024.

 

/s/ Hon. Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D.
Acting Administrative Director of the Courts.

JUDICIARY WI-FI

NOTICE TO THE CRIMINAL BAR: NOTICE TO THE CRIMINAL BAR CONCERNING CUT OFF TIME FOR DEFENDANT COMMITMENT TO JAIL FOR CJP COURT EFFECTIVE MAY 15, 2024

Author By J.G.Posted on

This Notice addresses defendants who have been charged on a Complaint-Warrant and are being committed to the Bergen County Jail for processing and to appear at Central Judicial Processing Court.

Effective immediately, the new cutoff time for new commitments to the Bergen County Jail to be processed by the Pretrial Services Unit for CJP Court is 8:30 AM Monday through Friday and 11:00 AM on weekends and/or holidays. Defendants must be committed to the Bergen County Jail by the aforementioned cut off times and also appear on the Pretrial Services worklist. These cutoff times apply to defendants committed to the jail by local law enforcement as well as defendants who elect to self-surrender. Please note that having a defendant physically appear at a police department or the jail at 8:30 AM on weekdays or 11:00 AM on weekends will not suffice to meet this cutoff. Local police departments and the jail need the time to complete paperwork, fingerprint, and process the defendant. Depending on circumstances at the local police department or at the jail, processing could take up to several hours.

The only exception to the aforementioned cut-off times are defendants who have an unserved complaint warrant (“non-app”) and are taken into custody for processing at the time of their court appearance or while reporting to Pretrial Services. If a defendant is taken into custody at the courthouse before 10:00 AM, the defendant will be seen for CJP the same day.

If the aforementioned cutoff times are not met, the defendant will appear at CJP on the following day. Court staff must abide by the procedures of the Criminal Justice Reform act, which cannot be shortened, expedited, or circumvented. Please direct any questions you may have regarding this notice to Leslie Darcy, Criminal Division Manager, via email at [email protected].

NOTICE TO THE BAR – Filing Deadlines in the Surrogate’s Court

Author By J.G.Posted on

Counsel and their support staff are reminded to take notice of and comply with the deadlines set forth in court orders. Deadlines are imposed to provide our Superior Court Judges and their staff with adequate time to review the entire file prior to a court proceeding.

Currently, Probate Part and Family Part matters that are filed in the Surrogate’s Court cannot be submitted by either eCourts or JEDS, and for that reason all filings must be completed on paper.  Although courtesy copies of
filings may be emailed to Surrogate’s Court staff, it is counsel’s responsibility to ensure that hard copies of all documentation, including but not limited to proof of effectuated service and proposed judgments, are received by the Surrogate’s Court on or before the deadline set forth by the court.

Hard copies of filings must be received by the Surrogate’s Court on or before the filing deadline to be considered timely.

All matters that are incomplete by filing deadlines are subject to adjournment.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Michael R. Dressler
Bergen County Surrogate

Notice to the Bar (4)

BERGEN BAR TAX BULLETIN, VOL. 40, NO. 3

Author By J.G.Posted on

Written by: Theodore M. David, Chair, Tax Law Committee

Current Items:                                                                                    

1) IRS and The Lindbergh Case           

1). People sometimes ask what do lawyers do? Now, of course, there is all the paper shuffling associated with various types of personal and business transactions, but for trial lawyers and prosecutors alike, it’s really not that at all. Whether pitching a case to a jury, judge, or the IRS, the job comes down to this: Lawyers paint pictures. You see, clients provide the basic paint colors of some facts, more or less ideally irrefutable. This is not a paint-by-numbers kind of task. Think Salvador Dali. One year, I traced his steps in Spain to his house and museum. BTW there’s one in St. Petersburg, Florida, which is a lot closer. When seen up close, some of his paintings look like a mishmash of dabs of color, but when you step back, your brain registers a complete picture. It’s an amazing phenomenon. Dali painted some pretty weird pictures. Melting clocks bizarre groupings of animals, men and women as well. He was perhaps one of the best self-promoters that has ever lived. Those dashing black eyes matching his turned-up waxed mustache and his antics made him one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. Dali would’ve made a great lawyer. Read More

PARENTING COORDINATION REDUX

Author By J.G.Posted on

Written by Bruce E. Chase, Esq., Co-Chair, Family Law Committee

In March 2007, the Bergen Vicinage was chosen to be one of the four (4) vicinages chosen to implement a Pilot Program for the appointment of Parent Coordinators. (See Notice dated 4/2/07). The Pilot Program was terminated by Notice of the Supreme Court AOC in November 2012. Upon the termination of the Pilot Program, Family Part judges were authorized to appoint PCs in specific cases in any vicinage. (See 2012 Notice). In the Notice terminating the Pilot Program, the court noted that if appointed, the PC must “be qualified to serve either by consent of the parties or by the court in the same manner as other experts.” Read More

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