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Category Archives: Bergen County Bar Association

STATEMENT FROM THE BERGEN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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The Bergen County Bar Association issues this statement to reaffirm a simple but vital principle: our system of justice depends on an independent judiciary and a legal profession that is free to represent clients without fear or favor.

We stand in support of the rule of law and the independence of our judiciary, cornerstones of our constitutional democracy. Judges, attorneys, and courts must be free to carry out their duties without intimidation, interference, or retaliation.

Public discourse from any aspect of the political spectrum that targets judges or penalizes attorneys for representing certain clients undermines confidence in our legal system and threatens the integrity of a profession dedicated to justice, fairness, and due process. Our system functions because the public trusts that courts apply the law fairly and that lawyers serve their clients without fear of consequence. That trust is not easily earned, and once lost, not easily restored.

Our association remains committed to advancing relations and understanding between both the courts and counsel, and the legal profession and the general public. Lawyers and judges are certainly not above criticism. But when criticism from any aspect of the political spectrum crosses into coercion, and disagreement by anyone encourages efforts to intimidate, it is the responsibility of the legal community to advocate zealously and ethically to ensure that our system remains impartial, independent, and accessible to all.

We, as members of the Bergen County Bar Association’s Board of Trustees who come from all political spectrums, stand firmly with the legal community and the public in upholding these essential principles.

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

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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

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

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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

NOTICE TO THE BAR — NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT FOR 2023 NOW AVAILABLE

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The attorney online registration and payment period for 2023 begins today,
January 9, 2023 and runs through February 24, 2023. During this period, New Jersey
attorneys may complete their annual registration and payment through the Judiciary’s
web-based application at https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/attorney-registration.

My November 14, 2022 notice (1) announced those dates, (2) advised of the
new information security policy that requires attorneys to use a 14-character
password/passphrase to access the application rather than the prior 8-character
password, and (3) also announced the availability of no-cost virtual training sessions
on the updated attorney registration application, with CLE credits provided for
completing the training.

All New Jersey attorneys must complete their annual attorney registration and
pay the required annual fee electronically, except those attorneys who qualify for one
of the limited exceptions approved by the Supreme Court. The total fee for the 2023
registration and payment cycle is $239. That consists of the following components:
Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection ($46), Disciplinary Oversight Committee
($173), Lawyers’ Assistance Program ($10), Continuing Legal Education ($4), and
Board of Bar Examiners ($6).

In addition, attorneys maintaining a plenary or limited license to practice law
in New Jersey must certify to the completion of their continuing legal education
(CLE) requirements in accordance with Rule 1:42. A noncompliance fee of $50 will
be assessed against attorneys who report that they failed to complete the requisite
CLE credits by the deadline for course completion. An additional $50 (for a total of
$100) will be assessed against attorneys who fail to complete their required CLE
credits within the grace period provided by BCLE Reg. 402:1 and against attorneys
who fail to report regarding CLE compliance at all. Information on Continuing Legal
Education requirements is available at https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/cle. For
concerns related to CLE, please contact SCTCLE.Mailbox@njcourts.gov or 609-
815-2930.

For questions or information related to this notice, please contact Michelle M.
Smith, Clerk of the Superior Court, at michelle.smith@njcourts.gov or 609-815-2900
ext. 54200.

/s/ Glenn A. Grant
Administrative Director of the Courts
Dated: January 9, 2023

Notice – 2023 Attorney Registration – Formal Opening of Registration-Payment Period – dated 01-09-23

 

November 2022 — Bergen Bar Tax Bulletin, Vol. 38, No. 11

Author By J.G.Posted on

Written by Theodore M. David, Chair

Tax Law Committee

 

Current Items:                                                             

  • Wordle?
  • Go Appeals
  • Uncle Sam Wants You                                                                    

1). I’m sure you remember the Donna Reed Show or Father Knows Best or, how can I leave out, Leave It to Beaver. Whenever there was an episode that opened up at breakfast, there was Dad buried in his daily newspaper, oblivious to his surroundings, while mom, in her apron, flitted around the kitchen getting a cholesterol-filled breakfast ready for the kiddies. These days of course, newspapers are only used to line birdcages. In reality, most everyone is now buried in their screens from the moment their eyes open until they close later in the evening. Most of what is being watched, in my humble estimation, doesn’t amount to much. Don’t get me wrong — I think it is important that you know exactly where your friends had dinner and what they thought of that restaurant newly opened down the block. And let’s not forget all those pictures of happy couples on vacation, making it look like they are having the time of their lives. But now there is a new game in town, and it is called Wordle. Read More

CALL FOR ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC CANDIDATE VOLUNTEERS FOR THE DISTRICT ETHICS AND FEE ARBITRATION COMMITTEES

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The Office of Attorney Ethics welcomes applicants to apply for appointments by the New Jersey Supreme Court to the District Ethics and Fee Arbitration Committees. Please submit application materials directly to the Office of Attorney Ethics for appointment for the four-year term to begin on September 1 of the upcoming year.  Click below for more information.

Ethics and Fee Arbitration Committees

Civil and Family – Resumption of Courtesy Copy Requirement as of January 1, 2023

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The Supreme Court in the attached October 24, 2022 Order has concluded the temporary suspension of the requirement to submit paper “courtesy copies” to the judge in Civil and Family matters. Accordingly, effective January 1, 2023, attorneys must send paper copies to the judge as required by Rule 1:6-4 (“Superior Court; Place for Filing Motions, Orders to Show Cause and Orders”).

Questions on the Court’s Order may be directed to the Civil Practice Division at (609) 815-2900 X54900 or the Family Practice Division at (609) 815-2900 x55350.

/s/ Glenn A. Grant

Administrative Director of the Courts

Dated: October 25, 2022

Notice – Civil and Family – Resumption of Courtesy Copy Requirement as of January 1, 2023 – Notice Dated 10-25-22

Order – Rescinding Temporary Suspension of Courtesy Copy Requirement – Dated 10-24-22 – Effective 01-01-23

NOTICE TO THE BAR AND PUBLIC — THE FUTURE OF COURT OPERATIONS

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UPDATES TO IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL COURT EVENTS

The Supreme Court has updated the framework for court operations to allow more in-person proceedings. The Court’s attached October 27, 2022 Order, which is effective immediately, supersedes its November 18, 2021 Order.

Special Civil Part trials and most Family matters will be in person. Effective March 1, 2023, initial hearings for involuntary civil commitments will also be in person. Routine conferences and motions will continue to be virtual.

Questions may be directed to the Office of the Administrative Director at (609) 376-3000.

/s/ Glenn A. Grant, Administrative Director of the Courts
Dated: October 27, 2022

Notice – Future of Court Operations 2.0 – w Order dated and effective immediately – notice dated 10-27-22 – w link

Order – Future of Court Operations 2.0 – as signed – dated and effective 10-27-22

USER ACCESS ROLE IN eCOURTS FOR ATTORNEYS’ STAFF EXPANDED TO eCOURTS FAMILY

Author By J.G.Posted on

The Judiciary in October 2021 announced the creation of a new eCourts user access role for attorneys’ staff using an independent user ID; see the October 1, 2021 Notice. Initially limited to Criminal eCourts, this user access role for attorneys’ staff was expanded in March 2022 to also include eCourts for Civil Law, General Equity, Special Civil Part, and Tax Court, as well as the eCourts Expungement System; see the March 24, 2022 Notice. This notice is to advise that this user access role for attorneys’ staff is being further expanded to eCourts Family effective September 30, 2022.

To acquire this user access, attorneys’ staff must first register via the Judiciary website at the self-registration portal. Once registered, the attorneys’ staff person must provide that new user ID to the attorney so that the attorney can associate the staff person’s account to the attorney’s bar ID. Once that has been done, the attorneys’ staff may electronically file documents, view the case jacket, and save and print documents using their user access without the need to use the attorney’s credentials.

Questions regarding this notice may be directed to the Superior Court Clerk’s Office at SCCO.mailbox@njcourts.gov or 609-421-6100.

/s/ Glenn A. Grant,

Administrative Director of the Courts

September 29, 2022

Notice – User Access Role in eCourts for Attorneys’ Staff Expanded to eCourts Family – as signed – 09-29-22

 

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