VLJ's Annual Gala Breaks Fundraising Record | |
Thanks to the outpouring of generosity and support, our annual Arts & Eats for Justice Gala on October 8 raised a record-breaking $750,000! This is an incredible boost for our efforts to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty, and it is possible because of our wonderful community of volunteers, donors, supporters, and cheerleaders. | |
Gala photos are available for viewing on our website | |
Serving Those Who Served: Veterans Legal Program Partnership Honored | |
The partnership of PSEG, Gibbons P.C., McCarter & English, LLP, and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice was recognized recently by the Pro Bono Institute with the CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award. | The award honors our collective service to veterans in New Jersey. The partnership launched the Veterans Legal Program (VLP) in 2014, offering legal assistance to veterans on issues such as child support modifications, driver’s license restoration, criminal record expungements, estate planning, eviction defense, and other civil legal issues. Over the past decade, the partners have adapted and expanded the VLP’s services to meet the growing civil legal needs of veterans. The VLP provides both brief advice clinics and full representation to veterans and it is the first project of its kind in New Jersey. | Since the launch of the VLP, 160 attorneys and 15 staff volunteers have collectively dedicated over 2,038 hours to handle 697 legal matters, providing pro bono legal services valued at $760,637. The partnership was presented with the award at the PBI's 2024 Annual Dinner on Wednesday, October 9 in New York City. | Pictured left to right: Matthew Jokajtys (PSEG), Alexandra Bravo (VLJ), Eric W. Hughes (VLJ), Michelle Pallak (McCarter & English), Natalie Dallavalle (PSEG), Grace Park (PSEG), Mary Frances Palisano (Gibbons), Julia Browning (Gibbons), and Katiana Guerrier (VLJ). | |
VLJ Volunteer Michael A. Conforti to Receive NJSBA Pro Bono Award | | |
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Michael A. Conforti, an associate at Gibbons P.C. and a dedicated VLJ volunteer, has been honored with the 2024 Distinguished New Lawyer Award by the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA). | This prestigious award recognizes the exceptional pro bono contributions and leadership of lawyers who have been in practice for 10 years or less. | |
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Michael began his pro bono journey with VLJ in 2015 as an intern, quickly becoming a volunteer attorney not long after he was admitted to practice law in 2018. At the time of his award nomination, Michael helped 61 VLJ clients. Over the last five years, Michael has generously donated 180 hours of pro bono with VLJ, valued at nearly $45,000. Michael’s pro bono expertise includes issues impacting the reentry population, primarily criminal record expungement, with some driver’s license restoration and child support modification. His extensive, dedicated efforts using the power of pro bono to help community members with second chances exemplifies the spirit of service that the Distinguished New Lawyer Award seeks to honor.
VLJ extends its heartfelt congratulations to Michael on this remarkable achievement. We are honored and immensely grateful to have him as part of our volunteer team and look forward to many more years of partnering in pro bono. Michael, along with the other pro bono award honorees, will be recognized at the NJSBA’s Pro Bono Awards Reception on Tues., October 29 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM at the New Jersey Law Center.
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New Officers Elected for VLJ's Board of Trustees | VLJ is proud to announce the election of two current trustees to the executive leadership team of its Board of Trustees: Sneha Desai as Vice Chair and Kaitlyn E. Stone as Secretary. The elections were made at VLJ’s May 21st board meeting. | |
Sneha is Chief Legal Counsel, Global Litigation & Employment at Stryker, and Kaitlyn (Kate) is a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Sneha and Kate’s new positions come at a pivotal time for VLJ as the organization continues to grow to meet the increasing demand for civil legal services. With their added leadership, VLJ is well positioned to continue what it does best: ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. | |
Better put by Cathy Keenan, Executive Director of VLJ, “We are thrilled to welcome Sneha and Kate into their new leadership roles. As long-time volunteers and trustees, they have invaluable insight into the needs of our community and the needs of our organization, finding a balance that strengthens our people and empowers our mission. The pandemic and following years have laid bare uncertainty about the direction our country and the legal profession are taking. With Sneha and Kate serving as vice chair and secretary respectively, that bodes well for the direction Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will take: onward and upward to justice.” | |
Congratulations, Sneha and Kate! | |
Amy Woltman Joins VLJ's Board of Trustees | | |
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VLJ is pleased to welcome Amy Woltman to our Board of Trustees. | Amy, Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, Retirement Strategies, at Prudential Financial, joined our board in September in what seems like a natural progression for such a prolific volunteer and enthusiastic supporter of all things pro bono. | |
On Amy’s appointment, Cathy Keenan remarked, “To have a new trustee with years of boots-on-the-ground pro bono lawyering across six legal programs join the board is a win-win-win for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice: a win for added strength, leadership, and insight to VLJ’s Board of Trustees; a win for VLJ’s staff and community of volunteers; and most importantly, a win for those VLJ serves, knowing that Amy’s experience on the frontlines of the justice gap will nurture a more nuanced and informed approach to addressing the many unmet civil legal needs of New Jerseyans experiencing poverty. I am excited for Amy’s new chapter at VLJ, and I look forward to a deepening of the partnership VLJ has with Amy and the dedicated legal team at Prudential Financial.” | |
Welcome to the board, Amy! | | |
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On August 21, VLJ’s Jeff Stephens was interviewed on PIX11, discussing the impact of recent medical debt relief efforts in New Jersey, from the elimination of $100 million in medical debt for thousands of New Jersey families to new protections provided by the Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act.
Jeff, Senior Staff Attorney and Program Lead of VLJ’s Debt Relief Legal Program, shared his insight from serving clients with medical debt and experience as a volunteer EMT, noting how he saw clients’ underlying health issues worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff said it best, “It is something that we think is a solid step forward in our state.”
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A New Face Joins the VLJ Team | |
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Her advocacy against gender-based violence will include education, outreach, community partnerships, client representation, and policy work to expand legal relief for survivors.
Kayla's impressive background includes a Juris Doctor and a Masters in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall Law and Seton Hall University, leadership roles in student organizations, and extensive experience in public interest law and international firms.
A passionate advocate for human rights, Kayla embodies servant leadership, working tirelessly to empower those historically underrepresented and fight for justice.
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Welcome to the team, Kayla! | |
How We Do Justice Matters |  | |
“My name is Darren, and volunteers from PSEG, Gibbons, and McCarter & English helped me with estate planning and restoring my driver’s license.
I served our country in the United States Marines, even at the risk to my health. While stationed in Japan, in 2011 I rendered life-saving aid in the radioactive tsunami apocalypse near Fukushima, Japan. The radiation I absorbed was so significant it damaged my body and brain. When I tried to get help from my own command I was humiliated. After leaving the Marines, I struggled tremendously for a decade destroying my life, facing homelessness, incarceration, and being near death multiple times. Making matters worse, I was also diagnosed with bone cancer, skin cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer linked to the Fukushima radiation. My life has been nearly destroyed because of my military service, and yet, in my recovery Volunteer Lawyers for Justice and the volunteer attorneys from Gibbons, McCarter & English, and PSEG have done more for me than the entire United States military.
When I first came to VLJ, I met with Matt Jokajtys from PSEG and Jessica Macarone from McCarter & English who walked me through a questionnaire for my estate plan. While talking with Matt and Jessica, I mentioned I also needed help getting my driver’s license back. After my meeting, I was assigned another volunteer attorney to help with my will, power of attorney, and healthcare documents. I came back to VLJ about my driver’s license and started working with Matt again and volunteers from Gibbons, Andrea Marino and Christopher Zamlout. We made progress on getting my driver’s license back, but at the time I was not doing well, so I needed a power of attorney who could take over. Thankfully, my estate planning documents were taken care of and I came back to VLJ a third time and met with Matt again and Paul Dritsas from McCarter & English to pick up where I left off. I am on my way to getting my driver’s license back, and I am grateful to the volunteers from Gibbons, McCarter & English, and PSEG who helped me and listened to me.
It means a lot to not have these legal issues weighing on me anymore. As the saying goes, no Marine is left behind, and VLJ and their volunteers were one of the first American organizations to have found me and helped me not be left behind.”
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Because how we do justice matters. | |
The Amicus Angle:
Joining Our Friends in Justice | |
In September, VLJ signed on to an amicus brief in Lopez v. Marmic LLC and Ruane, a New Jersey Supreme Court case addressing a recent Appellate Division decision denying an undocumented worker a claim for unpaid wages based solely on his immigration status. | VLJ proudly stands with our fellow amici—Make the Road New Jersey, Legal Aid at Work, National Employment Law Project, ACLU of New Jersey, CATA Farmworkers, Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund, Laundry Workers Center, Legal Services of New Jersey, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, New Labor, and 32BJ SEIU—and urges the New Jersey Supreme Court to reverse this decision and prevent the harm that will come from granting employers free reign to exploit immigrant workers. | |
Hot Off the Digital Press:
VLJ's Pro Bono Blog | |
Are you an aspiring legal blogger? Then consider writing for VLJ's pro bono blog! Email Eric W. Hughes, VLJ's Bershad Director of Communications, to learn more. | | |
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VLJ's pro bono blog is made possible by generous support from 9Sail. | |
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Sponsor and Supporter Recognition
Thank you to our recent grantors, first-time corporate supporters, and major individual donors!
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"Ensuring Access to Justice for People Experiencing Poverty" | |
Connect with Volunteer Lawyers for Justice | | | | |
